A Man and a Plane: An Alternate Germany

by Joseph T Major

  It would have been easier back home, the Reformed church was perhaps a bit more understanding, but if not the SA, then an "honor guard" of Herr Doktor Goebbels's and Herr Heydrich's SS under the command of, say, this thug Dietrich visiting the wedding to offer their felicitations . . . perhaps there were better advantages to deferring to the groom's home for once.

  The Duke had taken Bolko around and they had talked about the benefits of tourism. Blenheim Palace (it was named after the Battle of Höchstadt, where their ancestor the Old Dessauer had done so well) was quite popular. When he had first arrived, Manfred's car had been blocked by a line of people waiting to put down their shilling and get in to see the place, and some people had even paid to be photographed with the Duke and the Prince. More like Max and Moritz, Manfred thought, as he stood beside the towering Duke and blinked as cameras flashed.

  He had received his own tour, with the Duke showing him various memorabilia. Most of it was the trophies of the great ancestor. (That was something about which he had no grounds for complaint.) There were such other items as the room where Winston had been born. And then there were the outright oddities, as when the Duke pointed to a sphinx and declared, "And that's Gladys."

  "So you name your ornaments?"

  The sculpture occupied a plinth on the terrace, looking out over the majestic English gardens, done with a tidy order and a grand efflorescence of scale, that surrounded this vast memorial home. Even the castle in Denver was more homely, Manfred thought. The surroundings were magnificent, but he could understand why the previous Duke had married a rich woman. The upkeep . . .

  "Haw haw haw! No, that's what Pater's second wife, Gladys, looked like! She wanted a Duke, ran him down, and got him to sign on the dotted line! Thought this was a proper memorial!"

  Manfred sometimes had trouble understanding English humor.

  At lunch, when the Duke was called away, the Prime Minister leaned over with an eager, anticipating smile on his face, and said, "I must tell you of my latest literary endeavour."

  Manfred put down his fork, giving up in despair at what English cooks did to good meat, and looked around the smaller dining room, including the small separate table at which Bert had sat, muttering to himself. "Parliamentary reports, I suppose," he said.

  "No, but it began there. During the recent debate on the weapons displayed in the late war, one of the honourable members opposite said, scornfully, that a certain development was so implausible that one might well imagine King Charles the First with a tommy gun. . . ."

  Churchill had been writing the novel in his spare hours, as a relief from the duties of governing. The story invoved a band of time-travelers, like in Wells's novel, but time-travellers of a particularly nasty sect of the Nazi faith. "I styled them the 'National Democratic Republican Party'," he said, "though they were none of those things." The time-travelling NDRP had somehow found a place in England to work from, and were giving the Lee-Enfield rifle to the English Royalist armies.

  By the time he reached that point in his description Churchill was quite enthusiastic about his story. "With this powerful new weapon, the Cavaliers proceed to win great victories against Cromwell's forces, having superior firepower at their disposal, and proceed to take London. When that is accomplished, my principal character, Sir Nathaniel, has an encounter with his sometime betrothed, Lady Mary Beane, who has seemingly deserted his affections for one of the strangers. She reveals to him how she has worked her way into their councils, and learned the truth of their dire scheme to wipe away Parliamentary government and establish a Naazi regime in England.

  "With this splendid intelligence, the King and Prince Rupert -- but I must not spoil the ending for you."

  "Wonderful!" Manfred said. "What is this mighty literary epos called?"

  "You must understand that I cannot yet release the book, not until I have retired from office. I have already been stigmatized as 'trivial' for having unleashed If Lee Had Not Won at Gettysburg upon the British public. My distinguished predecessor Disraeli could earn his living by the pen while occupying Number Ten, but these days such arrangements are frowned upon. However, I pray you will see The Guns of the King when it appears in print." And he smiled, proudly, as if an avuncular father proud of the accomplishments of his son. Even the real one could not seem to live up to that.

  "Thank you. I was asking because in Germany now, the big seller is Goebbels's new book, Die Daressallamulanien. A giant comet strikes North America, right after the Franco-Prussian war, causing a new ice age. The Kaiser and his court, and the General Staff, have to relocate to German East Africa, where they are fighting an evil French conspiracy of satanists . . ."

