If Britain Had Fallen by Norman Longmate. Greenhill Books (http://www.greenhillbooks.com), Park House, 1 Russell Gardens, London NW11 9NN, 2004, 304 pages, $19.95 (softcover).
What if the Luftwaffe had defeated the Royal Air Force (RAF) and won the Battle of Britain in the summer and early fall of 1940? In If Britain Had Fallen, Norman Longmate provides an in-depth look at what might have happened if this “counterfactual” event had occurred: the Germans would have successfully launched Operation Sea Lion in September 1940 and occupied Britain. As a result, the British Isles would not have become the “unsinkable aircraft carrier” from which the Allies could launch their own invasion of Festung Europa, and the history of both World War II and the world would have been drastically different.
Although other authors have written about a successful invasion and occupation of Britain (Erskine Childers, The Riddle of the Sands [1903]; H. H. Munro, When William Came [1913]; and C. S. Forester, If Hitler Had Invaded England [1967]), these works cover only one phase—the preparations, landing, or subsequent campaign. Longmate covers them all—and in a highly believable manner. The first four chapters describe preinvasion activities on both sides, and the last 13 cover the German occupation of Britain. Only three are fictional.
First published in 1972, If Britain Had Fallen draws on documents collected by the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), which produced a television film of the same name. Additionally, the author studied the actual German occupation of Europe—specifically, that of the Channel Islands, the only part of Britain so occupied during World War II. In the process, Longmate succeeds in creating a fictional account that reads like nonfiction.
The key to this alternate history is Göring’s (and Hitler’s) decision during the Battle of Britain to continue attacking Fighter Command and British radar stations until German forces defeat the RAF, rendering it unable to stop a cross-channel invasion. The Nazi leaders realized they needed air superiority over the English Channel for a successful invasion. As we know, however, they in fact ordered the Luftwaffe to bomb cities, especially London, in early September 1940—a critical decision that gave the RAF breathing room to recoup its losses and prevent the Luftwaffe from establishing air superiority. As a result, the Germans postponed Sea Lion several times, finally canceling the operation. Hitler went on to invade the Soviet Union in June 1941—and we know the rest of the story.
I have only two minor criticisms of an otherwise excellent work of alternate history. With the German army advancing through London, Longmate depicts Prime Minister Winston Churchill as the last defender in a last-ditch stand on Downing Street. There he is shot and killed by a German soldier before a superior can stop him. I am not so sure that the prime minister would have placed himself in such a situation. Additionally, although the author discusses his references in a bibliographical essay for each chapter, he provides no notes to identify the sources of specific passages.
Lt Col Robert B. Kane, USAF, Retired
Eglin AFB, Florida
Disclaimer
The conclusions and opinions expressed in this document are those of the author cultivated in the freedom of expression, academic environment of Air University. They do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, the United States Air Force or the Air University.
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