The Third Reich

[Doge Robert]

The Third Reich

The Rise of a Nation

Introduction

For seventeen years Germany had labored to continue its existence as a nation within the rigid confinement of the Dictate of Versailles, as it was, and still is, known in Germany. Catastrophic inflation, mass unemployment, hunger and extreme poverty, were but some of the countless hardships which were forced upon the German people by the victorious Entente powers on that fateful day of June 28th, 1919.
Since then, the very existence of Germany as one nation was uncertain and the very idea that it should ever recover from its hardships was unbelievable to say the least. But then, in 1933, something happened, which was to change the face of Europe and the world, forever. Hitler and his party the NSDAP came to power. The Führer, as he was soon to be known throughout the world, vowed to change the future of Germany and bring the Reich back to its rightful position of glory and with it the German people. Then he set out to do this…

Adolf Hitler, the man to lead Germany out of darkness.

The German Empire had been cast asunder by the combined might of the Entente powers, jealous of her might and glory and unwilling to let the German people hold their rightful place as shepherds of Europe. They had waited in the dark, biding their time until such a moment as the Kaiserreich, honest to their word and loyal to their allies, had come to the aid of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, in its struggle against Russia, which due to alliances of their own had declared war on the Austrians, when they in turn had marched into Serbia following the ruthless assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne.
At the same time, a complicated, yet simple series of alliances and events, which would and should have played out within the confines of civility and chivalry,
a series of battles, which would soon have found their victor and peace would once again have come to Europe. But this was not to be.

In their jealousy and fear, the empires of France and Britain declared war on Germany, just as her forces were engaged with honorably assisting their ally. There was no reason for such a declaration, save the hunger for power and domination on behalf of the aggressor empires, which did not begrudge the Kaiserreich her own place in the sun.

What followed was a war totally out of proportion to its original conflict, artificially prolonged by the treacherous Entente powers who through false propaganda and evil whispers, managed to gain the help of the United States, a nation innocent of the intrigue and warmongering so prevalent among the greedy old empires of France and Britain. So great was their hate of the German people that they fought on until the very Austro-Hungarian had ceased to exist,
splintered by evil propaganda and cruel weapons employed by the Entente.
And when finally, after four years of valiant struggle by the mighty and righteous German armies, to prevent the greedy warmongers from completely dominating Europe, the proud and noble soldiers of the Kaiserreich were stabbed in the back by their own leaders, who through bribes and threats had succumbed to the lies of the enemy and saw defeat where none was to be found.

Had the armies of the Kaiser not already defeated Ancient Russia? Where were the setbacks in that sad event?

A disaster completely unnecessary, if not for the treachery of the Entente Powers, who would not allow an honorable peace to take place on the Eastern Front, shocked and frightened by the righteous might of the German soldier in his valiant struggle to defeat the greedy, power-hungry and jealous enemies of the Kaiserreich. Their evil hearts knew the true fear of righteousness, only the enemies of justice can feel, when against all their cruel machinations and the countless armies they sent at the loyal sons of the Kaiserreich, Germany still prevailed against the Russian armies and forced them to surrender.

A disaster that could and should have been avoided. And would have been, had the Entente powers stayed out of a conflict, in which they had no affairs, save those of their own imaginations. The rise of Bolshevism is directly connected to this disaster and the responsibility for bringing it forth can only be placed at the feet of those, who forced Germany to fight a war which was neither needed nor beneficial in any way to the German people or Europe as a whole.

Still, the mighty German armies prevailed against the onslaught of our enemies, misled and misguided by their own leaders, who spread filthy lies and evil propaganda to try and make their soldiers fight against a noble and honorable enemy. To convince their own troops that they and not the German soldiers were the true light of freedom and justice, come to make war upon the wicked and cruel. So obvious were the lies that their soldiers faltered and could not defeat the German sons and their leaders felt the cold hand of fear strike at their evil hearts and they conspired to find another way to defeat the Kaiserreich, since, so obviously, a just an honest battle under the eyes of all sacred powers, could not prove their lies to be truths. They could not defeat us in honest combat, but decided to sneak poison in the form of lies into the hearts of our leaders, who, sad to be said but the truth must be told, fell all too easily to the whispers of defeat and disaster, spewing forth from the shadows by way of enemy agents and cold-hearted traitors.

