Page 86 - All About History - Issue 53-17

If Britain had succumbed, could America have
found another staging post for its entrance into
the war in Europe?
Yes. In 1942 the Allies invade French North Africa,
and the landings along the Moroccan coast are
staged directly from the US eastern seaboard as
part of Operation Torch. So the way back into
Europe would have been, in some ways, the way
that NATO subsequently planned to get back into
Europe should Western Europe and Great Britain
fall to the Soviet Union. That is to work their way
through North Africa and then eventually through
the Iberian Peninsula.

Presumably, though, without Britain as an
ally, America might not have declared war on
Germany in December 1941?
From what we know of the Americans in 1939-41,
Allied tanker Dixie
Arrow torpedoed it is not clear whether they might have made an
by U-71 in 1942 accommodation with the new regime in Europe
and lived with it. America had not begun to
than anything that is done at sea because all of a range Condors and Blohm & Voss flying-boats mobilise, seriously, by the summer of 1941. It was
sudden the major import harbours are closed and doing patrols. Some of the Condors are attacking still building up its fleet and the infrastructure
they have to reorient longshoremen and rolling shipping at sea, particularly in the east Atlantic. The for the huge army that would appear in Europe
stock and railways and the handling gear to the Germans are beginning to use U-boat wolf packs in 1944. It is just not in place at this time, so I
West Country ports, and that takes almost a year and achieve some dramatic successes. But it’s never think America would have had to make a serious
to do. The net result is a sharp decline in imports quite enough. They spent the winter of 1941 pulling decision. My best guess — and it can be no more
to Britain — they just don’t have the port handling the lion’s tail and tweaking its ears, but when the than that — is that they would have made an
capability. But Germany does not have enough fair weather of spring comes in April and May and accommodation with Nazi Europe and made every
submarines. In January 1941 there are only eight they send Bismarck out, it is a totally changed effort to make sure that Britain was as far as they
German submarines at sea that are operational. operational environment. got [on their westward expansion].
You can’t win the Battle of the Atlantic with eight
submarines. The Germans pushed out as many “The question becomes, does Britain capitulate,
surface vessels as they possibly could.
or does the British government go into exile
It is a very dangerous period for Britain in the
winter of 1941 because Scharnhorst and Gneisenau,
the two big battlecruisers, are loose in the North and continue the war from the Empire and
Atlantic. [Admiral] Hipper and Admiral Scheer
are out in the North Atlantic. There are long- the Commonwealth?”

Comparing real and alternative O Pearl Harbor attacked
December 1941
scenario timelines Carrier-based Japanese aircraft
launch their surprise strike on the
US Pacific Fleet. A day later, the
United States declares war on
O Arctic operations begin Japan. Three days after this, the US
June 1941 Real timeline declares war on Germany.
When Britain begins running supplies
of raw materials and finished hardware
to Russian ports under the Lend-
Lease deal, U-boats, shore-based
aircraft and surface vessels commence O The Happy Time begins
operations in Arctic latitudes. December 1941
U-boats carry the war to America’s
eastern seaboard and enjoy huge
success as the US Navy fails to organise
effective convoys, resulting in the loss
of thousands of tons of vital shipping.
O The outbreak O Capture of French Atlantic
of war ports
September 1939 June 1940
Only 27 of Germany’s 57 U-boats now enjoy easy
U-boats are capable of long- access to the eastern Atlantic. Alternate timeline O Z-plan hits target
range Atlantic operations. Despite the delineation of a June 1941
Germany’s Z-plan aims to neutral zone where American The Kriegsmarine beefs up production and
build 300 U-boats, enough ships will sink marauding subs, hits its target of 300 U-boats, with most
to strangle Britain. It takes a the Germans soon extend capable of long-range Atlantic voyages.
further 20 months to reach operations to the central and The blockade of British ports puts
this tally. western Atlantic. enormous pressure on Churchill.
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