The Order of Forgotten Mysteries #8: Nacht der Untoten's Significance

[RadZakpak]

Hello again, comrades. Welcome to the Order of Forgotten Mysteries, the series of threads where we take a look at forgotten mysteries in the Aether story that have never been answered, take a look at them through a microscope, and (usually) don't find that answer.

 

Today we are going to discuss the place that started it all, the place that set us on this journey, a lonely, desolate airfield we all know as Nacht der Untoten.

 

We all know Nacht is significant to us because it is the first Zombies map by Treyarch, which introduced so many gameplay components and intrigued the masses with a creepy, mysterious world full of undead. But what is significant about the location in-universe, you may ask? It may not seem like much, but this is a location that has continued to re-appear again and again where it should not, and we have little to no explanation for it.

 

Let's first examine all the places it has appeared:

 

- World at War: June 4th, 1945 - NACHT DER UNTOTEN - An Allied plane malfunctions over an airfield and crashes. German Army trucks, transporting the undead and Element 115 between Group 935 facilities, are struck in the crash. Four marines surviving the crash hold out against the undead as long as they can but eventually die to the undead army.

 

- The Second Outbreak: Our good friend @anonymous has a thread on the subject here. There is debate whether the events of World at War Nacht with the four marines is the second outbreak, or if the events of Black Ops 1/3 Nacht are the second outbreak. The second outbreak, and by extension the first, may even be separate events. At the very least, we can confirm there were at least two, the location itself is referred to as Nacht der Untoten, and there are still people near or at the airfield to receive strange signals.

 

- Black Ops 1/3: Little is known why Ultimis would arrive at this location. It is never mentioned on the timeline, however it could be a stepping stone between locations as there is a great gap of time between Ultimis leaving Der Riese to Shi No Numa and back again to Der Riese. Monty acknowledges Ultimis' appearance, after the presumed deaths of the four marines: 

Quote

"Nacht der Untoten... That translates as 'Night of the Dead'. I learned that tonight. Been trying to scrub up on my German you see. Anyway, it happened in an old concrete building on an airfield somewhere...Christ, I don't know where. I remember it being really small, simple by today's standards. I think there was a fog. Not a lot of it, certainly not any coming into the building itself. You know what I just realised? You weren't even there! At least not at first. It was some other random, forgettable soldiers that had the misfortune to live through that horrible night, or nacht as it was actually known. There, I speak German now."

- TranZit: Ah yes, a perplexing easter egg, indeed. For some inexplicable reason, Nacht der Untoten has made an appearance at the Hanford Site near the cornfields, the same cornfields that are home to the Global Polarization Device built by Broken Arrow. It even has mostly the same structural damage and debris. What is the significance of its appearance at a Broken Arrow facility near such a tower? We'll get there, in due time...

 

 

- Revelations: Finally, Nacht der Untoten appears in the map Revelations as the central hub of the map, directly in the center of all the floating islands, with portals to each of them. Anon has brought up his questions regarding why it would be the hub of the map, and I will let Anon reply as such. The area is slightly more damaged, but also contains a machine attached to the Tesla Coils from Der Eisendrache, which are used to restrain the massive Apothicon beast.

 

 

 

So it seems that time and time again, Nacht der Untoten has continued to appear throughout the story, and has appeared in every game since World at War, barring Black Ops 4 (so far). What makes it such an important location to our characters?

 

The Tower

There are few defining features of the map apart from the central structure itself. Outside the map there is only fog, dirt, and some broken military equipment. All that, and a radio tower:

 

It is not strange in itself that there is a radio tower near an airfield. Operations in the air need communication to coordinate, and being this was a joint Group 935-German operation, this is completely necessary. The location cannot be that simple, however. If this were just like any other airfield being used at the time, why have there been multiple outbreaks here? Why would people continue to return to this location when seemingly a shipment of 115 has resurrected an army of undead that roam the area? I believe the answers may lie with this tower, and the strange signals it sends in the dead of night.

 

In 2009, Treyarch posted on their website this piece of intel: 

Quote

“Ever since the second outbreak at Nacht der Untoten, troops have been noticing strange radio transmissions and broadcasts taking place in the dead of the night.”

Barring the mention of the second outbreak, the most crucial detail here is the mention of mysterious radio transmissions and broadcasts from this location, which is seemingly abandoned after two consecutive outbreaks. Why keep watch of such a location?

