A fascinating question of history is what might have happened had Neville
Chamberlain not resigned in May 1940 but continued on as British prime
minister, with Winston Churchill never taking command. What would have
happened during the blitz as bombs and rockets exploded all over London,
killing and maiming men, women and children?
After careful consideration, the following is a virtual history of the
London blitz without Churchill:
As the rockets begin to land and explode around London, Chamberlain
announces that he recognizes the German Reich and the right of Germany
to set up its own state in areas released from Czech and Polish occupation.
Britain appeals to Hitler to arrest those enemies of peace who are launching
rockets at London. Chamberlain appeals to the political leaders of the
Reich to denounce the rocket terror and begin negotiations to end the attacks.
Hitler insists he is trying his best to stop the violence but is having
trouble controlled the radicals who have taken over the German parliament.
The British foreign minister agrees. To help calm the situation, the British
government agrees to send food and medicine to Germany. The RAF targets
and assassinates some Luftwaffe pilots and base personnel, but several
German civilians are killed; Britain is denounced for this by the international
community and by the British Labor Party.
Hitler speaks at a large rally in Nuremberg anв exhorts the masses to
remember the martyred German pilots who were killed while dropping bombs
on London, and to strive to continue their mission. Chamberlain praises
Hitler.s speech for exhibiting moderation and restraint. He begins sending
small arms to the Germans to help control the > anti-peace German underground
opposition groups.
During a lull in the bombings, Chamberlain makes a speech in which he
says he is more concerned about the invasion of Britain by Hollywood movies
than he is by buzz bombs (to be echoed decades later in an Oslo-era speech
by Shimon Peres in which Peres would say he is far more worried about the
infiltration into Israel of cable television than the infiltration of terrorists).
When more bombs explode, the calls increase inside Britain to strike
back at Germany. The British Union for German Human rights denounces this
as racism and bigotry.
Chamberlain points out that massive retaliation would be the very worst
option possible. Britain must endeavor to make peace with its German peace
partners, not feed the fires of hatred. This is the only way to achieve
a New Middle Europe, he insists. And besides, if Hitler is not supported
and strengthened, an even more radical and violent leader will emerge in
Germany.
As more rockets fall, Chamberlain points out that the dead are simply
martyrs for peace and Britain must carry on with its peace process, since
there is no alternative. A pro-German member of the British parliament
travels to Berlin and calls for Britain.s annihilation. Chamberlain allows
Oswald Mosley.s fascist party to run in the election. Mosley.s people exercise
hegemony over the British universities and the media.
After more rockets explode, Chamberlain loses his temper and decides
to take action at last. He assigns extra police to guard the Underground
stations in London. He orders British critics of his peace process to be
arrested for criminal incitement against the government, accusing the critics
of undermining peace efforts and endangering security. Chamberlain meets
with British antiwar poets and writers and they issue an appeal to the
British public to remain firm in the face of adversity and continue to
strive for peace. Stiff British upper lip and all that.
Chamberlain again appeals to President Hitler, as the legitimate leader
of the Teutonic peoples, to arrest those responsible for the rocket aggressions.
But he reminds British citizens that the unbearable alternative to negotiations
with the Reich would be to send British soldiers back into the territories
of Central Europe. Teams of pro-German professors from British universities
tour the world demanding a boycott of all commerce and trade with Britain.
More rockets land. Chamberlain proposes speeding up the peace process
and disarming the Royal Navy as a show of good will. The representatives
of Vichy France come for a state visit, congratulating Chamberlain and
the British and German peoples for their devotion to peace in the face
of provocation.
Some more rockets land. Chamberlain proposes, as a retaliatory measure,
arresting some pro-German spies inside Britain, but British civil rights
lawyers appeal to the Court of Appeals and the ruling is overturned. The
government considers proposals to turn Stonehenge over to the Germans as
a goodwill gesture, since it is a holy shrine for all pagans.
Even more rockets land. The British Peace Now movement notes that there
would be no violence at all if the British would just disarm altogether
and stop making Hitler feel insecure. Besides, they say, the British should
not be occupying Scotland and Wales at all, lands in which they don.t belong.
Chamberlain opens secret negotiations with Germany to transfer London.s
East End, Greenwich and Docklands areas to German sovereignty.
Many more rockets land. That.s it, yells Chamberlain. The proverbial
camel.s back is broken. It is time to fight German terror with all means
at our disposal. This is the Moral Equivalent Of War, he yells . MEOW,
for short. There is no alternative.
We must, he declares, initiate talks with Germany at once so that we
can conduct unilateral withdrawal as quickly as possible from Devon and
the Midlands.
Steven Plaut is a professor at Haifa University. His book “The Scout”
is available at Amazon.com.
http://www.jewishpress.com/page.do/20072/The_Rocket_Blitz.html
, Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Russian version