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Chapter 121: The Flak towers
🕑 Added 2024-12-30 14:29:19 +0000 UTC"Happy New Year, Josh!" Inside the military camp, an old acquaintance, Brigadier General William Ross, greeted Josh with a bear hug.
The man before him, once a colonel and commander of the 8th Regiment, 4th Division, had risen through the ranks during and after the war. He was now officially a general, serving as commander of the 4th Division's 3rd Mechanized Infantry Brigade.
The American forces currently stationed in Hamburg were part of the 4th Division of the Third Army.
The Third Army, under Patton's command, was originally stationed in Bavaria in the original timeline. In this alternate world, however, the American zone of occupation was moved to the north-central region around Hamburg. As a result, the most battle-hardened troops were naturally deployed to the north.
Meanwhile, the Ninth Army, a relatively new formation, took over garrison duties in Bavaria.
"Happy New Year, William, and congratulations on your promotion!" Josh replied warmly.
By the time Josh arrived in Paris, the calendar had already turned to 1945, making the New Year's greeting perfectly timely.
As for why Josh wanted to visit Ross first, there were two simple reasons.
The first was that Josh planned to stay here temporarily.
Although Hamburg was the second largest city in Germany, its status as a major industrial center had made it a prime target during the war.
Even before the U.S. entered the war, the British Royal Air Force had listed Hamburg as one of its top bombing targets.
Once the U.S. entered the conflict and the German Luftwaffe was weakened, Hamburg suffered even more.(TL/N: The German Luftwaffe is the name of both the historic and current German air force)
During the war years, Hamburg endured 187 air raids, most of them using firebombs that caused catastrophic damage to the city.
By the end of the war, there were very few intact buildings left in Hamburg.
Ophelia, who had already arrived, stayed on a farm in the suburbs. However, the remote location and the post-war social instability made this less appealing.
Staying at the military camp seemed much safer and more comfortable to Josh.
The second reason was that the transport fleet jointly organized by the Chicago Consortium and the Council would be arriving in Hamburg in less than a week. Josh needed to prepare the groundwork for their arrival.
This, of course, required the assistance of the military, after all, it was they, the garrison, who were in charge in Germany.
"How long are you planning to stay this time?" After exchanging greetings, the two sat down and Brigadier General Ross asked.
"At least a few months," Josh replied, briefly explaining his role as a representative of five conglomerates. He also expressed hope that the military might be able to provide some assistance.
Of course, it wasn't about having soldiers do manual labor, but rather to act as supervisors and maintain order.
As for labor? The camps on the Rhine held millions of prisoners.
While the U.S. military hadn't treated the prisoners as brutally as sensational reports might suggest, their conditions were far from comfortable.
Prisoners weren't forced to work, but they were given only about 500 calories of food per person per day—far below the 1,200 calories needed by a non-working adult.
Combined with unsanitary living conditions, their suffering was obvious.
They lived worse than pigs and dogs.
Like the group of prisoners working for Josh in Austria, as long as they were given enough to eat and treated with a little respect, there would be plenty of volunteers willing to work.
Manpower? That was never a concern.
"I see, but that's not something I can decide," William Ross replied after hearing Josh's explanation.
"Of course I understand. I came to catch up with you and to stay here temporarily. As for this matter, I'll meet with General Eisenhower tomorrow to get his approval," Josh said.
Hamburg had been so badly damaged that it was impossible for the U.S. Army to set up its headquarters here, even though it was the second largest city in Germany.
So Eisenhower and the rest of the U.S. military leadership were stationed in another large city in central Germany—Hanover.
Hanover, being of lesser strategic importance and with German forces quickly surrendering during the Allied advance, suffered relatively little damage. As a result, it became the most intact major city under American control.
When Brigadier General Ross heard Josh's plan, he nodded. It made sense—such an important matter should indeed be discussed directly with Eisenhower.
"This is simple. I'll have some officers' quarters prepared for you to stay in for the time being. As for your team's accommodations, that can be arranged. There are two large Flak towers in the center of town, built by the Germans and still in excellent condition. With General Eisenhower's approval, I can allocate one of them for your use. Each tower can easily hold a few thousand people," Ross suggested after some thought.
"Ah, I'm familiar with these flak towers. I saw similar ones in Vienna—they are indeed an excellent choice," Josh immediately recognized what Ross was referring to.
They were the eight massive anti-aircraft fortresses ordered by the Führer during the war, built in Hamburg, Vienna, and Berlin.
When the Soviets attacked Berlin, they spent over a week shelling the city's three flak towers with 203mm heavy artillery, but were unable to breach them. Ultimately, the towers surrendered only after the rest of Berlin had fallen, on orders from the German High Command.
In the original timeline, the British, having heard of the Soviets' struggles, attempted to blow up the towers to make a statement.
They packed 25 tons of explosives into one tower and invited media from Allied nations to witness the spectacle.
The result was embarrassing—25 tons of explosives only managed to chip away the outer walls of the tower.
Unwilling to give up, the British organized a second demolition attempt four months later. This time they used 35 tons of explosives, which barely split the tower in half without completely destroying it.
After that, no one dared mess with these fortresses again.
By the 21st century, these seven and a half surviving fortresses had become popular tourist attractions in their respective cities.
In this alternate world, without the British antics, all eight fortresses remained intact.
Each fortress, originally designed to house 15,000 troops, could comfortably accommodate thousands or even tens of thousands of people.
Josh saw the potential immediately. If he could acquire one of these fortresses, it would make an excellent headquarters for his operations in Hamburg.
So Josh suggested purchasing two of the towers outright.
"Buy them? Of course it's possible. They're currently under military ownership, but like everything else, it would have to be approved by headquarters," Ross replied without hesitation.
The fortresses, taken over by the Army after Germany’s surrender, were now U.S. military assets. There was no problem selling them.
As for payment? Josh, with his connections, could arrange for payment in installments, rent the towers to the Council and the Chicago Consortium in his name, and use the rent to pay back the Army.
With the money the consortium had prepared, it was an easy win.
In one smooth move, Josh would effectively acquire two massive fortresses for free and turn them into prime assets for his business ventures.
