lightning in the night by Fred Allhoff

[lordroel]

So who has ever read lightning in the night:the nazi invasion of america , I just received the Dutch translation and I can tell its fun to read.

It’s a what-if novel of World War II, written in 1940 about a Nazi invasion of America which is set in 1945.

The lightning in the night timeline begins when Great Britain signs a Nazi peace deal after probably losing the battle of Britain in September 1940 and is forced to hand over its navy and all of its possessions in order to save the city’s that are not yet destroyed.

This results that the British empire falls apart whit Canada , Australia , New Zeeland and South Africa refusing to sign it and become independent country’s as result.

Then the great German Reich manages to gets all Dutch , French and English colonial possessions in America.

And in 1945 the great German Reich invades the panama canal from bases in the Caribbean and latter begins its invasion of the USA together whit the help of the Soviet Union and Japan who work together to attack Hawaii and latter invade Seattle.

[xxmagex]

I remember this book. I had to get my copy through interlibrary loan back in my school years. If I recal correctly the story was originally was serialized in Liberty Magazine.

[lordroel]

Originally Posted by xxmagex

I remember this book. I had to get my copy through interlibrary loan back in my school years. If I recal correctly the story was originally was serialized in Liberty Magazine.

Yes that is correct , it was published between august 24th and November 1940 in 13 episodes in the Liberty magazine.

The lightning in the night book ore in the Netherlands called for a strange reasons Bommen op New York ( translated in English as bombs on New York ) ,was the first what-if novel if ever read in my local library ,and after a long search I finally manged to find a copy and bought it.

[lordroel]

Lightning in the night time line

Somewhere in early Augusts 1940 ( mention in the book to have taken place but not when )

The battle of Gibraltar is fought between the British defenders ,hold up in the colony versus a joint German-Spanish-Italian force.

The attack begins when the colony is bombarded by a lightly-armed and careful operating royal Italian navy, and by the air by the German Luftwaffe operating from airfields in Spain , some time after this the Spanish troops belonging to Generalissimo Franco under the cover of the German Luftwaffe and artillery invaded the colony, and thereby securing the Strait of Gibraltar.

Later the captured colony of Gibraltar is used to drive the British Mediterranean Fleet towards the colony, and using artillery, the British Mediterranean Fleet is attack, whit the crews of the ships sinking them in order to avoid capture by the Germans.

Somewhere in late Augusts 1940 ( mention in the book )

A permanent Canadian-American defense-commission is formed whit the goal to upgrade and reinforce Washington state and British Columbia coastal defenses , these include the upgrading of Fort Worden and Fort Casey in Washington state.

September 14th 1940 ( mention in the book )

The Burk-Wadsworth Act ore also known as the Selective Training and Service Act is passed by the Congress of the United States , and requires that men between the ages of 21 and 35 register with local draft boards

September 16th 1940 ( mention in the book )

The Germans win the Battle of Britain and Britain, cut off from supplies by U-Boats and subject to relentless bombing, the British are forced to sign Nazi-peace treaty, whit British royal navy and British possessions are ordered to surrender to safe city’s not yet destroyed.

British Empire in pieces as Canada, Australia , New Zealand and South Africa are refusing to sign Nazi-peace treaty and have declared their independence.

September 17th 1940 ( mention in the book )

The British plenipotentiary commission under the leadership of Sir Samuel Hoare signs in Berlin the most disastrous peace treaty in the modern history.

September 18th 1940 ( mention in the book )

The Third Reich claims all formal British , France , Netherlands and Danish colony’s in the western hemisphere.

Canada becomes a republic and ally of the United States of America.

The Third Reich to take over former British royal navy as partial war reparations.

September 19th 1940 ( mention in the book )

The Third Reich claims that the Monroe Doctrine doesn’t apply to transfer of possession between European powers as according to the Third Reich , the Monroe Doctrine is an instrument put in place to prevent European powers from gaining new territories in the western hemisphere , but doesn’t apply in the transfer of colony’s between European powers.

