Chapter 9

The Magirus-Deutz bus growled it's way along the new cement road. The awe-struck passengers pressed their noses to the windows, staring at the giant grey cigar.

The 'cigar, ' though sported giant fins on which the peculiar symbol designed by Dr Albert Speer was painted, black in a white circle in a red square.

This was the new Germany with a new flag and symbols. Just as the old empire had been swept away by the first world war, the economic disasters of the late '20's had dealt a body blow the fledging Weimar republic.

The bus drove right up to the giant airship. Under the nose Kimi read 'Graf Zeppelin' in black gothic writing.

Everything about it was bigger than anything that had gone before. Length, height, gas capacity and along the hull six engines. Diesels, Kimi noted, with a wry grin,

'If only 'the Chief' was alive to see this.' he thought.

A small dais had been set up next to the control car and as the guests assembled themselves in some sort of order a small welcoming party of uniformed men arrayed themselves on either side.

A rather solid looking man in a brown uniform ascended the dais. Around his arm he sported a red armband with Dr Speer's symbol, the swastika, on a white disc.

"Welcome to the new Germany," the man said, "as deputy Fuhrer of the German Reich it is an honour to stand before you, veterans of the German Airship Service of the Great War. You are, like myself, fliers and heroes who gave your souls for the honour of the Fatherland only to be betrayed by those who chose to stay safely in their homes and make profits out of your sacrifice..."

Holding her husband's hand with the other wrapped around their 10-year-old son, Eliza whispered to Kimi,

"Who is he?"

"Herman Goering," he whispered back, "he was the last commander of the Richthofen 'Jasta' at the end of the war. He was a lot slimmer then."

"I don't like his eyes, " she whispered, " he bores right through you."

"Probably short-sighted," Kimi told his wife.

"A short sighted pilot?" Eliza giggled, "I don't fancy flying with him."

Kimi was never one for speeches and this was a long one. He dearly wanted to break away from the crowd and have a look at those motors with his son. He hoped to have a chance later.

"... At last Germany, the new Germany, is going to take its rightful place in the sun. Already The German government under the guidance of Chancellor and Fuhrer Adolf Hitler has thrown off the shackles of Versailles, thrown off the shackles of the Washington naval agreement, we will see off the last contingent of foreign soldiers from our soil and look towards the future with pride..."

Kimi lost track of the speech again. He looked at his watch in annoyance.

'I really wish he'd get on with it.'

"... We will build fleets of aeroplanes, flotillas of airships, our navy is rebuilding, our army will be the most feared in the world... so I invite you, heroes of the Great War to join with us in giving pride to the Reich. Join with us and become heroes of the future with our great Fuhrer, Adolf Hitler... sieg heil..."

"What was that all about?" asked Eliza, "I thought he was going to give himself a hernia."

"I gather he wants me to join up."

"Are you going to?"

"Not if I have to listen to that all the time," he grinned.

The Kasemanns had lived in Galston for 15 years. They'd made a comfortable life for themselves and 10 year old Jimmy. If there was any ill feeling towards him from the locals it had quietly disappeared.

Now a British citizen, he'd even enlisted in the Royal Navy Reserve and spent one weekend a month tending the big Thornycroft engines of an inshore patrol boat.

While Eliza worked as a nurse at the local village hospital, Kimi ran the only garage in the area. He repaired and maintained everything from private cars to farm tractors, bicycles to ploughs and seed drills.

Britain was using German technology to build it's own giant airships. One, the R100 was being built by Vickers, the other, R101 by the Government. Kimi and Eliza were planning on taking a voyage on one of them when they were completed.

So when he'd received a letter from Germany inviting him and his family on an honourary cruise on the giant 'Graf Zeppelin' they'd jumped at the chance.

The voyage had been organised by the Reich war-veteran's association in conjunction with DLB, the Deutsche Luftschiffbau. (German Airship Company)

They had no idea what a propaganda exercise it was to become. The red carpet was laid out, tours organised and events arranged for the children. All to demonstrate what giant strides had been made in Germany and to encourage the airship men to enlist in the services.

Curiously absent on the tours were the scenes of streets with 'Juden' (Jews) daubed on shops and homes? Nor, indeed the camps quickly filling up with opponents of the Nazi Party.

While Eliza and Jimmy were conducted on a tour of the airship's luxury interior, representatives of Daimler-Benz and DLB showed Kimi and other veterans, an engine car.

The engine was a conventional upright six, but innovative in it's use of lightweight materials. It wasn't, however, reversible. The time required to stop the engine, then set it in reverse was too long. Additionally, two-cycle diesels hadn't reached the required level of reliability by 1934, except for large marine engines.

MAN of Nuremberg had developed a set for the new armoured ship, 'Deutschland', then just launched, however these large engines were a constant headache to the Navy.

Descending the ladder from the car, Kimi came face to face with Goering. He was a large man in every way, resplendent in his brown party uniform and always accompanied by a pair of boot-clicking aides.

An aide read out Kimi's name from a list and the Deputy Fuhrer extended his hand.

"Joachim, I'm pleased to meet you. I hope you have been impressed by what you have seen?"

Kimi nodded.

"Good, we have need of good men like you. Let me tell you of what I've been planning. Soon we will unveil the new German Luftwaffe. For years the French has crippled Germany by the treaty that those traitors at Versailles signed. But no more! We will once again take our place among great nations."

Kimi didn't really want another speech but the commanding presence of this big man held him spellbound.

"Joachim, I will personally offer you an Officer's commission if you'd join the new Luftwaffe. Who knows, soon you might be a General in charge of aircraft engineering, no?" Goering said laughing. The big belly laugh commanded those around him to laugh too.

"I hear you are to be taken around the Reich in the 'Graf'. Take a look! See what we have been able to do in two years with our Fuhrer at the helm and imagine what can be accomplished in the future, good day. "

He strode off saying,

"Reichenau, that man was a Captain wasn't he?"

Kimi was feeling unsettled by all the snapping and saluting going on around him. The old airship service had been relatively informal and the clicking of heels was beginning to annoy him.