Nice collection of counter-factual scenarios
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It used to be that historians looked down upon anybody who dared to write a 'what if' scenario for the public. They thought this was a mere parlour game; the domain of journalists and other hacks who'd failed (in their eyes) to become 'proper' academic scholars.
Now of course the boot is on the other foot, and such counter-factual writings (to give their posh title) or 'what ifs' are very much in vogue.
Third Reich Victorious is nice romp through World War 2 (mainly the European theatre of operations) with separate chapters on a whole range of battles and campaigns, and how things might have turned out differently. What I liked about this book is that the scenarios were not too outlandish, and the authors stuck to what would have been within the range of possibilities - much better than, say, giving Nazi Germany super-weapons in 1941 and watching them stomp all over Europe.
Some chapters are stronger than others, but the nice thing is that they are essentially short. The authors generally limit themselves to a particular battle or campaign -- and assess from there what might have resulted. Naturally with these musings, the further you go from the point of departure from real history, the harder it is to work out what might have happened. This is why these collections by Greenhill work so well. In my opinion, when these scenarios are written out at book-length, they tend to drag a little in comparison.
If you like alternative history, then this is for you
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Superb piece of what-if
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If you have an interest in the Second World War than this book is a must. It has a number of scenarios where various battles and campaigns that germany did badly in, went well for them. For example, what if Hitler had been in the German navy in WW1? For WW2, he might have realised that the key to making Britain keep out of the war was to cripple the Royal Navy.
Or what if Hitler had made sure to keep all the German nuclear physicists that fled for Britain and the US? Might he have developed the atom bomb before he was defeated and used it on London and Moscow?
What makes the book effective is that each scenario is written as if it were a history book and that is what happened. It never uses the words 'what if' - it pretends that the scenario is what happened. Only at the end does it say what really happened and how.A brilliant book in my opinion and a must-read for anyone with an interest in WW2
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An interesting book of how Germany won the war
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Imagine opening a history book, and rather than reading about the victories of Montgomery and the allies, you learn that Hitler won. This is how this book works. Each chapter tells a different story in a historical syle.
So you learn how German pilots won the Battle of Britain. In a way it's very dramatic and brings home to you how close we came to losing.
Of course, as with all "fake history" there's the issue of could this really happen. Example: if Hitler had joined the navy in WW1, would he really have won WW2?
As long as you don't take this too seriously it's a fascinating read, and at times quite gripping.
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