Berlin, October 1938. The autumn wind cut through the capital with a dry chill, scattering golden leaves through the marble courtyards of the New Imperial Chancellery.
Black, white, and crimson banners hung proudly from the colonnades, their fabric snapping in rhythm with the breeze.
Inside, the mood was far warmer, if no less electric.
In the grand war chamber beneath the dome of the Reich Chancellery, a crowd of dignitaries and senior officers stood in tight formations.
The marble floor bore the iron cross inlaid in obsidian and bronze; above it, the Kaiser's eagle looked down from the stained-glass ceiling with imperious judgment.
A film reel clicked to life.
Projected against the wall-sized screen at the end of the hall, raw newsreel footage from Buenos Aires played, chaotic, grainy, real.
Flames leapt from the side of the U.S. consulate as panicked diplomats spilled into the streets.
