Kaiserreich - Prelude to the Second Weltkrieg - Part 1: Germany

What if Germany won World War 1? And what if World War 2 was just around the corner?

The year is 1937, and the world is once again lurching towards a global conflict. Only this one isn't like the World War II we all learned about in history class. In this alternate history, Germany won the Great War (or Weltkrieg, in German), the United States of America never got involved in WW1, and all the Entente powers - including France, Britain, and Russia - collapsed into civil war and political revolution.

For Karl Schreiber, a young university student in Germany, all that just seems like history, and one that doesn't directly impact him. But when he receives a call from his father asking him to return home, his personal life collides with the global forces set in motion by that history. A home town he barely recognizes, a family teetering on the brink of collapse, and the looming threat of his own mortality all swirl about as he finally realizes that his world is a world headed towards war.

Based on the popular "Kaiserreich" mod for the Hearts of Iron 4 PC game, this first in a series of short stories are part fanfiction (based on the amazing work of the Kaiserreich developers) and part standalone alternate history fiction. Probably more enjoyable if you're a fan of the game/mod (or a giant history nerd) but hopefully accessible to all! This story begins our tour of the globe on February 3, 1937 - one fateful year after the global financial catastrophe that sent the world reeling and the gears of war into motion.