by Scott Palter
The Aztecs had been herded off their ships in Riga in the middle of the night. Herded like cattle by loud-shouting police to the rail yards and bundled into freight cars. They were let out twice a day to stretch their legs and try to clean the barrels. The only joyful part of this had been a big parade in Moscow. The Aztecs had joined a long column of Spanish Republicans, German Communists, and others who paraded past Stalin and the other revolutionary Gods.
Alexander Ruz had carried the Cuban Party’s banner at the head of their battalion. They were off to liberate China, and then all of Asia, from capitalism and exploitation. Two brigades of American volunteers would be following them, or so the political cadres informed them. At fourteen the fine points were beyond Alexander. So was the heavy hand of his father. No one could keep him from this great adventure now.
1400 hours local; 1500 hours CET
26 September 1940
Government House, Freetown, Sierra Leone
General Bernard Montgomery was proud of himself. The RN had made a total botch of the entire Dakar Expedition. Only to be expected. Now he would do this the right way. No half-thought-out attempts to get the Vichy garrison to defect. The day for that was over. The ones who would turn coat had done so already. Now the remaining fencesitters would need a bit of armed assistance. He had beefed up his Third Infantry Division for this expedition with a brigade of armored cars. It would take several days for all the equipment to be unloaded. Plenty of time for him to send London the list of what he’d need to do this all properly.
In the meantime, the big French general, de Gaulle, had successfully landed with his chaps and a brigade of Poles. Conakry had surrendered without a fight when faced with a large RN squadron. So part of the French Empire had been secured for the side, at the cost of no casualties whatsoever. Montgomery as ever was proud of himself.
1800 hours CET
26 September 1940
Heydrich’s Office, Prinz-Albrecht-Straße, Berlin, Germany
“That idiot Fegelein did WHAT!” Reinhard Heydrich rarely lost his temper in public. His public persona did not allow for showing external things as changing him. He changed the universe. The universe bent to his will. However, the only audience here and now was his eminence gris Schellenberg, who would simply forget the emotional display ever occurred.
“I can send Obersturmbannführer Siegel to administer a noodle.” A 9mm noodle behind the ear made most problems vanish. “The few survivors can be quietly deposited in Africa where no one will ever find them.” The floating circus that was Strauss’s unit served so many useful functions. Schellenberg was prepared to ignore how it had come into existence mostly by accident and whimsy. After Luqa, those things were not expedient to remember.
“No. We do this properly. A full court, then the death sentence. To be clear, the charge is not war crimes or any such silliness. The charge is usurpation of command prerogative. Get OKH to send an observer. Same for Waffen SS Main Office. Decisions on liquidation of prisoners are made in Berlin, not by some idiot field officer who feels burdened by cold weather on a railway siding in the mountains.” Thus the wheels were set in motion on an alcoholic fool of an officer’s demise.
1900 hours British Double Summer Time and CET
26 September 1940
War Cabinet Room, Westminster, London
“That idiot Montgomery did WHAT?” Ernie Bevin’s contempt for the senior officers on His Majesty’s Service went down to new, even more abysmal lows. “On whose authority did a division commander convert a demonstration against a port into a new theater for land warfare?”
There followed two hours of the two services blaming each other, while the exiting and entering CIGS each claimed lack of authority. It seemed that two generals-in-chief amounted to no one exactly in charge. Bevin made a mental note to start fishing for a successor to Gort when he got done purging the RN.
More bad news followed. General Weygand had been in Dakar. On hearing of de Gaulle’s landings in Guinea on French territory, landings from British ships that just the day before had been attacking the French Navy, he had ordered the occupation of Gambia and the bombing of Freetown. Vichy was demanding answers on why they should not consider themselves at war with the British Empire, from Gibraltar to the Congo River?
1900 hours Eastern Daylight Time; 26 September , 1940
0100 hours CET; 27 September, 1940
White House, Washington DC
That idiot Hoover had truly stepped in it this time. His silly beggar’s game of outing Willkie’s mistress was palpably transparent. It of course never occurred to Mr. G Man that the Republicans would immediately counter with the obvious weapon, Vice-President-designate Wallace’s ‘Dear Guru’ letters. Tainting a Democrat with Communism was easy, but just didn’t move that much of the electorate. The Republicans had been crying wolf on that since the start of the New Deal. It felt old and flat by 1940.
The US was still in many ways a church-going country, regardless of how modern people were now. Their clergy couldn’t deliver them to the polling place with the same regularity that was once the case twenty years ago. However, a President was expected to be a white Protestant of northern European, and preferably British, stock. He was expected to be nominally faithful to his wife, and at least go through the motions of being a Sunday Christian from some acceptable sect.
Willkie’s sexual dalliance was titillating. It could perhaps have cost him the nomination, had it been made public months earlier. However, even church-going people knew men were men and some men strayed. Mistresses, call girls, cat-houses … every major city had them, and many smaller ones did as well.
