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PART XI: THE POLISH
WAR
REVOLUTION IN POLAND
WARSAW, APR 4- Official reports from the Polish capital now
confirm that the Polish Liberation Force has stormed the government district
and taken control over much of Warsaw. Similar events have occurred in other
major cities, especially in the east. The western half of Poland seems to be in
support of the government that has now escaped to (insert town name here).
As
of yet, none of the major European powers have directly responded to this
event. The German Ambassador to the United States said that his country wasn’t
taking any action at the moment, so long as this remains an internal matter.
From what we can gather from the Germans, the main fear among Europeans at this
point is that the Soviet Union might interveen and assist the Communist Poles.
As of yet, however, there has been no action taken by the Russians.
- “Revolution in Poland,” The Washington Post, April 4, 1950
SOVIETS CROSS INTO POLAND!
BERLIN, APR 8- Western Polish authorities have informed the
Imperial government that troops from the Soviet Union have crossted the
Polish-Russian border into Poland, supposidly at the request of the Warsaw
Soviet, which has assumed control of the eastern half of the country.
The
Republic of Poland has asked the German Empire to send assistance to prevent
the Soviet Union from swallowing up Poland. As of yet, the Emperor nor any
member of the government have issued any statement concearning the invasion. However,
many in the capital believe that the Empire will go to war to prevent the
Russians from being at our eastern border.
-“Soviets Cross into Poland!,” Frankfurter Zeitung, April 8, 1950
WAR ON THE CONTINENT!
BERLIN, APR 9- War has broken out on the contintent of
Europe for the first time in over 30 years as Germany declares war on the
Soviet Union. Yesterday, it was confirmed that the Russians had crossed the
border into Poland, stating that the revolutionary government in Warsaw had
requested their assistance. Shortly there after, the Republic of Poland asked
for assistance from Berlin, which was granted earlier this morning. At 5:00a.m.
local time, Imperial Panzers and infantry men crossed over into Western Poland,
heading to first secure the government of the Republic, which has relocated to
Krakow. After the government is secure, the Reichswehr
plans on launching an attack against the Reds at Lodz and then Warsaw.
German
troops are also being sent to secure Danzig, and troops already stationed in
East Prussia have been put at high alert. Several german scout airships have
taken of from East Prussia to get a better look at the Soviet troop movements.
-“War on the Continent!,” The Times (London), April 9, 1950.
By
May, German troops had Western Poland fully under their control, securing the
government in Krakow on May 21, 1950. Soon thereafter, Luftwaffe pilots began bombing strategic military points in Warsaw
and attacking Russian and Red Polish troops. Suprisingly to the Germans, the
Russians had mobilized very quickly, and had a large garrison in Warsaw by May.
It would come to light after the war that the Polish revolutionaries had
informed Moscow of their intent to being a revolution, and so the Russians had mobilized
their forces at the end of March.
Things
stalmated for a time, until in late August the Germans were able to push the
Russians back and take Lodz. By the end of September, 1950, German troops were
in the suburbs of Warsaw, and the city fell to German/Republican troops on
October 2, 1950. The Warsaw Soviet evacutated to the Russian held city of
Brest. Following the fall of Warsaw, the battle lines stabalized during the
winter, with only slight gains made by the Germans.
On
March 9, 1951, the Soviets made a surprise push, and briefly retook Warsaw,
holding the city up until May 1. In the interveaning time, the Soviets invaded
the Baltic Republics, saying that they feared the Imperialists using those
states as a base for launching invasions into the Soviet Union. Following this,
the German Navy blockaded the Baltic states and the Russian-held portion of the
Gulf of Finland, and launched attacks agains Leningrad (now Petrograd) from
aircraft carriers. By summer of 1951, the Germans had pushed the Russians back,
and took the town of Brest on July 30. The Russians began to pull back by
September, and by the end of the year, most of Poland was under
German/Republican control.
- Plaks, Dr. Jeffry, The
Polish War and the End of Communism, Cambrigde, MA: Harvard University
Press, 1987
LIBERATION OF BALTIC STATES BEGINS!
DANZIG, FEB 28- The Imperial Army and Navy have reported
that troops have crossed in to Lithunaia, and have landed troops in the port
city of Tallinn, Estonia. The Russians, by all reports, are putting up a good
fight, and the Reichswehr Command do
not believe that the Baltic Republics will be fully liberated quickly. Their
main hope is to have the Russians back in their homeland by 1953.
-“Liberation of Baltic States Begins!,” Berliner Morgenpost, February 28, 1952.
FORMER AGITATOR RELEASED
MUNICH, MAR 19- German authorities announced today that
former political agitator and one-time head of the once feared National
Socialist, or Nazi, Party Adolf Hitler will be released from prison today, due
to failing health and what the warden called a “change of attitude.”
