USA 2002 in 1942 section 5

Written by Dave Knudson
While ISOT American 2002 is the 2002 US transported to 1942 it can serve as a rough template on how the Infopunk and Dieselpunk Earths interact. The formatting at the source archive has issues and so the piece is provided here. Due to its size it is in sections.
*USA 2002 in 1942 section 1
*USA 2002 in 1942 section 2
*USA 2002 in 1942 section 3
*USA 2002 in 1942 section 4
*USA 2002 in 1942 section 5
*USA 2002 in 1942 section 6
*USA 2002 in 1942 section 7
*USA 2002 in 1942 section 8
==USA 2002 in 1942 ISOT Part 13 - "Mistakes"==
Two-year old John Lennon sat on his mother Julia's lap, nibbling a
piece of buttered toast. He was contemplating it with the wide-eyed
wonderment that only a two-year old has, and completely ignoring
everything else going on around him in the living room of the Lennon's
modest working-class home in Liverpool.
"Everything else" at that point consisted of a strange meeting
between his parents, his Aunt Mimi (Julia's trusted sister), and a man
who was the family barrister on one side, and two slickly-dressed
Americans from 2002 on the other. The Americans had quick eyes, and
easy, perfect-teeth smiles, and laughed too easily at little John's
childish, rather mundane, and not-that-funny antics.
The Americans had arranged the meeting through the barrister. They
wanted everything nice and legal - "for John's protection". Neither
the barrister or John's mother were exactly sure what John needed to
be protected from. However, the meeting was set up.
The Americans were salesmen, through and through, and made no bones
about it. They explained this to the Lennons and their lawyer. The
Event had presented certain opportunities, and they wished to pursue
these. Little John, they said would become a singer of some small
regard. Not his main career, of course, but still, they thought with
a little early investment, that John Lennon could become a decent singer with a solid musical life ahead of him.
The Lennons were dubious. Singing was not something they'd
anticipated for John. That's all fine and good, said the barrister,
but what do you care? The lead guy smiled brightly. We think that
there is some small profit to be made from John's talents. If trained
early enough, we think that talent could engender a moderate pay-off
down the road. For, which, we'd be prepared to invest some money
right now.
The lawyer narrowed his eyes. Invest money in what?
Smooth as silk, one of the Americans reached into a faux-leather
briefcase and pulled out several documents. The lawyer examined them.
They were in 2002 US legalese, almost indecipherable, but he got the
main idea. It entitled "Event Opportunities Enterprises" to release
any and all of John's professional musical productions to the public
both in the UK and the USA. Furthermore, it entitled them to a share
of the profits of the direct sales of the records, and to full rights
for marketing any products that came as a result of the music.
The lawyer had never seen such a contract, but wasn't about to let
the Americans know that. And why should the Lennons agree to this?
The Americans glanced at each other, and then the main guy spoke
again. The Lennons were hard-working, honest people. The bedrock of
the British Empire. The Americans had agreed on this ahead of time. 
The same patriotic theme that played in Peoria would be tried here as
well. As hard-working honest people (as opposed to lazy, dishonest
ones, it was implied), EOE fully understood that the mild means of the
Lennons precluded a heavy investment in John's latent talents. To
make up for this, EOE was prepared to front John - and his parents -
the sum of $50,000 American dollars.
Involuntarily, the Lennon's eyes bugged out, and the lawyer gasped. 
New American products were becoming available to the public in the UK,
but they were hideously expensive. Televisions (useless in the UK for
now, but an important status-symbol), VCRs (useless without TVs), CD
Players, stereos, computers - all could be had by the British
consumer. For lots of money. Money that the Lennons would not have
in the foreseeable future. Until now. Fifty thousand American dollars
was a fortune to the Lennons.
The lawyer stuttered on. That's very generous. But why so much?
Sincerity dripped from the first American. Well, the strangeness of
the Event - and it has been strange - has thrown everything off. Some
things are good - like the war being over sooner. The Nazis are going
to get beat, and Alfred, John's father, won't be killed in that German
bombing raid next year.
At this Alfred gave an involuntary start. Many people from 1942 -
from Churchill on down - had been faced with the prospect of
fore-knowledge of their own deaths. Alfred digested the news that he
was to die - but was now reprieved - with wide eyes. A person's own
death is never something to be contemplated lightly, and Alfred
thought he'd just been granted a pardon. He looked at the American
(whose face was a perfect picture of concern and pity) and smiled -
they'd saved his life by coming here from 2002.
Some things, however, are bad, the American continued. Some
unscrupulous people might try to take advantage of their
fore-knowledge of the future. He smiled again at the absurdity
"fore-knowledge of the future", and continued. Some people might try
to, well, exploit is an ugly word, but accurate, exploit the situation
for their own gain. They might go around lying about the future, to
profit off other people's talents.
The Lennons nodded, and the lawyer looked at the men. Aren't you
trying to profit from fore-knowledge of the future? The American
nodded. Of course we are. But mainly we're trying to help John here.
The American continued. Is John worth $50,000? Who knows. In the
past, we think that he displayed talent worthy of that amount. He
could end up being a superstar - heck bigger than Jesus, even. The
American's partner snickered a bit, and the Lennons looked
scandalized. The American continued, after a wink to his partner. 
Who knows - maybe he'll hate singing, and we'll never get anything. 
