Invasion: The Alternate History of the German Invasion of England, July 1940 (Greenhill Military Paperbacks)

Rating:
Summary: A Well-Written, If Somewhat Unlikely Alternative History
Review: A well-written hypothetical account on what if the German Whermacht had launched Operation Sealion in July 1940 right after the fall of France. In this version, the Germans land two infantry divisions near Dover and drop the 7th Airborne Division. In short, the British counterattack fails, the Germans land their armor and British resistance collapses after about two weeks. Macksey includes good military detail, but he tends to portray most British actions as half-hearted and inept. The sea battles go far too well for the Germans and the Royal Navy doesn't put in a good effort. The whole concept of a German invasion of England resides in accepting that the Germans could cross the English Channel in the face of desperate British resistance. Unfortunately, Macksey doesn't really convince the reader that the Kriegsmarine could do this. Macksey is a former armor officer and the parts covering ground operations are the best, but the naval chapters are weak. Logistic issues are glossed over. Interesting, but a bit far-fetched. Maps are excellent and will be appreciated by military historians.

Rating:
Summary: Invasion a masterpiece combining fact with fiction
Review: Having read and researched material on World War Two for most of my adult life I found Mr. Macksey's work, Invasion, extremely interesting and enjoyable. It was a hard book to put down, especially when the fate of the Wehrmacht's campaign to conquer Britain seemed to hang by a thin thread when the British Army almost pushed the German's back to the beaches and into the Channel. Also when Hitler considered abandoning the invasion and recalling his forces only to be told that there would be no evacuation, that the five divisions already in England had only one choice and that was to advance. Having lived in London I can understand why no military commander would wish his forces to fight through the maze of boulevards, streets and alley ways that make up the city, it would be worse than grain elevators at Staingrad. Macksey did a thorough research of material with facts that: Britain's strength was at a very low ebb in June of 1940, that the Army was not ready to face a determined invader, that to secure assistance from the United States she would have to yield over control of her colonies, especially in the Caribbean. That contrary to popular belief the British Fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley had no intention of cooperating, being a Quisling, with the occupying German forces. Where I can see that Major General Fuller would have been a choice to head the British Government, under German control, I have also read accounts where Samuel John Gurney Hoare would have been a possible. On that subject I have even read that Duke and Duchess of Windsor would have been invited by Hitler to accept the British Throne and rule as king and queen. I found that 1940: Myth and Reality by Clive Ponting an excellent precursor to reading Invasion. Again Mr. Macksey presents a very viable account of "what if" had taken place in history and one that I pleased to have in my library.

Rating:
Summary: An Alternative History Classic
Review: I love this book, having bought it many years ago and still find myself periodically re-reading it. Sure, Macksey's premise is weak, for the Germans were in no position to launch an improvised and scaled down version of Operation Sealion in July, 1940. Likewise, the author never quite adequately covers the all-important naval dimension of the campaign and unpersuasively permits the Germans control of the Dover Straits. Nevertheless, it is a great read that moves along at a good clip. A nice companion to Peter Tsouras's "Disaster at D-Day".

Rating:
Summary: An Alternative History Classic
Review: I love this book, having bought it many years ago and still find myself periodically re-reading it. Sure, Macksey's premise is weak, for the Germans were in no position to launch an improvised and scaled down version of Operation Sealion in July, 1940. Likewise, the author never quite adequately covers the all-important naval dimension of the campaign and unpersuasively permits the Germans control of the Dover Straits. Nevertheless, it is a great read that moves along at a good clip. A nice companion to Peter Tsouras's "Disaster at D-Day".

Rating:
Summary: Interesting but flawed
Review: This book is a very interesting examination of the possibility of a German invasion of Britain in July 1940. Unfortunately, the treatment of the British defense feels as though he is not making decisions based upon what is likely to have happened, but rather what would make the telling of the story more exciting. In particular, one gets the feeling that British couldn't defend themselves against a lone German soldier with a dull rusty spear. And his treatment of the RN (Royal Navy) has a similar feel to it. One has to remember that in our timeline the British fought the Battle of Britain and stood firm in the summer of 1940, but there is none of that British courage and competence here, while the Germans get all the breaks. I recommend reading it, but don't hope for too much.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting but flawed
Review: This book is a very interesting examination of the possibility of a German invasion of Britain in July 1940. Unfortunately, the treatment of the British defense feels as though he is not making decisions based upon what is likely to have happened, but rather what would make the telling of the story more exciting. In particular, one gets the feeling that British couldn't defend themselves against a lone German soldier with a dull rusty spear. And his treatment of the RN (Royal Navy) has a similar feel to it. One has to remember that in our timeline the British fought the Battle of Britain and stood firm in the summer of 1940, but there is none of that British courage and competence here, while the Germans get all the breaks. I recommend reading it, but don't hope for too much.

Rating:
Summary: Very Good, but Sometimes Hard to Follow
Review: This book presents a believable vision of a German invasion of Britain at a time when her economy hadn't yet shifted to wartime industry and she was at her most vulnerable. Complaints have been raised in a prior review that it lacks military accuracy, but as a lay reader I found it enjoyable, and I couldn't find the historical faults on a bet.

That said, I didn't get as much out of it as I could have. It was obviously written to be read by a military historian, or at least someone with more of a backing in military history than I'm blessed with. Technical details that Macksey throws out without a backward glance seem to assume I know one WWII fighter plane from another instead of being a dreamer out for an afternoon read of a fanciful speculation.

This book is for military historians at heart. Civilians won't be unable to get it -- I enjoyed it, after all -- but may find themselves lost from time to time. If you have any friends familiar with military history, enlist their help and you may have an easier time of it.

Rating:
Summary: The Best
Review: This was the first Alternate History book that I read, and to me, it has always been the best. The story details a successful invasion of Great Britain in 1940, from the planning stages through the air battles, the glider landings, the beach crossings, and the eventual surrender of London.

The text is helped enormously by several detailed maps that enable the reader to completely understand the author's view of what he believes would happen. I found the story completely plausible, well-written, and I agree with the conclusions reached by the author. A previous reviewer wrote that it seemed to him as if the author portrayed the British Army in England as not being able to defend against a single German soldier with a rusty spear. The fact of the matter is that that isn't far from the truth.

The Royal Navy in the book comes through as rather shallow, but I would not disagree much with the author's conclusions. The Royal Navy could not stop an Operation Sealion with the entire force of Kriegsmarine and Luftwaffe facing it. It could only hope to slow it enough to help the British Army destroy the landings, a possibility slim at best.

I agree that a German invasion would succeed, albeit at slightly higher casualties in both men and naval forces than the author has portrayed, but I cannot disagree with his conclusion. I had no problems with the book, excepting one. I wanted more!