The sun rose like a beautiful sheen over Europe as the morning of April 23, 1942 dawned. With the morning newspapers had come an incredible announcement - World War II, which had begun with the invasion of Poland by Germany three years earlier, was over.
Eight months earlier a bomb had killed had claimed the life of Adolf Hitler and most of his top advisors, leaving the incredible situation of Rudolf Hess in command, with Goebbels at his side and Goring leading his army. After Hitler's death, Hess had shocked the world by asking Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin to help negotiate a peace which would not embarrass Germany like the Treaty of Versailles had. Hess had said that Hitler's quest to control all of Europe would one day put Germany in the position of total destruction by the Allies, and he felt that it would be better for the Reich to stop the fighting while everyone had something to save.
The British, who had for months been cowering from Luftwaffe raids, was outright shocked by the news. So was Roosevelt, who was at that point feeling greater effects from his ill health. But most dismayed were Germany's allies, Italy, Spain and Japan. Japan when Hess sued for peace was about to start attacking the European interests in Asia. Italy was intent on keeping the fight going, but when Germany backed down Italy and Spain looked finished and quickly both Mussolini and Franco ended the fighting.
The deal agreed was respectful but didn't leave the Germans totally satisfied. Germany would keep Austria and the Sudetenland, but not its takeovers in Norway, Denmark, France, Poland and the Benelux. But in return, Germany would remain a power and no reparations would be made to the French or anyone else. While both Roosevelt and Churchill were amazed, secretly they hoped that Hess would become an ally in the fight against communism.
The US had geared up for a massive war in both Europe and the Pacific rim, and now found that neither was going to happen. But what it had done was refire the US's economy, and had powered the US out of the Great Depression. Now the world, everyone figured, was about to take a turn for the better......