Fox On The Rhine by Douglas Niles, Michael Dobson Page B
Authors: Douglas Niles, Michael Dobson
Tags: alternate history
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Excerpt from War’s Final Fury , by Professor Jared Gruenwald
(Zurich: University of Zurich Press, 1955)
The assassination of Adolf Hitler had profound effects on the farther conduct of the Second World War. It is ironic in the extreme that virtually none of them were among the objectives of the assassins.
While certainly one cannot fault the boldness of von Stauffenberg and his cohorts in terms of their military action, they were surprisingly timid in the follow through. A rational examination of the assassination plot reveals crucial weaknesses in organization and planning of the subsequent coup attempt--flaws that almost inevitably doomed the operation to failure. Also, the secrecy necessary to their survival in a totalitarian state was enough to ensure crucial delays in the activation of key elements of the coup attempt. The decision to announce the coup in coded messages broadcast to conspirators throughout Europe was a final, fatal blow--for by the time these messages were translated, the forces of the SS had already acted to fill in the vacuum of power.
And finally, the critical injuries to Rommel all but doomed the overthrow of the government to failure. Although the erstwhile field marshal was not an active participant in the plot, we now know that he wholeheartedly supported the conspirators’ objectives. He had even consented to serve as the president of the new German government, intended for installation as soon as the conspirators had removed the Nazis from positions of control. Rommel’s reputation as a capable field commander, and the respect he had earned from military and civilian quarters alike, had given him a status lacking in virtually any other potential leader. Furthermore, his powers of command and organization could have proven crucial in the key hours after Hitler’s death.
There is also considerable doubt as to whether, during that summer of violence, the leaders of the Western Allies would have softened their announced position: that nothing less than the “unconditional surrender” of Germany could bring about an end to the war in Europe. Of course, if Rommel had offered an immediate armistice on the French front, he would have dangled tempting bait ... But such questions are mere grist for historians’ debates, and we can never know the certain answer.
In any event, Heinrich Himmler inherited a situation that was dire in all respects. The enemies of the Reich were closing in from all directions (see Map), and nothing short of radical new policies could offer any hope whatsoever of triggering a reversal in history’s grim tide.
Nineteenth Armored Division Mobile Headquarters, Normandy, France, 23 July 1944, 0618 hours GMT
There was a low rumble of thunder in the distance--real thunder, not an artillery barrage this time--as Colonel James Pulaski pulled open the flap of the headquarters tent and stepped inside. He blinked at the sudden darkness, and then his eyes adjusted to the dim light. For a moment he was reminded of the confessional booth, but then the connection vanished as he focused on the military tasks before him.
There was a long table spread with maps and papers, the staff officers and their aides clustered around, working on the immense business of siting and moving an armored division.
None of the officers--or many of the men, for that matter--had slept much over the past three weeks. While it was tough enough to move an armored division under any circumstances, bringing that division to a combat zone brought a myriad of unfamiliar problems.
“Jimmy!” General King motioned him to a conference area. The division CO was an exception to the staff’s shared experience--King had been given command of the Nineteenth only three months earlier.
There were a few chairs for the senior officers. Henry Wakefield, the exec, was chewing on a cigar. Wakefield had been the acting CO until King had taken over, and he and Pulaski had always had an edgy
Excerpt from War’s Final Fury , by Professor Jared Gruenwald
(Zurich: University of Zurich Press, 1955)
The assassination of Adolf Hitler had profound effects on the farther conduct of the Second World War. It is ironic in the extreme that virtually none of them were among the objectives of the assassins.
While certainly one cannot fault the boldness of von Stauffenberg and his cohorts in terms of their military action, they were surprisingly timid in the follow through. A rational examination of the assassination plot reveals crucial weaknesses in organization and planning of the subsequent coup attempt--flaws that almost inevitably doomed the operation to failure. Also, the secrecy necessary to their survival in a totalitarian state was enough to ensure crucial delays in the activation of key elements of the coup attempt. The decision to announce the coup in coded messages broadcast to conspirators throughout Europe was a final, fatal blow--for by the time these messages were translated, the forces of the SS had already acted to fill in the vacuum of power.
And finally, the critical injuries to Rommel all but doomed the overthrow of the government to failure. Although the erstwhile field marshal was not an active participant in the plot, we now know that he wholeheartedly supported the conspirators’ objectives. He had even consented to serve as the president of the new German government, intended for installation as soon as the conspirators had removed the Nazis from positions of control. Rommel’s reputation as a capable field commander, and the respect he had earned from military and civilian quarters alike, had given him a status lacking in virtually any other potential leader. Furthermore, his powers of command and organization could have proven crucial in the key hours after Hitler’s death.
There is also considerable doubt as to whether, during that summer of violence, the leaders of the Western Allies would have softened their announced position: that nothing less than the “unconditional surrender” of Germany could bring about an end to the war in Europe. Of course, if Rommel had offered an immediate armistice on the French front, he would have dangled tempting bait ... But such questions are mere grist for historians’ debates, and we can never know the certain answer.
In any event, Heinrich Himmler inherited a situation that was dire in all respects. The enemies of the Reich were closing in from all directions (see Map), and nothing short of radical new policies could offer any hope whatsoever of triggering a reversal in history’s grim tide.
Nineteenth Armored Division Mobile Headquarters, Normandy, France, 23 July 1944, 0618 hours GMT
There was a low rumble of thunder in the distance--real thunder, not an artillery barrage this time--as Colonel James Pulaski pulled open the flap of the headquarters tent and stepped inside. He blinked at the sudden darkness, and then his eyes adjusted to the dim light. For a moment he was reminded of the confessional booth, but then the connection vanished as he focused on the military tasks before him.
There was a long table spread with maps and papers, the staff officers and their aides clustered around, working on the immense business of siting and moving an armored division.
None of the officers--or many of the men, for that matter--had slept much over the past three weeks. While it was tough enough to move an armored division under any circumstances, bringing that division to a combat zone brought a myriad of unfamiliar problems.
“Jimmy!” General King motioned him to a conference area. The division CO was an exception to the staff’s shared experience--King had been given command of the Nineteenth only three months earlier.
There were a few chairs for the senior officers. Henry Wakefield, the exec, was chewing on a cigar. Wakefield had been the acting CO until King had taken over, and he and Pulaski had always had an edgy
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