But it's a risk we're willing to take. The American smiled
conspiratorially at Alfred. That's why we're here. We have friends
who got us here early - to protect people like John.
The lawyer started to speak again, but was cut off by Alfred. We
accept, he said. With a flourish the American produced a fine pen,
and Alfred signed, as John's father. The Americans smiled, and let
Alfred keep the pen. The money would be wired wherever the Lennons
wanted it. They shook hand all around, smiled at little John, and
left.
As they walked away, the Americans smiled at each. Telling Alfred that he'd been killed in 1943 - a complete lie - had been the clincher.
Now the Americans, after "saving his life", offered him a huge sum of money. Of course he'd sign. And the $30,000 they'd bribed the State Department clerk with to get a spot on the plane - well that was worth it too. John Lennon's house was the third that the two Americans had visited.
Assuming the McCartneys were as pliable, then the Americans were on the verge of pulling off the greatest deal since the Louisiana Purchase.
The United States began a concentrated series of military actions
against Antwerp. Cruise missiles were launched that hit rail centers,
munitions dumps, German military units, and defensive emplacements. 
Meanwhile, unmanned spotter planes flew low over the city apparently
scanning everything. AA fire at them did little but bring a visit
from an AC-130 or A-10 to the AA battery, so the drones were more or
less unmolested. The Germans had an infantry corps in the city
itself, and another guarding the Schedlt Estuary. There wasn't much
they could do besides hunker down and wait it out.
At Zossen, the Americans' increased interest in Antwerp was noted. 
Antwerp was a key port, and seemed to be a good place to invade, if
the American were "softening it up". Another infantry corps was
ordered to the city, with more troops detailed for garrison duty in
Brussels and southern Holland.
In England, the results of the activity were carefully noted by the
Americans and the British. The American in charge was satisfied with
the results of Operation Firstlook - he couldn't quite bring himself
to call it Fortitude.
The train pulled into Warsaw. The central rail yard was a madhouse
of trains, harried Polish rail workers, German engineers, and the
military. Most of the military was gone; the troops back from the
Eastern Front were by and large redeployed to the West. The Soviets
had been scrupulous in observing the terms of the truce, and, as the
threat from the Americans grew and grew, more and more front-line
units were withdrawn. Not all of them, of course - no German would
ever trust the Soviets - but enough. Still, and entire corps remained
in Warsaw, with another outside the city. Still more infantry
divisions were fanned in a loose line along the frontier - more to
keep the Poles in line than provide any real defence against the Red
Army.
The train had originated in Genoa, and the men had been riding on it
for days. Warsaw wasn't their destination, just a stop, but they got
out to stretch their legs. Their officers made sure their German
uniforms were on correctly, while the "SS" contingent milled about in
a loose circle, and tried to scowl to dissuade casual questions.
That's when the mistake occurred.
Private Ben Rabin of the IDF and his friends were huddled around the
back of the train. They were trying to look inconspicuous, lest
anyone realize they didn't speak German. He and the IDF people with
him assumed the trains were full of German troops. Much as it ached
him, here in the belly of the beast, to let them go, he did nothing.
Until he found out he was wrong about the German troops.
The trains carried people, but not soldiers. And the people weren't
in coaches, but boxcars. Rabin happened to look up, and saw a train
not fifty yards away. Through the smoke of the yards, he saw a line
of people - girls and women, being loaded onto a train. They were
dressed in brown and grey rags and clothes, except for a bright yellow
patch each one had on their chests. A Star of David.
As Rabin watched, a young girl fell from exhaustion - or collapsed
from fear and hunger. A German guard snarled at her, as the child's
equally exhausted mother tried in vain to help her up. The guard
snarled again, then kicked the girl. The mother tried to intervene,
and the guard shoved her aside, and kicked the fallen girl again.
And Rabin pretty much forgot about the plan. Without thinking, his
greatcoat fell away, and the fake Mauser he'd been carrying fell to
the mud. The M-16 came up, and bucked twice. The German was dead
before he hit the ground. There was a moment of stunned silence, and
then as the Israeli troops realized what was on the trains around
them, they reacted.
For months, they'd been forced to wait, forced to watch, forced to
make side trips and delays. Now they were here. To Hell with Isaac's
plan. They were going to go now. The officers' half-hearted attempts
to restore order failed, and 1500 Israelis troops fell on the Germans
in Warsaw.
The fight in rail yard was swift and deadly. There were 200 German
soldiers in the yard providing security, another 200 outside. There
were also several hundred Polish rail workers, and even a small
detachment of real SS, to oversee the loading of the untermensch. 
They were completely unprepared for the assault that happened. The
Israelis fanned out in squads, and killed every German they saw. 
Shrugging out of the hated Wehrmacht and SS uniforms, they were
relentless. The pitiful sight of the people in the trains - Jews,
Gypsies, Russians, other Slavs, and other enemies of the Nazi state
only fuelled their rage. In less than 30 minutes, the rail yard was a
bloody morass, and the Israelis had cleared it of Germans.
Stanislav Brodi was a Polish loader at the rail yard. Like everyone
else, when the firing began, he dove for cover. He was confused, why
were the Germans fighting other Germans? Brodi soon found out. He
and some others were huddled about a discarded pile of railroad ties
as the fighting - slaughter, really. The Germans who'd started it
discarded their uniforms - and seemed to adopt the Jewish star as their symbol.
