The Heisenberg Paradox

By Stuart N. Burruss

Conducting mechanized cavalry scouting missions on the West German border during the Cold War was no small feat for Staff Sergeant Sean Kegler and the crew of his M60A3 tank nicknamed “Hulk.” His storied 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment sat proudly affixed at the tip of NATO’s spear as it planned for the challenging Return of Forces to Germany exercise to demonstrate further the West’s resolve to protect Europe. But Sean had more than the coming exercise on his mind during that miserable cold winter of 1985. First, there was Anna von Stauffenberg, his vivacious German fiancé, followed closely by the ever-present ruminations of the grandfather he had never known, prematurely taken in the prime of his life during the bitter Battle of the Bulge fighting in January 1945. As a boy, Sean would have given anything to have been able to grow up with more than mere second-hand stories of his Grandpa Paul. More so, he longed to hear his grandfather reminisce about his glorious conquests across Europe with the 2nd Mechanized Cavalry Group as it sparred with Hitler’s vaunted Wehrmacht. Unknown to Sean and his young crew, a bizarre occurrence would lead to a surreal intersection of events that would ultimately alter his grandfather’s future as well as that of his crew.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Release date: Oct 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9781977270122

Stuart N. Burruss

During four decades in uniform, Stuart served in both the United States Marine Corps and the Army National Guard. He is a decorated combat veteran of multiple tours to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria accumulating vast operational and logistics experience. He enjoys sharing his diverse military expertise in novel ways and spends his time along the Mississippi Gulf coast.  

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The Heisenberg Paradox

All Rights Reserved.

Copyright © 2024 Stuart N. Burruss

v2.0

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Not only is the Universe stranger than we think, it is stranger than we can think.

-Werner Karl Heisenberg, 1901–1976, Across the Frontiers

Dedication

This story is dedicated to my three brothers, all brothers in arms: Lewis Jr., Douglas, and David all proudly wore the uniform of our country to defend her against tyranny and those who would seek to do her harm.

And special recognition to Douglas, who served with the vaunted Second Regiment of Dragoons in Iraq during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM I.

Author’s Note

The history of the United States Army’s famous 2nd Cavalry Regiment and its many manifestations, described in this work of fiction, is accurate within the author’s research abilities. The historical characters associated with critical events recorded during the US Army’s bitter fighting during the European campaign are also accurately depicted. Famous American soldiers mentioned throughout this work, such as General George Patton, Lieutenant General Manton Eddy, and Colonel Charles Reed, to name just a few, did exist as portrayed. However, the author has taken the liberty to enhance certain events, such as the details of the Central Guardian exercise, to craft a more enjoyable, exciting tale. Likewise, the central character, Staff Sergeant Sean Kegler, and all characters directly associated with him, are fictional and a product of the author’s fertile imagination. Finally, to assist the reader unfamiliar with the unique jargon found within the military establishment, I’ve included an appendix with terms and slang and their meanings that may be helpful while traveling along this journey.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Prologue

Chapter 2 Anna

Chapter 3 Enter REFORGER

Chapter 4 The Cold War

Chapter 5 The 2nd Mechanized Cavalry Group

Chapter 6 Wacht am Rhein

Chapter 7 Exercise Central Guardian

Chapter 8 A Hot War

Chapter 9 Retribution

Chapter 10 The Wait

Chapter 11 Reunion

Chapter 12 Revelations

Chapter 13 Epilogue

Appendix Army Speak

Chapter 1

Prologue

She rose like a phoenix from the ashes. When the European war commenced in 1939, Germany’s magnificent capitol extolled the virtues of National Socialism, and dreaded swastika-laden banners shamelessly emblazoned every facet of the city. Despite its cosmopolitan grandeur Berlin personified the Rome of Nazism with all its ingrained bigotry and hate. Shortly after hostilities began, Hitler’s sworn enemies agreed that total victory required Berlin’s complete capitulation, with every vestige of Nazism obliterated. Subsequently, the Allied powers relentlessly converged on the Third Reich’s prized epicenter throughout the increasingly costly struggle. During preliminary planning conferences, American and British political leaders initially concurred that Berlin should be the Allies’ ultimate strategic goal. However, seizing Berlin became a point of contention as the Allied death toll rose and popular support for the war waned at home. Ultimately, political considerations transcended military strategy for Europe’s eventual postwar reality. Either through design or incompetence, American statesmen failed to perceive the true nature of Joseph Stalin or Soviet Russia’s postwar agenda. By early 1945 Berlin had lost its luster for the American leaders, and an imperceptive decision allowed the Soviets to seize the battered city over boisterous British objections. After Germany’s collapse, she lay in ruins, and her once-magnificent capital city only existed as a shadow of its formerly regal self.