 

Nacht der Untoten and its tower may be related to our old friend, HAARP. While the real life HAARP was established in the United States in 1993, in the Zombies universe, HAARP goes waaaay back. In the Doctor's Quarters of Shi No Numa, there is a note that reads, "It could be used to power HAARP...". There are old threads discussing the topic, but any links I find are dead. If anyone has a thread on the topic, please link it.

 

HAARP is a high-power, high-frequency transmitter used for study of the ionosphere and improvement of radio communications and surveillance. There are numerous conspiracies surrounding it, suggesting anything from controlling the weather to mind control.

 

So putting the pieces together... we know HAARP is being created by Group 935, and will seemingly be powered by 115... we have an airfield operated by Group 935 with a large amount of 115 on site and a radio tower that is sending out mysterious signals in the night with no one around... and at one point an American plane with four marines just so happens to "malfunction" and crash here.... hmmm... Something tells me that malfunction is no coincidence.

 

The Hanford Connection

So how does this site end up all the way in Hanford, Washington? Well, there could be a variety of reasons why the building would be there. It could be a recreation/coincidence that the building looks nearly identical to its German counterpart, and damage over time has caused it to appear like its sister location. It could have been displaced accidentally after the Rift was opened, which also caused an American Western town to end up in Angola. It could have been displaced intentionally... which would be quite the project to undertake for the sake of a crappy building. Whatever the case, that doesn't quite matter as much as the connection to HAARP, which TranZit just so happens to have a couple of its own.

 

Quote from T.E.D.D.:

Quote

"Welcome aboard. Now departing for the HAARP Reseach Station."

So we know that Broken Arrow has associated with the HAARP Research Station in the United States, and given HAARP's invention by Group 935, its technology was likely acquired through Operation Stapler, where 935 scientists were acquired after the war to work for the United States. As part of that same deal, Richtofen demanded that the Americans build a Global Polarization Device in Hanford to ultimately try and take control of the Aether. This device may very well have used the same technology as HAARP.

 

Now, it's possible that Nacht der Untoten's appearance in TranZit may not be a simple easter egg, but also a hint at the location's true purpose in Germany back in '45.

 

Tesla's Death Ray

The appearance of the Death Ray at Nacht in Revelations may seem like nothing, and it may seem like a simple component of Der Eisendrache that drifted onto the island that Nacht inhabits. However, the Death Ray, and Tesla's research into it, have been mentioned quite early in the story. Here is a thread from back in 2012 regarding TEDD's mention of HAARP, where PINNAZ correctly points out the connection between HAARP and Tesla's Death Ray, also linking several images of real life documents that appear in-game regarding the Death Ray. 

So it seems the Death Ray DOES belong at Nacht.

 

So why is it not in WaW Nacht? Research could have been decommissioned by the end of the war, or maybe it was just transferred to Der Eisendrache when that opened up, and the version of Nacht in Revelations is an earlier version. It could also be that this version of Nacht is from a fracture where this Death Ray is more successful. In any case, it now makes sense why it would appear in this area.

 

 

This is all the speculation and evidence I could find regarding Nacht's significance to the storyline. Reply with your thoughts and opinions, and anything I've missed!

[anonymous]

I'd like to vote this thread into Asylum, if that's possible. This post is wünderbar, really. It is extremely interesting yet actually logical that Richthofen had to construct a prototype of a Global Polarization Device before he could demand the United States and Soviet Union to build one. Nacht could have been that place. There is a thread here written by @Tac discussing a paper found in Shi no Numa stating things like "(...) might be powering HAARP (...) but comes with a risk (...) may consider using (...)". He also refers to the same thing @PINNAZ was talking about: the fact Tesla said he was secretly working on a project he called "Teleforce”, “Death Ray”, or his invisible “Chinese Wall of Defense” to protect the US (and indeed, there are numerous Death Ray references found all over zombie maps). This is what people are referring to when they say that HAARP is able to neutralize satellites and even be weaponized. Tac also states the following quote:

 

"These subterranean philosophers assert that by one operation of vril, which Faraday would perhaps call "atmospheric magnetism," they can influence the variations of temperature--in plain words, the weather; that by operations, akin to those ascribed to mesmerism, electro-biology, odic force, etc., but applied scientifically, through vril conductors, can exercise influence over minds, and bodies animal and vegetable, to an extent not surpassed in the romances of our mystics. To all such agencies they give the common name of vril."