Two terrified, disarmed German soldiers tried to hide with Brodi's
group, but Jewish soldiers found them and shot them. Brodi had no
love of Jews, but he hated the Germans with a passion that was holy. 
If the Jews wanted to kill them - well, Brodi certainly didn't mind.
Brodi's other position was more interesting - when he wasn't loading
trains in Warsaw, he was a Major in the Polish Home Army, waiting for
the day when it was time to strike for liberation. These new
Americans - from the future - seemed to be the key, and as Brodi
watched the Jewish soldiers, he couldn't help but notice their small
arms, which were completely unfamiliar to him. A gem of an idea
occurred.
Brodi and the other non-Germans were herded by the victorious
Israelis into the center of the rail yard. The Israelis clearly
hadn't been planning this, and Brodi was able to get a good count of
their numbers. About 1500, and completely cut off, too. They were
superbly armed, and, if the fight in the rail yard was any indication,
fairly well trained. But there were 30,000 Germans in Warsaw, and
another 70,000 near the city, watching the Russians. No way these
guys could hold.
Unless, of course, they got help.
In Washington, Isaacs was beside himself with rage. To have come so
far - and then have it fail due to stupidity. He'd told them not to
go through Warsaw! Again and again! And now they were stuck; away
from help, away from the coast - away from everything. 1500 of
Israel's finest - sacrificed for no reason. Isaacs was a realist, and
he knew there was no way they could last against the number of Germans in Poland alone.
And then an excited call from Warsaw let him know they weren't alone.
The Soviet attack on Finland opened with all the subtlety of a
sledgehammer in a crystal shop. Stalin had no time for delays. The
US attack on Germany was clearly coming, and Stalin wanted Finland
secured before that attack was finished. That way, he'd have
something to give away at the bargaining table.
Twelve Soviet divisions attacked on the isthmus between Leningrad
and Lake Lagoda, while dozens of other attacked the long front from
the eastern shore of Lagoda to the Murmansk/Petsamo front. The
Soviets relied on their usual brute force methodology; massed
artillery, backed by swarms of airplanes and human-wave infantry
assaults.
The Soviets ran smack into the defences the Finns had prepared, and
suffered terribly. Hit-and-run Finn raids, back by occasional
tactical air strikes by the upgraded Finnish air force bled the
advancing Soviets. Minefields, tank-traps, and other obstacles
interfered with the advance, and the Finns fought hard for each mile
of territory.
There were too many Soviets, though, and they had too much firepower
at hand. Time and time again, the Finns would make a stand at a
defensible position, and time and time again the Soviets would simply
overwhelm them. Sometimes, the Soviets would just human-wave the
positions, sometimes swarm them with armor, sometimes flatten them
with masses artillery, and sometimes even manage a combined-arms
assault. Every time, though, the Finns were eventually forced to
withdraw.
Three days after the attacks began, the Soviets had penetrated the
initial Finnish defences at several points, and "broke out". The
forested and swampy terrain of the border precluded much in the way of
motorized advances, but Soviet infantry swarmed forward, and some
actual horse cavalry was brought up as well.
Then every Soviet radio in north-western Russia stopped working. 
As the Soviets desperately tried to understand what was happening,
and Zhukov found himself cut off from STAVKA and Stalin, the Finns
launched their counter-assault. Focused, pin-pointed Finnish raids
hit battalion, regiment and divisions HQs. The small Finnish
air force, bolstered with BF-109s and Stukas from the Germans added to
the attack. The Finns knew exactly where and how to the hit the
Soviets; each HQ had been unerringly identified, and was hit hard.
The Soviets completely lost their ability to coordinate and
communicate. Individual units were cut off. Worse, supply units
found themselves hit by Finnish raiders, and HQ units were
annihilated. The Soviets reacted, of course. Units went into
Laager-mode, orders were written on paper. The Soviets pulled back
slightly, and reformed into defensive positions. In other words, the
Soviet attack had been stopped.
The satellite maps, signal intercepts, and other high-tech
intelligence the US was able to provide the Finns what was did the
trick. The AWACS planes broadcasting Soviet positions to Helsinki,
and the jamming on the other planes also helped.
The Soviets had a fair idea of what was happening, of course. The
Americans had demonstrated magical technology before, and this was too
well-coordinated to be anything else. As the Soviet units in Finland
suffered, the Soviet government pondered an appropriate response.
==USA 2002 in 1942 ISOT Part 14 - "Growing Fury"==
Rolf Jurgen was not a happy man, and hadn't been one since March 23. 
Jurgen was an employee of SAP - the German computer firm - and had
been on long-term assignment in Cleveland, Ohio, when the Event
happened. Like many foreigners, he was caught in a United States that
found itself suddenly at war with his homeland, Germany.
Nazi Germany, that was - an entity Rolf was unfamiliar with. Like
many of his generation - Jurgen was 34 - Rolf was a Germans who
thought of himself as a European. He was a happy-go-lucky guy - the
consulting work paid big bucks, and Rolf liked to travel with his
wife, and had lived all over the world - indeed, she'd been with him
in Cleveland. A post-modernist at heart, with no real nationalist
feeling, Jurgen had always found the flag-waving patriotism of the
Americans to be a bit vulgar. September 11 had changed that somewhat
- Rolf had worked in the World Trade Center a few years earlier and
was stunned that anyone would crash planes into it - but the "War on
Terror" had been an American affair - something to watch on TV and the
internet, not something that impacted him.
