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Behind the Story: Puss Das Boot and the real fantastic stories of World War 2

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  What if the fairy tale of Puss in Boots was set during World War 2? Puss in Boots by Gustave Dore The short story “Puss Das Boot” combines the Puss in Boots fairy tale with the German World War 2 movie “Das Boot”, a 1981 German WW2 film set on a German submarine (classic movie, worth the watch). My dieselpunk short story is filled with science fantasy ideas of hidden undersea bases, super submarines and genetically altered animals. All of which are, of course, purely imaginative. Except they aren’t. Or at least, they are based on real events from World War 2. Under the direction of Hermann Goering the Nazi’s had their own Jurassic Park where attempts were made to breed animals reminiscent of extinct species. A hidden underground base was planned in Gibraltar to spy on Axis movements. And the Germans had developed a revolutionary submarine that, had it been constructed earlier in the war, might have turned the tide in the Atlantic and Pacific.   Animal Genetics In the story, Puss
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Behind the Story: The Riddle and the Battle of Culloden 1746

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  B ehind the Story of “The Riddle” recently published in the Dragon Soul Press anthology “Trickster”   With connections to events depicted in the popular Outlander TV series and in Scottish folklore, the Riddle is a story set in the chaos immediately following the battle of Culloden in 18 th century Scotland.   THE RIDDLE: The Battle of Culloden Jacobite memorial cairn from Culloden The battle pitted the British forces of King George II (often contemptuously referred to by the Scots as the German King because of the Hanover heritage) under the command of the soon to be notorious Duke of Cumberland, against the Jacobite army of the Bonnie Prince Charles Stuart. The battle took place on April 16 1746. It was an attempt by the Catholic Stuarts to regain not only the throne in Scotland, but England as well. Cannons and cavalry routed the charging Scottish forces, leaving over 1,000 soldiers dead to the British 50. Cumberland earned the nickname ‘The Butcher’ for his brutality against
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Behind the Story: The Grand Assault and 19th Century Fencing in New York City

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  Introduction From “The Grand Assault” - An advertisement displayed at the Fencing Club. A Grand Assault at the Park Theater Mr. Armstrong of the Knickerbocker Fencing Club will fight a match with the latest in steam mechanicks for the art of fencing, the Schermitore a vapore , or the steam fencer. This man sized automaton was developed by the acclaimed Italian inventor Doctor Cosimo Cervello, who is the creator of the Cervello Steam Boat that was used effectively in the naval bombardment of Algiers. Dr. Cervello claims that the steam fencer, a machine of speed and precision, can defeat any opponent. It has been educated in the use of arms by Count Enrico Strattofenza, the undefeated Champion of the Italian Kingdom of Naples, who will accompany the schermitore a vapore as its manager and trainer. They will be using the latest technology in the art of fencing, the Fioretto di pressione , or the Pressure Foil, also created by the eminent Dr. Cervello, who will attend the match o
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