Conversation with Fleetlord Atvar

[melbourne1]

Part 46: The last hours of existence of the British Empire.


Time: May 23rd . 1942.


Location: Inside the killercraft of the Race, which is flying from FleetLord Atvar's flagship to London, England.


His seat inside the aircraft was uncomfortable. And so was the temperature = it was too hot. Sir Winston Churchill , Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, did not mind those things= after all, the designers of this aircraft many thousands of years ago, did not even know that people would fly inside them in the future . And the hot weather reminded Sir Winston of his youth , of battles in Sudan , India and South Africa.


While the war against the Boers took longer than expected, it , and other wars , which he now remembered , ended in the victories for the British Empire. An Empire, which was now living it's last hours. As recently as same time 2 days ago, Sir Winston was sure , that the British Empire could still survive. Yes, it is true that Great Britain spent a lot of money on fighting the Nazis. And while the USA was giving Lend Lease to both Great Britain and to the USSR, before this happened , he was forced to agree to sell British property in the USA to the Americans at extremely discounted prices.


He also had to agree to the humiliation of signing an Atlantic Charter last August. Sir Winston wished that he could have said ''no' to president Roosevelt. Since the Atlantic Charter, with it's talk of self-determination of nations , was a direct attack on the British Empire , just as it was an attack on other colonial Empires of the countries which the Nazis captured= those of France, Belgium and Holland. Still, Sir Winston agreed with signing of the Atlantic charter , agreed to other demands of the USA, since he needed the help of the Americans to defeat Adolf Hitler. Who , since the morning of yesterday, was, thankfully, dead.


Note:


Killercraft is the name of the small spaceship/ military aircraft of the Race in Harry Turtledove's Worldwar series of books.

[melbourne1]

Part 47: FleetLord Atvar's ultimatum to Great Britain was simple.


Time: May 23rd . 1942.


Location: Inside the killercraft of the Race, which is flying from FleetLord Atvar's flagship to London, England.


As the aircraft was flying towards London, Sir Winston Churchill continued to think about his conversation with the FleetLord Atvar's and it's consequences. Atvar's ultimatum to Great Britain was simple: Only England, Scotland, Wales , Channel islands in the English Channel and Northern Ireland, would remain British. Everything else which is now officially British , or occupied by British troops, such as formerly Vichy French Syria ,would in less than 48 hours, belong to the Race. In less than 24 hours, British troops would have to start going home, to Britain.


Sir Winston tried to save at least some parts of the British Empire, such as Gibraltar, but he failed: '' Prime Minister'' answered FleetLord Atvar '' A failure to accept the ultimatum of the Race right now , without any changes, would mean your country losing more territory. I am sure , for example that the new subjects of the Emperor, who are living in the new Race province of Ireland, would like to see their province expanded to include Northern Ireland. As for Gibraltar, as you know, the new subjects of the Emperor, who are living in the Race province of Spain suffered a lot during their Civil war from 1936 to 1939. The return of Gibraltar to Spain would be my gift to the Spanish people. ''


Sir Winston could have argued that he cannot accept the ultimatum himself. That , for example, he needs the approval first of his ministers, than the majority of the members of Parliament. Especially, since his Conservative party is now in coalition with the Labour party. But Winston Churchill did not say this to FleetLord Atvar. He saw that happened to Hitler and Stalin. And what happened to Red army units, which refused to surrender to the Race and to new Russian government of General Denikin. He knew how strong the invaders from Space were. So , Sir Winston accepted Atvar's ultimatum.

[melbourne1]

Part 48: Last weeks as Prime Minister.


Time: May 24th . 1942.


Location: Prime Minister's office, British Parliament, London, England.


The results of the just concluded meeting with his former deputy Prime Minister , Clement Attlee, did not surprise Sir Winston Churchill. As expected, the leader of the Labour party, requested that the unity government , which existed since May 10th , 1940, be dissolved and new election be held as soon as possible. Winston Churchill agreed. The new British general election , the first since 1935, will happen on August 6th, 1942.