Now he was impacted. American TV broadcast daily satellite pictures
of the Death Camps, with their hideous palls of smoke over them, and
he knew shame as he'd never thought he would. He'd answered the call
of the German Embassy - his computer skills were useful to them in
their propaganda war against Hitler - and arrived for work every day
at the heavily guarded office building the embassy had leased in Falls Church, Virginia.
The Virginia state troopers who guarded the building (what they were
guarding against wasn't clear - either Virginia from the Germans or
the Germans from the various groups in the US with cause to hate the
Nazis) they were very polite - friendly even - after all, Rolf and his
co-workers weren't Nazis - but they couldn't entirely hide their
disgust. Modern TV made the death camps accessible to the American
living room. In addition to completely shutting up the various
holocaust deniers recent years had seen (it was difficult to deny
"live" shots of people being killed) it had aroused in America a deep
revulsion (exactly as the government had intended) of the foe.
It had aroused a deep revulsion in Rolf and his fellow 2002 Germans
as well. It was their people doing this. However much Hitler was to
blame for starting it, the scope and scale of the Holocaust required
the active participation of thousands of others - and they knew - they
had to know - what it was they were doing.
Rolf and the other Germans were working 18-hour days now; the
alternative was passively accepting what was happening, and that
wasn't palatable to Rolf or his compatriots. It was not a happy
environment to work in; grim purpose had replaced twenty-first century
European "business casual", and there was little even in the work to
take solace in. The one thing that they had going for them was that
in all of America's propaganda efforts, theirs seemed to be having the
most impact. The people from the CIA and NSA were pleased. Various
German celebrities like Claudia Schiffer and Rutger Hauer made daily
broadcasts to their homeland. Ms. Schiffer was often in tears, and
her voice broke as she spoke. Mr. Hauer was firmer, but no less
committed. The kicker for the office had been Arnold Schwartzenegger.
The big Austrian had broadcast as well, and he pulled no punches
after all, he had a potential political career ahead of him.
"This is Tom Brokaw, reporting live from New York. In a time of
extraordinary events, news tonight of an even more unbelievable
occurrence: Israeli soldiers from 2002 are in Europe, battling the
Nazis. In an NBC exclusive report, Mark Davies reports from
Washington. Mark?"
"Tom, the reports starting coming in a few hours ago, and the
Washington NBC bureau has been trying to put events together. 
Unfortunately, we do not have the full story. Indeed, it seems that
even parts of the US government have been taken by surprise by this."
"Mark, what do we know?"
"Tom, details are sketchy, but here's what we have. Two battalions
of the Israeli Army - I'm told that's about 1500 troops - were
training with the US Army in California at the National Training
Center there. They were there on March 23, and, like the rest of us,
found themselves trapped in 1942."
"And I would guess, Mark, that it goes without saying that all 1500 of the soldiers are Jewish?"
"Yes, Tom, they are."
"And where are they now?"
"Well, details on how they got there are sketchy, but it seems they
are in Warsaw, Poland."
"And how do we know that?"
"Tom, it seems the Israelis brought some satellite communications
with them. Somehow, they got the number of the NBC desk here in
Washington. We are even now getting reports of the fighting in
Warsaw."
"Mark, how did the Israelis get there? And what were they doing?"
"Tom, we don't have those answers. Speculation is that the Israelis
- a pretty motivated bunch under normal circumstances - were not going
to wait for the US attack. Understanding why they didn't want to is
easy. Understanding why and how they got to a land-locked city in the
middle of Nazi-occupied Europe - and why they choose to fight there -
those are deeper issues we are trying to answer."
"Mark, we all know the Israelis to be fierce fighters under normal
circumstances, and the situation they find themselves is a nightmare. 
While I'm sure they'll fight hard, given the huge number of Germans
they face, how long can they hold out?"
"Well, Tom, it seems they found some help in the form of the Polish
Home Army."
"And Mark, what would the Polish Home Army be-"
An infuriated President Bush slapped the TV remote in the
Situation Room, cutting off Tom Brokaw mid-sentence. He glared at the
assembled senior staff, sparing none. Winston Churchill, back in the
US for a talk with Bush, was amazed; this was the most emotion he'd
seen the mild American President take.
Bush had known about the Israeli operation of course - both
Rice and Tenet had kept him well informed. It hadn't seemed like a
big deal. Some Israeli troops - suicidally angry with the Nazis -
would be used to raise a little hell in the German backfield when the
US Army hit Europe, garner some propaganda value by freeing some camp
victims, and keep a vague eye on the Red Army. Then they'd be used as
the core of a new, US-controlled "independent" Israel in the Middle
East, forestalling the problems there, and securing America's oil
supply for decades to come. The passing shot at Havana had given the
CIA a secure Latin American base outside the United States to maintain
a watch on another critical region. All in all a tidy use of an
unanticipated, and, if necessary, expendable, asset.
Not any more. The whole country was riveted to the battle in
Warsaw. Jewish groups around the country were even more vociferous in
demanding action. They'd been joined by various Polish groups; for
the Home Army was fighting in Poland as well. Worst of all, despite
their ferocity and rage, there was no way that the Israelis could hold
out against the Germans for long; it seemed that the first major
ground conflict between 1942 and 2002 would be a victory for 1942!