Weird Eastern or Asiatic mystery cults were something for Hollywood movies and dime novels, not a belief that serious men practiced. The idea that some flake who worshipped occult gods could be one heartbeat from the White House, just wouldn’t fly. Wallace was toast as of early tomorrow AM when the Chicago Tribune broke the story. Hopkins had been given a courtesy warning by his Republican counterparts. All of a sudden, this was becoming an election Franklin could seriously lose.
1000 hours local; 0300 hours CET
27 September 1940
Ft. Santiago, Manila, Philippines
Douglas MacArthur was putting on a fine show. Ike knew Mac far too well. The old man had been seething at Ike’s orders to create a Filipino volunteer battalion for China service. Had tried every roadblock he could think of, had subjected Ike to the sort of verbal tongue-lashing that Mac excelled at. Ike had served this man before. He knew how to just remain at attention and let the storm pass.
Ike had ironclad paperwork from the President of the US and Chief of Staff Marshall. He had the support of Philippine Commonwealth President Quezon, in large part because he had the active, vocal support of the Archbishop of Manila O’Doherty. The Vatican wanted the Catholics of China protected. The Commonwealth was overwhelmingly Catholic. A Vatican ‘request’ for something as harmless as raising volunteers, was not something to oppose in an electoral democracy.
Mac had stinted Ike on cadre. Ike didn’t care. He had enough decent Philippine Scout sergeants. Manila University ROTC could provide the lieutenants. Ike’s little black book of officers he’d served with could provide his two majors, who would have protégé lieutenants who wanted a fast ticket to captain. The recruiting had brought in too many men. War Department answer was to enlist them all, and worry about tables of organization later. He was also to get these men to China post haste. They could do basic and unit training in Shanghai. For now there was a need to show the flag beyond the understrength 4th Marine Regiment.
1000 hours CET
27 September 1940
Reichschancellery, Berlin, Germany
Führer Herman Göring did not like waking up much before noon on mornings after all-night galas. This time he instantly grasped why his personal staff had violated custom to awaken him early. His Luftwaffe was putting on a major operation late this afternoon and into the night. Could a Führer who
was also Air Marshal leave such a stage to lesser beings? Also the Italian leader, Air Marshal Balbo, would be there. This was to be a European operation. The overwhelming portion of the planes would be German, but Italy and France had squadrons flying. There would be hastily repainted planes with the national colors of Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania as well. Air Marshal von Richthofen had done the staff work. The British had provided the pretext last night.
1100 hours CET
27 September, 1940
Heydrich’s office, Prinz-Albrecht-Straße, Berlin, Germany
Air Marshal von Richthofen had just given his verbal report on the planned air force mission over London and the lessons expected to be learned from it, and presented the written version to Heydrich, who was sitting behind his desk.
"Thank you, Herr Marshal , please be seated." Heydrich pointed at one of the chairs. "Coffee?"
Von Richthofen remained at attention. "Herr Vice Chancellor, may I be allowed to add a few personal words, off the record?"
Heydrich favored the Luftwaffe Marshal with a wondering look – these kind of requests had become rare in the past few months. "Please, go ahead."
"Herr Vice Chancellor, you are a good pilot -– with a bit more experience you might even become an excellent one. But Germany has enough good pilots, it might even have enough excellent ones. But you are more than that, you are one of the very few truly indispensable men in Germany.”
A look passed between the Air Marshal and the man they both knew was the day-to-day ruler of Europe. Just as von Richthofen was in fact the operational head of the Luftwaffe, whatever Göring’s list of titles and offices said.
“I feel it is my duty to point this out to you. Your proposal to fly in this mission is completely irresponsible. The days of Kaisers and their chief office-holders leading cavalry charges in full armor are far in the past, and should remain so. Modern war is too vast an enterprise for such personal displays of valor. Remember Gustav Adolph throwing away Sweden’s future at Lutzen. If you want to keep on flying, by all means do so – but do it in a multi -engine aircraft, together with a second pilot, and not in an active combat zone."
Dark clouds had collected on Heydrich’s face ... he stared at von Richthofen, who kept his face properly blank while staying rigidly at attention.
Heydrich sighed. "Do sit down, Herr Marshal. It must have taken a lot of courage to say that.”
"Yes, Herr Vice Chancellor."
"And you did the right thing, Herr Marshal, both with daring to tell me this, and with waiting for a moment when we are alone. I respect you for both, and I will think carefully about your suggestion. Will you take some coffee now? And I would like your comments on the recent Italian aircraft production numbers."
0600 hours British Double Summer Time and CET
28 September, 1940
War Cabinet Room, Westminster, London
The Germans had warned them time and again via the Lisbon talks that these RAF raids would provoke a countermeasure. The British government had not responded by abandoning them. There was a large belief in strategic bombing as a high-tech way to avoid another Western Front-type bloodbath. There was a perceived need to be seen hitting back after Dunkirk and Malta. There was a large amount of institutional inertia.
So Prime Minister Ernie Bevin was now facing his first severe cabinet crisis. The night of the 26th / 27th, Bomber Command had attacked a Renault plant on the outskirts of Paris. The French were asserting that they had instead bombed the Louvre. The neutral press had been shown the damages, allowed to take pictures. Much of the precious artwork had been spared, but only because the French had sensibly relocated it for the duration. Bevin hoped that was not a cover for the Huns having stolen these treasures. The same night, a raid on Berlin wiped out a children’s home. Over one hundred dead little orphans, again with photo evidence from the neutrals.
