Ragnarok (Twilight of the Gods Book 3)

by Christopher Nuttall

  The Reich would presumably have a handful of nuclear weapons by 1950, unless - for whatever reason - nukes are never used in this timeline. I suspect at that point global politics would effectively freeze, just as they did in OTL. The Reich would maintain its dominance over Europe, while America built a NATO-analogue or went back to sleep (assuming there was no Japanese War). Britain would want to try to maintain its empire, but it would be incredibly difficult to do anything of the sort.

  A nightmare would have descended across the Reich. Even in Germany, Germans would not be safe from the SS - war-wounded veterans, amongst others, would be targeted for elimination. Entire populations deemed inferior would be exterminated. Millions upon millions would be ruthlessly slaughtered or enslaved. It would be the end of the world as they knew it.

  But would this Reich last for a thousand years?

  That, of course, is the question. I believe the answer is very definitely no, barring a considerable - and unlikely - degree of political reform. The economy would grow weaker and weaker - while the US moved ahead - while no application of military force would be able to hide the Reich’s underlying weaknesses. Would there be a semi-peaceful collapse, as Harry Turtledove speculated, or my outright civil war?

  Perhaps we should be grateful that we will never know.

  Appendix: German Words and Phrases

  Abwehr - German Military Intelligence

  Bund Deutscher Mädel (BDM) - League of German Girls/Band of German Maidens, female wing of the Hitler Youth.

  Einsatzgruppen - SS extermination squads

  Gastarbeiter - Guest Worker

  Gau - an administrative subdivision.

  Gauleiter, the party leader of a regional branch of the Nazi Party; later, regional leader of a district.

  Generalmajor - Major General

  Germanica - Moscow, renamed after the war

  Hauptsturmfuehrer - SS rank, roughly equal to Captain.

  Heer - The German Army

  Herrenvolk - Master Race

  Junker, German nobleman

  Kessel - ‘caldron,’ German military term for trapping an enemy formation.

  Kinder, Küche, Kirche - Nazi slogan, roughly “children, kitchen, church.”

  Kriegsmarine - The German Navy

  Lebensborn - literally 'font of life.' SS-run program for increasing the German population, including measures to encourage breeding and the kidnapping of 'Aryan' children from non-German families.

  Lebensraum - 'Living Space.'

  Luftwaffe - The German Air Force

  Mausefalle - ‘Mouse Trap’

  Mutterkreuz - Mother's Cross

  Oberfeldwebel - Heer rank, roughly equal to Master Sergeant

  Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW, 'Supreme Command of the Armed Forces') - The German General Staff.

  Obergruppenfuehrer - SS rank, roughly equal to Lieutenant General.

  Obersturmfuehrer - SS rank, roughly equal to First Lieutenant.

  Ordnungspolizei - Order Police (regular police force)

  Reichsführer-SS - Commander of the SS

  Reichsgau - an administrative subdivision.

  Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA) - Reich Main Security Office

  Sigrunen - SS insignia (lightning bolts)

  Standartenfuehrer - SS rank, roughly equal to Colonel.

  Sturmbannfuehrer - SS rank, roughly equal to Major.

  Sturmann - SS rank, roughly equal to Private.

  Strumscharfuehrer - SS rank, roughly equal to Master Sergeant.

  Swinehund - German insult, literally ‘pig dog.’

  Untermensch - Subhuman.

  Untermenschen - Subhumans, plural of Untermensch.

  Unterscharfuehrer - SS rank, roughly equal to Second Lieutenant.

  Vaterland - Fatherland.

  Volk - The German People.

  Volkssturm - German militia.

  Wehrmacht - The German Military (often taken to represent just the army (Heer)).

  Acts of War Sample

  (Usurper’s War Volume I)

  by

  James Young

  Available at Amazon at

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NHAWCKQ

  Also Available as an audiobook on Audible

  http://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B015QHS4V8&action_code=AUDORWS0424159DCE

  Usurper War Collection I On Seas So Crimson… can be found at

  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01B175FJG

  Follow James Young at the Following

  Blog: https://vergassy.com/

  FB: https://www.facebook.com/ColfaxDen/

  Twitter: @youngblai

  From the back cover…

  Somehow I doubt that this is quite how anyone expected Adolf Hitler's death to turn out...--Squadron Leader Adam Haynes, No. 303 (Polish) Squadron

  August 1942. London is in flames. Heinrich Himmler's Germany stands triumphant in the West, its "Most Dangerous Enemy" forced to the peace table by a hailstorm of nerve gas and incendiaries. With Adolf Hitler avenged and portions of the Royal Navy seized as war prizes, Nazi Germany casts its baleful gaze across the Atlantic towards an increasingly isolationist United States. With no causus belli, President Roosevelt must convince his fellow Americans that it is better to deal with a triumphant Germany now than to curse their children with the problem of a united, fascist Europe later.

