[57] This communication is reproduced here exactly as it was OTL.
[58] This reaction of the Dominion Governments in TTL is essentially similar to that OTL; the crucial difference is the timing of the conference, in OTL these issues were raised at the Imperial Conference of 1937. Here they are addressed three years early.
[59] This will not last as TTL Britain is beginning to re-arm earlier and more enthusiastically then OTL, although Mosley is going to face quite a political struggle within the Labour Party to get certain sections of it to accept this. Weapons research will get a little more money than OTL, government expenditure is far higher in real terms but only slightly higher in proportionate terms (because of the markedly stronger economy). Higher government expenditure will also mean more money to go around, by producing a Keynesian style early recovery from the Depression.
[60] The Act is different than OTL’s version. The subcontinent will evolve differently in TTL. See Chapter 21 and Annex 7.
[61] In OTL the Ministry of Supply was not set up until July 1939.
[62] See Annex 4
[63] Not a genuine quote.
[64] Mosley was a vastly intelligent, highly motivated and prodigiously talented man, but he was also impulsive, rash, conceited, narcissistic, and arrogant; tended to a short–term outlook, chased headlines and was capable of almost total self–delusion. Here he is essentially destroyed by his own vanity.
[65] In 1933 when he told his friend Robert Boothby that he had told his first wife Cimmie about all his other women Boothby responded; “All of them?” Mosley replied; “Well, all apart from her step–mother and her sister”.
[66] In OTL England were invited by FIFA to play in the 1930, 1934 and 1938 world cups but declined the invitation. In TTL they take the place of the Netherlands East Indies team in the 1938 tournament, who in OTL were defeated 6–0 by Hungary in their opening match and eliminated. Between 1936 and 1939 England only played Hungary once and the result was 6–2 to England. England played Switzerland once in the same time period losing 2–1 in a close game in Zurich. They played Sweden once winning 4–0 in Sweden. They played Italy on 13 May 1939; the result was a 2–2 draw in Milan. The battle of Highbury took place on the 14th of November 1934. It was billed by the British press as the real World Cup final and Benito Mussolini offered each Italian player an Alfa Romeo car if they won. The match was extremely violent from the start but England won 3–2.
[67] There is substantial improvement in British forces in TTL, especially the Royal Navy, as Mosley has initiated better funding and an earlier rearmament programme. The effects of a stronger economy and the different TTL Washington Naval Treaty are also marked. See Annex 8.
[68] Exactly what was committed on 10th May 1940 OTL.
[69] Mosley’s build up of British defences means a slightly larger Fighter Command. The production network built up in OTL (the shadow factories) to manufacture weapons is in place and the training programs of the RAF are expanded compared to OTL meaning a slightly better flow of trained pilots (and better trained pilots) to the squadrons. Some of the extra training capacity TTL will of course have been absorbed by the substantial increase in the size of the Royal Navy Air Arm.
[70] See Annex 4
[71] Due to the earlier abandonment of the Gold Standard Britain will be much wealthier and her gold and dollar reserves will be much greater TTL than OTL. Manufacturing industry will also be healthier, allowing greater and more rapid expansion of war production. However, interventionist financial policies tend to require high spending from governments that attempt them and the ways in which income can be secured are limited. While the 1941 OTL sell-off of enormous British assets at cheap prices will not take place in TTL, Mosley’s extravagance, combined with the policy of self-reliance in weapons procurement has compromised Britain’s ability to fight on effectively. It is worth noting here that in OTL, once Britain’s gold and cash had all been handed over to America, the country was compelled to divest itself of £5.3 billion worth of high-yield foreign investments which were sold to American interests for about 20% of their book value. The appalling strategic position in which the country found itself meant that the British had to permit the Americans to fleece them. In financial terms it was one of the worst bargains ever struck, in geopolitical terms it was better than surrendering to the Nazis. This also has a huge effect on the American economy.
[72] The Treaty of Amiens was signed on March 25, 1802 by Joseph Bonaparte and the Marquis Cornwallis as a “Definitive Treaty of Peace” between France and the United Kingdom. It lasted for one year.
[73] The opposite decision (to go south rather than west) was made in our time line.
[74] In OTL and TTL the Japanese had occupied most of French Indochina in September 1940.
