The War That Came Early
Encyclopedia
The War That Came Early is an alternate history series by Harry Turtledove
, in which World War II
begins in 1938 over Czechoslovakia
. The number of volumes has not been set. The first volume, Hitler's War, was released in hardcover in 2009 without a series title. Subsequently, the paperback edition was announced as The War That Came Early: Hitler's War. Thus far, six volumes have been contracted for.
occurs on July 20, 1936 with Spanish Nationalist leader José Sanjurjo
listening to his pilot's advice and changing the conditions of his flight back to Spain
- he thus averts the crash that caused his death in reality. However, in the following two years Sanjurjo makes much the same military and political decisions which Francisco Franco
actually made, so that the course of the Spanish Civil War
remains virtually the same, except for the name of the Nationalist rebels' leader. Only in 1939 would Sanjurjo take a significantly different decision, attacking and conquering Gibraltar
(while in recorded history Franco would carefully maintain cordial relations with the British). This, however, comes after the series' main point of divergence.
The timeline again — and far more significantly — diverges from history in September 1938. UK Prime Minister
Neville Chamberlain
and French Prime Minister
Édouard Daladier
meet German
Führer
Adolf Hitler
at Munich
, ready to take the ultimate act of appeasement
and force Czechoslovakia into surrender. However, exactly their supine attitude and manifest wish to avoid war at any price arouse Hitler's predatory instinct. While his generals want to gain time for further building up Germany's armed forces, Hitler feels that the time to strike is now, with his opponents in such disarray. With the excessive British and French concessions, Hitler has no pretext to launch a war; however, news of the assassination of Sudeten German
leader Konrad Henlein
by a Czech nationalist suddenly provides a pretext. (In actual history, Henlein lived until 1945.) Hitler jubilantly declares that there is no further room for negotiations and that his army will attack Czechoslovakia immediately. Chamberlain and Daladier believe that Hitler himself had Henlein assassinated (which is, ironically, not true) and — much against their will — are forced to declare war in fulfilment of their treaty obligations to the Czechoslovaks.
As a result, World War II
starts in 1938 with a German attack on Czechoslovakia
, rather than on Poland, almost a year later
. As a direct result, both sides are less prepared for war than in history.
This timeline can be considered to have been created by the (fictional) Czech nationalist Jaroslav Stribny, who assassinated Henlein. He is never seen onstage and the reader is given no access to his thoughts and reasoning. Posterity in this timeline would link his name with that of Gavrilo Princip
, whose act of assassination had set off the earlier World War.
As usual, Turtledove tells his story through a suite of viewpoint characters, mostly young soldiers and junior officers. The novel follows the progression of the war between Autumn 1938 through to the Spring 1939.
greatly under-defended and gambling that the French would not launch any major offensive. Indeed, the French content themselves with a token offensive, conquering some minor German border towns and later evacuating them with no strategic effect, and failing to seriously relieve the pressure on their Czechoslovak ally. The Soviet Union does send airplanes to aid Czechoslovakia, but — having no shared border — cannot send ground troops through the intervening territory of Poland
and Romania
without risking war with these countries, a step Joseph Stalin
is not yet ready for. Czech soldiers offer tenacious and persistent resistance to the overwhelming German forces, with Prague
and other cities heavily damaged and a great toll of civilian casualties; also the Skoda
works and other industrial centers are totally destroyed, denying Germany use of them for its armament program in the later parts of the war. However, the Slovak
Hlinka Guard
stages a pro-Nazi rebellion, and many Slovak soldiers — even if not joining this uprising — fight only half-heartedly and tend to desert en masse. After German forces cut Czechoslovakia in two and are joined by Hungarians invading from the south and Poles from the north, Czechoslovak resistance crumbles, with the country's leaders forming a government in exile
in Paris
. A considerable number of soldiers (mostly Czechs, with some anti-Fascist Slovaks and Ruthenians
) also get to France, where they would play a significant role in later parts of the fighting.
" policy and a flow of munitions across the Pyrenees
helps the Republic win the Battle of the Ebro
and reunite its territory which was cut in half by the Nationalist rebels some months before; the International Brigades
, which had been on the point of being withdrawn from Spain, remain there "for the duration". Subsequently, however, Spain becomes a backwater, forgotten by the rest of the world with the spotlight turned elsewhere; both Spanish sides are alike starved of supplies by their respective patrons, who need the munitions for fronts deemed to have a higher priority. The Spanish war becomes stalemated, with neither side able to make any decisive move. Sanjurjo turns his attention to conquering Gibraltar
, the British enclave held for centuries on Spanish soil. Spanish Nationalist troops suffer great loses from the naval artillery of the moored British warships, but with the aerial help of the German Condor Legion
British resistance is overcome and the Royal Navy
ships are forced to withdraw into the open sea. Conquest of Gibraltar is a fillip to Spanish national pride and to Sanjurjo's personal reputation, and might have strategic implications for later moves of the war in the Mediterranean; however, by depriving the British Empire
of a highly valued strategic asset, Sanjurjo irrevocably ties the Spanish Nationalist cause with that of Nazi Germany, foreclosing any chance of surviving in power past a German defeat.
Towards mid-1939 the long-deadlocked Madrid
front becomes active, both sides moving reinforcements there. The Nationalists aim to finally conquer the city, while the Republicans — who deploy to Madrid the International Brigades
— seek to push them away decisively and end any further threat to the Spanish capital.
is the lesser evil in comparison with Joseph Stalin
. Consequently, Polish-Soviet tensions grow until finally bursting out into open war, with Stalin accusing Poland of oppressing its Bielorussian minority and launching an invasion with the proclaimed aim of liberating these people (and regaining formerly Russian territory which the Soviet Union had to cede at the Peace of Riga
, concluding the Polish–Soviet War in 1921). The Poles ask for the help of Germany, becoming its formal ally, and getting some military aid — mainly fighter planes.