Hitler
ran for the office of German President in 1932, but was defeated by
world-renouned Dr. Hugo Eckener. Within a year, Hitler would be in jail after
an attempt was made on Eckener’s life that resulted in the death of the German
Chancellor, and his Nazi Party would be banned. According to the prison warden
and guards at the Bavarian State Prison, Hitler has given up on much of his
former violent behavior and attitude, but still clings to his ideology that he
put forth in Mein Kampf. Hitler has
written a second book that will be released in April explaining his views on
why the Nazis didn’t come to power back in 1932.
Hitler
will be moving to his sister’s home in western Austria, where he will spend the
rest of his life in seclusion, and according to our sources, plans to pain
during his ample free time. Doctors at the Bavarian prison do not believe
Hitler will live long enough to see 1952.
-“Former Agitator Released,” The Times (London), March 19, 1950.
The
Baltic Campaign went better than expected, and by July of 1952, the capitals of
all three Baltic States were under German control. In addition, a secondary
campaign had been launched, aimed at taking the city of Minsk, which would
happen on October 9, 1952. The Minsk campaign was a turning point in the cause
of the war, where the goals shifted from liberating formerly free territory
from the Russians to trying to put an end to communism.
After
the fall of Minsk, the Germans began using new experimental rocket technology,
and by 1953, after making continued territorial advances, were being able to
hit Moscow with the H-3 rockets. One of thes weapons would ultimately end the
lives of both Josef Stalin and Vyacheslav Molotov on October 30, 1953. In July
of that year, Germany launched it’s most darring attack of the war. On the 17th,
German troops landed near Leningrad, and by the end of August, the city and
surrounding area were in the control of the German army.
In
the aftermath of the death of Stalin and Molotov, NKVD Chief Beria took initial
control of the Soviet Union, killing the head of the Red Army and declaring
himself as the General Secretary of the Communist Party. However, at the
beginning of 1954, things began to decintigrate. Many members of the Red Army
were not loyal to Beria, and on February 19, 1954, Red Army troops stormed the
Kremlin and killed Beria. Several military commanders took control of the
Government, “until a more capapble leader can be selected,” and called for a cease
fire with the Germans. Such a cease fire was granted on March 1, 1954.
-Plaks, Dr. Jeffry, The
Polish War and the End of Communism, Cambrigde, MA: Harvard University
Press, 1987
TRUCE!
LENINGRAD, MAR 1- The Ruling Council of the Soviet Union,
which was established following a Red Army coup agaisnt Soviet General
Secretary Beria late last month, has asked for a cease fire with the German
Empire, and that truce was granted last night by the Imperial Government.
The
Imperial Foreign Ministry is now trying to set up treaty negotiations with the
new government, and hopes to put a more permanent end to the fighting before
summer. Negotiations will likely take place in Leningrad.
The
main issue for the two sides to figure out will be what to do with the Soviet
territory now occupied by the Reichswehr.
Most in Berlin do not want to hand the occupied territory back to Russia, but
incorperating it into the German Empire seems most unlikely. One suggestion
that has been floating through Imperial circles is the possibility of making
Grand Duke Vladimir Cyrillovich as the “Czar of the Imperial Russian
Federation”, althought there has been no official comment on this as of yet.
-“Truce!,” Frankfurter
Zeitung, March 1, 1954.
HUGO ECKENER DEAD!
FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, MAR 14- Zeppelin-Goodyear International
officials have confirmed that famed zeppelin-pilot-turned-statesman Dr. Hugo
Eckener has passed away. Eckener had suffered a stroke in 1942 and has since
been living in Friedrichshafen. In the interveening 12 years, he has suffered
one more major stroke and two smaller ones. Last night, Eckener went to bed at
his normal time, and did not wake up this morning when his wife went to check
on him.
Eckener
is regarded as one of the most famous and influentual Germans of the 20th
century, and it is expected that he will have a grand state funeral in Berlin.
Eckener served as the last president of the German Republic from 1932 until
1939, and then went on to serve as the German Foreign Minister until his first
stroke in 1942. Since then he has worked as a consultant for ZGI, but has
mainly been enjoying retirement with his family. Born on 10 of August, 1868,
gone to be with Christ on 14 March, 1954, the 85 year old Dr. Eckener was a
giant among men, and will be sorely missed by not only the people of this
nation, but the people all over the world.
-“Hugo Eckener Dead,” Berliner
Morgenpost, March 14, 1954.
The
final years of Eckener’s life were filled with peace and rest, with a few
excitign interruptions along the way. In 1949, Zeppelin-Goodyear International
honored Eckener with the launch of the LZ-155 Presiden Eckener, the first of 5 Eckener Class airships built by
ZGI. She was the largest airship ever built for passenger service (the other
four Eckener class airships were deliberatley 10 feet shorter) at 1800 feet
long. She could carry nearly 300 passengers in the height of style. Eckener
took his last trip to America on the maiden voyage of the LZ-155 on May 1,
1949.