[75] In OTL Konoe was replaced by Tojo in October 1941 precisely because he seemed unable to manage Japan’s relations with America in a way the militarists deemed satisfactory.
[76] This passage is adapted from ‘The USSR and Total War: Why didn’t the Soviet Economy Collapse in 1942?’ by Mark Harrison, in A World at Total War: Global Conflict and the Politics of Destruction, 1939–1945, pp. 137–156, edited by Roger Chickering, Stig Förster, and Bernd Greiner (Cambridge University Press, 2005).
[77] Not a genuine quote.
[78] Over US$1 billion OTL and TTL which is roughly RM 2.5 billion at the 1938 exchange rate and current (1938) prices. To put this in context; after the Anschluss and the subsequent seizure of Austria’s gold reserves, Germany roughly doubled its gold reserves to just under US$90 million using the 1938 exchange rate and current prices.
[79] Hitler planned to change the name of Berlin to this.
[80] In OTL the advice of Admiral Canaris, the head of the Abwher – the German intelligence service – was one of the principal causes of Franco’s refusal to be drawn further into alliance with Hitler who wanted to pressure Franco into one. Canaris had long–standing ties to Spain and his personal relationship with Franco meant that even as Nazi Germany’s official position was being presented, Canaris was whispering cautionary words in Franco’s ear.
[81] It is also possible to view Parsifal as an allegorical expression of Christianity. Wagner’s commentary on the opera is contradictory but this very ambiguity suited the Nazis’ plan.
[82] In OTL the dismay at defeats on the Eastern Front caused a wide reaching re-appraisal of the armaments industry. In TTL success leaves its inadequacies entrenched.
[83] At the time of writing there was no such website as jewhist.com.
[84] In this timeline Raeder is replaced in January 1943 by General-admiral Rolf Carls who would be 57 years old. In OTL the choice was between Carls and Doenitz, Doenitz was a U-boat man and so was the obvious choice, Carls was a former ‘flottenchef’ and had more surface navy experience so is a better choice TTL.
[85] This happened in OTL as well, for instance SS-Obergruppenfuehrer Dr. Werner Best became the Reich’s Plenipotentiary in Denmark, SS-Brigadefuehrer Professor Dr. Franz Alfred Six worked in the Foreign Office training the new generation of diplomats, SS-Gruppenfuehrer Dr. Stuckart was State Secretary in the Interior Ministry, SS-Gruppenfuehrer Otto Ohlendorf was Undersecretary of State in the Economics Ministry etc.
[86] As Himmler did in OTL.
[87] These were three of the five SS officers responsible for the murder of more than a hundred surrendered Canadian soldiers in Normandy, 1944 OTL.
[88] It’s important to note here that Herman Goering is not the somewhat marginalised figure within the Nazi hierarchy of our timeline. The German victory in 1940 has largely disguised the poor showing by the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain and their shortcomings have been largely forgotten in the general rejoicing over victory. Furthermore, there is no bombing campaign by the Allies and Germany has been victorious on the Eastern Front further enhancing Goering’s prestige.
[89] This is essentially how the
arguments went before the Bretton Woods agreement in OTL, but in OTL the poverty-smitten British had no choice but to accede to American pressure.
[90] It almost failed in OTL under Roosevelt.
[91] In OTL he did not return until 1937 and was not in disgrace when he did.
[92] As it was in OTL, but in OTL the Democratic party machine hindered the investigation and refused to act on the evidence to protect its members.
[93] In OTL Chambers did not come forward until 1946.
[94] In OTL, Chambers was marginalised to the extent that in the 1948 investigation that revealed the level of Communist penetration of the Democrat Government, he was never called before the grand jury. When finally he appeared before the House Committee in August of the same year, his testimony against Alger Hiss shook America. Also the chairman of the House Committee in TTL is a Republican, in OTL it was a Democrat (Martin Dies) who had a vested interest in limiting the possible damage to his own party.
[95] In OTL Bentley did not come forward until 1945, otherwise the way the investigation unfolds is similar to OTL except in TTL the administration has a vested interest in its success as it will lower the prestige of the Democratic Party.
[96] Willkie’s running mate in the 1940 election.
[97] In OTL Thurmond did this in 1948. In TTL the issue of race has been bought to the fore by Willkie’s policies.