Bush wanted a solution, and he wanted it now. Writing off
Warsaw, however sensible it might be in pure military terms - was
politically infeasible. To abandon - or to be seen as abandoning -
Jews to Nazis was not something the administration could do. The Joint
Chiefs of Staff (unaware of the Israeli escapade) were stunned to
learn that they might have to support non-American forces in an
unfamiliar land-locked urban locale several hundred miles behind enemy
lines.
Militarily, the US had a few options. Warsaw was in range of
carrier strikes and bombers based in Britain. The 82nd and 101st
divisions were in Britain and available; however they had critical
roles to play in Operation Sovereign, the invasion of Europe. The
10th Mountain was also relatively airmobile, but both it and the 101st
had been brought up to strength with reservists (the other parts of
those divisions still presumably in 2002, fighting in Afghanistan). 
The other 12 US divisions in Britain had no way to get to Warsaw
quickly.
Bush fumed. This was ridiculous. They couldn't abandon
Warsaw. Surely there was something they could do.
And Winston Churchill smiled. A chance for relevance at last.
At Zossen, the reports were confused. It seemed Warsaw had
risen in revolt. This was not entirely unexpected; German military
intelligence had known for quite some time about the Home Army. The
timing was odd though. With the Eastern front closed down, and no
fighting in North Africa any more, the German Army was actually
unengaged with any foe for the moment. The Americans were coming to
be sure, but they weren't here yet, and over four million German
soldiers were around with nothing to do.
What was unexpected was the presence of the Israelis. Jewish
soldiers from the future. They were fighting hard, with magical (but
not too magical) weapons from the future. The Poles had spontaneously
joined them, and actually seized central Warsaw, while fighting raged
in the perimeter and outskirts of the city.
The military professionals at Zossen pondered an appropriate
response. There were too few of the enemy to truly threaten to hold
Warsaw, but it was a sore that needed to be closed before the showdown
with the Americans. General Weichs' infantry divisions were fighting
in Warsaw; it was decided that another division of infantry, along
with a panzer division would suffice for the task.
It was there that Prussian military sense ran smack into Nazi
ideology. Hitler was incensed at the idea of armed Jews in the Reich.
Two divisions - no matter how much they outnumbered the enemy, when
added to the five divisions that were already in Warsaw - was not
enough. Instead, Hitler demanded - and got - the entire German Sixth
Army under Friedrich von Paulus sent from Breslau. Led by another two
divisions of the Waffen SS, no less. Das Reich and Totenkoff would
teach the Jews a lesson.
Stanislav Brodi ducked as the distinctive brap-brap-brap of
German MG-42 rattled off to his left. The ruins of the apartment
building he and the Israeli squad were shuddered as more artillery
from the German positions along the Vistula landed nearby. A fine
layer of dust coated everything.
Brodi and the Israelis were working well together. The Israelis had
disbursed to form a tactical reserve and rest, while the Home Army
attempted to hold off the Germans. Despite the highly motivated
Poles, and the insanely motivated Israelis, German numbers, firepower,
and discipline were telling. If not for the complete absence of the
Luftwaffe, the fighting might have been over already.
As it was, it seemed to Brodi that the legacy of the Poles and
the Israelis might be one of valiant, but ultimately futile
resistance. Brodi was fatalistic about that; his choices after
September of 1939 had narrowed to either Russian or German suzerainty
(neither appealed) now his children might at least remember his
resistance - and take heart in the possibility of eventual freedom.
Another repetitive brap-brap-brap occurred, and Brodi ducked
again. However, the tone was different, and the Israeli didn't duck.
Instead, he smiled as the first helicopter appeared.
A battalion of the 101st Airborne division - the "Screaming
Eagles" - roared in over Warsaw. They devastated a German assault on
the north side of the city, and the Apaches (operating at extreme
range) slaughtered German artillery parks. Meanwhile, carefully
coordinated air strikes from F-15Es and F-18s shattered German
marshalling areas. Most importantly, they cleared the airfield.
The runways of the Warsaw airport were far to pitted to be
useable to land airplanes. However, the airfield was the largest open
area controlled by the Israeli-Polish-American allies in the Warsaw
pocket. Which was useful, as the Germans soon found out.
The British 1st Airborne division, accompanied by a brigade of
the Free Polish Army, descended by parachute on to the airfield - the
Poles weeping with joy to be on the sacred soil of their homeland
after an absence of over three years. Armed with a mixture of 1942
and 2002 weaponry, they quickly linked up with the other defenders of
the city.
The polyglot Allied force now firmly held Warsaw. Almost
150,000 armed troops (most of them Polish) now held the city. The
helicopters of the US Airmobile battalion provided tactical air
support, and served as mobile artillery. They were still outnumbered,
but once again Stanislav Brodi allowed himself to hope.
If the Americans came quickly, he - and Poland - could live.
Christiane Amonpour checked her bearings and equipment
carefully. She and the one cameraman she'd been allowed were in an
ornate room, and as ready as they'd ever be. The smiling non-entity
official who'd met them re-entered the room, and bid them to stand.
Josef Stalin entered the room. Christiane wrinkled her nose. A foul-smelling Russian cigar was between strong yellow teeth as he smiled. Amonpour shook his hand, and sat down with the interview of the century.
