Alternative World War II history . Germany and its sphere of influence are in red; the United States and its sphere of influence in blue; China and Switzerland in yellow Throughout the novel, Harris gradually explains, in a fictional
backstory, the developments that allowed Germany to prevail in World War II. He explains in the author's notes that except for the backstories of the fictitious characters, the narrative describes reality up to 1942, after which it is fictional. A significant early
point of divergence is that Heydrich survived the assassination attempt by Czechoslovak fighters in May 1942 (
he was killed in reality) and later became
head of the SS. The Nazi offensives on the
Eastern Front ultimately pushed back the Soviet forces, with the
Case Blue operation succeeding in capturing the
Caucasus and cutting the
Red Army off from its
petroleum reserves by summer of 1942, eventually defeating the Soviet Union in the spring of 1943. The Nazis also found that the
Enigma machine code had been
broken, recalling the entire U-boat fleet for a time to discontinue its use. A subsequent massive
U-boat campaign against Britain then succeeded in starving the British into surrender by 1944. In the novel,
Princess Elizabeth and the
Prime Minister Winston Churchill fled into exile in
Canada. Elizabeth now claims the throne from her uncle
Edward VIII, who regained the British throne with
Wallis Simpson as his queen. The US defeated
Japan and
used nuclear weapons, as in real life. Germany in return fired a non-nuclear "
V-3" missile to explode in the skies over
New York City to demonstrate its ability to attack the
Continental United States with long-range missiles. Thus, after a peace treaty in 1946, the war ends. There is a reference to a brutal regime having taken power in
China, though its ideology and leader are never stated.
Alternative postwar history The fictional backstory describes how, after victory is achieved, Germany
reorganises Europe east of Poland into
Reichskommissariats. After the
Treaty of Rome is signed, both
Western Europe and
Northern Europe are corralled into a trade bloc, the
European Community (EC). By 1964, the United States and the Greater German Reich are involved in a
Cold War. The action of the novel takes place from 14 to 20 April 1964, as Germany prepares for Hitler's 75th birthday celebrations, which are to take place on the latter date. A visit by US President Joseph P. Kennedy is planned as part of a gradual
détente between the United States and Germany.
The Holocaust has been officially explained away as merely the relocation of the
Jews "east", where infrastructure and communications remain far more primitive than in central Europe. Many in 1960s Germany suspect the government to have eliminated the Jews, but are generally too unconcerned about the event or too afraid of the authorities to say or to do anything. The outside world suspects the Holocaust, but doubt has been sown thanks to educated German diplomats offering various explanations for any witnesses that have escaped German territory and no hard proof exists. Kennedy, however, remains neutral to avoid further damaging relations and refers only to vague "human rights violations" that he wishes to discuss when he visits Berlin.
Greater German Reich and international politics The first few pages of the novel feature two maps: one of the city centre of Berlin and another of the extent of the massively expanded Greater German Reich, which stretches from
Alsace-Lorraine ("
Westmark") in the west to the
Ural Mountains and lower
Caucasus in the east, with specific locations mentioned in the novel marked. The Reich has retained
Austria (now called "
Ostmark"),
Slovenia, the
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia and
Luxembourg (now called "
Moselland"). In the east, most of
Poland is still ruled as a colony as the
General Government, and the former Soviet territories west of the Urals have been divided into four Reichkommissariats: •
Ostland (
Belarus and the
Baltic states) •
Ukraine, including
Odessa, the
Generalkommissariat Taurida (Southern
Ukraine) and the
Crimea, now called
Gotenland •
Muscovy (from
Moscow to the Urals) •
Caucasus. Also mentioned is a German
naval base in
Trondheim,
Norway, where the Reich's nuclear submarines are based. Berlin has been extensively redeveloped by
Albert Speer, in accordance with
Hitler's visions for reshaping Berlin as a living monument to the Third Reich's political, economic and military power. The colossal
Volkshalle dominates the Berlin skyline, able to house over 150,000 people in its vast interior. 10 million residents live in the city, which features numerous monuments and memorials, many of which are deliberately made to dwarf famous foreign counterparts, such as an arch specifically made several times larger than the
Arc de Triomphe in Paris. A greatly reduced Soviet
rump state still exists, with its capital in
Omsk. The US covertly supplies it with weapons and funds, which allow the
Soviets to tie down German forces in the Urals. Although the official position of the state is that final victory is near, the war in the East is taking a dire toll. Partisans remain active across "conquered" Soviet territory, and it has become standard practice to have trains bringing back German dead to arrive late at night in order to limit the public's awareness of the 20-year war's cost. The countries of western and northern Europe have formed the European Community (EC), a pro-German economic bloc with its parliament located in Berlin. It is made up of
Portugal,
Spain,
France,
Ireland (which has reunited with
Northern Ireland), the
United Kingdom,
Belgium, the
Netherlands,
Italy,
Denmark,
Norway,
Sweden and
Finland, now encompassing
Karelia and
Murmansk Oblast. The EC countries, despite being nominally free nations under their own governments and leaders, are politically subordinate to Germany in all but name. This is symbolised by the German flag flown over the Berlin headquarters being twice as large as those of the other member states. Even the Balkan states, outside the EC, are still subject to German
diktats. These include
Croatia,
Romania,
Hungary,
Bulgaria and
Serbia. The Reich had initially
planned to annex Switzerland, but as the tensions of the Cold War set in, Switzerland became convenient neutral ground for diplomacy, and for American and German intelligence agents to spy on each other. It is thus one of the last states in Europe with a foreign policy that is independent of Berlin. The United States is locked in a Cold War with Germany. Since the end of WWII, both superpowers have developed nuclear and space technologies. The United States is said not to have participated in the
Olympic Games since
1936, but is expected to return in 1964. The stalemate between Germany and the United States seems to overshadow international relations. New German buildings are constructed with mandatory
bomb shelters, and the claims to have been built to withstand a direct missile hit.
