The Invasion of 1950

The Invasion of 1950

A Novel of Alternate History

Christopher G. Nuttall

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The year is 1950, but not the 1950 we know.  The Second World War ended in 1943.  Hitler never declared war on the United States and is currently master of an empire that stretches from the Atlantic coastline of France to the Ural Mountains in Russia.  Hundreds of millions are dead or enslaved as Hitler’s followers make his dreams real, but the
Fuhrer
is still not satisfied.  To the west, Britain remains independent – and, beyond it, the United States of America.

Since 1943, the world has enjoyed an uneasy peace.

That is about to change ...

Introduction

For those of us who are part of the Alternate History Community (and I certainly consider myself a member) Operation Sea Lion
– the planned German invasion of Britain in 1940 – seems to hold a promise of a radical shift in the balance of European power.  Had Hitler invaded, had Britain fallen, the Nazis would seem to hold supreme power.  Hitler would have been able to go east in 1941 without having to worry about his rear, while Japan and Italy would rapidly have snapped up the remains of the British Empire.  It would be a total geopolitical disaster.

Fortunately, the Nazis would have faced formidable problems in carrying out the invasion, to the point where most members of the AH Community dismiss it as a pipe dream.  In my opinion, Sea Lion had about a one-in-six chance of success; Hitler, still a calculative gambler in 1940, decided that it was too big a risk to take. 

But what if the invasion had been launched later? 

It wasn't, of course.  Hitler’s forces bogged down in Russia, Hitler declared war on the United States in a fit of absentmindedness and Germany was crushed between the combined forces of America, Britain and Soviet Russia.  The war ended in 1945.

But what if Hitler had won in Russia?  What if America hadn't entered the war? 

Would they plan to invade Britain again?

This book was written several years ago and has been heavily edited (no less than three people looked at it.)  However, it may not be up to the standards of my current projects.  As always, comments and editing notes are welcome.

In addition, I have tried to keep the use of German phrases down to the bare minimum, as they tend to annoy me when I see them in other books. 

CGN.

England, 1943

“No,” Winston Churchill said.

“Winston, be reasonable,” Anthony Eden said. The Leader of the House of Commons stared down at the Prime Minister. “We have been fighting for four years.  The country is tired of fighting with no prospect of victory.”

Churchill felt a hot flash of anger. “Anthony, Hitler and his madmen must be stopped,” he said, remembering bitter disappointments when the Japanese had headed north into the Soviet Union and the United States had drifted back into isolation. “We’re the only people holding the line!”

“The Germans captured Stalingrad a month ago,” Lord Halifax said. Churchill nodded slowly, unsurprised that his old competitor had joined the delegation. “It won’t be long before they start to press into Iran, and as you know, we have had a most imprudent communication from the Shah. He said that unless we evacuate his country – the Russian forces having gone to die in the defence of Stalingrad already – his forces will turn on ours with German support.”

Churchill’s eyes drifted to the map he’d placed the wall. German forces, having taken Moscow back in 1941, had concentrated on securing their flanks before advancing down towards Stalingrad and the oil wells to the south of the city – and Iran. The Soviet Union – the remains of the Soviet Union, under Beria – wasn’t able to stop them. The Foreign Ministry was privately predicting that the remains of the USSR would fall apart all too soon. Churchill had met Beria, he’d dealt with the man and he had no illusions about his ally’s capabilities. Stalin’s death had taken the heart out of the Russian resistance.

He’d hoped that Wavell would produce victories in the Western Desert, but even that had turned sour in his mouth as Hitler sent more and more resources into the desert and then Rommel had taken them to create a new puppet state in Egypt, for the Italians. The British held the line at the Suez Canal, but both sides knew that it would only be a matter of time before Rommel tried to cross the waterway, or the Arab-Jewish fighting in Palestine rendered the British position untenable. They all knew, now, what fate Hitler had in mind for the Jews…and when the British position collapsed, the Jews would flee or try to fight.

“Beria has already declared his intention to attempt to reach a diplomatic solution with the Germans,” Halifax pressed. “If he settles for the
status quo
, he will surrender literally millions of souls, and unthinkable wealth in terms of land and resources. Hitler will be able to switch his forces back to the west, or he will be able to head into Iran and through Iran into Iraq or India.”

Churchill frowned at him. “The preservation of the Empire and the defeat of Adolph Hitler are my first priorities,” he said, coldly. “If Hitler wins in this war, the world will be plunged into barbarism.”

Clement Attlee, Leader of the Opposition and Deputy Prime Minister, coughed. “Winston, you have concentrated on winning, or at least fighting, the war, and we respect you for it,” he said. “However, our country is on the verge of internal collapse. The treasury is effectively bankrupt. The Empire is simply not supplying us with the resources we need to keep afloat. If it were not for the credit line the Americans have extended us, we would have been forced to seek terms before now.”

His voice darkened. “We sit here and talk about war on a global scale,” he continued. “Throughout England, the real victims of the war struggle to provide us with war materials and food, fearing only that their agonies will never end. As Germany brings the farmland in the Ukraine under their control, the German capability for continuing the war indefinitely will only expand, while our own ability to maintain even the current level of mobilisation will fall. I have heard of rumours of planned strikes, even riots, in protest at the recent cuts in rations. Frankly, Winston, Britain is on the verge of collapse.