The Soviet advance stalls, due to the Polish-German resistance (and to the harsh mid-winter conditions). Though not committing ground troops en masse, Germany finds itself fighting a two-front war, its nightmare from the 1914–1918 war — which increases the urgency of quickly winning the war on the Western Front. It also means that Germany can spare no resources to the conquest of Denmark
and Norway
, so the Scandinavia
ns are left to watch the war from the side-lines. While air raid regulations and wartime rationing become part of daily life in both London
and Berlin
, in neutral Copenhagen
the lights are on at night and life goes on as usual.
as an extension of Japan's ongoing conquest of China
. The news of the Soviet Union becoming entangled in a war with Germany and Poland, and not doing very well in it, tips the balance in favour of the generals. The Japanese shift from an undeclared, low-intensity border war with the Soviets at the Mongolia
n border to an all-out invasion of Siberia
, with the clear strategic aim of cutting the Trans-Siberian Railway
, the sole, long extended supply line of Vladivostok
. Cutting the line would mean that the city — and the entire Soviet Far East — would swiftly become untenable and fall into Japanese hands. Well aware of this, the Soviets fiercely contest the Japanese advance north of the Amur River and hold the invaders off the vital railway line. Meanwhile, the Americans present in Japanese-occupied China — for example, at the American Legation in Peking — are worried at the increasing arrogance and aggrandizement of the Japanese Empire. Marines attached to the legation glare at the Japanese soldiers in control of Peking and long for a chance to come to blows with them. However, decision-makers at Washington, D.C. are content to see the Japanese direct their aggressive energy at the Soviets. The US continues to supply Japan with fuel and scrap metal — in effect tacitly supporting the Japanese war effort.
of 1914, using the armoured striking force they lacked in the previous war, and knock France altogether out of the war. In the dead of winter a massive surprise attack is launched on the neutral Netherlands
. The Dutch Army, caught completely unprepared, resists to the best of its ability, but German bombers destroy defenceless Rotterdam
, and rather than have more of their cities suffer the same fate, the Dutch government surrenders after five days. Belgium, which earlier refused to let French and British forces deploy on its soil, does so belatedly when already invaded. After three weeks of fighting Belgium is overrun and King Leopold
— lukewarm to begin with — surrenders. The Germans than proceed to invade France, by-passing the Maginot Line
by way of the Ardennes
. However, though the French are pushed back again and again, the force of the German Blitzkrieg
is not as overwhelming as it would have been had the German arms industry gotten another year of producing more advanced tanks. With the war launched in 1938, they have to rely heavily on the Panzer I
, a light tank
intended originally for training. Also, with an active Eastern Front against the Soviets, the Wehrmacht can't concentrate all forces westwards. Much of the Allies' armaments are inadequate or obsolete, too — artillery antedating World War I
and air forces still having many biplanes (which on some occasions are able to hold their own in aerial battles with more modern types). Still, the Allies are not broken, and wage a fighting retreat deeper and deeper into France. Through Dunkirk and other Channel ports are conquered by the Germans, making communications with Britain difficult, the British Expeditionary Force
remains united with its French ally, as well as with some Belgian forces continuing to fight despite their country's surrender, and with highly-motivated exile Czechoslovak troops.
, with the conspirators executed or sent to the Dachau Concentration Camp. In the aftermath, a widespread witch-hunt is launched throughout the German Army, targeting also many officers who had not been involved in the conspiracy at all. This increases the feeling of frustration and disaffection in the German ranks, added to the increasing fatigue of the ongoing hard fighting. The Germans advance southwards, capture Verdun
without the massive toll exacted there in the previous war, get further south than in the 1914 Battle of the Marne
and penetrate into the outskirts of Paris. The French capital is heavily bombed, with the Eiffel Tower
destroyed — as are many other private and public buildings. Still, though neither Daladier nor Chamberlain are inspiring war leaders, resistance continues with the defiant proclamation "Paris is the front, here we will stop them". The Allies also start deploying armour effectively, having learned from their German opponents and with the French command at last listening to the advice of their best armour expert, Colonel Charles de Gaulle
. The German forces prepare for a decisive push, to surround and conquer Paris, but are confronted by a massed force of determined French and British troops, as well as Czechoslovaks and African Black soldiers from the French colonies. The exhausted German soldiers are stopped and the Allies — to their own soldiers' surprise — manage to start pushing them back. The Germans are in a predicament, with no strategic achievement to show for the months of grueling fighting, overextended and their flank threatened by French forces at the Maginot Line, by-passed but not defeated. The war is going to continue on two fronts, West and East — the name of the next volume.
of Germany-wide pogroms and burning of synagogues. Still, discrimination and persecution of Jews becomes ever more intensive and oppressive. Even Jews completely assimilated in the German culture, who thought of themselves as Germans (and as patriotic Germans) are driven beyond the pale, not allowed to join the Army even when they want to (and when they had served with distinction in the previous war) nor being allowed to use the air raid shelters when Allied bombers start arriving overhead. The conquest of Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, Belgium and Northern France expose an increasing number of additional Jews to the racist brutality from which German Jews suffered since 1933. The Jews have no clear idea how far the Nazis intend to go, but they have many reasons to feel foreboding and start assuming that they could count themselves lucky to be still alive at the war's end. Still, as long as Poland is Germany's ally and not an occupied territory, Oświęcim
remains an obscure Polish provincial town, not known by its German name: Auschwitz.
Both locked into two-front war
s, neither Germany nor the Soviet Union makes significant progress against the other in Eastern Europe.
France and the United Kingdom successfully attack Germany in Western Europe, but Germany invades Denmark and southern Norway.
Meanwhile, Japan advances against the USSR in Eastern Asia.
There is little change in the Spanish front, and German Jews are now being forced to wear the Yellow Star
— while Polish Jews are fighting alongside German soldiers.
, cutting off shipments delivered to Vladivostok. Cold weather and mosquitoes take their toll on the Japanese soldiers, and skirmishes with the Russians are commonplace. Despite the distance from the industrial areas of Russia, Soviet soldiers still maintain modest air and artillery superiority, though they are still inaccurate, and both sides duck for cover during artillery barrages. Japanese attacks on Vladivostok proceed much like their attacks on Port Arthur in 1905, suffering tremendous casualties for very little ground gained.
, a tank with thicker armor and a turret large enough for the whole gun crew. Panzer IIIs prove formidable against their French counterparts, but their arrival is delayed by a lack of resources and that most of Germany's armored units were sent to fight on the Eastern Front. The Nazis have completely occupied Denmark and are fighting with the British in Norway. Sweden displays its neutrality by printing both Allied and Nazi propaganda, but Stockholm is still heavily fortified in order to defend Sweden's independence. German U-boats have to take extra measures to avoid targeting neutral merchant ships, while experimenting with the snorkel
. The British and French successfully launch an offensive, driving the Germans into a slow retreat towards the French border. Some of the German military high command launch another coup against Hitler, but this, as well as the previous one is put down. In the aftermath, many Germans suspected of being disloyal, from ordinary privates to generals, are arrested by the SS and Gestapo.