 

Now I guess the link between HAARP and Vril starts to get clear up. It could be that Vril 'might be powering HAARP', but tests at Nacht der Untoten show that it 'comes with a great risk'. My final thought is that it is believed that Vril is concentrated Element 115, and that Group 935 at least tried to generate Vril at Die Glocke, though it is unsure they actually succeeded in it. They had, however, the Element. Could this be where the sentence 'may consider using' is referring to? May consider using Element 115? There was a covoy of trucks transporting 115 between Group 935 facilities, but Nacht could be one of these facilities it was being brought to.

 

Brains to your thinking, @RadZakpak!

[anonymous]

GG buddy, this thread just gained it's deserved Asylum approval! Its part of our shiny golden treassure collection now

[Spotlight]

I was looking at the dates on the Nacht der Untoten loading screen and it seems that the first and last dates relate to Harvey Yena.
in May 1943 he starts his work with the 935 Group as early as 1964 (in the timeline of @RadZakpak ) it says the following:
January 1st, 1964
"The Apothican Blood escapes containment at the Siberian facility, crashing the Russian ship and killing Harvey Yena."

So does Nacht's loading screen have anything to do with Harvey Yena?
Is it some kind of mini-cycle?

I don't know if it's important or not, but I found it curious.

 

[anonymous]

5 hours ago, Spotlight said:

I was looking at the dates on the Nacht der Untoten loading screen and it seems that the first and last dates relate to Harvey Yena.
in May 1943 he starts his work with the 935 Group as early as 1964 (in the timeline of @RadZakpak ) it says the following:
January 1st, 1964
"The Apothican Blood escapes containment at the Siberian facility, crashing the Russian ship and killing Harvey Yena."

So does Nacht's loading screen have anything to do with Harvey Yena?
Is it some kind of mini-cycle?

I don't know if it's important or not, but I found it curious.

 

1959, the additional date on the loading screen, was also the year the Ascension Group made the Heat Packs. We also see the flag of the Soviet Union on one of the boxes on the loading screen, and many have theorized that the man with the glasses on NDU loading screen resembles the man with the glasses on the Ascension loading screen. A sharp observation with those dates, but yet I don't think this loading screen has to do with the Ascension Group. 

 

There are also theories the man is Monty, or Agonia Fracture Maxis, linked with the timetravelling Kino paper or perhaps someone tied to the CIA, Broken Arrow or the Blackout Project.

 

All that I know is that every loading screen thus far has something to do with the map, so I assume what we see here has ties with the bunker of Nacht der Untoten. Now we see those weird, tectangular portals. This form of portals we only encounter in Origins....and Revelation's Nacht der Untoten! As BO3's last map, I assume the developers might have wanted to refer to the mysterious NDU loading screen with those. But what they mean, why that mysterious man is, remains a mystery.

 

But who knows? Maybe Yena was involved at some project at Nacht der Untoten? He was initially a Group 935 member after all, and later an American spy at the Soviets. So perhaps he does have a more important role than we think.

[RadZakpak]

Did you think we were done with Nacht? I sure did, until yesterday:

 

 

We've got near-confirmation that we are returning to Nacht in some form. The original German building? The TranZit version? Some new one? We can't say for certain yet, however, I'm very excited by the prospect that we will see an expanded Nacht der Untoten with an entire underground area, with all the secrets contained revealed. This alone wouldn't be worth replying to this thread, however, I think it ties back to an old mystery:

 

 

This loading screen in particular sticks out like a sore thumb. We never got any expansion on its meaning, and we always assumed that it had nothing to do with Nacht at all. But I think we were mistaken, and ten years later we're going to see how this ties into Nacht der Untoten. Let's consider some things.

 

From one of the flashes in the zombies teaser, we've got Russian soldiers looking at some writing, seemingly in German. The Soviet Union ravaged Berlin and took an entire portion of Germany under their leadership which became known as East Germany, a hot topic during the Cold War. Like the US, they seized Nazi scientific research, and in our fictional world, they each took parts of Group 935 from their facilities. We never truly knew where Nacht was supposed to be, and we never got to see it post-war, unless you believe TranZit's to be the original, displaced. Perhaps the Russians took over the facility after the fateful Night of the Undead, and discovered the underground facility underneath the inconspicuous airfield.

 

We see among the crowd distinctly German uniforms, but there was debate whether they are Nazi Germans, or East Germans from the Cold War, as they wear somewhat similar uniforms. There seems to potentially be a mix of both types within the crowd, however this would fit perfectly if this base was previously used in creating the Army of the Undead by Group 935, and it was later occupied by East German soldiers working for the Soviets.