Even at the very moment, where the Kaiserreich in her hour of absolute glory, was poised to deliver the final blows against an enemy, which could not defeat the righteousness of the German cause, the morale of German troops and the simple truth, that justice was on the side of Germany and her people, then the traitors stroke and our leaders, misled by lies, blinded by bribes and corrupted by the wickedness of our enemies stabbed their own loyal subjects in the back and signed the document, which was to bring the mighty Kaiserreich to the very brink of destruction.

(Excerpt from: ‘From Versailles to Victory – A History of the Third Reich’, by Dr. Heinz Schreiner)

Nuremberg - Reichsparteitag der Freiheit(1)

September 14th – 1935 Nuremberg.


Dr. Goebbels, Reich Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, had just finished reciting the history of the Dictate of Versailles, a well known piece of history in Germany, since the Nazi party spent every chance they got to spread their version of what had taken place in the Great War and how it had come to an end.

“Let this be a lesson to always guard yourselves against the sharp minds and twisted words of the enemies of the Fatherland.” Goebbels continued.
“For our enemies are many and lies fall from their lips as sweet honey before a starving man. But no matter how sweet their words may sound, they are still false! They are still lies! For there is but one truth!” At this point, he began to shout.
“The truth of National Socialism! The truth of the Führer! The truth of Adolf Hitler! Sieg Heil!”
The last part he screamed into the microphone, but still it was hard to hear his words, as they were deafened by the multitude of voices from thousands upon thousands of people shouting out that one, simple cry of devotion and loyalty: “Heil Hitler!”

(1) Rally of Freedom - The title of the 1935 Rally at Nuremberg 'Freedom' refers to the reintroduced compulsory military service and thus the 'liberation' from the Treaty of Versailles. (Source: Wikipedia)

[trekaddict]

Glad to have you among the writers again. I shall follow.

[Doge Robert]

Before you all start to scream at me, I will make a few quick statements:

1) No, I am not now, nor have I ever been a National Socialist.
2) No, I am not writing this to insult the German, British or French people, nor anyone else.
3) No, I do not think the Second World War was a joke.
4) No, I am not trying to diminish the great evils committed during that war, no matter which side we're talking about.

However...

5) I am trying to write a good story...
6) I have chosen to write it from the viewpoint of the Germans.
7) Therefore there will be places where I write from the viewpoint of the Nazis... As I percieve it...
8) And from the viewpoint of their propaganda..

Did that clear everything out? If not, let me know and I'll try and do something about it..

Now, as I stated above, I decided to make an AAR based on the German side and history will of course deviate greatly from our own. That said, while there are certain things this AAR will not feature, as prescribed by the forum rules, I will try to keep it as believable as possible, all things considered..
However, since I'm trying to write a serious story and since I will write this from the German point of view, I will not make them out to be almost comically evil, stupid or anything else of that sort. In fact, they might from time to time seem almost a bit too clever for comfort.. But I'll try to avoid that, when I can..

Right, that should take care of the how can you write something like that!!! stuff.. I just hope the rest of you enjoy the story. And discussions about controversy, politics and so forth are of course welcome.. As long as they stay within the limits of the forum rules as well as common decency(sp??)..


On an unrelated point, I would like for you all to comment on the layout of the post above. How easy is it to read, is there something you can suggest to make it more pleasant on the eyes and so forth.. Constructive critisism is welcome.. I would much rather sort out the proper layout now, rather than later..

And, to make sure I don't forget it, I would like to thank Trekaddict for past, present and future advice and sparring.. I couldn't do it without you my friend.

[ColossusCrusher]

Looks very good.

[Doge Robert]

Volksempfänger(1)

September 14th – 1935 Berlin.


"The truth of Adolf Hitler! Sieg Heil!”
The voice of Dr. Goebbels was drowned by the voices of thousands upon thousands of Germans, young and old, who had ventured all the way to the rally grounds of Nuremberg, to see and hear the Führer speak and to partake in the glory of the Reichsparteitag(2). At least, that’s how the party put it. Nina Beyer wasn’t exactly sure she agreed with that, thinking that perhaps the money was better spent elsewhere. But then again, who was she, a mere woman, to question the Führer and the party, who had brought Germany out of poverty and on the fast track to prosperity?