.
. The Czechoslovakians who continued to fight after their country's defeat are disgusted, and head to Spain to fight the Fascists there. A few groups in France and England consisting mainly of disaffected soldiers and politicians wonder if a coup may be necessary to stop their countries' descents into police states.
Allied combatants:
Axis combatants:
Other:
Harry Turtledove
Harry Norman Turtledove is an American novelist, who has produced works in several genres including alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction.- Life :...
, in which World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
begins in 1938 over Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. The number of volumes has not been set. The first volume, Hitler's War, was released in hardcover in 2009 without a series title. Subsequently, the paperback edition was announced as The War That Came Early: Hitler's War. Thus far, six volumes have been contracted for.
Points of divergence
In this series the initial point of divergencePoint of divergence
In discussion of counterfactual history, a divergence point , also referred to as a departure point or point of divergence , is a historical event with two possible postulated outcomes...
occurs on July 20, 1936 with Spanish Nationalist leader José Sanjurjo
José Sanjurjo
General José Sanjurjo y Sacanell, 1st Marquis of the Rif was a General in the Spanish Army who was one of the chief conspirators in the military uprising that led to the Spanish Civil War.-Early life:...
listening to his pilot's advice and changing the conditions of his flight back to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
- he thus averts the crash that caused his death in reality. However, in the following two years Sanjurjo makes much the same military and political decisions which Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
actually made, so that the course of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
remains virtually the same, except for the name of the Nationalist rebels' leader. Only in 1939 would Sanjurjo take a significantly different decision, attacking and conquering Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
(while in recorded history Franco would carefully maintain cordial relations with the British). This, however, comes after the series' main point of divergence.
The timeline again — and far more significantly — diverges from history in September 1938. UK Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Neville Chamberlain
Neville Chamberlain
Arthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
and French Prime Minister
Prime Minister of France
The Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
Édouard Daladier
Édouard Daladier
Édouard Daladier was a French Radical politician and the Prime Minister of France at the start of the Second World War.-Career:Daladier was born in Carpentras, Vaucluse. Later, he would become known to many as "the bull of Vaucluse" because of his thick neck and large shoulders and determined...
meet German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Führer
Führer
Führer , alternatively spelled Fuehrer in both English and German when the umlaut is not available, is a German title meaning leader or guide now most associated with Adolf Hitler, who modelled it on Benito Mussolini's title il Duce, as well as with Georg von Schönerer, whose followers also...
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
at Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, ready to take the ultimate act of appeasement
Appeasement
The term appeasement is commonly understood to refer to a diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding war by making concessions to another power. Historian Paul Kennedy defines it as "the policy of settling international quarrels by admitting and satisfying grievances through rational negotiation and...
and force Czechoslovakia into surrender. However, exactly their supine attitude and manifest wish to avoid war at any price arouse Hitler's predatory instinct. While his generals want to gain time for further building up Germany's armed forces, Hitler feels that the time to strike is now, with his opponents in such disarray. With the excessive British and French concessions, Hitler has no pretext to launch a war; however, news of the assassination of Sudeten German
Sudeten Germans
- Importance of Sudeten Germans :Czechoslovakia was inhabited by over 3 million ethnic Germans, comprising about 23 percent of the population of the republic and about 29.5% of Bohemia and Moravia....
leader Konrad Henlein
Konrad Henlein
Konrad Ernst Eduard Henlein was a leading pro-Nazi ethnic German politician in Czechoslovakia and leader of Sudeten German separatists...
by a Czech nationalist suddenly provides a pretext. (In actual history, Henlein lived until 1945.) Hitler jubilantly declares that there is no further room for negotiations and that his army will attack Czechoslovakia immediately. Chamberlain and Daladier believe that Hitler himself had Henlein assassinated (which is, ironically, not true) and — much against their will — are forced to declare war in fulfilment of their treaty obligations to the Czechoslovaks.
As a result, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
starts in 1938 with a German attack on Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, rather than on Poland, almost a year later
Invasion of Poland (1939)
The Invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign or 1939 Defensive War in Poland and the Poland Campaign in Germany, was an invasion of Poland by Germany, the Soviet Union, and a small Slovak contingent that marked the start of World War II in Europe...
. As a direct result, both sides are less prepared for war than in history.
This timeline can be considered to have been created by the (fictional) Czech nationalist Jaroslav Stribny, who assassinated Henlein. He is never seen onstage and the reader is given no access to his thoughts and reasoning. Posterity in this timeline would link his name with that of Gavrilo Princip
Gavrilo Princip
Gavrilo Princip was the Bosnian Serb who assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife, Sophie, Duchess of Hohenberg, in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914...
, whose act of assassination had set off the earlier World War.
Hitler's War
The War That Came Early: Hitler's War, published in 2009, was the first book in the series.As usual, Turtledove tells his story through a suite of viewpoint characters, mostly young soldiers and junior officers. The novel follows the progression of the war between Autumn 1938 through to the Spring 1939.
Czechoslovak campaign
The German Army concentrates most of its available forces for the attack on Czechoslovakia, leaving the Siegfried LineSiegfried Line
The original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...
greatly under-defended and gambling that the French would not launch any major offensive. Indeed, the French content themselves with a token offensive, conquering some minor German border towns and later evacuating them with no strategic effect, and failing to seriously relieve the pressure on their Czechoslovak ally. The Soviet Union does send airplanes to aid Czechoslovakia, but — having no shared border — cannot send ground troops through the intervening territory of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
without risking war with these countries, a step Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
is not yet ready for. Czech soldiers offer tenacious and persistent resistance to the overwhelming German forces, with Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and other cities heavily damaged and a great toll of civilian casualties; also the Skoda
Škoda Auto
Škoda Auto , more commonly known as Škoda, is an automobile manufacturer based in the Czech Republic. Škoda became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group in 2000, positioned as the entry brand to the group...