 

Black Ops Cold War takes place primarily in the 1980s, with the Cold War nearing its peak, and ultimate end. We see in the teaser that this version of Nacht is covered in bright graffiti, implying the above-ground airfield was left abandoned for delinquents to write all over the walls. Here's my speculation for the story behind Nacht der Untoten as we will see it in Cold War.

 

In the 1960s, the Soviets are continuing Group 935's experiments beneath Nacht der Untoten as the Ascension Group. They are also working on mind-control experiments on living subjects, as shown in the Nacht loading screen. It's also used as a means of storage for weaponry and other resources from all their allies, as we see in the same loading screen there are crates marked with flags of Soviet allies. Following the disappearance of Gersh, and the death of Harvey Yena, the Ascension Group begins to fall apart. The many outbreaks across 115 testing sites in 1963 including the Pentagon, Groom Lake, and Baikonur, also includes Nacht der Untoten. The facility is abandoned completely.

 

In the 1980s, American Black Ops operatives are sent in to recover vital research contained beneath the abandoned building. They find the walls covered in graffiti, and cryptic drawings and writings on the walls. They delve into the underground area to find all the horrific research performed in this base over the years. 

 

We also see in the trailer flashes of different characters: Grigori Weaver, Friedrich Steiner, and an unknown woman. This map could potentially further Steiner's ties to Group 935, and Weaver and the woman may be some of the operatives we play as in the map. Weaver is interesting, because after Black Ops, he completely disappears without a trace. It's been speculated that may be because he was performing these top secret operations, secret to even most of the CIA, involving Element 115.

All that, I feel pretty confident and excited about. Maybe we'll see the general theory of this thread that Nacht has to do with HAARP be confirmed. One further element that I haven't talked about, though, is the relevance of Nacht in TranZit, and how the time-travelling man in the loading screen plays into it all. Maybe he'll be some kind of overarching villain? What if it was Steiner this whole time? We do see numbers emanating from the "portal" he steps through. As for TranZit, maybe we'll find out how it ends up there. Or, as @Mattzs has speculated, Nacht was recreated in Hanford as a training site for this very operation. 

[clueless]

3 minutes ago, RadZakpak said:

Did you think we were done with Nacht? I sure did, until yesterday

 

We've got near-confirmation that we are returning to Nacht in some form. The original German building? The TranZit version? Some new one? We can't say for certain yet

Surely a bad time for anyone who goes too far down the Rabbit Hole, eh Rad?

[RadZakpak]

One more thing I didn't think to add, but as for the Nacht loading screen guy, what if it is Yuri/The Pentagon Thief? I know that was a theory since Black Ops came out, but thinking on it now, there's a period of time between when Yuri is corrupted by Samantha, and when he goes to the Pentagon to get captured. We see in the Classified Intro that after Yuri unleashes the zombies in the Pentagon during Classified, Samantha stops him, and sends him somewhere else through a portal, only for him to later show up a day later in "Five". But where did he go? Perhaps he was sent to Nacht as it was in the current year of 1963, then went back in time to see it in the 1940s, where he recovers the mysterious red-logo 935 bag we see him wearing. It may be here, with Samantha's guidance, where Yuri learns about the true nature of the multiverse, and about Primis and Ultimis.

 

Anyway, that's enough wild speculation.

[anonymous]

Some very interesting observations here! I really like the idea this is the Nacht bunker but many years later, abandoned and vandalized with all the grafitti, set somewhere in the Cold War (1980s makes sense if it would tie with the Campaign). As for the unknown woman, could it be Evelyn Cross? She is related to Berlin after all.

Spoiler

From:	Cross, Evelyn
To:	Kennedy, John Fitzgerald
Date/Time:	Wednesday, June 26, 1963
Subject:	No Subject
He won't ask you again and I know this was his final offer. Please reconsider before we leave Berlin or put your life in danger. Our people are everywhere - this time you cannot win. Give him what he wants before it's too late.

 

Also interesting the view on Steiner is his deathscene, meaning he not not playable but related to this in some way. Weaver and the unknown woman could be the same.

 

What also striked me where the brainwash numbers (like Mason has them) in the Zombies teaser.  These are also seen on the Nacht der Untoten loading screen, and we also know it relates to Steiner and mindcontrol (which we possibly see on the loading screen?) Interesting stuff, would really like it if they would go this way.

 

Anyway, Zombies looks horrific. Just as I like it to be served :p

[Rapt]

I'm curious if the teaser relates to the "power room" they added to Nacht in BO3?
It seemed like a strange inclusion at the time, but if there is more happening below Nacht...
Then that's a great bit of foreshadowing!

