Appendix C
1. In fact, L59, the Afrika-Schiff and the zeppelin in our story, blew up over the Mediterranean, on the evening of 7 April, 1918. The loss was observed by the German submarine, UB53. There were no survivors. The cause of the accident has never been explained.
2. We encourage the reader, especially the reader who retains some sympathies for socialism, to look over the Nexmuse pictures of the Romanov children, and then to realize how they were killed. In our time line, in the first place, they were tricked into the basement of the Ipatiev House, the “House for Special Purposes,” on the night of 16–17 July, 1918. There, a firing squad entered, opened fire, and shot them: father, mother, five children, doctor, footman, maid, and cook. In the words of chief murderer Yakov Yurovsky, “The firing went on for a very long time.” Because their mother had had them sew jewels into their clothing, against a possible escape, the children did not die quickly. Rather, they were finished off with bayonets, rifle butts, and close-ranged head shots. That took about twenty frightful minutes. Even after all that, one of the girls was found to be still alive while being carried out. She was shot yet again in the head. Remember, too, they were three innocent young women and a girl, plus an equally innocent boy, aged thirteen. The Reds also killed two of the three pet dogs, one immediately and one sometime after. Perhaps they were worried that the dogs would testify in court someday.
You know, this is the sort of thing that makes one hope there is a Hell.
Glossary
Arshin: AKA “Russian Cubit.” An obsolete Russian linear measure, set by Tsar Peter the Great at exactly twenty-eight English inches.
Chetvert: An obsolete Russian liquid measure of a bit over a liter and a half. There was also a dry measure called the same thing, but differing vastly in value.
Desyantina: Obsolete Russian unit of measurement, for area. Roughly one hundred and seventeen thousand square feet. A bit over an hectare
Dolya: Obsolete unit of Russian measure, roughly a sixth of a gram
Draniki: A savory potato pancake
Ersatz: A German word meaning substitute or replacement, but with strong connotations of being an inferior product
Euxine: Old name for the Black Sea
First floor/Ground floor: Americans are unusual in considering the ground floor of a building to be the first floor. In most of the world, the first floor is the first rise above the ground floor.
Funt: Obsolete Russian measure, a bit under a pound
Furazhka: Visored, peaked caps
Gulaschkanone: A mobile field kitchen, generally pulled by horse, capable of making both stew and hot drinks. It’s called a “Kanone” because of the stovepipe.
Gymnasium: In European terms, a gymnasium is a school for those of higher intelligence and greater scholastic achievement, to prepare them for university. Boston Latin, in the United States, is a Gymnasium.
Hauptmann: German for Captain
Jagdstaffeclass="underline" Fighter Squadron
Kapitaenleutnant: A German naval rank roughly equivalent to naval Lieutenant or Lieutenant Commander. If in command of a ship, he is still the captain.
Kasha: One or another variant on porridge
Kolbasa: Russian for Sausage
Kontrabandisty: Russian for smugglers
Kremlin: Russian word for fortress or fortress inside a city
Kubanka: Also Papakha. A usually rather large, usually cylindrical, but sometimes hemispherical fur hat, with one open end.
Kulak: Russian, a prosperous peasant farmer. A kulak owns more than eight acres.
Lewis Gun: An American-designed, British- or American-built light machine gun.
Lot: Obsolete unit of Russian measure, twelve and four-fifths grams
Mikhailovsy: A large theater in Saint Petersburg
MP18: A German submachine gun or, in their parlance, machine pistol
Mudak: Russian for shithead
Nemetskiy: Russian word for German
Nemka: The German woman, a none-too-flattering term for Alexandra, the tsarina
Obermaschinistenmaat: Senior Machinist’s Mate
Oberst: German, Colonel
Oberstleutnant: German, Lieutenant Colonel, though called “Oberst” out of politeness
Pelmeni: Russian dumplings, much like Polish pierogi but with a thinner shell and never sweet
Peezda: Russian for cunt
Pevach: First run of Samogon, q.v.
Pood: Russian measure of weight, 16.38 kilograms
Portyanki: Foot wrappings. They serve in lieu of socks and are not without their advantages, though using them is something of an art.
Prostul doarme; bate în cap: Romanian for “beat his head in.”
Rodina: Russian, Motherland or Homeland
Salo: Unrendered pork fat, usually salt or brine cured, sometimes smoked or spiced, eaten cooked or uncooked.
Samogon: Self-distillate, hooch, rotgut, moonshine. It might be pretty good or pretty awful or downright dangerous.
Sapogi: Russian for boots
Skufia: A soft-sided cap worn by Orthodox clergy
Solyanka: A thick, spicy and sour Russian soup
Soviet: Russian for council
Sterlet: A smallish sturgeon
Syrniki: A kind of dumpling made with cottage cheese
Taiga: Sometimes swampy coniferous forest of the northern latitudes
Te rog nu mă ucide: Romanian for “please don’t kill me.”
TNT: Trinitrotoluene, a high explosive (Yeah, yeah, we know, but somebody isn’t going to know that.)
Tsaritsyn: Volgograd, AKA Stalingrad
Tsar: Emperor
Tsarina: Empress
Tsarevich: Crown Prince
Ulitsa: Russian for street
Ushanka: A Russian fur cap with folding flaps for ears and neck.
Vedro: Obsolete Russian unit of measure, about three and a quarter U.S. gallons
Vozok: A kind of enclosed sleigh with very small windows and sometimes some means of heating it
Yekaterinoslav: Dnipr, AKA Dnepropetrovsk
Acknowledgments in no particular order:
Lee van Arsdale, for how to actually think about
and do this sort of thing
Rostislav Alexandrovich Mokrenko, who figures
prominently in the book
MCX, whoever that may be,
for their video on cross country skiing for beginners
Tim Mulina, for railroad expertise
BAEN BOOKS by TOM KRATMAN
A State of Disobedience
A Desert Called Peace • Carnifex • The Lotus Eaters
The Amazon Legion • Come and Take Them