Stalin had allowed Molotov to talk him into this. The Soviet
foreign minister had been impressed with the propaganda value of mass
media. The American government had it all its own way; why should the
Soviet Union not hit back? Discreet inquiries had yielded the
surprising answer that this foreign-looking woman was the premier
journalist in America, well-respected by the public and the American
government.
Molotov had contacted "CNN" - the company she worked for. 
They'd been overjoyed to hear from him - the first Americans that
seemed overjoyed about anything having to with the Soviet Union. 
However, they'd turned down an offer to interview Molotov. They
wanted the Man. Christiane wanted Stalin.
She got him. Molotov was terrified of what the abrasive Stalin would
say. However, the Americans were clearly thinking of hitting the USSR
after dealing with Hitler (the Soviet attack on Finland - and worse,
the stout Finnish defence of their home - had not helped endear the
USSR to the United States). Therefore, it was time to build a
defence, and pre-empt the one-sided description of the USSR and Stalin
the American public was getting.
The interview started. A smiling translator seamlessly
integrated the interview, never knowing that the cameraman Christiane
brought was fluent in Russian. Furthermore, a tiny, hidden recorder
was making a copy of the interview should the Soviets seize the CNN
team's equipment.
Amonpour started with softball questions. What did the General
Secretary think of what he'd heard and seen of the United States? 
What hopes did he have for the future of the relationship between the
United States and the Soviet Union?
Molotov and others had brainstormed likely questions, and
prepared Stalin with certain responses. The General Secretary said
that he was impressed with the technical skills of the United States,
and that with them, he hoped that many issues facing the world could
be solved. He also said that he sincerely hoped that the United
States would it's great advantages well, and that many in the world
of 1942 were waiting to see if the wisdom of America's leaders matched
the technological tools they had to use.
Amonpour nodded, and continued. What of the Cold War? Did the
General Secretary see a way around that? Also, the future showed that
Soviet-style communism was a failure. How would the leadership of the
Soviet Union address that?
Stalin actually smiled. Well, the so-called Cold War could be
averted easily enough - surely with the knowledge both America and the
USSR now had, some accommodation could be made. From the limited
understanding the Soviets now had, it seemed the Cold War was a
collection of mutual mistakes, and misunderstandings. It only showed
that communication was vital to preserve world peace. As for
communism? Stalin shrugged. That it "failed" in the future was an
issue the USSR was examining. Assuming it wasn't American propaganda,
then the causes of the failure could be addressed, and corrected. 
Communism wasn't a failure - those who tried to implement it might
have been.
Amonpour almost choked at this. She decided the time had come
to play hardball. In Stalin's tenure, the people of the Soviet Union
had suffered greatly. The forced collectivization of the Kulaks, the
forced relocations of "unreliable" ethnic groups -
Necessary, Stalin interrupted. The security of the USSR was at
risk. Certain sacrifices had to be made to ensure the ability of the
state to resist the fascist invasion.
Really? Then why cut a deal with Hitler in 1939?
Stalin shrugged, visibly growing more uncomfortable. Again,
necessity. The capitalists had abandoned the USSR and the states of
Central and Eastern Europe to their fates. Soviet security demanded
that certain steps be undertaken to ensure the survival of the
revolution. The USSR had no argument with Poland --the occupation of
the eastern part of the country was dual purposed; to help provide a
buffer against the fascists, and to correct the historical wrong of
the 1921 war against Poland.
And Estonia? How did it threaten the USSR?
Stalin stared hard at Christiane, who didn't blink. The people
of Estonia requested our intervention to free them from Capitalism,
the General Secretary said.
And the people of Finland? From the way they're fighting, they
do not seem to welcome a Soviet presence.
Finland, Stalin growled, is a German puppet -
They weren't until the USSR attacked them in 1939, Amonpour
interrupted.
Stalin was almost speechless - it had been years since anyone dared to
interrupt him. He continued. The historical grievance of the people
of the Soviet Union against Finland are well-known, and justified.
Amonpour changed tacks very quickly. Does the General Secretary
think that had the Soviet officer corps not been purged in the late
1930s, the Red Army might have done a better job of resisting the Nazi
invasion?
Stalin stared again, completely discombobulated. He was stunned
at these questions. Staring hard at the CNN reporter, he ground his
cigar out on the priceless inlaid gold of the table, and stalked from
the room.
From ports along the coast of Britain, ships put sea. Covered
by planes and satellites, the United States commenced Operation
Sovereign - the liberation of Europe.
==USA 2002 in 1942 ISOT Part 15==
The Battle of Europe, Part I
Operation Sovereign, the "Allied" plan for the liberation
of Europe and the defeat of Nazi Germany began in three separate, but
related parts. Taking the experience of sixty years of knowledge
about World War II, the memoirs of many of the enemy commanders, and
their own experiences, from Korea through Vietnam to Enduring Freedom,
the United States military planned an offensive to utterly crush Nazi
Germany in one month.
The first part of the plan opened on September 1, 2002, or, September
1, 1942, depending on who was looking at the calendar. At 10:30 PM,
EST on August 31, White House spokesman Ari Flieschman gave a brief
statement to the Press. The Press, still wrapped up in the Battle of
Warsaw, was eagerly anticipating the news; after all, the US
government had to act now or Warsaw would be lost. It did. With
allusions to the brief statement Marlin Fitzwater had given in 1991
with the opening of Desert Storm, Flieschman was brief; Operation
Sovereign, the Liberation of Europe, had begun. The Pentagon would
have a more thorough briefing soon.
