Alternate History, WW2
Alt-History…
PART 1
The Atlantic War
In 1942 when America formally declared war on Nazi Germany, there was little they could do against Fortress Europe. Moreover, entry into the European theater had been delayed by nearly a year, and by then it was too late. There was no where to go. Britain had fallen and the repercussions were enormous. North Africa was locked up, Egypt occupied and the Sudan; the Suez canal in German hands. Oil flowed freely into the Nazi heartlands. Turkey, Baghdad and Tehran soon fell under Hitler’s sway. The vast swath of territory from the northern Sahara to the Indian Ocean was given over to the Italians to administer.
Spain joined the axis in early 1942, under the leadership of El Caudillo, aka General Franco. He promptly marched into scrupulously “neutral” Portugal and effectively closed off all access to the eastern Atlantic. With Lisbon gone, there was also no exit for the thousands of remaining refugees. It was however the perfect excuse to seize Portuguese territories: the Canary Islands and the Madeira archipelago— and the Americans did so readily.
The next viable strategic port was in the Azores. A port the United States vowed to take. Operation Gray began in the summer of 1942. With a landing force of 30,000, the islands were quickly secured. The US gained a toehold in the strategic shipping lanes. There was little Spain could do to retaliate, and the Germans chose a policy of non-engagement for now.
I flipped through the pages and came across a chapter on Britain. I already knew that history. It only confirmed what I had seen in the newsreel, though I learned it took a further two years to subjugate the British Isles against fierce resistance. And the Royal Navy had remained largely intact. At least on paper, everything that had been British was now German, the colonies, that is. Fully a quarter of the planet’s population and about a third of its landmass were handed over to Nazi control. Hitler’s gift to Tojo: Burma and everything east of India…
Note:
An excerpt from Red City, the fifth and final Tractus Fynn Mystery, to be published in May.
PART 1
The Atlantic War
In 1942 when America formally declared war on Nazi Germany, there was little they could do against Fortress Europe. Moreover, entry into the European theater had been delayed by nearly a year, and by then it was too late. There was no where to go. Britain had fallen and the repercussions were enormous. North Africa was locked up, Egypt occupied and the Sudan; the Suez canal in German hands. Oil flowed freely into the Nazi heartlands. Turkey, Baghdad and Tehran soon fell under Hitler’s sway. The vast swath of territory from the northern Sahara to the Indian Ocean was given over to the Italians to administer.
Spain joined the axis in early 1942, under the leadership of El Caudillo, aka General Franco. He promptly marched into scrupulously “neutral” Portugal and effectively closed off all access to the eastern Atlantic. With Lisbon gone, there was also no exit for the thousands of remaining refugees. It was however the perfect excuse to seize Portuguese territories: the Canary Islands and the Madeira archipelago— and the Americans did so readily.
The next viable strategic port was in the Azores. A port the United States vowed to take. Operation Gray began in the summer of 1942. With a landing force of 30,000, the islands were quickly secured. The US gained a toehold in the strategic shipping lanes. There was little Spain could do to retaliate, and the Germans chose a policy of non-engagement for now.
I flipped through the pages and came across a chapter on Britain. I already knew that history. It only confirmed what I had seen in the newsreel, though I learned it took a further two years to subjugate the British Isles against fierce resistance. And the Royal Navy had remained largely intact. At least on paper, everything that had been British was now German, the colonies, that is. Fully a quarter of the planet’s population and about a third of its landmass were handed over to Nazi control. Hitler’s gift to Tojo: Burma and everything east of India…
Note:
An excerpt from Red City, the fifth and final Tractus Fynn Mystery, to be published in May.
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