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| Operation Sealion > Books > Invasion |
Invasion: The Alternate History of the German Invasion of England, July 1940
In this book, Kenneth Macksey writes the story, as if a historical account, of the German invasion of Britain. Rather than going for the usual Sealion plan, when the Germans invade in the Autumn, Macksey sets the invasion in July 1940, immediately after the fall of France. This scenario probably makes the the invasion somewhat more likely of success in purely military terms than an Autumn invasion - as British strength was probably at its lowest point in July - but it also involves several (in my opinion) probably unrealistic assumptions:
- That the Germans would have anticipated the rapid, and relatively easy, defeat of France.
- That the Germans would have anticipated that Britain would not surrender or negotiate after
the fall of France, and therefore invasion would be necessary.
- That the Germans would have realized during the French campaign that victory was imminent, and that some
forces could then be safely withdrawn from the frontline, in order to prepare for the invasion of Britain.
- That the Germans would have been able to improvise an invasion force at very short notice.
My other criticisms of the book's portrayal of the invasion are the usual problems with Sealion scenarios: the Royal Navy, and logistics - both of which, in reality, the Germans would have, to put it mildly, struggled with. However, in this book, the naval battles go surprisingly well for the Germans, and logistical problems somehow don't impede the invasion too much either.
I understand Kenneth Macksey is a former armor officer, so he concentrates on the land battles, and he does so well and convincingly. There is a tremendous amount of military-technical detail in the text, and you may find yourself having to read some passages more than once in order to fully understand them. Fortunately, the book does contain many maps which are help greatly in understanding.
As to which side wins, I won't say, but you can probably guess. I don't want to blow the ending, but I will say this it doesn't involve the Germans fighting street by street through the rubble of London, nor gradually running out of food and ammo' while surrounded by Tommies.
Over all this is
You will enjoy reading this book - buy it!
Related Web Sites
Here are some other websites that may be of interest:
- Alternate Historys of World War II
(Book reviews)
