Third Reich Victorious: Alternate Decisions of World War II

by Forrest R. Lindsey, John D. Burtt, Paddy Griffith, et al.

Book Overview

This collection of alternate history scenarios looks at what would have happened if, for example, the Germans had captured the whole of the BEF at Dunkirk, the RAF had been defeated in the Battle of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345490150
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 316 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.9" x 0.9" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Not quite "Victorious"

The title is a tad misleading in that most of the scenarios the author offers do not include the Third Reich actually winning the war but merely delaying their defeat. I suppose there is something in our collective consciousness that prohibits us from contemplating a Nazi path to victory but isn't a book like this the platform for such an intellectual exercise? In looking back at the war there were many opportunities for the Nazis to win the war or to at least hold onto their gains. In the book, "Lost Victories" by Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, many of these squandered opportunities are explored. Frankly, buy THAT book and you'll have a better and more satisfying read than I did with this one. This is a nice pastime and I still recommend it, but it is not as good as it could be.

A generally solid read...

Peter Tsouras is a good writer as proven by his earlier effort "Disaster at D-Day," an excellent story of what could have happened at Normandy in 1944. He took a few critical 'what ifs' and extrapolated on them to produce a sound alternative to actual history. His work as an editor was not quite up to this level of excellence however. Most of the stories are chosen are interesting and some of them are real gems. Many military enthusaists have wondered about the what ifs like Turkeys entrance into the War on the Axis' side, if the Luftwaffe had continued to hit the battered RAF instead of going after the cities during the Blitz etc. Also the military aspects are well researched and small details show the attention paid to this aspect of the stories. Other stories are real stretches, such as the before mentioned Hitler as a naval enthusaist. The Russian first strike into German occupied Europe is a good read but Zhukov was by no means the eminent Soviet leader then he would be by 43-44. No way at that time would he have led an invading Soviet force. Most of these are simply quibbles, the book is a good read overall and worth purchasing. There is some very good stories here and even the less probable are well written. Enjoy!

Mostly solid collection of alternate histories

Third Reich Victorious is a collection of alternate history stories (companion to Rising Sun Victorious) about World War 2. It contains ten stories of alternate outcomes, with either the Germans winning in Europe or else still losing, but having it take much longer to finish the war.Most of the stories are thoughtful and interesting, although a few stretched belief. For instance, in the first one, Germany wins through sea power where a young Hitler becomes a naval officer rather than in the infantry. He also loses his racism against the Jews after a lecture by an admired NCO. Basically, it's not the same Nazi Germany here. Well that seems easy to write, when everything is different. I prefer alternate stories where you're basically dealing with the same personalities and they just happen to make a different choice than they did historically, or they excute better.There are many well written stories here though and all stories are well footnoted, which the reader will appreciate greatly. Very nice.

A real view

A real eye opener.This is real alternate history. Each of the selected articles could actually have happened. Though I do have my reservations on how the Germans might have reacted to a Soviet Invasion. Adolf Hitler had a habit of demanding Stand and Fight Regardless of situation, such as Stalingrad. More German soldiers probably died because of his lack of insight than allied military genius. And the sight of Rommel just exploding at the sights of Dachau, like his American counterparts did after the war. Dachau was not that bad yet. Auschwitz or Majdanek would have been a better place to put him in scene. Over all, this is a great book on what could have been had chance gone a different direction.

Standard Alternate History

Nothing really special here, folks. A standard series of scenarios on an alternate history topic that's been done to death. On the other hand, most of the scenarios are decently written, and some are actually quite original. If you enjoy this book, you should also enjoy its companion book, Rising Sun Victorious, by the same author.