There were several reasons , why Sir Winston expected his Conservative party to lose this election. One of them would be the questions , which would surely be asked during the election campaign: '' If the Labour party presents such great danger to the British economy, then why did you agree to form a unity government with them, which existed for 2 years? If , as you claim , Clement Attlee is unable to say ''no' to extreme Socialists inside his own party, then why did you agree to him becoming your deputy Prime -Minister? ''


Sir Winston, already knew how he would answer those and similar questions. And it would be the truth. But not the whole truth. There was another major reason as to why he agreed to the unity government with Labour 2 years ago , despite knowing that it will make the job of winning the next election harder. A major reason, which he would never admit to anyone: Sir Winston needed Labour party as part of the unity government of Britain to protect his own job.


Sir Winston knew , that the majority of the Conservative members of Parliament in May of 1940 , would have preferred Lord Halifax becoming Prime Minister , instead of himself. And while Lord Halifax himself would no longer be a rival to Churchill, after becoming ambassador to the USA, there were other high ranking appeasers among Conservative members of Parliament . Who wanted to replace him as Prime Minister and stop the war against Hitler. Or, even those like Sir Horace Wilson, who wanted Great Britain not only to stop the war against Hitler's Germany , but join the Nazis in their war against the USSR.


Forming the unity government 2 years ago between the Conservative and Labour parties also helped Sir Winston Churchill to remain Prime Minister. And he still considered it a correct decision 2 years later . Despite now, in 1942, it was making his job of fighting an election, harder.

[melbourne1]

Part 49: The End of Certainty for Josip Broz Tito


Time: June 10th . 1942


Location: Sid, the Race territory of Serbia. [ a town on the border with the Independent State of Croatia.]


Ever since becoming a Communist 25 years ago, Josip Broz Tito had certainty in his life. He was always certain that his side, the Communist side in the struggle against many enemies, would win. And until the murder of Stalin by the Race on May 22, nothing , absolutely nothing could reduce this certainty.


For example , as the leaders of England and France realised in 1939, that appeasement of Hitler would not work after the Nazis violated the Munich agreement and Europe faced an ever increasing risk of another big war , so soon after the end of the Great war in 1918, Josip Broz Tito was not afraid for the future. On the contrary , he and his comrades welcomed the war , which started in September of 1939. After all , the Great war led to a Communist revolution in Russia. And pushed Germany very close to victorious Communist revolution. There was also a Communist revolution in Hungary. Even the mighty British Empire, despite winning the war, did show it's first signs of weakness by being forced to allow most of Ireland to become independent and to allow Turkey to become independent too.


Despite this meaning both British troops having to leave the territory of the future Turkish republic and England having to accept the defeat of it's ally Greece. The Second World war would have weakened the Capitalists even more, hopefully leading to most or even all Europe becoming Communist. Despite the Nazis winning victories and controlling huge territory on May 21st , 1942 the leader of the Jugoslav Communist party , Josip Broz Tito, was sure that Stalin's plan for Communist revolution was working.


Note:


The idea of Communists [at least some of them] welcoming the start of the Second World war, is from this book:

Diary of a Dead Man on Leave by David Downing

[melbourne1]

Part 50: A world , which has changed in a way truly unimaginable a month ago.


Time: June 10th . 1942


Location: Sid, the Race territory of Serbia. [ a town on the border with the Independent State of Croatia.]


As Josip Broz Tito was walking from Sid's railway station to his friend's house, he was again thinking about the events which happened on May 22nd, 1942 A day, he was sure, which would separate history into before and after as much as the assassination of archduke Franz Ferdinand dd in 1914, for example.


At first, Tito and his comrades did not believe the news of the death of Stalin. Nazi controlled radio from occupied Belgrade did tell a lot of lies before. However, later this sad news were confirmed by the BBC radio from London. The joy of the Nazis of hearing of the the death of the leader of the USSR, soon turned in despair , as it was soon followed by the news of the death of Adolf Hitler and the anti -Nazi coup in Germany.