(Allied Zones of Occupation in Germany. US Army Center of Military History)

Regrettably, when the fighting ended, Berlin and its citizenry lay beaten and destined to serve as helpless pawns in the unfolding postwar political arena.

In the war’s closing months, neither the Soviets nor their Western allies entirely trusted the others’ intentions but maintained tepid civility to defeat the Third Reich. Following Hitler’s death and Germany’s unconditional surrender, an uneasy peace ensued between the victorious Allied powers. Soon, the dormant prewar ideological conflict between the diametrically opposed nations reemerged. However, the sudden absence of a common enemy forced the former Allies to accept the reality of a new postwar balance of power. To complicate matters, the Big 3 (United States, Great Britain, and Soviet Union) had agreed to partition Germany into Allied occupation zones. The stated intent was for the victorious Allied armies to eradicate any residual Nazi influences and restore peaceful conditions in their respective occupied areas. The end of hostilities enabled the Western Allies to occupy a large swath of West Germany, consisting of approximately two-thirds of the country. United States, British, and French armies further divided this substantial expanse among their victorious forces. Conversely, the Soviets occupied a comparatively smaller eastern portion encompassing Germany’s still smoldering and devastated capital. Despite previous pronouncements of a return to normalcy to advance long-term peace, East-West friction was inevitable, and maintaining stability in postwar Germany proved much more elusive.

The final catalyst for hostilities between the former allies was the unprecedented atomic weapons demonstration upon Japan in August 1945, developed covertly by the United States during World War II. Subsequently, and to the surprise of the West, it was learned that the Soviets had been quietly stealing America’s nuclear secrets since 1945. On August 29, 1949, the world politic was shaken when the Soviet Union detonated its own A-bomb and immediately recast the postwar balance of power. The previously guarded uneasiness between the East and West soon transformed into open hostility, and a full-scale atomic arms race erupted, with Germany again caught in the maelstrom. The Soviets shortly announced their intentions to indefinitely occupy the eastern German zones to buffer against the nuclear-armed West, despite all previously made agreements. The West understood that a reunified Germany was unforeseeable under current conditions and quickly established a democratically governed Germany in May 1949. Officially it became the Federal Republic of Germany and was known colloquially as West Germany and dominated European affairs during four challenging decades. In response to the establishment of the Federal Republic, the Soviet Union declared its support of the newly formed Communist-aligned German Democratic Republic, aka East Germany, in October 1949, to which the West stoutly refused to legitimize.

This new East German threat to European peace was significant; however, a second tremor soon emanated from Asia after Chinese Communist leader Mao Tse Tung successfully seized power in mainland China. To their dismay, the Western powers were forced to begin the 1950s with hostile Communist regimes in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The aptly named Cold War commenced in Europe, with an ensuing physical and psychological Iron Curtain fundamentally dividing the war-ravaged European nations. Friends and families were separated, and travel was heavily restricted, especially between East and West Germany. Berlin remained hostage within the eastern portion of the Iron Curtain, which created difficulties for the West to access except by air. As part of the terms of occupation, the Allies also subdivided Berlin into zones, and East Germany soon established its capital in East Berlin. To avert potential conflict in the volatile city, West German leaders chartered their capital in Bonn, much farther westward.

Western politicians again ruminated over the American shortsightedness of submitting to Soviet aspirations during the war. With postwar Europe now divided, the United States and its Allies rapidly developed revised foreign policy objectives to counter Soviet aggression. At home, the United States began a new postwar conscription program to regrow and redeploy its military for the new global Communist threats. By the mid-1950s, nearly four hundred thousand GIs were stationed in West Germany, patrolling the Iron Curtain and deterring anticipated Warsaw Pact aggression.