  No, Bert might not have understood the point of all that.

  "Again, I am doing double duty," Carl said. "His Royal Highness the Duke of Albany, representing King George and Herzog Carl von Sachsen-Coburg und Gotha, representing Kaiser Louis-Ferdinand. Two for the price of one. You don't think I could have two meals?"

  It was the morning of the wedding, and they stood on the terrace watching the procession of automobiles pass up the drive, over the bridge, and pull up in the ring before the palace. "Certainly you're not the only representative?" Manfred said.

  "Well, no. Prince Henry, the Duke of Gloucester, the King's brother, and Prince Eitel-Friedrich, respectively. He really shouldn't have come, he's not at all well. But he insisted. And Herr von Papen has managed to get himself in, representing the government."

  The automobile at the foot of the terrace stopped, and a long figure began to unfold itself from its innards. "Ah," Carl said. "The distinguished American General Rickenbacker has arrived. It is quite the gathering of our heroes of the air, and theirs also. I presume the good Frau Earhart is here?"

  "It would be impossible to prevent her, even if Carmen hadn't demanded that she be matron of honor," Manfred said. "They made quite the fuss over her on the flight here. Gander to Shannon for the main hop, you know. The pilot called her up to the cockpit, and announced that they had an expert, a veteran indeed, to bring them across the Atlantic. She said, 'As long as you don't mind landing in a pasture in Ireland.' Everybody laughed.

  "Carmen turned out to be quite the diplomat. It would be either Earhart or Frau Andra, you know, the woman Lothar was flying when, well you know, as her matron of honor.

  "So Carmen came out and said, 'Father would have wanted you to carry his medals before us. Yes, of course, you will look so dignified. The woman he gave his life to save. Who else could be more appropriate?' Earhart will be her matron of honor, and Frau Andra will carry Lothar's Ordenkissen down the aisle before us. The only medal she won't be carrying will be his pilot's badge. Wolf-Manfred gave it to her back at Christmas, remember? 'I have earned my own now and you should have this,' he said."

  Carl turned away from seeing some writer named Waugh, whom Randolph had told him was the local equivalent of Woollcott, disembark and said, "What? If she has it, and it's not going to be on his Ordenkissen, what? Where?"

  "On her dress."

  "God in Heaven!"

  There was a ghost present. A hunter, a fierce man who had faced down many of the enemies of the Reich and come forth victorious twoscore times. Bloody but unbowed, after the War had come to an end, he had turned to building a life of his own, wanting to be able to stand on his own two feet so he could rightly be the partner of his brothers, be worthy to stand by the brother who had crashed his plane striving to succor him. Had he been more fortunate . . .

  Frau Andra kissed Carmen on the cheek. "Good luck, Carmen." Then she smiled at Manfred before dropping her veil, saying, "Isn't she beautiful? Brides are always beautiful. Isn't it a beautiful day?"

  "Thank you, Fern," Carmen said.

  "Oh, that's our cue! Come along," Andra said. Well, she was an actress and thought that way.

  The only man among all the women held out his arm. "Here we are," Manfred said, and in a blaze of white glory the bride began her procession to the altar.

 
It was ironic, Manfred thought as he stepped down the aisle, niece on his arm, that half the guests are wearing medals for trying to kill the other half -- either half. Even Earhart, there behind them, was wearing her own medals, though she had earned them more peacefully. Perhaps Carmen wearing her father's pilot's badge wasn't so out of place after all.

  And there they were; the groom in uniform, the best man in top hat and tailcoat, and the groomsmen lined up waiting. The decorations of the altar, or whatever they had to call it, were quite splendid. Was Viktoria making up for even her own wedding having been a little pinched? Would they all have to get remarried at that place in Denver? God in Heaven, he was becoming trans-Atlantic.

  There was one moment during the ceremony where he could improvise. But he only had one line.

  "Who giveth this woman in Holy Matrimony?"

  He took a deep breath. "Her father has fallen in honorable service, and as his elder brother, the duty has passed to me. I do."

