Zombies of Past and Present

History is written by the victors, or so the old saying goes. Well, in that case, I have just won a major victory and history has become my plaything! In this blog I will take a look back through the frozen lakes of Finland to see what would have happened in the world if a zombie apocalypse would have sprung into existance at a certain time in our specie's timeline or look into the eyes of the Moon to see what would the future be like if it happened tomorrow.

Chapter 1: World War 2

This timeline follows our own up to 1942, where the point of divergence happens

1942, Stalingrad: The Axis forces launch their attack on Stalingrad. During the heavy fighting that happens in the city, the Wehrmacht stumble by accident into a hidden bunker complex. Before the Soviets can destroy all the vital intel, the German troops seize the complex in its entirety, including the majority of papers and research documents as well as the key scientists that are found there. These spoils are immediately sent west towards more securely held Axis territories. The reason why these were not evacuated along with the grain, cattle, and railroad rolling stock was at the time unknown.

1942, Berlin: After receiving the research and interrogating the captured soviets, top Nazi scientists were able to deduce the approximate nature of the soviet project. The project had been codenamed Красный рассвет, Red Dawn, and from a cursory examination was aimed at prolonging the life and endurance of a soldier ”to a point of undying”. Hitler was greatly excited about this, and set this project as the top priority research subject in the Reich, diverting resources from programs that had not yielded sufficient results.

December 1942, Stalingrad: The German High Command gives the Axis forces the command to break out of the Stalingrad encirclement. Adolf Hitler himself signs this order in Berlin while the Reichsmarshall Hermann Göring is on the Führer's Bavarian retreat in Berchtesgaden. The breakout is successful and though the Axis forces suffer heavy casualties, the 6th Army survives. Before breaking out of the encirclement, they destroy the bunker complex that had the soviet research and everything in in.

1943, Finland: The Continuation War had ground to a halt during the last years and had become trench warfare with neither the Finnish or the Soviet forces engaging in serious military operations. In March, Hitler visited the Finnish head of state, President Risto Ryti, and proposed to test a new weapon on the enemy in one of the less prominent areas of the war, so as to avoid the Allies from finding out. Ryti and the leader of the Finnish military forces Marshall Mannerheim were suspicious, but agreed on the condition that the Soviet forces launched an attack. Finland had regained the land they had lost during the Winter War and were content to keep it without expanding further. Hitler returns to Germany, but leaves behind a German contingent responsible for the weapon.

February 1944, Finland: After Stalingrad, Finland had attempted to find a way out of the war, but any chance for that was shattered when Stalin ordered mass bombings of the Finnish capital Helsinki. After the bombings, the Finnish High Command gave the German Special Weapon Contingent to use their secret weapon on the Soviet forces amassing on the Finnish eastern border. All Finnish troops in the sector were issued gas masks and orders were given to wear them at all times. On 2 March 1944, the German secret weapon was utilized against the Soviet forces. The operation was a success with reported 100% casualties on the Soviet side, but by the request, some may argue order, of the German contingent, the entire are where the Soviets had been deployed was incinerated.

June 1944, Normandy: Operation Overlord, the Allied landing on Normandy was a resounding success, pushing the Germans off the coast and securing a beach head. As they pushed further into France, strange reports began to surface of liberated French and even other Allied forces attacking the Allied troops in France. Not only that, but these attacks seemed to be driven by pure, mindless hatred and rage. These attackers could not be reasoned with, and were thought to be either fanatic Nazi symphathizers or SS troops in disguise.

July 1944, France: The attacks on the Allied forces have escalated to huge proportions, forcing them back on every front. Even areas that have previously been entirely friendly to the Allies have been reported to attack the troops stationed near. The Allied presence in France is at the point of collapse. The question on everyone's mind is ”Where are the German forces?”. Reports from Allied intelligence say that the Germans have begun construction on a massive defencive system along the old German-French line.

July 1944, Eastern Front: The Soviet forces have been systematically driving the German troops out of Russia and Eastern Europe, although at a slower pace than had the 6th army been destroyed at Stalingrad. With the Soviet forces poised to invade the Baltic States, massive reinforcements arrived from the west. With these additional troops, the tide was turned and the Eastern Front ground to trench warfare.

August 1944, France: Most of France is dead. Problem is, they're not doing a very good job at it. The reason for the strange behaviour exhibited by the liberated French and the Allied troops has been found, a disease that by all accounts is highly contagious and 100% lethal. After a time, the dead victims rise to attack all living beings within vicinity. The majority of the French population as well as the Allied forces deployed there have been infected and France has been placed on quarantine.

October 1944: After the catastrophe in France, the US withdraws from their campaign in Europe, forcing the British to sign a ceasefire and a termless peace treaty with the Axis. With all their power concentrated to the East, the Axis are able to make way into the Russian heartland and manage to seize the Caucases oil fields. However, progress is slow and the war appears to go on for years to come.

December 1944: All German forces on the Eastern Front are ordered to fortify their positions. The Luftwaffe flies sorties into the Soviet controlled area, and an increased amount of duds are reported amongst the bombs.

January 1945: Finland manages to sign a peace treaty with the Soviet Union, regaining their lost territories in return for minor consessions and reparations. Reports surface on the Eastern Front about Soviet troops attacking each other in a way similiar to France the previous year.

February 1945: Stalin orders immediate execution by headshot of anyone even suspected of carrying the infection and places all the forces on the front in a quarantine. The Germans continue to reinforce and fortify their positions. Hitler orders the building of fences and walls across the entire front.

May 1945: The quarantined Soviet troops have starved and suffered from the lack of water and their morale breaks. Massive amounts of Red Army troops flee eastward, while some surrender to the Germans, only to be executed on sight. Some of the fleeing troops get attacked during their flight and the spread of the infection begins.

July 1945: The Outbreak in Eastern Europe and Russia is out of control. Cities are thrown in chaos as the largest country in the world devours itself. Stalin attempts to restore order with harsh actions, but when the infection reaches Moscow, the Soviet leader is never heard from again.

August 1945: For all intents and purpouses, the second world war is over, but the War of the Dead begins. Having devoured every living thing in France, the undead of that country spread out. In the east they run into a massive fortification, a wall so tall and thick that the sea of the dead breaks against it. But in the south, the border of Spain and France is without such barriers. By now, most of Spain and Portugal have been evacuated or killed, with the survivors fighting for their lives against the rampaging horrors.

October 1945: The undead hordes from Russia begin their march weswards, overwhelming the German first defences. The German troops are ordered to give no quarter and instruction about their foes' physiology and tactics how to combat them are given to all the troops.

November 1945: The reinforced Axis eastern defence line is at its peak defencive capability, millions of troops, countless tanks, full air cover and heavily reinfoced positions have repelled all undead incursions. Finland is left outside this defencive line however, but manages to fight off the dead due to its remote location and the hardened spirit of its defenders.

February 1946: The Axis eastern line breaks. The hordes of undead have devoured every other living being in vicinity and make their way towards the only apparent source of food, the Axis line. The combined undead horde from all of Russia west of the Urals descends upon the line. The Axis fight hard, but are hopelessly outnumbered and are either devoured, turned or forced to flee.

April 1946: After the eastern defence line breaks, the Axis are unable to stop the ever-growing tide of undead from covering all of Europe. Some manage to escape to Britain or Iceland, but with the recent world war still in fresh memory, these people are unwelcome in their new homelands. By the end of April, all of continental Europe is dead.