“More tea dear?” She asked her husband, Dietrich Beyer, who was a solid and unwavering supporter of the regime.
“No thank you.” He replied, his voice slightly muffled by the pipe he enjoyed so much, at least at home. Nina had never seen him with it anywhere else and suspected that for some reason he considered his smoking habit a private matter, reserved for evenings and the privacy of the home. She could see his attention wander back to the newspaper he’d been reading and she turned her own attention back to the radio.

“Do you think they’re safe there?” She asked again, a mother’s worry always present. Dietrich smiled, he knew his wife tended to worry about the smallest things and yet could be utterly indifferent to matters of great importance, seemingly shaking off such questions with a: “What happens, happens, whether we worry or not.” He looked at her, admiring the grace and beauty with which she carried her almost forty years of life. He knew he wasn’t bad looking himself, but he suspected that his job and his experiences had left him far more exposed to the ravages of time.

“They will be fine dear.” He replied once more, patiently and somewhat humored. How he loved his wife.
“Both Ulrich and Frieda are enjoying themselves immensely and when they get home, they will be telling you grand tales of all they have seen and heard. Besides, Friedrich is there to keep an eye on them.”
Nina nodded. She was happy for the opportunity her children had been given. Seeing the Führer in person and enjoying the Reichparteitag with the immense multitudes present. Still, she couldn’t help but worry.
“I know of course, but even though he is your brother, he can be a bit...” She was searching for the right word to describe Friedrich, Dietrich’s younger brother.
“Wild? Irresponsible? Chancy?” Dietrich asked, his eyes twinkling with mirth. “Don’t worry, while Friedrich may be all of those, he isn’t stupid and he is well able to care for both himself and the children. He will keep them safe, believe me.” Nina nodded again and smiled. She knew it of course, but still it was nice to hear it spoken out loud from her husband in that way of his, which made things seem as certain as the flow of time.

It was like his voice bespoke truth, just as Frau Hirsch had said about Hitler last time the two women had tea. But then again, Frau Hirsch was a member of the NS-Frauenschaft, the female part of the Nazi party and knew a lot about what happened among the powerful, although Nina privately believed that most of what Frau Hirsch claimed to know might simply be gossip and half-truths. Still, it was impolite not to listen and she would never dream of correcting Frau Hirsch, even when she knew her to be in error. Embarrassing her in front of the other wives of their tea-club was simply unthinkable. Especially since Herr Hirsch was an army major and Dietrich merely an officer of the state police. Still, she was of course, terribly proud of her husband and all his very important work, even though she didn’t really understand all that much about what exactly it was he did. But a police officer kept people safe and there wasn’t any nobler job than that in her mind.

She smiled and looked kindly at her husband once again, before returning her attention to the radio, where the Führer was about to speak.
Meanwhile, Dietrich Beyer, Kriminalinspektor der Geheime Staatspolizei(3), seemed engrossed in the newspaper, oblivious to his wife’s speculations.

(1) 'People's Reciever', as designed by Otto Griessing at the request of Goebbels. Source: Wikipedia
(2) Reich national party convention. Aka Nuremberg Rally
(3) Detective Inspector of the Secret State Police, the Gestapo.

[Doge Robert]

ColossusCrusher: Thank you

Trekaddict: Your participation is much appreciated and I hope I do your assistance proper credit with my story.

This is a very short update and the next ones (or some of them) most likely will be as well..
I am currently introducing some of my initial cast-members and while it's all part of the same chapter, I decided to post the individual parts each in its own update, to make for an easier read and a more logical dividing.

So please bear with me..

[trekaddict]

You know, as much as I already know about Nazi Germany, it's still a spooky place to read about.

[Doge Robert]

Hitler inspecting a group of Hitler Jugend, earlier during the Rally.

September 14th – 1935 Nuremberg.