At the Lisbon talks, the German and Italian representatives had announced that Europe’s patience was at an end. They had then suspended talks for the day. Europe’s patience? This European Community they were forming was beginning to acquire shape and substance.
The first news last night had been bad enough. Heavy dusk air raids on the East End. Large fires throughout the warehouse district, and scattered fires dozens of other places. Fighter Command was claiming a large score of German planes brought down, and various local authorities were confirming wrecked planes, dead and captured aircrew. The fighters landed at dusk. The bombers kept coming. Wave after wave. Guided no doubt by the dusk fires.
By now the entire East End was in flames. Thousands were dead, tens of thousands missing, and well over a hundred thousand rendered homeless. The fire brigades, the air raid wardens, all the emergency services were overwhelmed. Until now the air war had been little port towns in the south. This was London, the beating heart of the British Empire. Its government had totally failed to protect it. The few obsolete night-fighters had proven near to useless. Britain was at great expense fighting an imperial war for far-away colonies, but had not spent the money and effort to safeguard the core of Britain.
The Lisbon embassy had been awakened a bit after midnight and presented with an ultimatum. The powers of Europe proposed to hold London, and then the Midlands, hostage. They wanted the bombing of Europe stopped immediately and publicly. In return, no European bomber would enter British skies. Let this be a war of gentlemen, or choose barbarism. They made clear that they had more bombers and were prepared to use them. They had refrained because they saw this as a cabinet war, a dispute over imperial possessions. Did Europe need to try suicide for the second time in this century? The ultimatum was being broadcast in the various national languages over their new Radio Europa Cartel. The major neutrals had been informed, starting with the US and USSR. They would give the British Government the 28th to accept, or be responsible for the consequences.
The dispute in the War Cabinet was along generational lines. The Names from the 1930’s tried to evade responsibility, to blame each other, to wish to explore ‘alternatives’. Bevin and the 1922 Committee people weren’t having it. Whether by accident or design, the Germans had struck at the class fissure. They had bombed working-class London, while leaving the middle-to-upper-class West End alone. Bevin was making his stand on this. These were Labor’s people. He demanded an emergency session of Commons to support his decision to accept the proposal, and invited any Cabinet member uncomfortable with this to resign. He made clear this was a matter of Parliament’s confidence in the prime minister’s conduct in office, of the fate of the government. Two Liberals resigned. (The rump Liberal Party was long on fine principles. The rest could count. Bevin and the 1922 Committee had the votes.) The late afternoon session confirmed this by a tally of 412-118. The BBC announced the acceptance scant minutes later. The ‘Europeans’ had already been notified at the day’s session in Lisbon. Radio Europa read translations of the British acceptance note within the hour. Europe was still at war, but it already felt somewhat less so.
0900 hours Eastern Daylight Time; 0300 hours CET
28 September 1940
White House, Washington DC
Edward R. Murrow’s reports on the air raids against the British southern ports had been stirring interventionist sentiment for weeks. His report from a London hotel rooftop this past night had been earth-shattering. It polarized both sides of the intervention-versus-isolation dispute, while galvanizing the perceived need for continental defense. Lindy had already issued a statement on the lack of sufficient air defense for America’s cities and coasts. FDR, campaigning in Ohio, had done one of his classic broad-stroke off-the-cuff remarks. He had declared the western half of the North Atlantic Ocean to be a US defense zone. The Navy was to institute continental defense patrols, whatever those were. Attacks on planes and shipping in that zone were forbidden.
Harry Hopkins was left to sort out the mess with the Navy and the newspapers. Had the US gone to war? If not, were only German warships excluded – but not British
transiting to and from Canada and other British possessions? The Naval command was saying that to enforce this, they needed to massively draw down the Pacific Fleet beyond what had already been agreed to. Hopkins’ ulcers were killing him, but there was no rest today.
0800 hours CET
28 September 1940
Military Headquarters complexes of OKH and OKW, at Zossen, 20 miles south of Berlin
General Beck, Minister of War for Germany, was on one of his rants. The subject of most such rants was Heydrich. “One of his thugs murders some Jews at a railway siding and now he is making a giant deal of a trial! The SS have been murdering Jews and Poles since the war started!”
The last few months had taught Halder that the correct move was to let Beck wear himself out. Sooner or later the older general would have to take a break, and sometimes he paused to think. Most of the time Halder would have to guide his superior when the subject was Heydrich. To be fair, Beck’s rant had a basis in fact. The SS had murdered a great many Poles and Jews. Himmler had fantasies about reshaping Poland’s ethnic makeup. Since Heydrich took over the SS and joined the ‘counter-coup’, the number of murders had dropped in Poland, and the Americans were now feeding the ghettoes, most of Poland, and some new Catholic homes for unfortunates. A small surplus of food and medicine was even accruing to Germany.