works and other industrial centers are totally destroyed, denying Germany use of them for its armament program in the later parts of the war. However, the Slovak
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
Hlinka Guard
Hlinka Guard
Hlinka Guard was the militia maintained by the Slovak People's Party in the period from 1938 to 1945; it was named after Andrej Hlinka.The Hlinka Guard was preceded by the Rodobrana organization, which existed from 1923 to 1927, when the Czechoslovak authorities ordered its dissolution...
stages a pro-Nazi rebellion, and many Slovak soldiers — even if not joining this uprising — fight only half-heartedly and tend to desert en masse. After German forces cut Czechoslovakia in two and are joined by Hungarians invading from the south and Poles from the north, Czechoslovak resistance crumbles, with the country's leaders forming a government in exile
Government in exile
A government in exile is a political group that claims to be a country's legitimate government, but for various reasons is unable to exercise its legal power, and instead resides in a foreign country. Governments in exile usually operate under the assumption that they will one day return to their...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. A considerable number of soldiers (mostly Czechs, with some anti-Fascist Slovaks and Ruthenians
Ruthenians
The name Ruthenian |Rus']]) is a culturally loaded term and has different meanings according to the context in which it is used. Initially, it was the ethnonym used for the East Slavic peoples who lived in Rus'. Later it was used predominantly for Ukrainians...
) also get to France, where they would play a significant role in later parts of the fighting.
Impact on the Spanish Civil War
The outbreak of the European war comes in the nick of time to give a new lease of life to Republican Spain which faced an imminent collapse. France reverses its former "Non-InterventionNon-Intervention Committee
During the Spanish Civil War, several countries followed a principle of non-intervention, which would result in the signing of the Non-Intervention Agreement in August 1936 and the setting up of the Non-Intervention Committee, which first met in September...
" policy and a flow of munitions across the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
helps the Republic win the Battle of the Ebro
Battle of the Ebro
The Battle of the Ebro was the longest and bloodiest battle of the Spanish Civil War...
and reunite its territory which was cut in half by the Nationalist rebels some months before; the International Brigades
International Brigades
The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
, which had been on the point of being withdrawn from Spain, remain there "for the duration". Subsequently, however, Spain becomes a backwater, forgotten by the rest of the world with the spotlight turned elsewhere; both Spanish sides are alike starved of supplies by their respective patrons, who need the munitions for fronts deemed to have a higher priority. The Spanish war becomes stalemated, with neither side able to make any decisive move. Sanjurjo turns his attention to conquering Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, the British enclave held for centuries on Spanish soil. Spanish Nationalist troops suffer great loses from the naval artillery of the moored British warships, but with the aerial help of the German Condor Legion
Condor Legion
The Condor Legion was a unit composed of volunteers from the German Air Force and from the German Army which served with the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War of July 1936 to March 1939. The Condor Legion developed methods of terror bombing which were used widely in the Second World War...
British resistance is overcome and the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ships are forced to withdraw into the open sea. Conquest of Gibraltar is a fillip to Spanish national pride and to Sanjurjo's personal reputation, and might have strategic implications for later moves of the war in the Mediterranean; however, by depriving the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
of a highly valued strategic asset, Sanjurjo irrevocably ties the Spanish Nationalist cause with that of Nazi Germany, foreclosing any chance of surviving in power past a German defeat.
Towards mid-1939 the long-deadlocked Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
front becomes active, both sides moving reinforcements there. The Nationalists aim to finally conquer the city, while the Republicans — who deploy to Madrid the International Brigades
International Brigades
The International Brigades were military units made up of volunteers from different countries, who traveled to Spain to defend the Second Spanish Republic in the Spanish Civil War between 1936 and 1939....
— seek to push them away decisively and end any further threat to the Spanish capital.
Soviet-Polish-German war
After having taken a minor part in the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia, the staunchly anti-Communist Polish government openly tilts to the side of Germany, considering that of their two neighbouring dictators, Adolf HitlerAdolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
is the lesser evil in comparison with Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
. Consequently, Polish-Soviet tensions grow until finally bursting out into open war, with Stalin accusing Poland of oppressing its Bielorussian minority and launching an invasion with the proclaimed aim of liberating these people (and regaining formerly Russian territory which the Soviet Union had to cede at the Peace of Riga
Peace of Riga
The Peace of Riga, also known as the Treaty of Riga; was signed in Riga on 18 March 1921, between Poland, Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine. The treaty ended the Polish-Soviet War....
, concluding the Polish–Soviet War in 1921). The Poles ask for the help of Germany, becoming its formal ally, and getting some military aid — mainly fighter planes.
The Soviet advance stalls, due to the Polish-German resistance (and to the harsh mid-winter conditions). Though not committing ground troops en masse, Germany finds itself fighting a two-front war, its nightmare from the 1914–1918 war — which increases the urgency of quickly winning the war on the Western Front. It also means that Germany can spare no resources to the conquest of Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, so the Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
ns are left to watch the war from the side-lines. While air raid regulations and wartime rationing become part of daily life in both London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, in neutral Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
the lights are on at night and life goes on as usual.
Japanese invasion of Siberia
For some years previously, there had been a power struggle inside the Japanese military and political establishment, with the admirals pushing towards a naval war aimed at wresting control of the Pacific from the US, while the generals — particularly those of the powerful Kwantung Army — preferred an attack on the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
as an extension of Japan's ongoing conquest of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. The news of the Soviet Union becoming entangled in a war with Germany and Poland, and not doing very well in it, tips the balance in favour of the generals. The Japanese shift from an undeclared, low-intensity border war with the Soviets at the Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
n border to an all-out invasion of Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, with the clear strategic aim of cutting the Trans-Siberian Railway
Trans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
, the sole, long extended supply line of Vladivostok
Vladivostok
The city is located in the southern extremity of Muravyov-Amursky Peninsula, which is about 30 km long and approximately 12 km wide.The highest point is Mount Kholodilnik, the height of which is 257 m...
. Cutting the line would mean that the city — and the entire Soviet Far East — would swiftly become untenable and fall into Japanese hands. Well aware of this, the Soviets fiercely contest the Japanese advance north of the Amur River and hold the invaders off the vital railway line. Meanwhile, the Americans present in Japanese-occupied China — for example, at the American Legation in Peking — are worried at the increasing arrogance and aggrandizement of the Japanese Empire. Marines attached to the legation glare at the Japanese soldiers in control of Peking and long for a chance to come to blows with them. However, decision-makers at Washington, D.C. are content to see the Japanese direct their aggressive energy at the Soviets. The US continues to supply Japan with fuel and scrap metal — in effect tacitly supporting the Japanese war effort.