With little resistance, West Germany quickly shed its Nazi past and received authorization to reestablish an armed military to share its defense burden. In 1954 it hailed a new Bundeswehr (Army) and a rejuvenated Luftwaffe (Air Force), which comprised many well-trained World War II combat veterans. The following year the Federal Republic of Germany was admitted into NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) accompanied by much elan. This milestone foretold a new chapter in European resurgence that cemented West Germany’s role as a critical stakeholder in the West’s defense against Soviet rhetoric. As the US military presence expanded, the Army occupied hundreds of former Nazi military bases, airfields, and Kasernen (barracks), vacant since 1945. These posts soon transformed into American installations as they rehearsed the defense of West Germany. The stationing of vast numbers of service members in West Germany would continue unimpeded throughout the first few postwar decades. The early 1960s also witnessed continued social and economic recovery in West Berlin and other West German metropolitan areas. Deutschlanders demonstrated remarkable resilience and rapidly recovered from the war’s unprecedented destruction. Domestic manufacturing, farming, and productivity enjoyed a phoenix-like renaissance, and despite the uneasy relationship between East and West Germany, the future appeared brighter than ever to everyday German citizens.

Chapter 2

Anna

Anna had truly enjoyed her life while growing up in West Germany. She appreciated her family’s hardships during the war and the forty years that had transpired since its end. She was also incredibly proud of her family’s legacy and was unapologetic for the stand her paternal grandfather had taken during the war. Of course, there was the omnipresent specter of nuclear war with the Soviets that dominated their daily lives. By the mid-1980s, the nukes still ominously remained, but her family and most other West Germans were confident that the worst of the Cold War was behind them. They dreamed of a reunited, democratic Germany with strong, independent leaders who would not be afraid to lead a reborn Europe.

Since she had been a small child in kindergarten, Anna had envisioned herself as a leader who could help Germany regain greatness. Her family had become accustomed to her determined outspokenness. While in high school, she had run for class president in the school’s election and had won handily. Her classmates respected her for her convictions and willingness to take a stand on Germany’s future. Her teachers noticed her confidence during public speaking events and inwardly beamed with pride at what they hoped was the future of German leadership. Her parents, Wilhelm and Angela, were incredibly proud of her superior academic achievements and believed her ambitions would significantly impact a renewed Germany. Regardless of the financial burden, her parents vowed to send her to the best schools to help her attain her aspirations.

Born in 1964, Anna was a product of what the Americans called the baby boom generation in the United States. Like its European neighbors, West Germany suffered horrendous military and civilian casualties during the war. Similar to the outcomes of previous European wars, it became the obligation of the survivors to repopulate their countries and promulgate their proud cultures. When Anna was born, West Germany was no different and was enjoying its second decade of steadily rising birthrates. Her family lived in a modest apartment in a rebuilt section of Nuremberg. They maintained a comfortable lifestyle through her parents’ teaching jobs at the University of Nuremberg. Her father taught mathematics, while her mother taught political science, and they provided an excellent home environment for their family to grow and prosper.

The immediate postwar environment was dark and depressing for Anna’s family as well as the rest of Germany’s shocked survivors. The cities had been destroyed, and the pitiful survivors often perished from starvation and disease. Anna’s parents had survived despite the incredible odds against them. Millions of soldiers suffered meaningless deaths during the war, and hundreds of thousands more perished in Soviet prisoner-of-war camps in the decade after hostilities ended. Countless more were permanently crippled and disfigured and would serve as shameful reminders of Germany’s profligate actions for the remainder of their natural lives. Anna’s family had also suffered ill effects from the Nazi war machine. Her paternal grandfather Claus had been killed by the Gestapo, and her maternal grandfather, Erik Nitsche, was one of the many unfortunate Waffen SS souls who never returned from Soviet captivity. Agriculture and industry lay in ruins, and families literally starved while in long food lines waiting for a dole. Four powerful foreign nations occupied their country with little sympathy for the defeated populace they oversaw. The once-proud Germans had lived under twelve years of Hitler’s brutal Nationalist Socialism regime. They would endure tremendous hardship and suffer for an equal number of years for their complicity. Immediately after the war, a collective shame enclosed the country, and the people quietly acquiesced to the wish to never discuss the repugnant Nazi period in hopes that it might be forgotten.

After dividing Germany into Western and Eastern portions, the western section began to flourish quickly under the control of the Americans, British, and French. Many of Anna’s extended family who lived in the East fled their Soviet occupiers to seek refuge in the West. The Western Allies fostered the seeds of democracy, and as freedom thrived, life began to return to a sense of normalcy. The civilians who had fled the cities during the war returned and started picking up the pieces. The reinvigorated West Germans cleared the remaining rubble from the streets, and magnificent new buildings soon began to dot the landscape. West German workers slowly reopened the dormant factories, and children happily filled the once-quiet classrooms. Postwar Germans recognized that a new history was being written as their Germany once again shone along with the other great nations of Europe.