”Look Frieda, Look!” Usually quite calm and collected, the childish excitement in her brother’s voice almost made Frieda laugh. Almost, but not quite. One did not make jokes or laugh at the person, which was the reason for her brother’s exuberance.
“It’s the Führer Frieda, it’s Adolf Hitler!” As the Führer passed by their seats, even though he was far away, Frieda could see her brother almost instinctively stand to attention, his arm flying into the salute so fast, that it almost seemed unreal. From time to time, her brother’s mindless devotion frightened Frieda. She couldn’t understand how one person, whoever he was, could hold such a power over people. People he didn’t even know. She kept such thoughts to herself however. It would be very, very dangerous for her and her whole family, should it ever be known, that deep in her heart, she doubted the government and the path it had chosen for Germany. She might only be fourteen years of age, but she was far from stupid and just as well as she felt something wasn’t quite right about the way the people adored the government and most of all the Führer, just as well did she know that she had to bury such feelings deep and never let anyone suspect they even existed.
She straightened and raised her own hand, mere seconds after her brother and joined in the mighty chorus of the people, her eyes staring straight and her entire being shining with utter conviction and adoration. She was, after all, a very clever young girl.
And she had been taught well.

“Heil Hitler!”

Ulrich was oblivious to anything around him, most of all his sister Frieda, as his eyes were fixed on the man marching to the podium, his highest officers as well as members of his personal guard, the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler following behind, marching with a precision that made Ulrich feel goose bumps rise on his arms. It was the Führer himself, the man who had singlehandedly led Germany from the brink of annihilation to the beginning of a glorious rebirth. There was no doubt in Ulrich’s mind that the Führer would succeed with this and anything else he might decide to do. To Ulrich, the words God and Führer were almost interchangeable. He was a proud member, in excellent standing, of the Hitler Jugend and like most of his friends or rather, all of them as far as he knew, he dreamed of a future in the SS. His eyes moved slightly to where the amassed members of the Hitler Jugend stood to attention much, much closer to the podium than he did, relegated to the back with the civilians and those members of the military, not specifically invited as participators, but only spectators. Still, he was here and there was nowhere else in the entire world, where he would rather be at this very moment.

“Heil Hitler!”

Behind the two of them stood a young man of thirty-two, clad in the uniform of the Luftwaffe with the insignia of a lieutenant on his shoulders. In most places, this alone would make people stand aside, but not only was this really rather impossible at this place, there were so many officers here that one more simply didn’t stand out. Friedrich, the children’s uncle and Dietrich’s younger brother, was a handsome, well-built man with a natural charm and suitably flashy way to make young women look at him more than once and usually for quite a while, if they could get away with it. Still, he was single and preferred it that way, liking the life of a handsome bachelor much more than any prospects of ever having to actually marry and settle down. And while he liked his brother’s children well enough, he liked them even more for the fact that they weren’t his own. True, as a good National Socialist, he would eventually have to marry and have children, but that was eventually and eventually was still a long time away to Friedrich’s way of thinking.
He smiled at the children standing in front of him and joined them and everyone else in yet another deafening cry of devotion.

“Heil Hitler!”

He was happy for this chance really, since he didn’t always get along completely well with his brother and Nina, Dietrich’s wife and this was one way of heightening his brother’s opinion of him. He knew Ulrich saw him as something akin to a hero and his ego wasn’t so inflated that he didn’t feel pride at the young man’s adoration. Young man, well yeah, the boy was seventeen after all and he would soon leave the Jugend and judging from everything so far, join the SS. He would be accepted too, Friedrich knew, glancing at Ulrich. The young man was the perfect Aryan: Tall, blond, blue-eyed and completely devoted to the Führer. His niece on the other hand was a slightly different question. Friedrich couldn’t exactly point out what it was, but something was slightly odd about the way the girl acted sometimes. Ah well, he would probably figure it out someday and until then there wasn’t really any reason to speculate too much about it.
All in all, they were a couple of fine young people, Friedrich mused, while more and more of his attention got diverted to the podium, where the Führer was almost ready to speak. He was happy for his brother, but he didn’t envy him. This uncle-arrangement worked out just fine, as far as Friedrich was concerned.

“Heil Hitler!”