Almost simultaneous to the news from the White House, the US military
went into action. 1214 cruise missiles - most of the available
US inventory of those weapons - erupted from bases in Britain, US
surface ships in the North Sea, Atlantic, and Western Mediterranean
seas, and US submarines. Additionally, B-52s, B-1s, B-2s, F-4
"Wild Weasels", C130s carrying "daisy cutters" and some British bombers took off in a carefully coordinated series of
strikes. The cruise missile hit rail centers, warehouses,
communication centers, anti-aircraft guns, and other targets. The
bombers also hit targets like that, and strikes hit Berchstgarden, the
Wolf's Lair, Zossen, the Bunker in Berlin, and anywhere else
Hitler and the German general staff had ever had a headquarters during
the original war.
At the same time, special strikes hit radio towers, power plants,
bridges, and other logistical sites in Germany, the Benelux, and
France. Observed German troop concentrations were plastered by US
strikes; even camouflaged, stationary units were located and hit. 
Additionally, the Wild Weasels took out every active radar site in
German-occupied Europe.
Civilian casualties were severe. US precision munitions helped keep
them down, of course, but the US strikes had come hard, and without
warning. Although Germany's cities were spared the horrific
bombing of the original timeline (much to Churchill's disgust),
the strikes were hard, and not perfect. Near-misses on urban targets
pulverized apartment blocks; the destruction of one of Berlin's
huge AA towers caused more deaths - in particular 11-year-old
Helmut Kohl, who was near the site when cruise missiles reduced it to
rubble. In addition, the disruption caused by the missiles, as
panicked civilians fled for shelters, caused still more deaths.
The German General Staff had relocated from Zossen to a site near
Sonneberg in the Thuringer Wald. The primary appeal of the site was
that it wasn't near anything else of military significance, and
had never been a headquarters before, hence the Americans
shouldn't know about it. In this, the Germans guessed right. 
Hitler wasn't with them; he choose instead to stay in Berlin. 
Dumb luck meant he was having dinner with Party notables in Potsdam
when the US strikes came in; he wasn't hurt, and his security
people hurried him to another secure site just outside of Berlin.
Hitler, predictably, took it as a sign of his divine favor and
destiny that he wasn't hurt when the US strike pulverized the
bunker under the Reichstag.
The second part of the attack was more focused. US air assets,
including C-130s, C-5s, helicopters, C-15 Dakotas from the old US 8th
Army Air Force, and British Warwick transports flew two divisions of
troops - the British 51st Highland division and the US 10th
Mountain division - to Warsaw. There, they would combine with
the Israeli, Polish, British, and other troops in the beleaguered
city, and fight on until the US Army could relieve them. Also
included in the package were supplies, more weapons, and Bernard Law
Montgomery, named overall commander of the Allied "14th Army
Group" - the rather overstated name given to the Warsaw
garrison. Some US commanders chaffed at this, but Powell had talked
Bush into it. Yes, conventional, modern, US views held that Monty
wasn't that good a general. But the Warsaw situation
wasn't fluid or mobile, it was defensive. All the British Field
Marshall had to do was hold the city. Besides, it would make the
British and Churchill happy.
The German 6th Army was investing Warsaw. It had superiority of
numbers, and its troops were veterans. The commander of the 6th Army,
Friedrich von Paulus, was an experienced general. Still, the troops
were finding it hard going. The Poles were fighting hard, and knew
their city well. Equipped by the Americans, and with continuous
satellite reports from their link to the NSA, von Paulus found it
impossible to mass troops for am attack without both the Poles knowing
it, and the Americans hitting it with air power. As for the
Luftwaffe, it was not in evidence anywhere. And if the Poles could be
described as "fighting hard", what the Israelis were doing
defied easy description. Von Paulus was a good Nazi, and he
"knew" Jews were untermensch - inferior. Yet they
fought harder - and better - than anyone von Paulus had
ever faced. No quarter was asked for or given.
The Israelis, in addition to forming a mobile reserve, also had a
portion of the front. Von Paulus assigned the SS troops Hitler had
sent to that sector. To call the fighting there "intense"
was a bit of an understatement.
The Germans were still confident, though. They still had numbers,
they still had interior lines, and everyone knew that Poles and Jews
couldn't fight.
The third part of the attack was very quiet. In the pre-dawn
darkness hours of September 1, small and medium-sized SEAL and Ranger
teams descended on, or swam up to the small German ports of Cuxhaven
and Bremerhaven. At the same time, US Marine Raider battalions landed
on the small North Sea islands of Mellum, Scharhorn, Neuwerk,
Trischen, and Helgoland. The small German garrisons on those islands - hardly more than police - were quickly overcome in the
early hours of the morning. The SEALS and rangers had a different
task; they were to seize the port facilities of both Bremerhaven and
Cuxhaven intact. Neither port was all that large, but they were
sufficient to unload US troops from ships quickly.
The Cuxhaven operation went smoothly, but at Bremershaven, an alert
guard raised an alarm. A German infantry division outside the city
was alerted, and started to move in. The elite US troops fought hard,
but were unable to prevent the Germans from getting artillery into
range of the port. F-15Es crushed the artillery, but not before they
hit the port facilities. Damage was moderate, not enough to cancel
the US landing, but enough to hamper it a bit.
