Hitler's War

What if the Second World War had started in 1938?

The two sides of the Spanish civil war are still locked in a blood-soaked stalemate. Stalin s purge of the Red Army is barely underway. And Neville Chamberlain sickened by the arrogance and duplicity of the Germans does not return from Munich waving the piece of paper that would give the Czech arms factories to Hitler and postpone the war until 1939.

On October 1, German tanks cross the Czech frontier, touching off declarations of war from France, from England, from the USSR. Poland, fearing the Russians more than Hitler, declares war on the German side. Soon Fascist Spain attacks Gibraltar, the Japanese army crosses the Manchurian frontier into Siberia . . . and the British Army sets off for France, which has launched a pre-emptive attack on the Rhineland.

The war we know as World War II has begun a year early, in an entirely different way.

“With shocking vividness, Turtledove demonstrates the extreme fragility of our modern world . . . This is state-of-the-art alternate history, nothing less”

Turtledove plays heady games with actual history, scattering object lessons and bitter ironies along the way. Strong, complex characters against a sweeping alt-historical background. - Kirkus Reviews on RETURN ENGAGEMENTS

- Publishers Weekly on HOW FEW REMAIN)

Harry Turtledove has lived in Southern California all his life He has a Ph.D. in history from the University of California at Los Angeles and has taught at UCLA, California State Fullerton and California State University, Los Angeles. He has written many works of speculative fiction and fantasy. He is married to the novelist Laura Frankos and they have three daughters.

What if the Second World War had started in 1938? The two sides of the Spanish civil war are still locked in a blood-soaked stalemate. Stalin s purge of the Red Army is barely underway. And Neville Chamberlain sickened by the arrogance and duplicity of the Germans does not return from Munich waving the piece of paper that would give the Czech arms factories to Hitler and postpone the war until 1939. On October 1, German tanks cross the Czech frontier, touching off declarations of war from France, from England, from the USSR. Poland, fearing the Russians more than Hitler, declares war on the German side. Soon Fascist Spain attacks Gibraltar, the Japanese army crosses the Manchurian frontier into Siberia . . . and the British Army sets off for France, which has launched a pre-emptive attack on the Rhineland. The war we know as World War II has begun a year early, in an entirely different way.

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