[98] In OTL the increase in defence spending was far less, the Chancellor was Neville Chamberlain and the sentiments were expressed by Attlee in a radio broadcast.
[99] See Annex 8.
[100] In OTL Dalton was Chancellor from 1945 to 1947.
[101] This was essentially how Tony Blair ran the Labour Party in the OTL 1990s.
[102] Two years earlier than it was in OTL when it was initiated by Arthur Greenwood, the Labour MP and Minister without Portfolio on 10th June 1941.
[103] Extracts from this speech are actually from one given on 19 July 1941 OTL.
[104] In OTL the Beveridge Report had its nascence in June 1941, Beveridge joined the Liberals in September 1944 and won Berwick for them in the 1945 election.
[105] In OTL, Sinclair served in Churchill’s WW2 cabinet as Secretary of State for Air. He did not interfere unduly with the work of senior military officers, seeing his role as an organiser and co-ordinator. He was selfless, sacrificing political advantage to the urgent work of winning the war. He held the post of Secretary of State for Air from the day after Churchill took office until VE day. He worked without ceasing, putting aside party politics or the business of political manoeuvring to devote all his energies to the service of the country. He did not look after himself which was typical of his idealism, but overwork in the war years contributed to the strokes he suffered after 1952. Gerald J. De Groot writes of Sinclair ‘His failure to answer this need, no matter how noble his motives, did cause serious damage. The disintegration of his party was a measure of his loyalty to the country.’
[106] In OTL Mosley founded the ‘New Party’ in 1931 because of the Labour Party’s narrow rejection of the ‘Mosley Memorandum’ – his interventionist blueprint for economic recovery.
[107] See Annex 5 for a fuller account of the Mosley Report.
[108] In OTL this did not happen until 1947. It would be a united India at least at the outset, not India, West Pakistan and East Pakistan. See Annex 6 for a detailed picture of Indian independence and partition in TTL.
[109] In OTL the Beagle Channel dispute over the possession of the Picton, Lennox and Nueva Islands had festered since 1881. It almost bought Argentina and Chile to war in 1978 and was not finally resolved until 1984.
[110] In OTL there was no final draft of Generalplan Ost, the last known preliminary draft, the sixth, is dated 23rd December 1942, and was written by Greifelt. Much has been made of Hitler’s rambling and self contradictory soliloquies on the subject, this version is speculative and is simplified from several accounts and criticisms of his incomprehensible rantings.
[111] Not a genuine quote.
[112] This would be somewhat different from the OTL Balkan invasion, without the British encouraging opposition to the Germans, Prince Paul is not deposed after joining the Axis Pact in March 1941. Yugoslavia would then not oppose the passage of German troops through the country on their way to attack Greece. In TTL the attack would start in April and conclude two weeks later.
[113] In OTL, during WW2, Bevan constantly needled Randolph’s father on every aspect of government policy. Winston Churchill once angrily derided Bevan as ‘a squalid nuisance’ and A. A. Milne (author of Winnie the Pooh) penned the ditty. Goebbels, though not religious, must thank Heaven, for dropping in his lap, Aneurin Bevan.
[114] Not a genuine quote. In OTL Menzies was ousted as the United Australia Party leader after spending much of 1941 in Britain discussing Imperial policy. In TTL he stays at home and ensures his support base.
[115] Sorry, I just can’t resist it…
[116] In OTL the revolt was supported by the Germans and Italians with direct military aid including the sending of small numbers of aircraft. Axis support in TTL would be limited to the political and diplomatic.
[117] In OTL Reza Shah had to be bought sharply to heel by the British/Soviet invasion of 1941. In TTL he is uncharacteristically shrewd.
[118] These deposits were known about but went untapped until after WW2 in OTL.
[119] In OTL his forces were much smaller.
[120] In OTL, Soviet and British forces occupied Iran in September 1941.
[121] Not a genuine quote.
[122] In OTL he was Commissar of the Caucasian and Trans Caucasian Regions.
[123] In OTL the Muruntau gold deposit was not discovered until 1958.
