Group 601, Ludvig Maxis, and more

[RadZakpak]

Massive credit to @EricMaynardand his source for locating this work which would have been earth-shattering back in the day. To recap, a friend of Eric located old art assets intended for BO1 Kino back in 2010 through one of the game's art director's portfolios. It's possible this was under some kind of NDA, considering it has not surfaced until now. It is a reasonable assumption that these images were going to appear on the projector rather than the images we see now (the scientist in the lab, the eyeball, and the zombies coming over the hill.) So let's go over what we're seeing and what these images could have meant.

 

These first two images seem to simply depict zombies attacking with the text "Greift an!" or simply "Attack!" These may have been played later in a sequence coming up, but I thought I'd group them up at the start as they seem the least interesting. But it is worth noting they take place in the same room.

 

Here's where things get crazy. So we see the classic "Stufe Zwei" or "Step Two" image that has appeared in several places throughout zombies and even multiplayer, in higher res than we've seen it before. Additionally, there is an image of Europe with the text, "First Europe, then the whole world!" Then there's an image of a satellite over North America and the text "Stufe Vier" or "Step Four."

 

What I think we can say with certainty is that Group 601 represents plans for future world domination by the Nazis. We don't have images of Step 1, 3, or anything past 4, but Step 2 is Strength Through Order, seemingly involving nuclear weapons, which the Nazis actually were working on. Step 4 involves satellites over the earth. Is this some kind of mind control, or simply propaganda?

 

Now we see images of the realized Undead Army marching across scorched earth, with flags that seem to be marked with Swastikas with each end point connected. Perhaps this represents the new world government that would be imposed. The text over the marching undead says "Undead Soldiers Stand Together!" Then there's an image of zombies undergoing electroshock treatment in their brains with their eyes held open, probably an attempt at mind control and very similar to A Clockwork Orange. The text reads "Obey!" The very next image is of a Doctor who is believed to be Doctor Maxis as we will see in the last set of images, also with the text "Obey!" It is clearly on a film slide, and probably what the zombies are forced to watch.

The first image is a clapperboard with Dr. Maxis written on it, and we can clearly see that it has the same background as the next set of images. In the next image we see Maxis holding Fluffy in front of an open MTD. Note what is clearly a mech in the background. In the very next image, we see that the MTD is closed and being powered on, as another scientist points towards it. This would presumably be Doctor Richtofen, if this is the day he betrays Maxis. And the final image is of a Hellhound staring into the camera with something burning in the background.

 

 

There is a hell of a lot to unpack here, from the appearance of Doctor Maxis, Group 601, the mech, and the plans for world domination.

 

After all these years we finally have a better idea of what Group 601 was supposed to be, and we know Maxis was supposed to be involved. Kino der Toten looks to be a Group 601 facility, and that actually makes Richtofen's weird ramblings in the intro make a little more sense, "How many other research stations does this Group have?" While Grouop 935's goals seemed to be to raise the dead and work on weaponry, Group 601 was the next step, the Nazi's way of mobilizing an army within Europe and then controlling the entire world.

 

For Maxis, I would not put a whole lot of stock into his appearance. Yes, we've never actually seen what he looked like in the original timeline, but, the man who traps him in the teleporter clearly looks nothing like Richtofen, being more muscled and bald-headed. We also know from The Giant that he would be wearing his general uniform at the time. So I'd chock that up to artistic interpretation.

 

The mech seems so wild, considering we did not see something like that until Origins, then later Gorod Krovi. If you wanted to go into head-canon territory, you could even say these were prototypes of the mech we see in GK.

 

What theories do you guys have on these images? Do you think there are more?

[anonymous]

I was mesmerized when I saw these images, haha! I really like your idea about the Kino radio being about Group 601 rather than 935, that'd be a great plot twist. 

 

Anyway, it seems like Maxis' experiments on the undead may have been much more advanced and elaborate than we initially thought. The electroshock therapy, introduced to us in Verrückt, actually had a role not only related to destroying the undead, but also to make them obey. This technique may initially have been developed at the Wittenau Sanatorium, tested on psychiatic patients. Next, Group 601 started experimenting with the Towers seen in the propaganda picture (in the background of the atomic bomb): this may be a reference to the following notes found in Shi no Numa:

This shows they were working on an weapon similar to the HAARP, probably antenna-like and related to mindcontrol. Back in 2014, @Tac made a theory discussing the possibility that Vril might be powering HAARP. The nuclear bomb explosion in the front may be used to spread Element 115 (instead of regular radioactive isotopes), infecting citizens, while the HAARP towers hijacked their brains to turn everyone into undead killing machines. The sattelite picture would establish the same effect as the Towers, but beyond the reach of the towers (so in far away, enemy continents). Man, if we keep in mind Moon was initially going to be set at the Eifel Tower in Paris, this may initially have revealed a major plot twist about not Richtofen's splinter faction, but Maxis's (Group 601) with the Eifel Tower as HAARP. It also reminds me if a quote of dr. Groph in a radio in Moon:

 

Doctor Schuster: "Dr. Richtofen, I am aware of a project being run by Dr. Maxis at Der Riese concerning Vril."

 

Could this refer to the experiments performed on the HAARP by Group 601 (6=F, 0=_, 1=A; 601=F/A: frequence and amplitude according to Cal).

 

I also trew it up in the discord, but could the Nazis have been succeeded in launching those sattelites. Since Maxis' soul could merge with technology after commiting suicide, could these sattelites be why he could reach radios and TV's on Earth (since that is what sattelites and radiotowers do, broadcasting to receiving devices)? Also, why is there Nova-6 in Kino? Coild the compound be a chemical carrier of 115 to the brain, meaning that this was the true reason why the Nazi's were desperately putting their effort in Projekt Giftiger Sturm: it was mindcontrol, no chemical weapon. Kino was an addition to the Black Ops campaign, not a spin-off.