In
1951, the ZGI company went through it’s worst accident in it’s history, when
the American made GZ-40 crashed over Oklahoma en route to Los Angeles after
leaving New York with 194 passengers. Luckily, the break up was slow, and so
only 27 people died in what is to date the worst passenger airship accident in
aviation history. Many thought this might damage the reputation of the company,
and for a time it did. However, it was able to bounce back, and put an end to
the competition practices between the US and German shipyards. Eckener made several
public appearances to assure people that airship travel was safe.
Eckener
died on March 14, 1954, passing away peacefully in his sleep in his home on the
shores of Lake Constance. His death was mourned by the entire German nation,
and indeed by millions around the world. The loss of such an important figure
in Germany put a damper on the triumphant mood of a nation that had just ended
4 years of tough fighting agianst the Soviet Union. His funeral on March 23,
1954, was the largest Berlin has seen to date, with nearly 300,000 people
flocking to the city to pay their respects. His body was loaded into the LZ-155
on March 18, where upon it was flown direct to Berlin, where Eckener’s body lay
in state in the Reichstag Chamber from March 19 until the Funeral.
At
the ceremony itself, held in the Berliner Dom, Kaiser Louis Ferdinand I gave a
moving eulogy, where he said, “Dr. Hugo Eckener has earned his place in the
great annals of history, where he stands in the host of some of the greatest
Germans ever known. Bismark, Luther, Barbarossa, and Frederick the Great. He
stands even higher still on the pedastl of world history, as famous as George
Washington, Queen Victoria, or Abraham Lincoln. Germany would not be what it is
today without the struggles that Dr. Eckener went through. He secured a bright
and glorius future for his homeland, and for all of Europe, and the world. His
life’s dream of world-wide Zeppelin travel has come true, and like he had
hoped, the Luftschiff has become a
symbol of peace and unity. Dr.
Eckener, as you stand today in the host of the angles of the Almighty, we say a
humble and heartfelt thank you.”
After
the funeral, Eckener’s remains were again loaded aboard the LZ-155, which took
a 4 day journey home, flying over all the principle cities of Germany before
landing at Friedrichshafen. On March 29, 1954, Eckener’s body was placed in a
temporary crypt, to await the completion of a masoleum that the Kaiser had
ordered built for Eckener in Friedrichshafen. That masolem, which was built to
closely resemble an ornate Zeppelin Hangar, but far more ornate, was completed
in May of 1956, and Eckener’s mortal remains were moved to the memorial on
August 10, 1956 on what would have been his 88th birthday. The tomb
itself, built of granite and marble, sits on a hill overlooking Lake Constance,
and has huge glass walls, resembling the giant doors of airshp hangars, that
face the shore. These doors can be opened, and often are duirng good weather.
The interior itself consists of one large hall, 4 stories tall, with massive
marble walls that have carved into them the depictions of different events in
Eckener’s life, from the 1929 round the world flight, to the 1941 Danzig
Crisis. In the center of the hall is a large marble and granite replica of the
Graf Zeppelin, inside of which lie the remains of Eckener and his wife. One
interesting detail outside the monument itself are the two flag polls that are
on the shore-facing side. The one on the building’s right, the one that would
be the place of higher honor, flies not the Imperial Flag, but the Black, Red,
and Gold flag of the German Republic, with the Imperial Flag flying on the
other flag poll. This is the only place in all of the German Empire where the
old republican flag is given such a place of honor.
After
Eckener’s death, he would become emortalized, slowly but surely, by the
Imperial Government. Eckener’s face was already on the 5-mark bill, which was
redesigned in 1960 to feature more airships and a new portrait of Eckener. On
August 10, 1968, on the anniversary of Eckener’s 100th Birthday,
Kaiser Louis Ferdinand I declared August 10 “Eckenertag”, which was to be an official public holiday with
fireworks and all sorts of celebrations.
In 1978, the three towns of Zeppelinburg, Friedrichshafen, and Luftstadt
were incorperated into “Eckenerstadt-Friedrichshafen”. In 1979, the archives of
the old Zeppelin Company, along with the Eckener Library, came together to form
the “Zeppelin Institute”, which serves as an archive of Eckener and Count von Zeppelin’s
life, along with their life’s work, the rigid airships. The Zeppelin Institute
building was opened on the 50th anniversary of the Graf Zeppelin’s 1929 flight around the
world. Eckener’s name lives on all over Germany and rest of the world. Dozens
of air harbors, parks, and public buildings have statues or busts of the famous
aeronaut, along with the numerous streets, highways, parks, and public
buildings that bear his name. in 1999, Time Magazine named Hugo Eckener the
“most widely known man of the 20th Century”, followed closely by
President Will Rogers of the United States.
- Liebermann, Dr. William. The Zeppelin President."
Epilogue the Final Years and the Eckener Legacy.” Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press, 2003
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