[WWII/TS/Covert Ops/Weird War II] Götterdämmerung on Walpurgisnacht

[Polydamas]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Does anyone know about historical characters in the OSS or with a plausible connection to OSS during the war who had occult interests or hobbies?

Wrong millennium for me sorry! The Oriental Institute in Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Met in New York seem like the institutions which might have someone. Margaret Mead got her PhD at Columbia but that was later. I don't know if there are any interesting anthropologists or ethnologists on the west coast this early. Someone in Fletcher Pratt's wargaming circle? He was interested in mythology since he wrote The Compleat Enchanter.

Joseph Needham had a moderately exciting wartime career but was British. N.G.L. Hammond spent the war crawling around ruins with a band of partisans looking for German bridges to blow up rather than alone looking for Macedonian monuments and the location of the battle of Kynoskephalai as was his wont in peacetime.

[Polydamas]

You might also try friends, students, and colleagues of Franz Boas the historical linguist and ethnographer. I believe he died during the war.

Christoph von Fürer-Haimendorf was Austrian and spent the war in India, but he lived long enough to give an interview which is worth listening too (edit: link). Absolutely not a Nazi, but absolutely an Austrian aristocrat who just happened to live in the 20th century.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Polydamas

Margaret Mead got her PhD at Columbia but that was later.

As it turns out, she got her PhD in 1929 and was working in a supremely boring government research job during WWII. While married to Gregory Bateson, an anthropologist field agent in the OSS.

After the Barca-Bayern game finishes, I have plenty of OSS anthropologist names to look up. Yay, Internet!

I still welcome more suggestions.

[Þorkell]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Does anyone know of an RPG scenario or even a highly realistic computer game set in the government centre of Berlin during the end of the Third Reich?

I've not played the game, but how about Sniper Elite? The first one is set in Berlin during 1945.

[fredtheobviouspseudonym]

Beevor, Anthony "The Fall of Berlin." I've not read this book but have read another & respect Beevor's ability.

Some critics condemn him for being too hard on the Soviets. I personally see this as a recommendation.

Also Read & Fisher "The Fall of Berlin" has a fairly good small-scale map of central Berlin in 1945. Not a lot of detail on anything but government buildings but lots of those. Also a fair bit on Berlin's atmosphere from 1936 Olympics to the arrival of Ivan.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Necromancy, curses and blood magic might all be expected, with everything dressed up in Germano-Nordic aesthetic.

No one can rule out ice giants, werewolves, gigantic sea serpents or a creepy corpseship full of the damned ...

A longship full of undead Vikings rowing up the Spree. Evokes Tim Powers' The Drawing of the Dark, and they might be on any side, or none.

[dcarson]

While firmly a non believer in any way L. Sprague de Camp knew a lot about myths and history and was a reserve officer working at the Philadelphia navy yard during the war. His degree was as a aeronautical engineer.

I can also see L. Ron Hubbard claiming expertise and trying to get involved.

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by dcarson

While firmly a non believer in any way L. Sprague de Camp knew a lot about myths and history and was a reserve officer working at the Philadelphia navy yard during the war. His degree was as a aeronautical engineer.

I can also see L. Ron Hubbard claiming expertise and trying to get involved.

Those are indeed some of the men I meant when I mentioned promising figures in the Navy. Heinlein and Virginia (then) Gerstenfeld are others.

On the other hand, even if the government were to agree that occult research is more important than aeronautical research*, Navy men are likely to be assigned to a newly-founded special detachment within the Office of Naval Intelligence, not to the Anomalous Observation Section of the Research & Analysis branch of the OSS.

It takes more than magic to overcome bureaucratic infighting.

*Not likely until the last few months of the war, if ever.

[Michele]

Originally Posted by Icelander

Any place to get extremely detailed maps or 3D representations of the area?

http://www.alt-berlin.info/
Look for the Gebäudeschäden 1945 map (damage to buildings).

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by Michele

http://www.alt-berlin.info/
Look for the Gebäudeschäden 1945 map (damage to buildings).

Ok, cool.

I see there's light blue and dark blue.Then there's white with black diagonal lines.

Which is destroyed, which is damaged and which, if anything, means 'miraculously untouched'?