Invasion of the Low Countries and Northern France
Soon, world attention shifts away from the other war theatres to the Western Front, where the German Army launches its bold effort to implement the Schlieffen PlanSchlieffen Plan
The Schlieffen Plan was the German General Staff's early 20th century overall strategic plan for victory in a possible future war in which the German Empire might find itself fighting on two fronts: France to the west and Russia to the east...
of 1914, using the armoured striking force they lacked in the previous war, and knock France altogether out of the war. In the dead of winter a massive surprise attack is launched on the neutral Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. The Dutch Army, caught completely unprepared, resists to the best of its ability, but German bombers destroy defenceless Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, and rather than have more of their cities suffer the same fate, the Dutch government surrenders after five days. Belgium, which earlier refused to let French and British forces deploy on its soil, does so belatedly when already invaded. After three weeks of fighting Belgium is overrun and King Leopold
Leopold III of Belgium
Leopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent,...
— lukewarm to begin with — surrenders. The Germans than proceed to invade France, by-passing the Maginot Line
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
by way of the Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
. However, though the French are pushed back again and again, the force of the German Blitzkrieg
Blitzkrieg
For other uses of the word, see: Blitzkrieg Blitzkrieg is an anglicized word describing all-motorised force concentration of tanks, infantry, artillery, combat engineers and air power, concentrating overwhelming force at high speed to break through enemy lines, and, once the lines are broken,...
is not as overwhelming as it would have been had the German arms industry gotten another year of producing more advanced tanks. With the war launched in 1938, they have to rely heavily on the Panzer I
Panzer I
The Panzer I was a light tank produced in Germany in the 1930s. The name is short for the German ' , abbreviated . The tank's official German ordnance inventory designation was SdKfz 101 .Design of the Panzer I began in 1932 and mass production in 1934...
, a light tank
Light tank
A light tank is a tank variant initially designed for rapid movement, and now primarily employed in low-intensity conflict. Early light tanks were generally armed and armored similar to an armored car, but used tracks in order to provide better cross-country mobility.The light tank was a major...
intended originally for training. Also, with an active Eastern Front against the Soviets, the Wehrmacht can't concentrate all forces westwards. Much of the Allies' armaments are inadequate or obsolete, too — artillery antedating World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and air forces still having many biplanes (which on some occasions are able to hold their own in aerial battles with more modern types). Still, the Allies are not broken, and wage a fighting retreat deeper and deeper into France. Through Dunkirk and other Channel ports are conquered by the Germans, making communications with Britain difficult, the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
remains united with its French ally, as well as with some Belgian forces continuing to fight despite their country's surrender, and with highly-motivated exile Czechoslovak troops.
Disaffection in the German Army and the Battle of Paris
The continuation of bitter fighting and the absence of the expected French collapse cause disappointment among German officers, who feel that Hitler had acted precipitously in launching the war. A conspiracy of conservative officers is foiled by the GestapoGestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
, with the conspirators executed or sent to the Dachau Concentration Camp. In the aftermath, a widespread witch-hunt is launched throughout the German Army, targeting also many officers who had not been involved in the conspiracy at all. This increases the feeling of frustration and disaffection in the German ranks, added to the increasing fatigue of the ongoing hard fighting. The Germans advance southwards, capture Verdun
Verdun
Verdun is a city in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital of the department is the slightly smaller city of Bar-le-Duc.- History :...
without the massive toll exacted there in the previous war, get further south than in the 1914 Battle of the Marne
First Battle of the Marne
The Battle of the Marne was a First World War battle fought between 5 and 12 September 1914. It resulted in an Allied victory against the German Army under Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke the Younger. The battle effectively ended the month long German offensive that opened the war and had...
and penetrate into the outskirts of Paris. The French capital is heavily bombed, with the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
destroyed — as are many other private and public buildings. Still, though neither Daladier nor Chamberlain are inspiring war leaders, resistance continues with the defiant proclamation "Paris is the front, here we will stop them". The Allies also start deploying armour effectively, having learned from their German opponents and with the French command at last listening to the advice of their best armour expert, Colonel Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
. The German forces prepare for a decisive push, to surround and conquer Paris, but are confronted by a massed force of determined French and British troops, as well as Czechoslovaks and African Black soldiers from the French colonies. The exhausted German soldiers are stopped and the Allies — to their own soldiers' surprise — manage to start pushing them back. The Germans are in a predicament, with no strategic achievement to show for the months of grueling fighting, overextended and their flank threatened by French forces at the Maginot Line, by-passed but not defeated. The war is going to continue on two fronts, West and East — the name of the next volume.
The threatened Jews
With Nazi Germany already straining its resources for external war in November 1938, there is no KristallnachtKristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
of Germany-wide pogroms and burning of synagogues. Still, discrimination and persecution of Jews becomes ever more intensive and oppressive. Even Jews completely assimilated in the German culture, who thought of themselves as Germans (and as patriotic Germans) are driven beyond the pale, not allowed to join the Army even when they want to (and when they had served with distinction in the previous war) nor being allowed to use the air raid shelters when Allied bombers start arriving overhead. The conquest of Czechoslovakia, the Netherlands, Belgium and Northern France expose an increasing number of additional Jews to the racist brutality from which German Jews suffered since 1933. The Jews have no clear idea how far the Nazis intend to go, but they have many reasons to feel foreboding and start assuming that they could count themselves lucky to be still alive at the war's end. Still, as long as Poland is Germany's ally and not an occupied territory, Oświęcim
Oswiecim
Oświęcim is a town in the Lesser Poland province of southern Poland, situated west of Kraków, near the confluence of the rivers Vistula and Soła.- History :...
remains an obscure Polish provincial town, not known by its German name: Auschwitz.
West and East
The War That Came Early: West and East, published in July 2010, is the second book in the series.Both locked into two-front war
Two-front war
In military terminology, a two-front war is one in which fighting takes place on two geographically separate fronts. It is usually executed by two or more separate forces simultaneously or nearly simultaneously, in the hope that their opponent will be forced to split their fighting force to deal...
s, neither Germany nor the Soviet Union makes significant progress against the other in Eastern Europe.