Nazi society German foreign policy concentrates on ending the Cold War. Hitler has taken some steps to soften his image over the years and now usually wears civilian clothes, instead of the party uniform. Nonetheless, no substantive changes have taken place in the regime's basic character. The
Reichstag Fire Decree and the
Enabling Act of 1933, the legal basis for Hitler's dictatorship, remain in effect, and the press, radio and television are all
tightly controlled. The bedrock of Nazi ideology is still the policy of blaming subversive and minority groups for Germany's economic and social problems.
Christianity is still
permitted in the German Reich, but the Gestapo keeps record of all who attend church services. Homosexuals are sent to labour camps, and Judaism is totally eradicated. Propaganda has previously depicted the United States to be
corrupt, degenerate and poor. However, the imminent diplomatic meeting between Hitler and Kennedy forces German propaganda to shift to a more positive image of the United States and its people. Despite its ideological and moral decline, Germany maintains a high standard of living, having built an empire at the expense of the rest of Europe. European satellite states export high-quality consumer goods to Germany (noted imports are domestic electronics from Britain) and also provide services, such as an
SS academy in
Oxford and imported domestic staff. Hitler's personal tastes in
art and
music remain the norm for German society. Military service remains compulsory, as Germany is still at war with a rump
Soviet Union east of the Urals. As the first generation of Nazi leaders who founded the party and came to power alongside Hitler begins to die off, Nazi officials are increasingly well-educated technocrats in the mould of
Albert Speer. The police force (the
Orpo, or uniformed police, and the
Kripo, or criminal investigation bureau) is integrated with the SS, with police officers having honorary SS ranks. According to the main characters, however, German society in the early 1960s is becoming more and more rebellious. The younger generation has no memory of
the instability that paved the way for Hitler's rise to power. American and British cultural influence and growing
pacifism have taken hold among German youth.
Jazz music is still popular, and the German government claims to have come up with a version which is free from "
Negroid influence". In spite of the general repression,
the Beatles' real-life
Hamburg engagements occur in the novel and have already been denounced in the state-controlled
press. Germany is periodically attacked by resistance terrorists, with officials assassinated and civilian airliners bombed in-flight. Universities are centres of student dissent, with opposition movements such as the
White Rose being once again active. Nazi organisations such as
Kraft durch Freude still exist and fulfill their original roles such as providing holidays to resort areas under German control. German citizens are still encouraged to contribute to the
Winterhilfswerk. A sprawling transport network covers the entire Reich, including a vast
autobahn and
railway network in the manner of the real-life proposed
Breitspurbahn system, which carries immense trains.
Technology The level of technology in the novel's 1960s is much the same as in real life. The German military uses
jet aircraft,
nuclear submarines, and
aircraft carriers; civilian technology has also advanced considerably. Jet airliners,
televisions,
coffee machines and
photocopiers are used in Germany. The use of photocopiers is restricted to track their use in case they are utilised by dissidents. Both the United States and Germany appear to have sophisticated space technology. Germany's space program is based at the
old rocket-testing facility at
Peenemünde, on the Baltic coast. The extent of space exploration is not specified, but a conversation between March and Maguire suggests that Germany is justified in boasting about being ahead of the US in the
Space Race. ==Critical evaluations==