Sunrise
May 1948
Photo taken shortly after detonation by German high-altitude recon plane
On May 13, 1948, 0300 hours EST, Colonel Bormann received the order. He confirmed it and then grimly looked at his subordinates who were staring at him in absolute silence of the underground command room. “It’s here. You know your orders. Let’s get this over with,” he said and sighed. “I honesty hoped this day wouldn’t come.” Then he opened the safe where the codes and target coordinates for his missiles were stored. It would take some time to get the missiles on the launch pad, fuel them and calibrate their gyroscopes. Three hours later a single V2-3 missile blasted off into the sky, carrying single 50 kiloton nuclear warhead. It would take another 15 minutes for it to reach its designed target: Washington D.C.
At 0642 hours, a short flash followed by intense light produced by a ball of fire hovering over Washington appeared in the sky. From a distance, one might confuse it for a sun coming up. From near, nobody would make that mistake. The buildings near the epicenter of the explosion literally exploded as the intense heat instantly evaporated all the moisture in their walls. Everything combustible came up in flames in less than a second. Even those farther from the epicenter suffered terrible burns. The apocalyptic image of a ball of fire expanding in the sky would be the last thing they’d ever see, as even if they survive, they would be permanently blinded. In few second, the shockwave arrived and swept aside everything in its way. The whole town turned into a burning inferno of a giant firestorm.
Later it would argued, that the attack was not nearly as successful as the Germans had planned. The missile missed the intended target, the very center of the city, by at least 2 kilometers and exploded over the outskirts so some buildings survived downtown. Also, the President of the United States Harry Truman managed to survive in an underground shelter as well as many other members of his administration thanks to the advanced radar early warning system which had been built along the East Coast just for such eventuality.
Post-war photo of downtown Washington
Despite all that, the nuclear strike was devastating. It paralyzed the political and military leadership for days and caused huge damage. Civilian casualties were high, it is estimated that more than 200,000 people perished, mostly due to injuries incurred during the blast and radiation poisoning from the fallout, most of which had luckily dispersed over the ocean. Although the whole strike wasn’t as successful as the Operation Bifröst planners had originally hoped, it caused enough damage and confusion to attain its main objective: to allow a successful invasion of New England by delaying the response of the U.S. armed forces.
In Germany and throughout New Europe, all afternoon TV and radio broadcasts were interrupted and following message was relayed:
“Attention! Citizens of the Grossdeustches Reich! Important message will follow shortly, pay attention! Dr. Goebbels will make an announcment!”
“Citizens of the Reich, people of New Europe! A grim responsibility now lies on me to announce to you that a state of war has been declared earlier this day against the United States of America following unprecedented acts of war committed by American forces upon our nation.
Yesterday, while your were sleeping peacefully dreaming about a better tomorrow for you and your children, the American Navy attacked a German civilian transport ship carrying medical supplies on route to China to deliver aid to the beleaguered Chinese people suffering from a genocidal American attacks. The ship was attacked despite flying a German flag and it was attacked repeatedly until it was sunk.
German government, genuinely hoping that peace can be preserved, had then sent an ultimatum to the American government. We demanded a thorough investigation of the incident in which many Germans and other Europeans have perished, observed also by German investigators, and an apology and compensation for this reckless act. We gave the Americans 10 hours to reply. No reply had come. Instead American naval bombers launched from Bahamas airbase attacked an unarmed German surveillance ship monitoring the central Atlantic, way off the American territorial waters.
This savage attack has provided us with an undeniable proof that the many intelligence reports that we’ve been receiving for some time now about an impending American attack against our homeland, possibly including nuclear bomb attacks against European cities carried out by the American long range heavy bombers, were accurate. Because of this we were left with little choice but to defend ourselves.
The German people want peace, but we won’t hesitate to go to war to protect our rights and lives, just as we did in 1939! Therefore our Führer Hermann Göering has authorized a full-scale pre-emptive strike against the American warmongers. Our allies in New Europe were consulted and they voiced their full support of our decision.
Our first blow was delivered shortly after this decision was made to the lair of the criminal American government, to Washington, by German Strategic Rocket Forces. Those in the world who decry the use of nuclear weapons by Germany I say this: Those who sow the wind, reap the whirlwind. We regret any possible loss of innocent lives, but the advantages of having the head of the enemy cut and the prospect of making the war shorter and easier for our soldiers far outweigh the damage done to American civilians. It is also an act of justice to punish those in Washington who ordered the genocidal attacks in Asia with the same means they themselves have not hesitated to use.
Immediately following this surgical strike, German forces which had been placed on alert earlier have launched an amphibious landing on the American eastern coast near the city of Boston, where the American insurrection against benevolent British rule began less than two hundred years ago.
We pray for the success of our heroic troops on their righteous crusade against the genocidal madness, so clearly demonstrated to the world in Asia and Japan. We hope that this peace-enforcing operation is soon over and the peace which was agreed 5 years ago in London is restored and we may return to our normal lives. Now I have to announce that a partial mobilization of the reservists has been declared. Detailed instructions to those concerned will follow after this broadcast.
I call upon you to remain calm and to trust the authorities which will protect you. Pray for our men in uniform and wish them luck in their noble quest. Be assured that just like in the last war, Germany and her allies will prevail over the forces which want to destroy us and our great civilization. We will save Germany and whole Europe from the American menace. Gott mit uns!”
First wave of German troops begin landing on American soil
-----------------------------------------------
So it begins, unannounced and unexpected
Krieg is on and it's gonna be a tough one.
