Book Reviews - Third Reich Victorious

Book Reviews – Third Reich Victorious

 Matthew Fischer

Book Review:

Book: Third Reich Victorious

Edited by Peter G. Tsouras

Chapter 1: The Little Admiral

Written by Wade G. Dudley

The Basic Premise: What if Hitler had joined the Navy instead of the Army during WW1?

The story covers three time periods. Part 1 looks at how Hitler’s experiences would have been different had he joined the Navy instead of the Army during WW1. Part 2 focuses on how an appreciation for the navy would have led to a different build up towards WW2. Part 3 looks at the different strategies, goals and outcomes during WW2.

All in all I liked the story. I thought the premise was unique and didn’t simply focus on one single WW2 alt-history moment. It was an interesting scenario that allowed the author to explore a range of events and time periods, along with a variety of military and naval vehicles, tactics and battles.

The story did a good job of balancing real historic moments with newly created ideas that reflected similar events in the actual build up to war. While I enjoyed this premise, I found myself having some questions as the imagined events played out.

This story does include large scale strategy concepts that could be applied to the various editions of Axis and Allies, which I will cover in a later post.

Questions and Closer Examinations

A closer look at various plot points -- be warned, spoilers ahead.

Was the premise believable?

Obviously, this is the big question with any alt-history story. The story did a good job with the setup and the events that led Hitler to joining the navy instead of the army. It also was believable that Hitler would become fascinated with submarines as a “wonder weapon.” The lead up war is different, but the story does provide several believable events that explain just why Germany has a chance to launch a successful Operation Sea Lion.

What would Germany look like post WW1 and what would “navy Hitler” really pursue in Europe and abroad?

It was during the post-WW1 part of the story where I began to have questions. It is hard to really know what would have changed in Hitler’s rise to power. If what drove him politically is different, how is the rest affected? Would rearmament have been the same? Could the German economy have handled simultaneous rearmament in land and sea forces? If UK was the bigger enemy instead of USSR, why was Germany planning for a land war in Europe at all?

Navy Hitler’s idea of what an “Empire” was supposed to look like could be totally different than real world Hitler. He could have been less interested in conquest and carving out land for a Central Europe empire, and more interested in asserting a different type of international power and influence.

Trade, manufacturing and pushing German products could have been more important economically than living space and growing their own food. Germany could have needed to secure international shipping lanes and wanted to challenge UK as a worldwide power by becoming the premiere nation when it came to the transportation of goods. War could have still erupted, but it would be for very different reasons and with very different goals in mind – Germany challenging British hegemony, not Germany invading Central and Eastern Europe.

German Victories at Sea

When war erupts, Germany employs a surprise attack against UK. This is used to help explain why a weaker German navy was able to succeed against a stronger UK navy. This attack operates as a Pearl Harbor type moment and is the naval equivalent of the Blitzkrieg. I enjoyed this element very much and the unfolding battles were fun to read about.

After the surprise attack, much time is devoted to tracking the battles at sea along with the invasion of Poland and concentration of power in Central Europe. This is an entertaining and interesting section. While I am not totally prepared to judge the military accuracy or likelihood of the events as they transpired, I was happy to simply sit back, read, and enjoy the ride.

Could Operation Sea Lion really have worked?

I love “what if” fiction. I have very little problem with Operation Sea Lion working in “what if” scenarios. They are always fun to read. This story understands that having events happen sooner while UK was unprepared would be crucial for the success of Operation Sea Lion. By adding in the early surprise attack and having German succeed at Dunkirk, the story sets up a plausible window of opportunity with a believably weakened UK.

Final Thoughts

The story could have ended with Britain surrendering to Germany. Instead, it includes a new war with the Soviet Union, Japan attacks USA, and several other nods to protracted Cold War style conflicts between USA and Germany. At this point, it becomes harder to imagine just what the rest of the world might do in response to both UK and France surrendering. I personally didn’t need these final additions. The scenario where Germany defeats UK in 1940 is different enough and could have been a logical moment to end this scenario.

It was an enjoyable scenario and the author took time to explore several decades of history as opposed to just a single moment turning out differently. The story does a good job of including a variety of ideas and military events, including famous alt-history moments such as Dunkirk and Operation Sea Lion. Even though I had questions with the politics of this new Europe the extended outcomes, I still enjoyed the premise and it did what any good story is supposed to do – it captured my imagination and made me think about all the possible “what ifs.”