[Mattzs]

12 hours ago, Rapt said:

I'm curious if the teaser relates to the "power room" they added to Nacht in BO3?
It seemed like a strange inclusion at the time, but if there is more happening below Nacht...
Then that's a great bit of foreshadowing!

I feel the same way. When I saw the power room and the new additions in BO3, I really wanted to explore those "expanded" sections of Nacht. I'm holding on that Treyarch hasn't forgotten those additions.  

 

On 9/10/2020 at 2:23 PM, RadZakpak said:

Did you think we were done with Nacht? I sure did, until yesterday:

 

 

We've got near-confirmation that we are returning to Nacht in some form. The original German building? The TranZit version? Some new one? We can't say for certain yet, however, I'm very excited by the prospect that we will see an expanded Nacht der Untoten with an entire underground area, with all the secrets contained revealed. This alone wouldn't be worth replying to this thread, however, I think it ties back to an old mystery:

 

 

This loading screen in particular sticks out like a sore thumb. We never got any expansion on its meaning, and we always assumed that it had nothing to do with Nacht at all. But I think we were mistaken, and ten years later we're going to see how this ties into Nacht der Untoten. Let's consider some things.

 

From one of the flashes in the zombies teaser, we've got Russian soldiers looking at some writing, seemingly in German. The Soviet Union ravaged Berlin and took an entire portion of Germany under their leadership which became known as East Germany, a hot topic during the Cold War. Like the US, they seized Nazi scientific research, and in our fictional world, they each took parts of Group 935 from their facilities. We never truly knew where Nacht was supposed to be, and we never got to see it post-war, unless you believe TranZit's to be the original, displaced. Perhaps the Russians took over the facility after the fateful Night of the Undead, and discovered the underground facility underneath the inconspicuous airfield.

 

We see among the crowd distinctly German uniforms, but there was debate whether they are Nazi Germans, or East Germans from the Cold War, as they wear somewhat similar uniforms. There seems to potentially be a mix of both types within the crowd, however this would fit perfectly if this base was previously used in creating the Army of the Undead by Group 935, and it was later occupied by East German soldiers working for the Soviets.

 

Black Ops Cold War takes place primarily in the 1980s, with the Cold War nearing its peak, and ultimate end. We see in the teaser that this version of Nacht is covered in bright graffiti, implying the above-ground airfield was left abandoned for delinquents to write all over the walls. Here's my speculation for the story behind Nacht der Untoten as we will see it in Cold War.

 

In the 1960s, the Soviets are continuing Group 935's experiments beneath Nacht der Untoten as the Ascension Group. They are also working on mind-control experiments on living subjects, as shown in the Nacht loading screen. It's also used as a means of storage for weaponry and other resources from all their allies, as we see in the same loading screen there are crates marked with flags of Soviet allies. Following the disappearance of Gersh, and the death of Harvey Yena, the Ascension Group begins to fall apart. The many outbreaks across 115 testing sites in 1963 including the Pentagon, Groom Lake, and Baikonur, also includes Nacht der Untoten. The facility is abandoned completely.

 

In the 1980s, American Black Ops operatives are sent in to recover vital research contained beneath the abandoned building. They find the walls covered in graffiti, and cryptic drawings and writings on the walls. They delve into the underground area to find all the horrific research performed in this base over the years. 

 

We also see in the trailer flashes of different characters: Grigori Weaver, Friedrich Steiner, and an unknown woman. This map could potentially further Steiner's ties to Group 935, and Weaver and the woman may be some of the operatives we play as in the map. Weaver is interesting, because after Black Ops, he completely disappears without a trace. It's been speculated that may be because he was performing these top secret operations, secret to even most of the CIA, involving Element 115.

All that, I feel pretty confident and excited about. Maybe we'll see the general theory of this thread that Nacht has to do with HAARP be confirmed. One further element that I haven't talked about, though, is the relevance of Nacht in TranZit, and how the time-travelling man in the loading screen plays into it all. Maybe he'll be some kind of overarching villain? What if it was Steiner this whole time? We do see numbers emanating from the "portal" he steps through. As for TranZit, maybe we'll find out how it ends up there. Or, as @Mattzs has speculated, Nacht was recreated in Hanford as a training site for this very operation. 

Like I mentioned on discord, I think it would be neat if the easter egg had us sending Nacht to Tranzit. The only issue would be explaining the updated appearance.