France and the United Kingdom successfully attack Germany in Western Europe, but Germany invades Denmark and southern Norway.
Meanwhile, Japan advances against the USSR in Eastern Asia.
There is little change in the Spanish front, and German Jews are now being forced to wear the Yellow Star
Yellow badge
The yellow badge , also referred to as a Jewish badge, was a cloth patch that Jews were ordered to sew on their outer garments in order to mark them as Jews in public. It is intended to be a badge of shame associated with antisemitism...
— while Polish Jews are fighting alongside German soldiers.
The Siberian campaign
The Japanese successfully sever the Trans-Siberian RailwayTrans-Siberian Railway
The Trans-Siberian Railway is a network of railways connecting Moscow with the Russian Far East and the Sea of Japan. It is the longest railway in the world...
, cutting off shipments delivered to Vladivostok. Cold weather and mosquitoes take their toll on the Japanese soldiers, and skirmishes with the Russians are commonplace. Despite the distance from the industrial areas of Russia, Soviet soldiers still maintain modest air and artillery superiority, though they are still inaccurate, and both sides duck for cover during artillery barrages. Japanese attacks on Vladivostok proceed much like their attacks on Port Arthur in 1905, suffering tremendous casualties for very little ground gained.
The War in the West
The Germans have slowly introduced the Panzer IIIPanzer III
Panzer III was the common name of a medium tank that was developed in the 1930s by Germany and was used extensively in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen III translating as "armoured battle vehicle". It was intended to fight other armoured fighting vehicles and...
, a tank with thicker armor and a turret large enough for the whole gun crew. Panzer IIIs prove formidable against their French counterparts, but their arrival is delayed by a lack of resources and that most of Germany's armored units were sent to fight on the Eastern Front. The Nazis have completely occupied Denmark and are fighting with the British in Norway. Sweden displays its neutrality by printing both Allied and Nazi propaganda, but Stockholm is still heavily fortified in order to defend Sweden's independence. German U-boats have to take extra measures to avoid targeting neutral merchant ships, while experimenting with the snorkel
Submarine snorkel
A submarine snorkel is a device which allows a submarine to operate submerged while still taking in air from above the surface. Navy personnel often refer to it as the snort.-History:...
. The British and French successfully launch an offensive, driving the Germans into a slow retreat towards the French border. Some of the German military high command launch another coup against Hitler, but this, as well as the previous one is put down. In the aftermath, many Germans suspected of being disloyal, from ordinary privates to generals, are arrested by the SS and Gestapo.
Eastern Front
Germany ramps up its troop commitments to Poland, sending Panzers and infantry to cut off the Russians in the disputed territory. In response, the Russians intensify the war, launching a full scale invasion reaching as far as the Vistula River before being stopped and pushed back.Japanese occupation of China
Tension mounts between American forces stationed in Shanghai and the Japanese Imperial army. The Japanese and well-to-do Chinese collaborators drink in fancy bars, while the Japanese show off their success in Russia, likening it to the 1905 Russo-Japanese WarRusso-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War was "the first great war of the 20th century." It grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and Japanese Empire over Manchuria and Korea...
.
The Big Switch
The War That Came Early: The Big Switch, published in July 2011, is the third book in the series. In this there truly is a big switch, as France and England join Germany for a campaign against Russia as the Japanese assault on the Western Nations is about to begin.Japanese-Soviet War
The Russians at Vladivostok finally surrender due to a lack of food. Due to a shortage of trained bomber pilots in the far east, the Soviets take experienced co-pilots and retrain them as bomber pilots. The Japanese force their captured Russian prisoners to go to a Unit 731 facility, Bataan Death March style, where they are experimented on by the Japanese. The Russians make peace with the Japanese on the basis of the new border being the current front line so the Russians can concentrate on their enemies to the west.The War in the West
The Germans are slowly retreating as the British and French counterattack. The Allies evacuate Norway, leaving it to the Germans. Rudolf Hess parachutes into England, trying to get the English and French to join Germany and Poland in their campaign against the Soviet Union. Winston Churchill is the primary voice of opposition against this, but he dies, apparently accidentally, after being hit by a drunk driver. The Allies agree to this plan, sending their troops into Russia to fight the Soviets. The German Army withdraws from France, being only slightly harried by a few stubborn Francs-tireursFrancs-tireurs
Francs-tireurs – literally "free shooters" – was used to describe irregular military formations deployed by France during the early stages of the Franco-Prussian War...
. The Czechoslovakians who continued to fight after their country's defeat are disgusted, and head to Spain to fight the Fascists there. A few groups in France and England consisting mainly of disaffected soldiers and politicians wonder if a coup may be necessary to stop their countries' descents into police states.
The Advance Into Russia
The Germans and their Polish allies drive the Soviets out of Poland and into Belorussia. The Soviets suffer many major defeats, and the German army is at the gates of Smolensk by the beginning of winter. English and French troops arrive to bolster the German and Polish defense against the Russian counterattacks. The obselescent SB-2 is consigned to night bombing missions as the much better Pe-2 is now available and the SB-2 is unable to defend itself against fighters such as the Bf-109. The Soviets take a measure of revenge on the British by attacking Scapa Flow with long range bombers. The Baltic is dangerous waters for both sides as it teems with mines and patrol aircraft.Japanese-American-French-British-Dutch War
President Roosevelt alarmed at Japan's aggression, freezes the flow of oil and raw materials to Japan. Shortly later, on Saturday, January 12, 1940, Japan launches surprise attacks on French Indochina, the Philippines, the Dutch East Indies, Hong Kong, Malaya, Hawaii, and a few minor targets. The Asiatic fleet is devastated, anchored at Cavite and attacked without warning. At Pearl Harbor, the Americans have warning of the attack and only lose a carrier and a battleship, as well as some fuel storage facilities.Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War is in a Stalemate, which does not change throughout the book. When France switches sides, the regiment of Czechs are sent to Spain to help the Republicans.The Threatened Jews
Jews in Germany are forced to bear a new name. Jewish males will have to have the new first name of Moses, and Jewish females have the new name of Sarah. In the Czechoslovakia, the Jewish population is consigned to ghettos.Viewpoint characters
The two historical viewpoint characters are marked as suchAllied combatants:
- Luc Harcourt — A young FrenchFrench peopleThe French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
soldier caught in the battle to defend his country. - Vaclav Jezek — A Czech soldier who sees action in Czechoslovakia before its defeat and again later in France.