  As Germany and Japan prepare to launch the next phase of the conflict, Fate forces normal men and women to make hard choices in hopes of securing a better future. For Adam Haynes, Londonfall means he must continue an odyssey that began in the skies over Spain. American naval officer Eric Cobb finds that neutrality is a far cry from safety. Finally, Rear Admiral Tamon Yamaguchi must prepare himself and his men to fight a Pacific War that is far different than the surprise attack Imperial Japan had once planned but never executed.

  Acts of War is the first novel of the Usurper's War series, which charts a very different World War II. As young men and women are forced to answer their nation's call, the choices they make and risks they take will write a different song for the Greatest Generation.

  From Acts of War

  H.M.S. Exeter

  North Atlantic

  1330 Local (1030 Eastern)

  12 September

  Whether or not Eric was all right was likely a matter of opinion. He wasn’t flying anymore, as the weather conditions had started to become much worse since he’d left Ranger’s deck that morning. The base of the clouds had once again descended, and he estimated that the ceiling was well under ten thousand feet. At sea level, visibility was under ten miles, and an approaching squall promised to make it less than that very soon.

  I don’t blame the Brit pilots for nixing the thought of flying reconnaissance in this, Eric thought. Yet for some reason I’d still rather take my chances in that soup than be on this ship right now. She’s definitely going into harm’s way, and fast.

  The heavy cruiser’s deck throbbed beneath his feet, and the smoke pouring from her stack and stiff wind blowing onto her bridge told him that Exeter had definitely picked up speed.

  “Sir, I’ve brought Leftenant Cobb,” Adlich said, causing Captain Gordon to turn around. Exeter’s master had obviously been mollified by the worsening conditions, as he gave Eric a wry grin when the American officer stepped up beside him.

  Whoa, it’s cold out here, Eric thought. As if reading his mind, a petty officer handed him a jacket.

  “We remove the windows when we’re getting ready to go into action,” the man said. “Lesson learned after River Plate.”

  “Thank you,” Eric said. “I guess the windows would be a bit problematic in a fight.”

  The petty officer gave a wan smile, pointing to a scar down his cheek.

  “Glass splinters are a bit sharp, yes.”

  “Your squadron commander was either a very brave man or a much better pilot than anyone I know,” Gordon said solemnly from behind the ship’s wheel.

  Or alternatively, Commander Cobleigh was an idiot who
didn’t check with the meteorologist before we took off.

  Eric was about to reply when the talker at the rear of the bridge interrupted him.

  “Sir, Hood should be coming into visual range off of our port bow,” the rating reported. “Range fifteen thousand yards.”

  “Thank you,” Gordon replied. The captain then strode to the front of the bridge, stopping at a device that reminded Eric of the sightseeing binoculars atop the Empire State Building. Bending slightly, Gordon wiped down the eyepieces, then swiveled the binoculars to look through them.

  “Officer of the deck,” Gordon said after a moment.

  “Yes, sir?” a Royal Navy lieutenant answered from Eric’s right. Roughly Eric’s height, the broad-shouldered man looked like he could probably snap a good-sized tree in half with his bare hands.

  “Confirm with gunnery that the director’s tracking Hood’s bearing to be three one zero, estimated range fourteen thousand, seven hundred fifty yards.”

  “Aye aye, sir,” the officer replied. Eric heard the RN officer repeating the information as Gordon stepped back from the sight and turned to look at him.

  “Well, if you want to see how the other half lives, Leftenant Cobb, feel free to have a look.”

  Eric hoped he didn’t look as eager as he felt walking forward towards the bridge windows. Bending a little further to look through the sight, he pressed his face up against the eyepieces. Swinging the glasses, he found himself looking at the H.M.S. Hood, flagship of the Royal Navy. With her square bridge, four turrets, and rakish lines, the battlecruiser was a large, beautiful vessel that displaced over four times the Exeter’s tonnage. Black smoke poured from her stack, and her massive bow wave told Eric that she was moving at good speed.

  “You can change the magnification with the switch under your right hand,” Gordon said, startling Eric slightly. He followed the British master’s advice, continuing until he could see the entire approaching British force as it closed. Destroyers were roughly one thousand yards in front of and to either side of the Hood. Behind her at one-thousand-yard intervals were two large vessels, either battleships or battlecruisers, with another one starting to exit the mist like some sort of great beast stirring from its cave. After a moment, Eric recognized the distinctive silhouette as that of a Nelson-class battleship.

  “That is the King George V, Prince of Wales, and Nelson behind her. Warspite should be next.”

  Eric nodded at Gordon’s statement, continuing to watch as the final battleship made its appearance. A moment later, Gordon starting to give orders to the helmsman. Exeter’s bow began to swing around to port, causing Eric to step back from the sight with a puzzled expression.

  “We’ll be passing between the destroyer screen and the Hood to take our place in line,” Gordon said. Eric turned back to the device, continuing to study the British battleline. A few moments later, there was the crackle of the loudspeaker.

  “All hands, this is the captain speaking,” Gordon began. “Shortly we will be passing by the Hood. All available hands are to turn out topside to give three cheers for His Majesty. That is all.”

  Eric stepped back from the sight, his face clearly radiating his shock. Gordon smiled as he came back up towards the front of the bridge with the officer of the deck.