[Doge Robert]

Trekaddict: Well, when considering how Germany functioned in those years and just how that Nazi party worked and what they did, I'd call that a serious understatement..

Yet, we must never forget the fact that not all Germans were nazis, just as not all Russians were communists or all Americans capitalist. But in a society where you most likely end up dead, if expressing the wrong political ideas, it's often hard to see that fact, as people's very survival depend on how well they blend in.

[trekaddict]

I must say, you really captured the mood there. Good job!

[humancalculator]

I'm interested.


Subscribed!

[TheRealKestrel]

I love the immersive quality of your writing... Germany remains at peace yet there is this atmosphere of pent-up tension... Best of luck to your AAR and keep up the great creative writing. Don't worry about anyone thinking you are a neo-nazi or that you endorse nazi propoganda or ethics. We are all fans of original stories and historical fiction.

btw subscribed.

[Karelian]

Tricky business, writing from the perspective of such blatant bastards as the Nazis. You have done well so far to capture that twisted "Denn heute da hört uns Deutschland, Und morgen die ganze Welt"-feeling of prewar Reich.

[TheHyphenated1]

Nice start! I'll be interested to see where you take this/

[trekaddict]

Tricky business, writing from the perspective of such blatant bastards as the Nazis. You have done well so far to capture that twisted "Denn heute da hört uns Deutschland, Und morgen die ganze Welt"-feeling of prewar Reich.

There are those that say the text is as follows:

"Denn heute gehört uns Deutschland, Und morgen die ganze Welt"

My dad was a leader of a youth group that split off from the YMCA in the 60s, and he said that they always sang it like that, but more in the spirit of being young and ambitious.

[Doge Robert]

Unter den Linden - Berlin
On a morning such as this, who can be unhappy?

September 16th – 1935 Berlin.

It was a bright morning, the sky was clear and the birds were singing, which made Dietrich regret the fact that it was Monday just a bit less vehemently. He backed the unmarked service car out of the garage and waved goodbye to Nina, before he drove off to pick up his partner, Kurt.
The streets were always peaceful at this time of the morning and the tranquility of driving through the quiet suburbs, paired with the Kaiserwetter, as such splendid weather had been called since the time of Kaiser Wilhelm II, who had appeared publicly only on such days, made Dietrich smile. To his own surprise, since he usually didn’t really like mornings, he found himself to be humming, as he slowed the car and parked in front of the Mauer residence, where his partner Kurt Mauer, lived with his family.

He quickly got out and walked up to the door, almost managing to press the doorbell, before it was opened from the inside, by Kurt’s beautiful wife Karla. Kurt and Karla, Dietrich had always found the pairing of those names somehow humorous.
"Good morning Diddi!" She called out in her melodious voice, her face lit by a joyous smile. Apart from Dietrich, whom she had always insisted on calling Diddi and most especially apart from Kurt, Karla was the epithome of an early riser and always seemed to have been going for hours, when Dietrich came around to pick up her husband. And that even though it was only six o’clock.

“Kurt slept a bit late this morning, so it’ll be a few minutes.” Karla continued, as she ushered Dietrich into the kitchen. “We had some friends over last night and it got a bit late. Coffee?” Dietrich was just about to politely decline, when Karla motioned with one hand towards the table, where a plate filled with her almost universally famous pancakes stood. The implication was clear: Bribery of the most effective kind. If Dietrich just sat down, he would be treated to hot coffee and pancakes and by the time he was finished, his partner would’ve had the extra time to get himself ready. Who could argue with that?
Dietrich sat down. “Yes please.” He said with a happy smile, this day just got better and better.

“How are the children Diddi?” Karla asked, as she fetched him a cup of coffee and some service for the pancakes. “Honey?” Dietrich nodded, still smiling.
“They are both fine thank you.” He replied. “They got home yesterday from Nuremberg. Seemed to have had a very good time there, but they were both tired, so most of what happened, I got from Friedrich, who’s doing well too, by the way. He didn’t stay long, so I don’t know everything yet. Must admit, I’ve always thought him a bit lax when it comes to duty, but he was strict enough about the time he had to leave, since he had to be back with his squadron today for training. I might’ve been wrong, although with Friedrich, you never know.”