September 20th 1940 ( mention in the book to have happen but not when )

Australia and New Zealand form the Republic of Australia-New Zealand.

September 21st 1940 ( not mention in the book )

British Eastern Fleet refuses to surrender to Germans , becomes part of the Republic of Australia-New Zealand navy.

September 22nd 1940 (not mention in the book )

Vichy France allows the Japanese empire to occupy French Indochina.

September 23rd 1940 ( mention in the book to have happen but not when )

United States of America agrees to form a German-American colonial commission to look into the matter of ownership of British, France, Netherlands and Danish colony’s in the western hemisphere, as rumors circulated that the United States navy and Canada Republic navy are not strong enough to protect the European possessions in the western hemisphere, if it should come to a confrontation between them and Third Reich ,who’s Krieg marine has grown enormously sins the took over the former British royal navy.

September 24th 1940 (not mention in the book )

TheThird Reich takes over the former British royal naval bases of Port Said and Alexandria and under a agreement whit the Kingdom of Egypt is placed in charge of the Suez Canal , in return the Kingdom of Egypt becomes a German protectorate.

September 26th 1940 (not mention in the book )

Whit out the British to back them, the last Free French forces surrender to German and Vichy French forces in French Cameroon and French Equatorial Africa.

September 27th 1940 ( mention in the book )

Germany, Italy and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact.

Somewhere in early October 1940 (mention in the book to be somewhere between 1940 and 1941 )

The German-American colonial commission agrees to give the former British colony of Bermuda ,the status of an independent country, where neither the United States nor the Third Reich will lay claim on , nor either country will occupy.

October 16th 1940 ( not mention in the book )

Japanese empire and Third Reich sign the Tokyo agreement , in which the Japanese empire is allowed to take over former British Malaya , Singapore , Hong kong , Andaman and Nicobar Islands ,British Ceylon , British Burma , Netherlands East Indies and British islands in the Oceania region who have not joined the Republic of Australia-New Zealand.

In the the Tokyo agreement it is also agreed that the former British colony of India will be divided between the Japanese empire and Third Reich and that Africa and the Middle East will fall in the German sphere of influence.

October 16th 1940 ( mention in the book )

The draft registration of approximately 16 million men begins in the United States.

November 5th 1940 (mention in the book as still being president)

Franklin D. Roosevelt wins another term as president of the United States of America.

November 20th 1940 (not mention in the book )

Hungary, Romania and Slovakia join the German lead alliance.

Somewhere in December 1940 (mention in the book but not the month)

The Republic of Canada opens here shipyards in Vancouver, Quebec and Victoria to the United States of America , in order to assists the United States of America , in building a two oceans fleet, in order to competed whit the Third Reich and the Japanese empire.

Somewhere in January 1941 ( mention in the book and my own interpretation of it )

The German Caribbean fleet is created in order to patrol the German colonies in the Caribbean’s , many of the warships that are in the German Caribbean fleet are former British royal navy ships who also patrolled the Caribbean sea before the war.

Somewhere in late February 1941 ( mention in the book but not the month)

The Third Reich , suffers a food shortages in the wake of the German conquest of mainland Europe , and the Third Reich asked the United States of America to help it rebuild mainland Europe ,and whit daily photos of children in German occupied Great Britain , Belgium and France ,makes it hard for the American public to say no ,the United States sends millions of dollars in aid per ship to the Third Reich.

Somewhere in early February 1941 ( mention in the book )

The Soviet Union after having conquered small bits of Poland, Finland and Romania, subjecting Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and annexing Bessarabia and Bukovina is during its attempts to take over the Dardanelles, in order to prevent the Third Reich from launching any further naval attack against them , is treated with total war by the Third Reich if they continue whit their expansion , and as a results the Soviet Union backs down due several reasons, which are.

The Soviet Union believing that the Germans would be engaged in a long war whit Great Britain and not able to face them.

The Third Reich canceling the German-Soviet none aggression pact after they had conquered Great Britain.

A bad harvest and food shortest in the Soviet Union.

