So I got lost and forgot to mention that the Reich launches the first human into space in 1955. By 1960, the entire Reichsatelitt network is in place and each one of the house sized stations is manned by 3-5 Raumpilot (literally 'Space pilot'). Germany has been establishing itself as a world superpower, and this only quickens with the rollout of the powerful transmitters.
Over the next few years, German produced television programming is beamed out across the world as and a cultural osmosis begins to take place. Hollywood slowly fades in relevance and the real action is soon taking place in Hamburg.
By 1965, tensions between Canada and the USSR are rising again. Canada's purchase of the Alaskan wastelands in the 1950s have put them right next to the Soviet juggernaut, and the discovery of oil deposits makes matters worse. The Royal Canadian Marines forward deploy along the Bering strait while the Canadian army fortifies polar approaches.
Meanwhile, Japan launches the world's first 'Supercarrier'. At over 350 meters long, the Yamamoto nuclear carrier deploys on a tour around the world. The Mitsubishi Samurai II carrier deployed fighter receives wide attention and is classed with the Canadian Avro Falcon and the Reich's vicious Messerschmitt Me-626.
1965 also marks the first test detonation of a large scale non-chemical explosive in the USSR. The soviet version, more accurately described as a 'Sakharov Device', uses a type of Heisenberg device as a detonator and the resulting fusion explosion is bigger by a factor of two from what the Germans have produced. Because of the extensive espionage efforts, the Russians are able to skip the original atomic bomb and develop straight into a hydrogen bomb. The sudden loss of their nuclear monopoly shocks the german government into authorizing a crash study to improve their atomic ordnance. Soon, the two countries are actively trying to outdevelop each other.
As 1966 comes around, the world is spinning in more ways then one. The soviet presence on the other side of the Bering strait has the Canadian people worried. Germany, while cool to Canada, is a strong ally of Canada's biggest trading partner, the USA. An uneasy alliance exists between the two superpowers because of the US's calming influence. On the other hand, the Reich is loathe to do anything that might unleash the soviet Bear on its eastern border. As tensions rise, people on both sides grow more anxious. The german produced movies and television shows begin working to sway global opinion against the USSR.
In February, a truck filled with explosives is detonated in Red Square, killing hundreds. The Red Army goes to full alert and mobilizes as they try desperately to figure out where the attack has come from. A Canadian Falcon and an Ilyushin Beagle II, each patrolling over the Bering Strait, both end up firing on each other. Nobody knows who fired first, but both Canadian and Soviet navies gather in the Arctic and begin jockeying for position. After a few days, a Chinese group claims credit for the bombing, and worldwide attention shifts back to the chaotic Manchuria area. Both Canada and the Reich condemn the attacks and tensions ease.
The Reich announces that it will deploy a mission to the moon by the end of the 1960s. The Falkenest space station is where the mission is built, and on July 16, 1969, the three ships leave earth orbit for the moon. They land four days later. The event is carried live on the Reichsnetwork and the whole world congratulates them on their achievement.
1970 comes with the world mostly intact. The MGB (or 'Manchurian Gerechtigkeit Bewegung' as the manchurian justice movement is nicknamed by the Bundesmedia) begins launching other attacks against the nations it holds responsible for the chaotic situation in China. In the years since the Soviet/Japanese war, millions have died and the lands are filled with refugees. Anger at both the USSR and the Japanese Empire fuel a generation of terrorists who strike anywhere they can. People begin dying in both countries.
Two years later, the german presence on the moon has grown to a base of over 100 Raumpilot. The newly formed Raumwaffe works to build this base as well as others in both low and geosynchronous earth orbit. The Soviets launch their first man into space, but he dies on reentry. Two weeks later, they succesfully launch and recover another Cosmonaut and the race is on.
In 1973, the Yamamoto carrier is attacked in port by MGB. The boats that ram it kill 50 and knock out the drive shafts, disabling it for 6 months during repair. In retalliation, three japanese destroyers launch cruise missiles into a refugee city on the Amur river. Hundreds are killed in the firestorm that rages through the shantytowns, and the world is outraged. For the first time, the whole world can see the carnage via the magic of the Bundesmedia's satellite television.
The USSR, Reich, Canada, Brazil, and even the USA issue formal condemnations, but the empire of Japan brushes them aside. Tensions rise again, and fighting breaks out in Korea and Vietnam as Japanese assisted troops fight the communist governments in place.
By 1975, a Soviet station is in earth orbit. Primitive by german standards, it houses 20 Cosmonauts. By 1976, it has grown to house over 100. Weekly close passes by Raumwaffe 'utility' ships raise fears of conflict, but nothing happens.
The Winterkampf holds steady, now with three major players. Canada, the USSR, and Der Reich watch each other closely. The canadian 'Project Toronto' demonstrates an atomic explosive in upper saskatchewan, and all three now hold the buttons to weapons of a scale never seen before in combat.
By 1980, the Soviets have many stations in orbit. A crisis breaks out as the Germans are able to secure proof that two of the polar stations are equipped with nuclear warheads, and the two nations go toe to toe. After a week filled with extreme world tension and forces at maximum alert status, the two super powers are able to negotiate a standdown. In exchange for removing its warheads from orbit, the Reich promises to demilitarize its moon station and agrees to a 100 kilometer 'sovereign territory' boundary around all major stations. This stops the aggressive close flybys.