 

Also, bald dr. Richtofen?....

[Tac]

I may be in the minority here but I didn't find the images to be very revealing or interesting. The interesting parts about the nazis wanting to take over the world with the help of zombies seem already known, or at least easily put together? Group 601 being related to zombies is interesting since all we knew was mind control and strength through order, but that too I found easily predictable. I'll have to think on this more but seems like interesting and pretty concept art and not that revealing about the story, but perhaps I am being obtuse.

[anonymous]

Just now, Tac said:

I may be in the minority here but I didn't find the images to be very revealing or interesting. The interesting parts about the nazis wanting to take over the world with the help of zombies seem already known, or at least easily put together? Group 601 being related to zombies is interesting since all we knew was mind control and strength through order, but that too I found easily predictable. I'll have to think on this more but seems like interesting and pretty concept art and not that revealing about the story, but perhaps I am being obtuse.

Ah, for the man forecasting that Shang was on Mars, nothing is unpredicatble and exciting. Must be hard to find joy

[KronoriumExcerptB]

From the Stage Four image, it seems that 601 intended to take over the world using radio transmissions. 

 

Was Nacht a 601 installation? We have a radio tower present in the map and more importantly, a line from the Call of Duty blog suggesting strange radio transmissions in the area:

 

"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."

 

 

[NotAnAn0n]

How dare you create this new rabbit hole for me to dive into, Rad.

 

That being said, assuming that Group 601 was intended to be or is a research group under Nazi control, then any guesses to possible personnel? It could be that both 935 and 601 shared a large pool of members. 

[RichKiller]

It's cool too see what were the old plans for group 601. 
That being said, I don't think the mystery of group 601 is done. 

Let me explain:

 

Black ops 1, used notes on the ground to tease stuff, for example the Moon Illuminati note, and the Death Ray note (Der Eisendrache!)

 
Black ops 3 had similar notes on the ground, but they contained group 601: 

 

(burnt version of the above:)

 

 

Note, you can see clearly the group 601 logo, even updated to remove the SS logo part of it. 
More than that, group 601 here comes together with the Origins Zeppelin and planes, tying the two together. 

 

Some may hurry to ignore this, but then I remind you that in the same type of papers on the ground, Treyarch has put the credits into the same type of notes: 

 

So as said, I don't we are done with the new plans for Group 601. 

[RichKiller]

And by the way, I haven't seen anyone making the following connection:

 

 

Seems like Woods has Fluffy as his tattoo coming with 115 and "the fires of hell". 

[NotAnAn0n]

I always knew Woods was an animal lover.

[PINNAZ]

You'll love this @RadZakpak

 

Hello MAXIS!!! (BO1 Record Covers)

 

[C L A S S I F I E D]

Never in a million years did I think we would see some actual tangible evidence that Group 601 was supposed to be a bigger thing in the story,

 

Also yes @PINNAZHe was right under our noses all along

[anonymous]

On 2/13/2021 at 8:49 PM, RadZakpak said:

Kino der Toten looks to be a Group 601 facility, and that actually makes Richtofen's weird ramblings in the intro make a little more sense, "How many other research stations does this Group have?"

I just had a quick thought about this. I always found it so odd that in Shi no Numa and Der Riese, Richtofen talks about the Illuminati being his masters, while he denounces them in Kino der Toten.

 

In Shi no Numa and Der Riese:

"Illuminati, I work for thee!" - feedback_killstreak_01

"By the power of the Illuminati, I will destroy you all now! Yeah?" - powerup_insta_01

"Thank you Illuminati!" - weappick_raygun_03

"The Illuminati will be so proud!" - weappick_357_03

"Good, the service to the Illuminati can continue." - revive_revived_00

 

In Kino der Toten:

"The Illuminati will never get their hands on me again!" - wpck_raygun_2

 

Even while we learned with the new timeline that Richtofen leaves the Illuminati as early as after discovering the MPD, I was still fascinated by the original intend of that organization in Richtofen's life. I am also quite positive that originally, before working out Richtofen's Grand Scheme and Black Ops I (so essentially before Call of the Dead and espessially in World at War), the Illuminati was going to have a more important role. Now what the old maps tell us about the Illuminati is that (1) they told Richtofen to kill Maxis and (2) they were also present in Kino, as we can see a lot of Illuminati symbols. What's more, we have a letter of the Illuminati talking about how "the Doctor" has discovered to time-travel.

 

Bearing in mind these unreleased projector images, Kino was supposed to be key to mindcontrol over the Earth, something the Illuminati would be undoubtedly interested in, hence why they were present at the location. I think Richtofen would be a mere pawn, a frustrated scientist obeying the Illuminati's order to kill Maxis (keep in mind that the Moon radios weren't created yet. All we knew about Richtofen was his hate to Maxis and the fact he created the first teleporter). With Maxis gone, the Illuminati could've installed their own men at Kino, establishing mindcontrol worldwide. The fact we see the Illuminati symbols in the Pentagon and Ascension Cosmodrome may reveal that these high-ranked politicians, military and scientists are also acting on the Illuminati's behalf (after they got brainwashed). All goes to plan, except Richtofen who unintentionally travels through time to Kino and discovers the Illuminati's plan, plotted outside Richtofen's awareness. So he feels betrayed and starts to denounce the Illuminati. The Illuminati, on their turn, are surprised to see Richtofen pop up in 1963 and write the telegram about the "time-travelling Doctor".