The closing of the the British used Burma Road , which they used to to transport war materiel to China , and was closed when the Japanese empire took control of Burma , and which was imported for the Soviet Union ,as it was a vital source of war materiel for the Chinese , who are fighting the Japanese empire ,and preventing the Japanese empire from getting a border whit the Soviet Union.

Somewhere in the middle of February 1941( mention in the book )

Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels warns the British people, that the continuing attempts by the British resistance to undermine the German occupation will be dealt accordingly , as the main examples ,such as the bombardment of Westminster Abby and the total destruction of Oxford have shown so far.

The official Third Reich news service , announces that seventeen schoolboys have been executed by a Gestapo fire squad after haven found guilty by to Peoples court in Leeds , for conducting subversive activity’s ,and that their body’s are to be buried inside the prison walls.

Somewhere in Late February 1941 ( mention in the book and my own interpretation of it )

Treaty of Berlin is sign between the United States of America and the Third Reich, and whit it the world has become a different place as formal British , France , Netherlands , Belgian and Danish colony’s become part of the Third Reich, due the German-American colonial commission taking decisions in favor of the Third Reich.

United States Department of the Interior begins debate , to give the Philippines its independence whit out delay , and to she if a international commission can be formed to decide over all other American possessions in the pacific ocean , who form a burden for the United States navy.

Somewhere in early March 1941 ( mention in the book )

The Republic of Australia-New Zealand , under increasing pressure from the Japanese empire in Japanese East Indies (former Netherlands East Indies) and the large German Kriegsmarine operating out of German-India and German Africa ,begins a ambitious program to expand its navy , which consist of the former royal Australian navy , royal New Zealand navy and the former British Eastern Fleet.

Somewhere in middle of March 1941 ( mention in the book and my own interpretation of it )

Seven United States senators who are members of the World Peace Block try prevent a proposed law called McRoy-Polter after the two senators who introduced the proposed law, which would see the spending of some 1 billion dollars, for building gigantic and modern navy and airbases on the East-coast of Florida and the island of Puerto Rico, in order to counter the fortifications the Third Reich is rumored to be building on Jamaica and Trinidad.

Greenland and Iceland are occupied by the Third Reich as agreed under the Treaty of Berlin ,whit Greenland being renamed New Greenland.

Bulgaria and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia join the German lead alliance.

Somewhere in late March 1941( mention in the book )

Adolf Hitler and Italian Foreign Minister Galeazzo Ciano meet in Berlin ,where Adolf Hitler proposes for a large joint naval , air and army manifestation to be held in May 1941 , and which will be like the army and naval manifestation which was held in Naples and Rome in May 1938 ,to show the world that the Italian-German axis is still strong.

The Third Reich as it looks like in April 1941 ( mention in the book and my own interpretation of it )

Alsace-Lorraine, Normandy, Belgium, Luxemburg , Netherlands, Denmark, and Norway are integral part of Third Reich.

Great Britain , occupied France , Ireland, Switzerland and Sweden are conquered territory’s whit each a Gauleiter in charge , after having been invaded ore having faced the possibility of invasion by the Third Reich.

Vichy France and the Spanish State are German puppet states.

Old German colonies that are again under the control of the Third Reich and have been given their old names back, which are German East Africa, German South West Africa, Togoland and German Cameroon.

Fuhrercolony’s as the colonies are now called answer directly to Adolf Hitler himself, and include places like German-Congo, Gibraltar, Malta and many other former British, French, Portuguese, Danish and Netherlands colony’s.

South Africa who after a short period of independence was conquered by Germany and has become a German colony.

The former British Falkland islands, now being a colony of the Third Reich.

British Guyana and Netherlands Guyana become a colony of Third Reich and is renamed Germany Guyana.

British Honduras is colony of Third Reich and is renamed Germany Honduras.

May 1st 1941 ( mention in the book )

The first Defense Bonds and Defense Savings Stamps go on sale in the United States, to help fund the greatly increased production of military equipment.