- Alistair Walsh — A BritishBritish peopleThe British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
staff sergeant of the British Expeditionary ForceBritish Expeditionary Force (World War II)The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
caught up fighting the Nazis in France. - Chaim Weinberg — An American International BrigadierAbraham Lincoln BrigadeThe Abraham Lincoln Brigade refers to volunteers from the United States who served in the Spanish Civil War in the International Brigades. They fought for Spanish Republican forces against Franco and the Spanish Nationalists....
fighting on the Republican side of the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. - Sergei Yaroslavsky — A Soviet Red Air Force bomber pilot caught in the battle against PolandSecond Polish RepublicThe Second Polish Republic, Second Commonwealth of Poland or interwar Poland refers to Poland between the two world wars; a period in Polish history in which Poland was restored as an independent state. Officially known as the Republic of Poland or the Commonwealth of Poland , the Polish state was...
and Germany. He is killed when his parachute catches fire bailing out of his damaged SB-2. - Anastas Mouradian - Sergei Yaroslavsky's one time co-pilot. He is promoted to 1st Lt and full pilot and gets to fly an new Pe-2.
Axis combatants:
- Kapitänleutnant Fritz-Julius LempFritz-Julius LempFritz-Julius Lemp was a Kapitänleutnant with the Kriegsmarine during World War II and commander of , and . He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
(historical) — U-boatU-boatU-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
captain who sank SS AtheniaSS AtheniaThe S.S. Athenia was the first British ship to be sunk by Nazi Germany in World War II.-Description:Athenia was built by the Fairfield Shipbuilding and Engineering Company, Ltd., and was launched at Govan, Scotland in 1923. She was built for Anchor-Donaldson Ltd.'s route between Britain and Canada... - Leutnant Hans-Ulrich RudelHans-Ulrich RudelHans-Ulrich Rudel was a Stuka dive-bomber pilot during World War II and a member of the Nazi party. The most highly decorated German serviceman of the war, Rudel was one of only 27 military men to be awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords and Diamonds, and the only...
(historical) — German Stuka pilot - Joaquin Delgadillo — A SpanishSpanish peopleThe Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
Nationalist foot soldier in the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
. He is taken prisoner and is killed by a Nationalist bomb during an air raid on the POW camp that he is being held at. - Willi Dernen — A GermanGermansThe Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
WehrmachtWehrmachtThe Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
infantry man who sees action in France and Russia. - Hideki Fujita — A JapaneseJapanese peopleThe are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
Imperial ArmyImperial Japanese Army-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
Sergeant stationed in ManchukuoManchukuoManchukuo or Manshū-koku was a puppet state in Manchuria and eastern Inner Mongolia, governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The region was the historical homeland of the Manchus, who founded the Qing Empire in China...
who sees action against the Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, later takes command of his unit when the commanding lieutenant died. After the fall of Vladivostok, he becomes a guard at a Unit 731 facility. - Ludwig Rothe — A GermanGermansThe Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
WehrmachtWehrmachtThe Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
Panzer IIPanzer IIThe Panzer II was the common name for a family of German tanks used in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen II...
commander who takes part in the invasions of CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, the Low countriesLow CountriesThe Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
and FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He is killed by Luc Hardcourt in Hitler's War. - Theo Hossbach - A GermanGermansThe Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
WehrmachtWehrmachtThe Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
Panzer IIPanzer IIThe Panzer II was the common name for a family of German tanks used in World War II. The official German designation was Panzerkampfwagen II...
radioman who serves under Ludwig Rothe, is wounded when Rothe is killed and serves in a new Panzer II on the Eastern Front in West and East. One of his new crewmen is Adi Stoss, an alias used by Sarah Goldman's brother to enter the Wehrmacht.
Other:
- Peggy Druce — An AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
civilian in Czechoslovakia at the time of the invasion who witnesses Nazi cruelty towards the Jews and who finds herself unwillingly living in BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. She eventually makes her way home and speaks out against the Nazis. - Pete McGill — An American MarineChina MarinesThe term China Marines originally referred to those United States Marines from the 4th Marine Regiment who were stationed in Shanghai, China during 1927 - 1941 to protect American citizens and their property in the Shanghai International Settlement during the Chinese Revolution and the Second...
stationed at the American LegationBeijing Legation QuarterThe Peking Legation Quarter was the area in Peking where a number of foreign legations were located between 1861 and 1959. In Chinese, the area is known as Dōng jiāomín xiàng , which is the name of the hutong running through the area...
in Peking, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
who witnesses growing tensions in the far east leading to him being sent to the Shanghei International Settlement. After his girlfriend Vera is killed in a Communist Terror bombing he is sent to the Philippines to recover and is caught in the Japanese attack. - Sarah Goldman — A teenage German Jew from Münster who along with her family struggle to live day to day in the wake of Nazi Anti-SemitismAnti-SemitismAntisemitism is suspicion of, hatred toward, or discrimination against Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish heritage. According to a 2005 U.S...
. She falls in love and is about to marry Isidor Bruck, the local Jewish baker's son.
Non-viewpoint historical characters
- Juan Antonio AnsaldoJuan Antonio AnsaldoJuan Antonio Ansaldo y Vejerano was a Spanish aviator and monarchist activist and conspirator. A great admirer of Charles Maurras and Action Française, he flirted with various shades of far right politics before and during the Spanish Civil War....
— Spanish pilot and extreme-right militant (viewpoint character in a single episode) - Neville ChamberlainNeville ChamberlainArthur Neville Chamberlain FRS was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940. Chamberlain is best known for his appeasement foreign policy, and in particular for his signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, conceding the...
— prime minister of the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... - Édouard DaladierÉdouard DaladierÉdouard Daladier was a French Radical politician and the Prime Minister of France at the start of the Second World War.-Career:Daladier was born in Carpentras, Vaucluse. Later, he would become known to many as "the bull of Vaucluse" because of his thick neck and large shoulders and determined...
— prime minister of France - Großadmiral Karl DönitzKarl DönitzKarl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
— leader of the German KriegsmarineKriegsmarineThe Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly... - Colonel Charles de GaulleCharles de GaulleCharles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
— French Army commander. - Joseph GoebbelsJoseph GoebbelsPaul Joseph Goebbels was a German politician and Reich Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. As one of Adolf Hitler's closest associates and most devout followers, he was known for his zealous oratory and anti-Semitism...