  He put her hand in Randolph's, and then sat down, besides Mother, who was trying not to cry.

  One might well imagine the First Duke, "Corporal John" they called him? Yes, the great Duke and the petty Brandenburger farmer von Richthofen that they had been then, riding in such a procession, assuming the mighty Churchills would have wanted to join their destiny to such an insignificant family. The couple exited the palace under an arch of swords -- Randolph did have enough friends, after all, from his Landwehr unit, no they called them "Territorials". Same difference.

  Randolph handed his bride into the open carriage that was at the end of the files of officers, a white carriage with paired white horses, bearing shields with the Spencer-Churchill and Richthofen arms, a driver in livery waiting to take them away . . . He stood beside Winston and waved. "No doubt you will do as much for your sons when their time comes," Winston said. "Alas, my father could not be my best man at our wedding. Like that beautiful woman there, I have suffered a loss."

  There was a stir behind them as the driver snapped the whip, and with a clop of hooves the bridal carriage began a procession around the circle, before going down the drive, to take the couple away to their wedded bliss, with the new Mr. and Countess Churchill waving enthusiastically.

  "I hope the Kaiser's wedding present doesn't make for an international incident. All their children will be counts of Prussia, just like my father's children," Manfred said. "Honor is so much."

  "I suppose they can live with it."

  The carriage was now a white speck, dwindling down the road, the darker strip between the green fields and the intricate gardens and canals. Above, a white line divided the sky, an airplane on some mission or other. For a moment, Manfred wondered what it would be like not to be flying again, for there to be a sky with no Richthofen. He felt a twinge go through his head. Oh no, that would be too much!

  NOTES

  On the Naming of Names and Other Matters

  The Social Democrats tend towards egalitarian measures. Therefore Noske always says "Richthofen", not "von Richthofen".

  The Weimar constitution said that "titles were part of the name." Therefore der rote kampffleiger was "Baron Manfred von Richthofen" during the War and "Manfred, Baron von Richthofen" under the Republic. (One of the compromises I have him making is to retain this pattern during the restored Empire.) But the particle is not part of the name in general parlance and so he comes under "R" for "Richthofen" and not "v" for "von Richthofen" in the German telephone book.

  The Germans transliterate Russian names in a German fashion; i.e., "Lwitnow", not "Lvitnov". (To confuse further, at the time his name would have more likely been rendered in the French transliteration, "Lvitnoff".)

  The Richthofen brothers are referred to by their first names: Manfred, Lothar, and Bolko (who is technically "Karl-Bolko" but generally went by "Bolko".)

  Chapter One

  The incidents with Moritz the dog and with the stretcher are described in both Burrows and Kilduff. Burrows puts them on April 21 while Kilduff dates them earlier; I have chosen the version best suited to my story. As for the other dog, well . . .

  "Red Battle-Flyer" is a translation of rote Kampfflieger, von Richthofen's German nickname.

  As you might guess, Göring referred to Richthofen as "unser Führer" and ended by saying, "Heil Richthofen! Sieg Heil!"

  Killduff discusses various proposals to award this augmentation to the Pour le Mérite, the Prussian award for military excellence instituted by Frederick the Great (and now in our world the peace version still being awarded for civil distinction), to Richthofen as part of a deal to make him stop risking his life.

  A listing of awardees of the Golden Oakleaves shows it the provenance of army commanders, senior staff officers, and other high-level types (the Kronprinz, his brother Prinz Eitel Friedrich, Generalfeldmarschall von Hindenburg, General von Lettow-Vorbeck, etc.). Thus the significance of Richthofen's getting it.

  Chapter Two

  The story about "Baron von Rickenbacher" is from Rickenbacker, pp. 64-65.

  Udet describes a similar reception by Rickenbacker in Ace of the Iron Cross, Page 124.

  Kunigunde von Richthofen,. Manfred's mother, said that her son had someone he intended to marry, but did not think he could do so while he could not expect not to leave her a war widow. She kept the name of her son's intended confidential. Clumsy as it may be, I wish to respect her wishes in the matter.

