WI Halifax becomes UK Prime Minister in 1940

the Labour party would have nothing to do with him and many in the house would not like an unelected some one 'from that other place' (House of Lords) becoming prime minister.

Would they be so dainty-mouthed during a war? Did the man have enough qualities to offset that objection?
 

hipper

Banned
I'm a bit confused here, because you seem to realize the Halt Order did indeed come before the decision to fight on was made, but then seem to not understand what a complete loss of the BEF would entail to that event chain. Further, I think you fail to realize how precarious the situation of the BEF was by that point, in that forward German units had reached the Aa Canal and were thus in position to bag the BEF along with significant Allied units. Whatever the cabinet may have thought, the complete loss of the BEF would alone shake them enough, but it's not them that would be decisive; it would be the public. Far from the morale victory of successfully evacuating the BEF, ATL you'd have it's complete destruction. It's not hard to imagine the political ramifications of such.


Von Runstead halted the German troops on the evening of the 23rd

His reasoning was as follows (taken from the British official history)

  1. The possibility of concerted action by Allied forces in the north and French forces south of the Somme had to be reckoned with.
  2. It was of vital importance to close up the mobile formations as well as to consolidate the German northern flank. British and French attacks about Arras and Cambrai had underlined this need.
  3. The XIX Corps having so far failed to take Boulogne and Calais, and the defence of the Somme flank not yet being secure, the advanced units of Kleist and Hoth Groups should deny the Canal Line to the enemy but should not cross it.
He (Von Runstead ) did not think that the advanced forces could in fact “bag” the BEF and the French first army and certainly not in a few days. The matter would have remained in doubt untill the 28th

The French counter attacked the german forces that reached the AA canal on the 25th successfully and less successfully on the 26th. Before the Germans resumed their attack across the canal on the 27th.

Regards
 
A big question is whether there really was any plausible deal. What would happen to France? The UK might agree to a deal in which Germany recovered Alsace Lorraine and then packed up and left. But would Hitler have gone along with that? And I have trouble seeing Halifax agree to or sell any deal which involved continued German occupation of France.
 

Deleted member 94680

Halifax would fight on.

A disaster at Dunkirk would not derail the war effort.

The details of the matter would differ, obviously. But if Halifax “surrendered” he would be removed. If the BEF was destroyed, the Royal Navy would make the Channel a death trap. The Empire would come to Britain’s aid, at the expense of the Far East or Africa.

To suggest anything else would require far further PODs than the elevation of Edward Wood to the position of King’s First Minister.
 
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