“And even if we win, what have we gained? It will be a world without Hitler, but a world where we will have lost the Empire, a world where we cannot feed our children or even protect their interests,” he asked. “Can we, now, hope to defeat Germany on our own? The Soviet Union is a dead beast now and our armies are incapable of carrying the war to Germany. The war cannot be won. The best we can do is not lose.”

Churchill met his eyes. “When I became Prime Minister, there was no suggestion that we should seek a peace with that most untrustworthy little man,” he said, altering the facts slightly. There had been some secret discussions, which had come to nothing, between the Nazis and some of their British supporters. “If Hitler was a reasonable man, a man we could do business with, we could come to some arrangement. We cannot trust him to keep an agreement with us any longer than is convenient to him.”

“The war cannot be won,” Eden said flatly.

Churchill looked at him. “Is that the opinion of the House of Commons?”

“Yes,” Lord Halifax said.

“I will not seek a peace with Germany,” Churchill said. He allowed his voice to sharpen. This small delegation could only mean one thing. “Am I to assume that you intend to remove me if I refuse to seek a dishonourable peace?”

“The country is at stake,” Eden said, guilt written on his features. Churchill wasn't surprised. Eden was a competent Foreign Secretary, but he had no spine. “There is no choice left but to seek a peace agreement with Hitler, at least to find out what he will let us keep.”

Churchill rose ponderously to his feet. “In that case, gentlemen, I will see the King immediately and offer my resignation,” he said. “In fact, as the great and the good of England have refused to allow me to continue my policy, I see no choice, but to insist on my immediate resignation from the post of Prime Minister.”

Oddly enough, for the first time in far too long, he felt free.

He smiled at their faces. “But mark my words, my friends,” he said. “We have not finished with Hitler, nor has he finished with us. This is not peace, but an armistice, to be broken when
Herr
Hitler decides that it is time to reopen the war.”

Near Felixstowe, England, 1950

“
Here they come,” Captain Harry Jackson said, as the first noises could be heard down the road. He glanced once at his radio – noting the lack of a signal from the two men he'd deployed further down the road – and muttered a curse under his breath. The Germans had taken the two men out before they could get off a warning. “Prepare to engage the enemy.”

Jackson had deployed his company around the road, knowing that the enemy couldn’t get their tanks through the forest, but a smart enemy commander might try to slip infantry through the trees to catch Jackson’s unit before it could engage the target on their terms. The road leading down towards Felixstowe was wide enough to allow three tanks uninterrupted passage. Like many other roads in this part of the country, it had been renovated to allow for the swift passage of military vehicles. The Germans would prefer to take it, according to the briefing, in order to allow themselves time to get through the defenders. It was Jackson’s job to hold the road and slow the enemy as much as possible.

The tension rose as the sound of vehicles grew louder. The briefing had been clear. The enemy intended to push the better part of an armoured division through the area, and while Jackson didn’t have the firepower to stop it, he was expected to delay them for as long as possible. He’d deployed his antitank weapons – including, ironically, a direct copy of a German-made weapon – as best as he could, but he wasn't expecting the position to hold for long. He’d already prepared a series of fall-back positions.

We’re only going to get one free shot
, he thought coldly, as he glanced around the company’s hiding places. The weekend warriors of the Home Guard force had certain problems with discipline, but there was no doubting either their local knowledge or even their training. The original Home Guardsmen had been barely capable of resisting an unarmed bandit, but as training and equipment improved, the Home Guard had grown into a respectable fighting force.

He’d transferred from the regular army in order to share his experience with them, but stopping a German armoured division – a Panzer Division – was very different from counterinsurgency operations in India. The Indian insurgents had no tanks and rarely bothered to stand and fight.

He heard a whistle as the dark tank appeared at the end of the road, followed by two more, flanked by a group of motorcycles and patrolling infantry. Jackson bit down a curse as he took in their appearance and deployment; they were likely to trigger his mines before the main body of their force entered the range of his guns. He’d hoped to be able to hit their tanks while they were stalled, but…More tanks appeared, heading along the road at a respectable speed, and he forced himself to revise the plans quickly. If the Germans saw them, they would sweep his people from the road. They hadn’t been able to do much to block the road and prevent the Germans from using it. That hadn’t been in the briefing.

“Open fire as soon as the mines detonate,” he hissed. They’d been able to hide a small set of antitank mines down the road, at just the right location; the Germans would slow down at once and call for infantry to sweep the mines out the way.  He’d prepared it – he hoped – so that the Germans would be caught in a trap, but German soldiers were trained to take the initiative as fast as they could; if they decided to gamble, they could still break through his position.

The explosion wasn't very loud, but the puff of smoke under the tank was unmistakable. His men didn’t hesitate, or wait for orders; they fired as one, throwing a hail of antitank shells towards the enemy tank. Jackson winced as blinding white flashes of light covered the tanks, signalling that they were disabled or destroyed, and then cursed under his breath as a German truck appeared, infantry already spilling from the rear and advancing at the double. A German tank, attempting to get around the disabled tanks, ran into another mine and skidded to a halt, the crew cursing their misfortune as their part came to an end.