  “The King is going into battle?” he asked incredulously. “Isn’t that a bit…”

  “Dangerous?” Gordon finished for him. “Yes, but much like your situation, circumstances precluded His Majesty’s transfer to another vessel.”

  “What? That doesn’t make any…”

  “His Majesty was apparently aboard the Hood receiving a briefing from the First Sea Lord when the Queen Mary was torpedoed,” Gordon said, his voice cold. “We were not expecting the German surface units to be as close as they were, and it was considered imprudent to stop the Hood with at least two confirmed submarines close about. Is that sufficient explanation to you, or would you like to continue questioning our tactics?”

  Eric could tell he was straining his host’s civility, but the enormity of what was at risk made him feel he had to say something.

  “I’m no expert at surface tactics…”

  “That much is obvious,” Gordon snapped.

  “…but the Hood is a battlecruiser,” Eric finished in a rush. “While I didn’t get a great look at the Germans before they shot up me and my commander, Rawles saw at least two battleships.”

  “Your concern is noted, Leftenant Cobb, but I think that you will see the Hood is a bit hardier than a dive bomber.”

  Okay, I’m just going to shut up now, Eric said. I may have slept through a lot of history, but I seem to recall the last time British battlecruisers met German heavy guns it didn’t go so well. A quote about there being problems with your “bloody ships” or something similar comes to mind. The Battle of Jutland hadn’t been that long ago, as evidenced by the Warspite still being a front-line unit. Eric sincerely hoped Gordon’s confidence was well-placed.

  “Sir, we are almost on the Hood,” the officer of the deck interrupted. Eric turned and realized that the lead destroyer was indeed almost abreast the Exeter, with the Hood now a looming presence just beyond.

  “The Hood, after her refit, is the most powerful warship in the world,” Gordon continued, his voice a little less frigid. “The Bismark and Tirpitz have only recently gone through refit, while the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau have not been in the open ocean for almost six months. There should not be any major danger.”

  If you’re looking around the room and you can’t find the mark, guess what? You’re the mark. Eric’s father’s words, an admonishment to always be suspicious of any situation that seemed too good to be true, came back to him with a cold feeling in his stomach.

  The Germans would not be out here unless they had a plan, Eric continued thinking. Somehow I think that, much like the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy is about to receive a rude shock.

  “All right lads, three cheers for His Majesty,” The loudspeaker crackled. “Hip…hip…”

  As the Exeter’s crew yelled at the top of their lungs, Eric studied the Hood in passing. The two vessels were close enough that he could see a party of men in white uniforms standing on the battlecruiser’s bridge and the extraordinarily large flag streaming from the Hood’s yardarm. Picking up a pair of binoculars resting on a shelf near the bridge’s front lip, he focused on the pennant.

  “That’s the Royal Standard,” Gordon said after the last cheer rang out. The device consisted of four squares, two red with the other pair gold and blue, respectively. The two red were identical, forming the top left and bottom right portions of the flag. Looking closely, Eric could see elongated gold lions or griffins within the squares. The gold square had what looked like a standing red lion within a crimson square, while the blue had some sort of harp.

  “What do the symbols mean, sir?” Eric asked. Gordon shook his head.

  “Leftenant, I could probably remember if I thought hard enough about it, but I do not think that is very important right now.”

  Eric nodded, placing the binoculars back down as the Exeter continued to travel down the battleline. After Warspite, there were two more British heavy cruisers. At Gordon’s command, the Exeter finished her turn, taking her place behind the other two CAs. Satisfied with his vessel’s stationing, Gordon began dealing with the myriad tasks that a warship’s captain was expected to perform before battle. Eric observed these with a sense of detachment, noting that the bridge crew operated like they had been there dozens of times. Mentally, he compared the men to those he had observed aboard the American heavy cruiser Salt Lake City.

  Things are so similar, yet so different. You can tell these men have been at war for over three years, Eric thought, feeling strangely comforted by the obvious experience in front of him. The feeling was fleeting, however, as the talker at the rear of the bridge broke the routine.

  “Sir, Hood reports multiple contacts, bearing oh three oh relative, range thirty thousand yards,�
� the talker at the rear of the bridge said. It was if his words touched off a current of electricity around the entire compartment, as each man seemed to stiffen at his post.

  “Well, glad to see that she’s got better eyes than we do,” Gordon muttered under his breath. “Pass the word to all stations.”

  Eric saw motion out of the corner of his eye and turned to see the Exeter’s two forward turrets training out and elevating.

  “Flag is directing a change in course to one seven zero true,” the talker continued. “Vessels will turn in sequence. Destroyers are to form up for torpedo attack to our stern.”

  Gordon nodded in acknowledgment, and Eric could see the man was obviously in pensive thought. After their earlier exchange, Eric had no desire to attempt to discern what he was thinking. Judging from the look on the man’s face, it was probably nothing good. Looking to port, Eric could see the British destroyers starting to steam past for their rendezvous astern of Exeter, a scene that was repeated a moment later on the starboard side.

  Is it my imagination, or is it getting a little bit easier to see again? Eric thought. If so, is that a good or a bad thing?