What if the Nazis had invaded and occupied Britain during World War II?What if the Nazis had invaded and occupied Britain during World War II?What if the Nazis had invaded and occupied Britain during World War II?
Photos
Diego Matamoros
- Narrator
- (voice)
Adolf Hitler
- Self
- (archive footage)
Winston Churchill
- Self
- (archive footage)
King George VI
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as The Royal Family)
Queen Elizabeth II
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as The Royal Family)
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as The Royal Family)
Walther von Brauchitsch
- Self
- (archive footage)
- (as Walther Brauchitsch)
Vidkun Quisling
- Self
- (archive footage)
Ante Pavelic
- Self
- (archive footage)
Léon Degrelle
- Self
- (archive footage)
Oswald Mosley
- Self
- (archive footage)
Storyline
Did you know
- ConnectionsEdited from It Happened Here (1964)
Featured review
Nothing You Didn't Already Know And Some Of The Facts Are Very Dubious
This is a speculative documentary showing what would have happened if Nazi Germany was successful in invading the British Isles in 1940 . Alternative history literature is full of this " What if " which comes as no surprise because who knows how human history would have developed if Hitler had succeeded with Operation Sealion ? Real history is compelling whilst alternative history is intriguing . But - and it's a massive BUT - speculative fiction shouldn't be given the same respect as historical fact same as science and religion should be viewed as being compatible . On the surface HITLER'S Britain might be of some interest but if you have any knowledge of the second world war you'll be irritated by historical conjecture masquerading as fact and bits that are just plain wrong
Early in the story we're told that the Nazis had a campaign of rape , murder and looting in Poland but treated the French with politeness and kindness . Well of course they did because Nazi Germany was unique in its ideology in that people were viewed due to their ethnic origin . Poles being Slavs were viewed as being " untermenschen " and unworthy of existence being in theory of Asiatic descent . Western Europeans were viewed by the Nazis as being pure bred Ayrans hence the mass genocide seen in Eastern Europe wasn't seen in the occupied countries of Western Europe. I also have to question what is meant by " politeness and kindness " not committing genocide doesn't automatically qualify something as being polite
There's also a lot of " artistic license " used in Hitler having to conquer Britain . In reality the Nazis didn't have the seaborne logistics to conquer the island so you have to ignore this . What can't be ignored is that the documentary states " 4,000 panzers are landed " because there's no way the Wermacht had that amount of panzers in 1940
After the invasion Churchill is killed by a Luftwaffe raid and the Nazis install a puppet government where many individuals named in the Nazis " black book " are liquidated . Often in alternative history Oswald Mosley is head of this puppet state but to its credit HITLER'S Britain speculates that Lord Halifax would be installed . That said Britain had its own black book where people with Nazi sympathies - one of whom would be Mosley - were to be executed before the Nazis took control . I'm guessing that the producers didn't have knowledge of this black book ?There's also a ridiculous insert showing Ante Pavlic who described as " The puppet ruler of Yugoslavia " when he was in fact the puppet ruler of The Independent State Of Croatia
As the time-line goes in to 1941 the dubious storytelling then starts collapsing as it tells how Operation Barbarossa is delayed due to the Nazis invading the Balkans and Greece . It suggests if the Nazis invaded the USSR in May they might have succeeded in conquering the country . But would they ? It was only a short delay . One of the enduring myths of the war is that because some forward German units were within sight of Moscow in the early winter of 1941 the Balkans campaign effectively caused a big enough delay in the Germans plan to make it to Moscow before winter set in . This remains a myth because the Germans didn't have the logistics to get enough men and equipment to the Soviet capital . It also ignores the certainty that the Soviets would have defended their capital with the same brutal intensity seen at Leningrad and Stalingrad
Perhaps the most ridiculous aspect is that after winning the war is that the Nazis then embarked on an atomic program and rocket program . The problem with the former is that for decades a large proportion of the German scientific and engineering elite were Jewish and they'd left the country taking their expertise with them . There was some evidence the Nazis were trying to attain an atomic capacity but were a long way behind American research and hadn't got round to even the fundamental aspects . As for the latter why would they be setting up a rocket program ? In this alternative world they're not fighting a war anymore hence there'd be no V weapon program
In short this is a very disappointing " What if " documentary . If you've got a knowledge of the second world war then you'll recognise that despite having to give the show some slack some of the " facts " aren't facts at all and are just plain wrong and will have you putting your foot through the TV . It's about as accurate as Mel Brooks THE PRODUCERS
Early in the story we're told that the Nazis had a campaign of rape , murder and looting in Poland but treated the French with politeness and kindness . Well of course they did because Nazi Germany was unique in its ideology in that people were viewed due to their ethnic origin . Poles being Slavs were viewed as being " untermenschen " and unworthy of existence being in theory of Asiatic descent . Western Europeans were viewed by the Nazis as being pure bred Ayrans hence the mass genocide seen in Eastern Europe wasn't seen in the occupied countries of Western Europe. I also have to question what is meant by " politeness and kindness " not committing genocide doesn't automatically qualify something as being polite
There's also a lot of " artistic license " used in Hitler having to conquer Britain . In reality the Nazis didn't have the seaborne logistics to conquer the island so you have to ignore this . What can't be ignored is that the documentary states " 4,000 panzers are landed " because there's no way the Wermacht had that amount of panzers in 1940
After the invasion Churchill is killed by a Luftwaffe raid and the Nazis install a puppet government where many individuals named in the Nazis " black book " are liquidated . Often in alternative history Oswald Mosley is head of this puppet state but to its credit HITLER'S Britain speculates that Lord Halifax would be installed . That said Britain had its own black book where people with Nazi sympathies - one of whom would be Mosley - were to be executed before the Nazis took control . I'm guessing that the producers didn't have knowledge of this black book ?There's also a ridiculous insert showing Ante Pavlic who described as " The puppet ruler of Yugoslavia " when he was in fact the puppet ruler of The Independent State Of Croatia
As the time-line goes in to 1941 the dubious storytelling then starts collapsing as it tells how Operation Barbarossa is delayed due to the Nazis invading the Balkans and Greece . It suggests if the Nazis invaded the USSR in May they might have succeeded in conquering the country . But would they ? It was only a short delay . One of the enduring myths of the war is that because some forward German units were within sight of Moscow in the early winter of 1941 the Balkans campaign effectively caused a big enough delay in the Germans plan to make it to Moscow before winter set in . This remains a myth because the Germans didn't have the logistics to get enough men and equipment to the Soviet capital . It also ignores the certainty that the Soviets would have defended their capital with the same brutal intensity seen at Leningrad and Stalingrad
Perhaps the most ridiculous aspect is that after winning the war is that the Nazis then embarked on an atomic program and rocket program . The problem with the former is that for decades a large proportion of the German scientific and engineering elite were Jewish and they'd left the country taking their expertise with them . There was some evidence the Nazis were trying to attain an atomic capacity but were a long way behind American research and hadn't got round to even the fundamental aspects . As for the latter why would they be setting up a rocket program ? In this alternative world they're not fighting a war anymore hence there'd be no V weapon program
In short this is a very disappointing " What if " documentary . If you've got a knowledge of the second world war then you'll recognise that despite having to give the show some slack some of the " facts " aren't facts at all and are just plain wrong and will have you putting your foot through the TV . It's about as accurate as Mel Brooks THE PRODUCERS
helpful•02
- Theo Robertson
- Nov 15, 2012
Details
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Color
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