LNH20: Bite-Size Tales of the LNH v20 #7: "First Republic"

[Scott Eiler]

On 05/02/2012 03:52 AM, Andrew Perron wrote:
> Bite-Size Tales of the LNH v20 #7:
> "First Republic"
> By Andrew Perron
>
> ****
>
> "World War II.  Hitler is assassinated before he can break Nazi
> Germany's pact with Communist Russia.  A combined Nazi-Soviet-Fascist
> force steamrolls, slowly but surely, through all defending forces.
> Britain falls, and once the Axis has spread across Europe, they make
> the leap across the Atlantic."

... I love this concept.  I have never seen a serious what-if discussion 
about it, though.  I believe this to be a failure of serious what-if 
discussions.  The ones I see always go,

"What if Hitler...?"

"Hitler would never..."

"Well, what if someone else?"

"No one else would dare."

But a Nazi-Soviet-Japanese Super Axis was a very real concern to 
everyone else back then.


> "Would you say," said Doc Nostalgia, pacing back and forth, seemingly
> relaxed, "that what happened is something you could reasonably call
> 'the US surrendering'?"
>
> "Well, uh, I mean, technically the government did--" Configuration Man
> squirmed as Doc Nostalgia looked at him. "Um, no."
>
> Doc Nostalgia nodded, turning away from Configuration Man. "And would
> you say this speaks to anything about the national character, and their
> tendency towards surrender?"
>
> "...no?"
>
> Doc Nostalgia spun around, eyes blazing, and smacked his hands down
> hard on the desk. "Then WHY, for the LOVE of EVERYTHING you hold dear,
> do you assume that JUST THAT ASSOCIATION holds true for FRANCE!?"

You know I believe the same way as Doc Nostalgia.  But in fairness to 
the opposing point of view... If the United States surrendered to the 
Axis as thoroughly as France did, there'd have been plenty of U.S. 
resistance movements, but we'd have seen all the following.

*  Axis powers occupy the entire eastern and Gulf coasts.

*  The entire remainder of the U.S. mainland joins the collaborationist 
government.

*  Overseas territories decide individually which way to go.  For 
example, Puerto Rico allows Axis planes to launch bombing runs from 
there against the British Virgin Islands.

*  FDR has to decide whether to retreat to Alaska or Hawaii.

*  The *British* (well, probably the Australians by this point) attack 
Pearl Harbor because they can't be sure the U.S. Pacific Fleet will 
fight on against the Axis.

... all parallels to Vichy France and its territories.