Anna’s parents had barely survived as children during the Allied bombing raids. Their Nuremberg homes were severely damaged, and essential services such as electricity and water became virtually unattainable. After the death of Anna’s grandfather Claus, no immediate family was available to support them, and Claus’s wife Nina and her children fled to the countryside under assumed names to stay with distant relatives. Wilhelm, the oldest and Anna’s father, had been six years old when his father Claus died, and Wilhelm maintained many happy memories of their time together. Growing up without her grandfather Claus, Anna listened intently when her father retold the many stories of his father’s exploits in the Army. Still, his proudest story was always his father’s role in the attempted assassination of Adolf Hitler and the unsuccessful overthrow of the corrupt regime on July 20,1944.

Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg’s anti-Nazism was well documented. He had been an early supporter of Hitler’s plan to elevate Germany’s stature in Europe. He was involved in the Wehrmacht’s early campaigns in Poland and France and was later assigned as a planner on the High Command’s staff for Operation Barbarossa in the East. However, during the bitter fighting in Russia, his devotion to Hitler started to wane, and he began considering an offer to join a resistance movement of high-ranking officers.

In early 1943 he arrived in North Africa as a member of Hitler’s vaunted Afrika Korps during its final campaign. However, British fighter planes strafed his vehicle in April, and he was seriously wounded. He was evacuated to Germany and subsequently spent three months recovering in Munich. For payment of his military service, he was left permanently handicapped with the loss of his left eye, right hand, and two fingers from his left hand. He had also lost any lingering loyalty to Hitler and devoted the remainder of his life to the Third Reich’s destruction.

Anna loved hearing stories of Grandfather Claus from her father and her grandmother. Claus’s family had forgiven him for his enthusiastic support of the Nazis before the war because he had made the ultimate sacrifice for a free Germany. Her grandfather’s legacy drove Anna’s desire to lead a modernized West Germany, perhaps even a unified Germany. After the plot had failed, he and the other conspirators were unceremoniously lined up against a brick wall and shot immediately after their mock trials concluded. The Gestapo cremated the corpses to further dishonor the families, then unceremoniously scattered the ashes at undisclosed locations. Anna thought the new Germany was worth her Grandfather Claus’s sacrifice. And she was energized to once more have the name von Stauffenberg spoken with pride and admiration.

Anna was proud of her other family members who contributed to West Germany’s postwar rebirth. Her uncle Berthold was a senior officer in the Bundeswehr, and another uncle, Franz-Ludwig, was a member of parliament representing the Bavarian Christian Social Union. She had been elected president of her senior year Gymnasium student body and had plans to study political science at the University of Nuremberg. One day she was sure she would be sitting in a seat of great power at West Germany’s Bundestag in Bonn. The only problem now was that she had met someone, and they had recently become engaged. Anna often wondered if she could still pursue politics while being the spouse of an American soldier. But deep inside, Anna knew her character, and once focused, she would not quit before achieving her goals. And regardless of what her last name would eventually become, she relished the title Madame Anna von Stauffenberg, Prime Minister of Germany.

Chapter 3

Enter REFORGER

Merrell Barracks Auditorium, June 1, 1984, 0900 hours. The men sat restlessly in the auditorium that morning, wishing to be anywhere this Friday except held captive to another command briefing. For all except the newcomers to the unit, they had previously endured the same hour-long speech for the umpteenth time during their tours in West Germany.

You, gentlemen, the sharply dressed officer began, will participate in the strategic mobility exercise known as REFORGER. Despite the Soviets’ best intentions, he continued, the US Army has maintained its commitment to a free West Germany since 1949, and our Squadron has been instrumental in this effort.

On cue, a private placed a new transparency on the overhead projector, and a map of Southeast Asia instantly appeared. An almost audible groan issued from the crowd but was quickly quashed by a harsh At ease! shouted by a senior Non-Commissioned Officer standing in the rear. Vietnam exploits were old news to this latest generation of soldiers, and the 1960s hot war in Asia that had outpaced the Cold War in Europe had been their fathers’ war. Undeterred by the apparent lack of enthusiasm with his well-rehearsed presentation, the briefer described how the US Army had nearly reached its breaking point in 1967. He further detailed how the Army’s solution to its overcommitment problem became the annual and symbolic exercise to quickly Return Forces to Germany in case of war with the Soviets.

(Warsaw Pact Avenues of Approach into West Germany. US Army Center of Military History)

Staff officers had an affinity for maps, bar graphs, and listening to themselves speak, and the current briefer was no exception.