May 2nd 1941 ( mention in the book )

A day known as black Friday ore the second Trojan horse happens when the Germans under the pretext of a large German-Italian parade held in Rome and Naples , mange to take over the country whit out a shot fired and make it Italy part of the Third Reich.

The Third Reich manege to do that by telling the royal Italian armed force to gather its three services at several place , but in fact was to place all key Italian forces in three places in Rome and Naples ,where they could be taken over by German forces , whit out a single shot being fired , these places where.

Palazzo di Venezia where all officers of the royal Italian army , royal Italian navy and royal Italian air force and here elite troops where to be paraded.
Military airfield of Centocelle out side of Rome , where all of the royal Italian air force fighter planes would be gather ,so that the could welcome a large German fighter formation.

In the Bay of Naples where the elite unites of the royal Italian navy and German Kriegsmarine would gather and where also the general staff of the royal Italian armed force , the king and queen of Italy , prime minster Benito Mussolin ,marshal Badoglio ,admiral Cavagnari and general Pricolo would be on board the newly commissioned German battleship Tirpitz ,where they would watch the naval parade.

Somewhere in early June 1941 ( mention in the book )

Third Reich signs an agreement whit Mexico, allowing the Germans to establish two air fields on Mexico soil, for the use of super-fast German planes that are being used for inter-Atlantic transports ,whit the Atlantic airfield to be build in Tampico ,and the Pacific airfield to be build in Ensenada , Baja California using designs already worked out in the Third Reich.

The Argentinian government signs a trade agreement whit the Third Reich to buy more than 75 percent of the yearly production of Argentinian meat , which the Third Reich will pay whit industrial equipment and military hardware.

Under the threat of invasion by the Third Reich, the Kingdom of Greece hands over the naval base in salamis to the Third Reich.

The Republic of Turkey hands over the port city of İzmit, to the Third Reich, in order to prevent the Soviet Union from taking control of the Dardanelles, and due the Republic of Turkey becoming an Axis member.

Somewhere in late June 1941 ( mention in the book and my own interpretation of it )

The United States Department of State issues a formal protest towards the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs, concerning the building of German naval and air bases on the islands of Trinidad , Jamaica and other islands in the Caribbean’s which the Third Reich took over from the British , French and Netherlands.

The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs responds is that the protest made by United States Department of State have no ground , as the United States of America themselves are building navy and airbases on the East-coast of Florida , the island of Puerto Rico and Guantánamo Bay.

Somewhere in July 1941( mention in the book and my own interpretation of it )

In a lighting campaign lasting only a month , Germans and Spanish forces invade Portugal, whit the Germans getting control of Portugal , its African colony’s and the Portuguese archipelagos of Azores and Madeira ,while the Japanese empire takes over all former Portuguese colony’s in India and Macau.

Somewhere in Augusts 1941( mention in the book )

Former Italian prime minster Benito Mussolini who was arrested by the Germans after the German takeover of Italy on May 2nd 1941 , and held sins that day in the mountain resort Campo Imperatore under house arrest , is sent by the German into exile towards the island of Corvo , the smallest island in the former Portuguese archipelago of the Azores ,now German Azores.

Somewhere in September 1941 ( mention in the book )

The United States of America and some countries in the western hemisphere , come together in a conference in Havana , to create a trade cartel ,winch is to counter the cheap labor in a German dominated Europe , however the Havana Conference profs costly and not at all satisfying as some countries in South America only accept cash and loans from the United States of America ,declare after receiving loans and cash that the Havana Conference is not going to work and that the Third Reich is the best market to sell its products.

Somewhere in early December 1941 (mention in the book but not the month)

Fort Knox is, Kentucky where previous the gold reserve of the United States of America is turned into a storage place for more valuable resources like , quinine , chrome , tin and nickel ,now that gold standard doesn’t exist anymore.

Somewhere in Late December 1941 ( mention in the book and my own interpretation of it )

German occupied France and Vichy France are combined into the German puppet state called Fascist State of France, whit the Third Reich maintaining possession of the province Normandy and Alsace-Lorraine.