	
The German General Staff got sketchy information at best. The Reich
had been hit hard by the US strikes. Still reports of ground fighting
in Bremerhaven were noted. Warsaw was turning into one giant sore in
the German rear, and the US strikes had gutted Germany's
transportation network. Additionally, anything that moved was a
potential target.
The Germans still had no clear idea of where the US was going to
land. Antwerp made sense, as did Calais, Normandy, and now, it
seemed, northern Germany itself. The General Staff had one ray of
hope: numbers. The US had no more than 12 divisions in Europe. A
mere 12. Germany had almost 250. If 20 Germans died for each
American, then Germany would win. That was the mantra the Germans
repeated to themselves over and over again. Plans were modified,
messengers dispatched, and nerves steeled.
As dawn broke over embattled Europe, the citizens of Cuxhaven and
Bremerhaven saw ships on the horizon. Two divisions of US Marines - one for Cuxhaven, one for Bremerhaven, were coming ashore. 
Accompanied by swarms of helicopters, A-6s, A-7, and A-10s, and
covered by F-16s, the US troops swarmed ashore to relieve the Special
Forces, and take the towns.
The Germans reacted as they could. General Walter Model, in Bremen
had overall command of the area. He had few mobile forces, but he
directed what he did have to the area. Meanwhile German infantry
resisted the US troops every step of the way, confident help was on
the way.
No help was coming. As the marines were landing, the helicopters and
transports of the 101st Air Assault division flashed overhead. Troops
quickly seized Altenbruch, Otterdorf, Freiburg, Dorum and Beversetdt,
as well as occupying the west shore of the Weser, including Brake,
Burhave, and Nordenham. This isolated Cuxhaven and Bremerhaven from
reinforcements coming from either Bremen or Hamburg.
German resistance was scattered, and not very effective. US
city-fighting techniques had improved, and the Germans had no counter
for US tactical mobility and airmobility. Still, they fought hard,
and US causalities - much lighter than the Germans - did
mount.
Twenty-four hours into Operation Sovereign, the Pentagon was
reasonably happy. Warsaw was holding well, and Monty hadn't
screwed up yet. The Special Forces operations and marine landings had
been satisfactory as well; if the Bremerhaven operation hadn't
been perfect, well, that was why two cities had been seized, and it
wasn't like Bremerhaven was unusable.
The best news was that there was no reason the ports couldn't
take ships, and that meant that the US heavy divisions could start
landing at first light in Europe, on September 2. First in the queue
were the 24th Mechanized Division (an armored division in all but
name), and the 1st Armored division. It would interesting to see what
the Germans thought of M1A2 tanks.
At "New Zossen" as some Germans were calling it, the mood
was not so good. The American had picked an unfortunate place to
land; most German mobile forces were arrayed for a landing in France
or the Low Countries. Still, the possibility of a landing in Northern
Germany had been considered, and assets were in place to react.
It was decided. This was the landing. Operation Thule would
commence as planned.
From a series of never-before-used transmitters and towers across the
Reich and occupied Europe, the Germans broadcast. The US detected the
broadcast almost at once, of course. However, the duration of the
transmissions was very brief, and seemingly meaningless; a single
tone, broadcast for thirty seconds, before shutting off.
US code-breakers tackled the signal, while the US Air Force clobbered
the transmission sites and towers. The Air Force mission went
smoothly enough, and the transmitters were trashed. However, US
code-breakers could make nothing of the tone. It was a single tone,
unmodulated, and unwavering. There was no hidden signal in the tone,
nothing under it, and it had no meaning.
That the US could tell, at any rate.
During September 2, the landing continued. US troops noted that
German infantry advancing from Bremen and Hamburg began falling back
under increased US air pressure. The marines advanced steadily,
occupying positions held by the airborne. The freed-up airborne
troops began streaming to assembly areas in the rear, preparing for
another leapfrog air assault behind the lines.
Meanwhile, US engineers were unloading US tanks from ships in both
Bremerhaven and Cuxhaven. Heavy US units began forming up, and the
first were soon on their way to the front.
CNN, CBS, ABC, and NBC all had correspondents in Germany at this
point. Most covered the war. CNN had one team of German-speakers. 
They went into the headquarters of the local branch of the Nazi party
in Cuxhaven, and started interviewing local party officials. One of
the CNN crew was Jewish. Atlanta had thought long and hard about
that; it was overtly sensationalist, but it was still news. In the
end, the Jewish member went. Besides, it made for good TV and good
ratings.
As soon as the US tanks made an appearance, air-land battle went into
affect. Carefully coordinated US strikes demolished German strong
points. German anti-tank weapons were all but useless against M1s;
indeed, even Bradleys were well nigh unstoppable.
On both the third and the fourth of September, the US made
increasingly quick progress as more and more troops were landed. By
the end of the day on September 4th, leading US elements were at the
outskirts of both Bremen and Hamburg, right on schedule. A growing
sense of confidence in both London and Washington prevailed, as the US
advance seemed to pick up steam.
	
As the fifth dawned, and precisely 72 hours after the mysterious
transmissions ordered by the as yet unlocated New Zossen, the Germans
launched Operation Thule. Whatever else it accomplished, Operation
Thule would address the confidence of both London and Washington.
Category:Timelines
Category:ISOT American 2002