Wednesday, December 06, 2006
The Rocket Blitz
1. Nice photo:
http://www.michaelcalderonscall.com/images/Img155.gif
2. http://www.jewishpress.com/page.do/20072/The_Rocket_Blitz.html
The Rocket Blitz
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By: Steven Plaut Wednesday, December 6, 2006
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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 and 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.