- propaganda minister for Nazi GermanyNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by... - Hermann GöringHermann GöringHermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
- ReichsmarschallReichsmarschallReichsmarschall literally in ; was the highest rank in the armed forces of Nazi Germany during World War II after the position of Supreme Commander held by Adolf Hitler....
of Nazi GermanyNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by... - Konrad HenleinKonrad HenleinKonrad Ernst Eduard Henlein was a leading pro-Nazi ethnic German politician in Czechoslovakia and leader of Sudeten German separatists...
— leader of the Sudeten GermansSudeten Germans- Importance of Sudeten Germans :Czechoslovakia was inhabited by over 3 million ethnic Germans, comprising about 23 percent of the population of the republic and about 29.5% of Bohemia and Moravia....
in CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992... - Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
— leader of Nazi GermanyNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
(viewpoint character in a single episode) - Friedrich HoßbachFriedrich HoßbachFriedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Hoßbach was a German staff officer who in 1937 was the military adjutant to the Fuehrer of the Third Reich, Adolf Hitler. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves...
— German military adjutant to the Fuehrer - Benito MussoliniBenito MussoliniBenito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
— leader of Fascist ItalyKingdom of Italy (1861–1946)The Kingdom of Italy was a state forged in 1861 by the unification of Italy under the influence of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which was its legal predecessor state... - General José SanjurjoJosé SanjurjoGeneral José Sanjurjo y Sacanell, 1st Marquis of the Rif was a General in the Spanish Army who was one of the chief conspirators in the military uprising that led to the Spanish Civil War.-Early life:...
— leader of the NationalistsSpanish StateFrancoist Spain refers to a period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975 when Spain was under the authoritarian dictatorship of Francisco Franco....
in the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939... - Milton Wolff — commander of the Abraham Lincoln BrigadeAbraham Lincoln BrigadeThe Abraham Lincoln Brigade refers to volunteers from the United States who served in the Spanish Civil War in the International Brigades. They fought for Spanish Republican forces against Franco and the Spanish Nationalists....
in the Spanish Civil WarSpanish Civil WarThe Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939... - Winston ChurchillWinston ChurchillSir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
- Minister of War for the United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... - Marshal Ion AntonescuIon AntonescuIon Victor Antonescu was a Romanian soldier, authoritarian politician and convicted war criminal. The Prime Minister and Conducător during most of World War II, he presided over two successive wartime dictatorships...
- leader (?) of RomaniaRomania during World War IIFollowing the outbreak of World War II on 1 September 1939, the Kingdom of Romania officially adopted a position of neutrality. However, the rapidly changing situation in Europe during 1940, as well as domestic political upheaval, undermined this stance. Fascist political forces such as the Iron...
* - Chiang Kai-ShekChiang Kai-shekChiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
- leader of the KuomintangKuomintangThe Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
and the Republic of ChinaHistory of the Republic of ChinaThe History of the Republic of China begins after the Qing Dynasty in 1912, when the formation of the Republic of China put an end to over two thousand years of Imperial rule. The Qing Dynasty, also known as the Manchu Dynasty, ruled from 1644 to 1912...
* - Marshal Khorloogiin Choibalsan — leader of Communist Mongolia*
- Christian X of DenmarkChristian X of DenmarkChristian X was King of Denmark from 1912 to 1947 and the only King of Iceland between 1918 and 1944....
- king of DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
* - Francisco FrancoFrancisco FrancoFrancisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
— Spanish NationalistSpanish StateFrancoist Spain refers to a period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975 when Spain was under the authoritarian dictatorship of Francisco Franco....
General* - Miklós HorthyMiklós HorthyMiklós Horthy de Nagybánya was the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary during the interwar years and throughout most of World War II, serving from 1 March 1920 to 15 October 1944. Horthy was styled "His Serene Highness the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary" .Admiral Horthy was an officer of the...
— RegentRegentA regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of HungaryKingdom of Hungary (1920–1946)The Kingdom of Hungary also known as the Regency, existed from 1920 to 1946 and was a de facto country under Regent Miklós Horthy. Horthy officially represented the abdicated Hungarian monarchy of Charles IV, Apostolic King of Hungary...
* - HirohitoHirohito, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
— Emperor of JapanEmpire of JapanThe Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
* - Leonard Kaupitsch - GermanGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
military governor of DenmarkDenmarkDenmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
* - Nikita KhrushchevNikita KhrushchevNikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
— Soviet Army leader and Commissar* - Leopold III of BelgiumLeopold III of BelgiumLeopold III reigned as King of the Belgians from 1934 until 1951, when he abdicated in favour of the Heir Apparent,...
- king of BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
* - Maxim LitvinovMaxim LitvinovMaxim Maximovich Litvinov was a Russian revolutionary and prominent Soviet diplomat.- Early life and first exile :...
- Foreign Minister of the Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
* - Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil MannerheimCarl Gustaf Emil MannerheimBaron Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim was the military leader of the Whites in the Finnish Civil War, Commander-in-Chief of Finland's Defence Forces during World War II, Marshal of Finland, and a Finnish statesman. He was Regent of Finland and the sixth President of Finland...
- commander-in-chief of FinlandFinlandFinland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
* - Mao ZedongMao ZedongMao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
— leader of the Communist Party of ChinaCommunist Party of ChinaThe Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
* - Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. RooseveltFranklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
— President of the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - Edward Rydz-SmiglyEdward Rydz-SmiglyEdward Rydz-Śmigły , before 1922 Edward Rydz, since 1922 ; nom de guerre Śmigły, Tarłowski, Adam Zawisza) was a Marshal of Poland, Polish political figure, Commander-in-Chief of Poland's armed forces, and a painter and poet...
- de facto leader of PolandPolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
* - Joseph StalinJoseph StalinJoseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
— leader of the Soviet UnionSoviet UnionThe Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
* - Jozef TisoJozef TisoJozef Tiso was a Slovak Roman Catholic priest, politician of the Slovak People's Party, and Nazi collaborator. Between 1939 and 1945, Tiso was the head of the Slovak State, a satellite state of Nazi Germany...
— leader of the NaziNazi GermanyNazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
puppet Slovak Republic*
- (* — mention only)