[124] Gardner Cowles, an American publisher who accompanied Wendell Willkie’s visit to China in 1942 OTL when he was acting as an emissary for Franklin Roosevelt, alleges that Soong May Ling, the wife of Chinese leader Chiang Kai Shek seduced Willkie. He further alleges that Madame Chiang had a plan to use China’s wealth to support a Willkie Presidential campaign in 1944. Cowles’ main evidence is that Willkie and Soong suddenly went missing during a dinner party. Cowles claims that Soong later said, “If Wendell could be elected, then he and I would rule the world. I would rule the Orient and Wendell would rule the western world.” – Peter Carlson, ‘Wendell Willkie Romances Madame Chiang Kai-shek’ American History, Aug 2010, Vol. 45 Issue 3, pp 20–21)
[125] The OTL Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign was launched to capture Doolittle raid airmen and deny the area to US air bases.
[126] In OTL between the closing of the Burma Road in 1942 and its re-opening as the Ledo Road in 1945, foreign aid was largely limited to what could be flown in over ‘The Hump’, i.e. The Himalayas.
[127] Wei Lihuang was born on 16th February 1897. He became one of China’s most successful military leaders. He joined the Kuomintang (KMT) during the early 1920s, and was made a general after the Northern Expedition, a two year campaign to unify China. His later success during the Bandit (Communist) Suppression Campaigns of 1930 to 1934 earned him the nickname “Hundred Victories Wei”. In OTL during the Second Sino-Japanese War, he commanded the First War Area and later the Nationalist Chinese XI Group Army. He replaced General Chen Cheng as commander of the Chinese Expeditionary Force and participated in Stilwell’s offensive in northern Burma. In contrast to many of his contemporaries, he was able to work effectively with American commanders. He was much less successful during the Chinese Civil War and eventually wound up working for Mao.
[128] The Malay territories were the sultanates of Kelantan, Terengganu, Perlis and Saiburi (Kedah). The Cambodian territories were Siam Rat (Siem Reap and Oddar Meanchey) and Phra Tabong (Battambang, Pailin and Bantay Meanchy). The Shan State of Burma had never been a part of Thailand.
[129] In OTL it was 400,000
[130] This is essentiall
y the same as the OTL Operation Ichi-Go but in OTL it had no To-Go 4 component.
[131] Born in 1900, Sun Li-jen in OTL displayed exemplary courage and leadership and earned the nickname ‘The Rommel of the East’. He studied at Purdue University in Indiana and led the Chinese basketball team to an upset victory over the Philippines, in the Far Eastern Championship Games of 1921, China’s first gold medal in international basketball. As a colonel, he was wounded during the Battle of Shanghai in 1937 and was later given command of the New 38th Division which in OTL was part of the force Chiang Kai-shek sent into Burma to protect the Burma Road in 1942. There, he gained the respect of General William Slim, the Commander of the British 14th Army for his competence. Later New 38th division spearheaded Joseph Stilwell’s 1943 drive to re-conquer North Burma and re-establish the land route to China by the Ledo Road.
[132] In OTL Du Yuming commanded the Nationalist Army’s 5th Corps in the First Changsha Campaign and the Battle of South Kwangsi (Guangxi). The corps later became the Nationalist Fifth Army. For most of the Chinese Civil War, he served as a field commander in Manchuria and Eastern China but was captured during the Huai Hai Campaign and held in Communist prisons until his pardon in 1959.
[133] With a few modifications for TTL, most of this is very much based on actual German plans in OTL.
[134] This is based on two files of documents discovered in the Italian archives (Ufficio Storico Marina Militare) by Davide Pastorre and posted at comandosupremo.com. They are labelled Ministero dell’Africa Italiana - Relazione per Commissione Trattati di Pace. (Ministry of Italian Africa - Report for the Peace Treaties Commission.)
[135] In OTL May 1943 Hitler issued the “Decree Concerning Internationally Connected Men” declaring that princes could not hold positions in the party, state, or armed forces. This made Philipp of Hesse’s position quite difficult though he was not relieved of his positions and arrested until September after his father-in-law, King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, dismissed Mussolini. His wife Princess Mafalda, Victor Emmanuel’s daughter, was arrested in Italy on the German takeover and died in a concentration camp. In TTL Hitler has issued the decree but Philipp has not been dethroned or arrested. However Victor Emmanuel would still see it as an insult.
The Peace of Amiens Page 36
