Upon his return, Ernst Kreutzer seemed changed. He ordered the pieces of the downed machine taken to his workshop on the outskirts of Berlin and arranged a meeting with Hitler. Hitler seemed both impressed and disturbed by the results of the meeting and gave Professor Kreutzer free reign to experiment on new vehicles and weaponry for the Reich. He occupied a large workshop with several promising underlings, but guided every project personally. He ceased to interact with familyt and friends, sequestering himself in the laboratory 24 hours a day.

His workshop, known as Die Schmiede (The Forge), created a number of unusual pieces for the army including the Luftpanzer flying saucers, disintigration rays, rocket packs, and powered armor. What happened to the project after the war is not known. There are rumors that the professor and his prototypes were taken to America, and given a larger, more secret facility.

PROJEKT UNTERTASSE (Saucer)

The Nazi saucer project was ready years ahead of similar programs in other countries and was among the first undertaken by Professor Kreutzer. Using parts of the wrecked craft as templates he constructed several successful prototypes. The exact number of production models is unknown, but believed to be at least 3-5 of each model. Initially the craft were fitted only with conventional weaponry, but when more advanced weaponry was complete it was added into newer models.

Each of the Luftpanzers has a similar configuration. They are each 25 feet in diameter, disk shaped, with a transparent, armored bubble on the top where the pilot sits. The pilot is elevated above the rest of the crew, 3 gunners who sit forward, rear right, and rear left of the pilot's position. Weapons are distributed equilaterally along the disk in retractable ports to give the weapons total coverage from every direction. In the Luftpanzer III the Disintigration Ray is placed in a bottom-mounted turret and controlled by the pilot. Propulsion is provided by a massive bottom-mounted fan with vents and intakes along each side to provide stability and guidance. The saucer has many of the advantages of a helicopter, being able to hover and turn 360 degrees, fly, and take off and land vertically.

Luftpanzer I: The initial production model of the Nazi saucer project. Prototypes were not outfitted with weapons, but the production models were. The intention of this model was for use as support for infantry, and not as part of the German Luftwaffe. The machine guns were chosen for optimal use against infantry.

Luftpanzer II: The second incarnation of the Luftpanzer incorporated several advancements over the first model. It was lighter, and much faster than the Mark I without sacrificing anything. This model was treated more like a light, extremely mobile tank. It was equipped with heavier, low-recoil weapons, and was used both for infantry support and as a quick response to enemy armor.

Luftpanzer III: The last incarnation of the Luftpanzer known was lighter and faster than the Mark II, and used heavier guns including an experimental disintigration ray. It was also deployed as light armor, but excelled in reconaissance and special missions. It was generally painted black, and was used to fly low enough to avoid enemy radar detection. There are rumors that several of these vehicles flew into the North Pole region and made contact for Hitler with an underground civilization accessible through a massive hole in the Earth's crust there.

PROJEKT RAKETEMENSCH (Rocketmen) The Raketemensch, or Rocketmen, were an elite Army unit equipped with special rocket-propelled backpacks, combat armor, and special weapons. All of the equipment was produced by Professor Kreutzer in response for the need for soldiers to be able to circumvent enemy mine fields and trenches. The soldiers who used the equipment were self-trained and served under a Hauptmann Goebel, a capable officer who led the team on a number of special missions often behind enemy lines. There were generally 20-30 Raketemensch at any time, and they served everywhere from England to Africa, to the Russian front.

PROJEKT SCHWARZE RITTER (Black Knight) The Schwarze Ritter, or Black Knight, project was designed to create combat armor capable of making an individual soldier the equivilent of a light tank. The armor was highly successful, but never to the degree envisioned by the Army generals. The Black Knight armor went through several prototypes before a production model was accepted. Initially the 30 soldiers equipped with the armor were deployed individually across all fronts, but it quickly became apparent that they were much more effective when deployed in squads of 8-10. They were rarely used on special missions, more often seen preceeding infantry and other armor into battle.

PROFESSOR ERNST KREUTZER

Professor Ernst Kreutzer died with his fellow scientists while investigating the crash of the strange glowing craft. He was replaced by the craft's sole occupant, an alien shapeshifter known as the Shasa. The Shasa's ship was destroyed in the crash, and in an effort to repair it Shasa took the form of Ernst Kreutzer. He met with Hitler, revealing his true identity and offering to develop new vehicles and weapons for Hitler in return for time and materials to rebuild his own craft. Hitler agreed and set up Die Schmiede to protect him, and serve as an interface with Hitler and the German Army.

What happened to the Shasa after the war remains a mystery. Rumors exist that indicate he now works for the United States government at a secret facility known as Area 51.