  (And I'm not going to credit the weird theory that he had a child by Margaret Voss that was brought up as his brother Bolko!)

  Edgar Cayce, the "Sleeping Prophet" (and the author's relative), was indeed engaged in oil drilling in Texas at this time, see Sidney Kirkpatrick's Page 219. And yes, if you don't know the name is pronounced like "Casey" you might on reading it say "Case".

  Kunigunde von Richthofen was born Kunigunde von Schickfuss -- "Fuss" being "foot".

  Chapter Three

  In other worlds, Doris von Keyserlingk von Richthofen divorced her husband shortly before his death.

  The incident with Rickenbacker and the pigeon in St. Mark's Square is quite real. There is even a photograph of it.

  In Ace of the Iron Cross (Mein Fleigerleben) Udet always refers to Richthofen as "the Captain", "der Rittmeister".

  Interlude

  Hitler's rank was Stabsgefreiter, which is usually translated as "lance-corporal" -- hence all the references to "Corporal Hitler". But "lance-corporal" is a command position and Stabsgefreiter is not, so "private first class" is a more suitable rendering.

  Political wit about the Nazis was quite common when it was possible, and Manfred has picked it up:

  "The man doesn't exist; he's only the noise he makes." Quoted in Joachim Fest's Hitler, Page 277 (quoted, Hillenbrand Page 13).

  Chapter Six

  Sometimes your characters write their dialogue for you:

  ". . . a union of political forces . . ." Taken from the memorandum Monsignor Kaas and Joseph Joos, the Zentrum leaders, gave Papen demanding his resignation from the party (Eyck, Page 437) for the sin of having become Reichskanzler after the fall of Brüning.

  "Some people think they are leaders . . ." Taken from Noske's letter denouncing the rejection by the SPD leadership of Schleicher's offer of cooperation (Eyck, Pages 480-481)

  Sometimes others do it:

  ". . . the Bohemian with an American uniform who has Soviet ideas and salutes like the Italian fascists." Based on a statement quoted in Hillenbrand, Page 13.

  Chapter Seven

  ". . . if I had a grain of affection . . ." Bolko's letter his brother is paraphrasing is quoted in Fisher/Richthofen, Page 154; the chocolate is mentioned on Page 155.

  "Perhaps we'll have luck." Noske's quote is given in Craig, Page 359.

  Chapter Eight

  "First there comes the Army . . ." Hillenbrand describes how in 1935 a soldier was stabbed for saying something of the sort to a Stormtrooper (Page 67).

  "I advised Herr Zimmermann and the Reichskanzler Herr Bethmann-Hol
lweg that we should not bring America into the War, it would be our ruin." Barbara Tuchman, The Zimmermann Telegram, Page 140 for Papen's unheeded advice on Mexico.

  Chapter Ten

  '"Nothing to wear but always having to worry about new fashions in hats.'" This cartoon by Karl Arnold is reprinted in Heckling Hitler, Page 51.

  "Ask no further -- they are all dead." Manfred showed his mother a picture of the men in his first air unit and when she began asking about them said this (Fischer/Richthofen, Page 155).

  The Kaufman and Hart play "The Man Who Came to Dinner" had its origin from a similar comment made by Moss Hart about Woollcott. The play has the rare distinction of being the only satire of an individual where the man being satirized portrayed the character satirizing him (Alexander Woollcott as Sheridan Whiteside).

  Chapter Eleven

  The photograph on the cover of the American edition of Hitler's Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII by John Cornwall (1999) shows a similar scene; it is of the then Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli after signing a concordat with the Bavarian government, passing an honor guard from the Reichswehr. That is, before Hitler became Reichskanzler. The cover, therefore, is misleading.

  The reference is to the interviews printed in Secret Conversations With Hitler by Richard Breiting.

  Chapter Twelve

  "That Hitler is not a nice man." Harpo Speaks, Page 346

  Being a formal sort, Manfred refers to the brothers by their legal names; hence "Arthur" and not "Harpo", "Julius" and not "Groucho", "Leonard" and not "Chico", and "Herbert" and not "Zeppo".