Karla smiled at him, as she poured honey on a stack of pancakes she had placed on his plate.
“You and your brother Diddi.” She said, shaking her head. “Sometimes it’s hard to imagine you’re even family, as different as you are.” Dietrich made a non-committing shrug. “It might just be a question of age Karla. I am eleven years his senior after all. Oh, good morning Matt.” The last, somewhat surprised remark was directed at the young man, who had just entered the kitchen. “What are you doing home?”
Matthias Mauer, Kurt and Karla’s eldest didn’t reply at first, going to his mother to kiss her on the cheek, before sitting down, a plate of pancakes very soon appearing before him. “Hello Uncle D.” Matt, as he was commonly known, replied, using the pet name for Dietrich, he and his younger sister had used since they were little.

“I had a brief holiday from the university, so I thought I’d come home and say hello.” He smiled at his mother. “Besides, if I hadn’t let mom see that I’m well fed and all, she would’ve worried sick.” Karla actually blushed slightly at that and Dietrich grinned to the young man, who was about the age of his brother. Matthias, although studying, had already made a reputation for himself in medical circles and it was generally agreed that he had a stellar career ahead of him. Naturally both Kurt and Karla was bursting with pride in their son.

“Anything interesting happening at the university?” He asked. Not that he really counted on it, but it was polite to ask and he liked the intelligent, young man after all.
“Not much really, although I ran into an old acquaintance a week ago, who I used to study medicine with in Frankfurt. A very clever man, who I’m sure, will go far.”
Dietrich nodded. “Germany is lucky to have so many gifted doctors.” He said, Matt smiling at the implied compliment.
“What’s your colleagues name? Perhaps I’ve heard of him.”
“Josef Mengele. A Bavarian like yourself I believe.” Matt replied.
Dietrich shook his head. “No, doesn’t ring a bell I’m afraid.”

At that moment, Kurt, looking a bit tired, entered the kitchen. “Morn’ Matt, Dietrich.” He mumbled, as he went over and kissed his wife.
“Morning love and thanks for holding the fort.” Whatever else could be said about Kurt, he wasn’t afraid to admit his own weaknesses, neither to himself nor his family and friends and truth be told, he did have a few. But who didn’t and besides, he was a good man, a loyal partner a caring husband and father and who could, in all fairness, ask for more. Dietrich smiled and took a sip of the coffee.
“Good morning Old Bear.” He said jokingly, referring to an old joke about Kurt sleeping through the entire winter, if he got the chance.
“It’s too fine a day to rush anyway, so have a cup of coffee before we go off.” Kurt nodded gratefully. While they were partners and friends, Dietrich held the higher rank and made the calls, which was fine by Kurt. He never questioned his partner’s commands in public and he respected his authority and wisdom in most matters. And a ‘command’ like the one just given, was a pleasure to follow anyway.

[trekaddict]

Ohhhhh. I hope said aquaintance gets run over by a tank or something equally horrible.

[Doge Robert]

This update is slightly heavy on the conversation, so I tried using different colors to distinguish speech from text and who did the talking..

Lemme know what you think of it.. It might be overdone and this is the right time for me to figure out which procedure to use for future updates..

humancalculator: Welcome on board the ride.. Hope you enjoy it

TheRealKestrel: That goes for you too.. And thank you for your compliment, which I, naturally, consider completely undeserved..

As for me not worrying, I don't really.. I just wanted to cover my bases, since parts of my story.. for instance a few of the comments above, might seem pro-nazi, to the casual reader.. And that's completely off the mark..

Karelian: And you too... Since I son't speak German and therefore have no idea what you're talking about, I just smile politely and nod..

TheHyphenated1: And to you as well, of course.. Well, I hope I don't dissapoint you too much then..

trekaddict: And since I don't speak German, I don't understand your part either, but knowing you I am certain it is hilariously funny..

trekaddict 2: We can always hope of course..

[Kurt_Steiner]

There is always a Kurt at the end of the road...

[Doge Robert]

There is always a Kurt at the end of the road...

And what, pray tell, would we ever do without one?