Somewhere in middle January 1942 (not mention in the book where the capital of the Fascist State of France is located )

The Fascist State of France moves it capital from the town of Vichy to Paris.

Somewhere in early February 1942 (mention in the book but not the month)

The Third Reich is renamed , becoming the United Greater German Reich, ,a name chosen to mirror the fact that much of main land Europe , Africa and the Caribbean is now part of Germany.

Somewhere in middle February 1942 (mention in the book to have naval and airbases )

The Third Reich begins construction of naval and airbases in the former Portuguese archipelagos of Azores and Madeira ,now German Azores.

Somewhere in late February 1942 (mention in the book but not the month)

Brazilian president and dictator of Brazil Getúlio Vargas is deposed by a new regime that is friendly towards the United Greater German Reich.

Soon after the fall of the Vargas government , the new Brazilian pro-Greater Germany government and the United Greater German Reich sign a trade treaty allowing the United Greater German Reich to send their its own directors ,inspectors and workers to Brazilian plantages and mines.

American airline company Pan American Airways is thrown out Brazil shortly after the fall of the Vargas government , and replace by the United Greater German Reich state airliner Lufthansa ,who opens op air routes from German South Africa and Germany Honduras to Brazil.

Somewhere in July 1942 ( mention in the book and my own interpretation of what is written in it)

The United Greater German Reich Ministry of Foreign Affairs claims that several photos that have appeared in American newspapers, showing newly build naval and airbase on the island of Jamaica are falsified , and that the United Greater German Reich has not build any naval ore airbase on the island of Jamaica , and is only using the facility’s it took over from the British after they surrendered.

Somewhere in July 1942 ( not mention in the book )

The Fascist State of France navy on the order of the admiralty of France hands its largest warships laying in the Fascist State of France naval base of Toulon over to the United Greater German Reich.

The three battleships and seven cruiser who where part of the Vichy French navy and now Fascist State of France navy have not sailed out to sea sins late 1940 are being transferred to the United Greater German Reich Krieg marine ,which is now considered to have one of the most powerful navy’s in the world whit former British , Italian and French navy ships including in its inventory.

Somewhere between Augusts and December 1942 (not mention in the book )

The Republic of the Philippines becomes a independent nation from the United States of America.

May 19th 1943 (mention in the book but not the month)

The United Greater German Reich Ministry of Foreign Affairs accuses the Mexican government , in not being able to protect German subjects in Mexico, after two German civilians were killed in a street fight in Mexico City , while also putting down the claim by the Mexican government , who accuse the Germans of starting the street fights in the first place.

June 15th 1943 (mention in the book but not the year )

The United Greater German Reich Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the second time accuses Mexico for it disability ,to protect German subjects in Mexico, when 5 German civilians are killed in street fights whit the Mexican police.

June 16th 1943 (mention in the book but not the year )

The governor of German Honduras reports that Mexican soldiers have crossed the border and fired on German guard posts in German Honduras, but German soldiers were able to drive the Mexican soldiers back across the border.

In responds 3 German cruiser of the German Caribbean fleet on the same day paid a visit city of Veracruz, which was according to the commander of the 3 cruiser a friendly visit to a Mexican port.

June 19th 1943 (mention in the book but not the year )

A military coup happens by Mexican fascist paramilitary blue shirts under to command of general Miguel Arranza, who taking control of several city’s in Mexico manage to take over the country in less than a day.

General Miguel Arranza who is known to be well known sympathizer and having admiration towards the United Greater German Reich , issued a statement that Mexico from this day on ,will look towards the United Greater German Reich as its friend and ally ,instead of the United States of America.

July 4th 1943 (mention in the book )

The United Greater German Reich Ministry of Foreign Affairs refuses to take notice of the Republic of Canada protest towards the recent incidents in Newfoundland and Labrador , as the Republic of Canada accuses the United Greater German Reich of sending fighter planes from bases in New Greenland ( part of the United Greater German Reich ) over towns in Newfoundland and Labrador ,where they shot at towns and even fishing boats , but according to the United Greater German Reich Ministry of Foreign Affairs , those Canadian accusations are false ,as German fighter planes have the strictest orders to remain over the territorial waters of New Greenland.