Those news were hard to believe = Hitler and Stalin being killed in a single day and the German army quickly taking power in Germany. However, even more astounding news were quickly followed. Large areas of Earth were invaded and conquered by the Aliens , who came from Space , looked like large lizards, and called themselves ''the Race. ''


Josip Broz Tito fought in the Russian Civil war. He was sure, that his enemies, the Whites were defeated forever. However, in yet another surprise, the Lizards decided to help General Denikin , one of the commanders of the largest White armies in the Civil war , to gain power in Russia. The photo of White- Blue-Red flag of the Whites, flying on top of the building in Moscow, where Vladimir Lenin and Josef Stalin lived and worked , told Josip Broz Tito as clearly as anything , that he is now living in a new world. A world , which has changed in a way truly unimaginable a month ago.

[melbourne1]

Part 51: The Germans retreated from Serbia = at least this has gone according to plan


Location: Sid, the Race territory of Serbia. [ a town on the border with the Independent State of Croatia.]


Time: June 10th . 1942


Following the quick victory of the anti-Nazi coup in Germany, the new German Government of general Halder ordered the retreat of German troops from Serbia. At least this had gone according to Tito's plan. Even if the German rule in Serbia has been replaced with the rule of the Lizards , and not with the Communist rule . But the disappointment in Tito's life, unfortunately happened during the last year , was not something new. It started even before the arrival of the Race.


Very soon after the Germans invaded the USSR on June 22nd, 1941 , comrade Stalin ordered the Communists in Yugoslavia to unite with the troops , which were loyal to the former Yugoslav King, who was in London. Which were usually known by the old Serb name for soldiers = Chetniks. While the idea of Communist Partisans and Royalist Chetniks fighting the Nazis together, certainly made sense in theory, the hostility between them , which existed before the German invasion of Yugoslavia ensured that this Alliance existed for a few months only.


The Race now ruled Serbia instead of King Peter 2nd. Who continued to live in London. But the anti- Communist Chetniks must be very happy now anyway , since the Lizards killed Stalin and the USSR no longer existed. Especially since general Denikin now ruled Russia. As Josip Broz Tito was thinking this, he did not yet know, that this prediction would be very soon confirmed.

[melbourne1]

Part 52: Tito listens to radio from Russia in Sid.


Location: Sid, the Race territory of Serbia. [ a town on the border with the Independent State of Croatia.]


Time: June 10th . 1942


As Josip Broz Tito was getting closer to his friend's house, he was surprised to hear radio speaking loudly and clearly in Russian language. The Communist party was declared illegal in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia in July of 1921. Listening to radio from USSR was a crime too. And it remained a crime , with even harsher punishment, after the German invasion in 1941


Sure, the Yugoslav Communists , especially Tito himself as party leader , did listen to radio from the Soviet Union. But, when inside a town, city or even village, it was done quitely, so no enemies could hear this and denounce them to the King's Government or later, to the Nazi occupiers. Looks like the rules changed with the arrival of the Race and the death of Stalin. Maybe the Lizards did not care yet as to which foreign radio the people in Serbia listened to? Or , since the Race helped the Whites to gain power in Russia, Denikin's radio was considered allied and thus allowed in Serbia?


Tito stopped walking and started listening to the radio, presumably from Moscow. What it said, did not surprise Tito. It talked how life was getting better for the Russians after the end of Communism. However much Tito wanted to dismiss all what he has just heard as enemy lies, he knew that sometimes even the enemy told the truth. For example , the Germans were right when they condemned the British crimes in India. Indeed , ironically when talking about India, the Nazis often provided the same examples as the Yugoslav Communists did, before England and USSR, and thus Communists world wide, became allies on June 22nd, 1941.

Note:

The posts in this thread were first written in another internet Forum . I might write a few new posts, after I finish moving posts from my second story to this Forum. If any one is interested, my second story can be read here: ASB changes history in Russia in August of 1991