Somewhere in September 1943 ( mention in the book , but not the year )

The Japanese empire conquers all of China.

November 3rd 1943 ( mention in the book and my own interpretation of what is written in it)

The Mexican government and the United Greater German Reich sign a deal for the building of four airfields in the Mexican state of Zacatecas and supplying of military hardware to the Mexican army.

Somewhere in Augusts 1944 (mention in the book )

The United States Department of State whit permission of the president sends a confidential memo to all American newspapers, to watch what they write about the United Greater German Reich, as in recent weeks American newspapers published reports of pogroms in German occupied Belgium , Normandy and Great Britain resulted that trade talks between the United Greater German Reich and the United States of America ended due these stories and recently when American newspapers ran reports of the deaths of Churchill, Eden and Duff Cooper in a concentration camp located on the Hebrides , resulted in the Fuhrercolony of German West Indie denying permission of American ships to enter the ports of the German West Indie.

September 9th 1944 (mention in the book )

More divisions of the powerful mechanized Mexican army are ordered to move towards newly build fortifications along the United States border whit Mexico.

Mexican fascist paramilitary blue shirts belonging to military dictator general Miguel Arranza don’t intervene when the United States of America embassy in Mexico City is burned to the ground by Mexican students.

The Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs sends a letter of gratitude towards the Japanese imperial pacific fleet patrolling near the tip of Baja California and towards the German Caribbean fleet patrolling in the Gulf of Mexico.

Somewhere between September 1944 but before October 1944 (mention in the book, but not the date)

The German military governor of New Greenland in a radio speech out of Hitlerhafen ( former the city of Nuuk ) accuses the Republic of Canada of sending 3 bombers over the Davis Strait in the attempt to photograph German military installations located in New Greenland ,before they were chased away by German fighter planes ,and warns that these kind of provocations cannot continue and that the Republic of Canada is given the final change to sit around the table whit the United Greater German Reich ,and to begin discussing the Newfoundland and Labrador issue.

Somewhere in October 1944 ( mention in the book , but not the date )

A international arbitration commission creates a solution towards the Newfoundland and Labrador issue , whit Newfoundland and Labrador to be handed over to New Greenland, as according to the international arbitration commission, Newfoundland and Labrador are geologic and geographic part of New Greenland , and the decision of the Republic of Canada to hand them over to New Greenland (and in lesser extend to the United Greater German Reich) is the best thing for all party’s involved.

February 11th 1945 (mention in the book )

Heavy fighting in El Paso etween Mexican and United States troops.

Mexican tanks and planes move towards the border.

Mexican military dictator general Miguel Arranza accuses the United States from kidnapping two custom officials in Juarez.

February 12th 1945 ( mention in the book )

Mexican planes fly over Houston, Dallas and San Antonio after protest from the United States of America.

The German Caribbean fleet is ordered to patrol the Mexican coast line.

February 27th 1945 ( not mention in the book )

United States president proclaims an "unlimited national emergency" due the border skirmishes going on between the United States of America and Mexico.

Somewhere in June 1945 ( Mention in the book to have taken place in this month )

A high ranking German official belonging to the United Greater German Reich Ministry of Foreign Affairs is shot death in Tokyo by Japanese students.
As a result of this incident the United Greater German Reich recalls it ambassador out of japan , and demands payment for the damages the killing has caused , which the Japanese empire refuses to do.
This results that they Soviet Union seeking a ally to counter the United Greater German Reich , resolve disputes it has whit the Japanese empire , and to form a alliance whit them , while the relations between the United Greater German Reich and the Japanese empire have been severely hurt.

July 30th 1945 ( mention in the book )

The Brazilian army begins under the careful watch of United Greater German Reich army officers , a week long military exercise near the border whit Venezuela.