Killing Hitler: An AH Cliche?
- Thread starter Faeelin
- Start date
Well, being alternate history--and Hitler having a pretty big affect on recent history, it's not surprising that he'll be used in a lot of timelines in some way.
He's just easy to work with, not a lot of knowledge is required and not a lot has to change involving him for history to be drastically changed.
He's just easy to work with, not a lot of knowledge is required and not a lot has to change involving him for history to be drastically changed.
Grey Wolf
Donor
What I meant was that considering how many assassination attempts were mooted, planned, begun but aborted etc, his survival in OTL might be said to be LESS PROBABLE than his death, and therefore it is OTL that is askew rather than ATLs that feature his death
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Hitler suffering some bizzare, inexplicable and usually gruesome death for no reason but for some strange desire for 'revenge'* on the part of the author seems more common.
*Revenge isn't the right word, but its the only one that comes to mind to fit what I mean.
I tend to think assassinating people isn't that easy to do, although obviously it depends on the country and person in question.
*Revenge isn't the right word, but its the only one that comes to mind to fit what I mean.
I tend to think assassinating people isn't that easy to do, although obviously it depends on the country and person in question.
Assassinating Hitler was an especially hard thing to accomplish. The man was constantly changing plans at the last minute, leaving earlier or later than he had said he would, or not showing up at all, having a complex and fast-changing motorcade, etc.
For anyone who's done any wikipedia editing, you might appreciate this short sci-fi story about a time traveler's bulletin board where senior time travelers constantly have to stop newbies from killing Hitler:
http://www.abyssandapex.com/200710-wikihistory.html
http://www.abyssandapex.com/200710-wikihistory.html
Maybe you can aim for someone else. After all, we got Heydrich in OTL. Any other slimy Nazi at the top may be possible. Or hell, one of the innumerable super generals they had. Capping Rommel, anyone?
Grey Wolf
Donor
British commandoes tried to get Rommel, raiding his N African HQ, but it was one he had moved on from and the result was the death of the force's leader, the son of Roger Keyes of WW1 fame
Regarding Hitler, German conspirators had to work in the real world of a Nazi-dominated state - ie if they kill ONLY Hitler, then they end up with Goering or Himmler as Fuhrer and things could be even worse ! And they would certainly be worse for the individuals involved ! That's why July 20th ended up being such a detailed plan, involving Fellgiebel of Signals and the chief of staff of the Home Army - after Hitler's death they had to move quickly to put something else in place. It also made planning an assassination an extremely complicated business
Less political minds did try other assassinations, or stood near to Hitler with a gun and contemplated killing him (Manstein's aide de camp) but it came down to, on the one hand Hitler's paranoia and change of plans screwing things up, and on the other hand the thought of what was the point of shooting Hitler as he was only one person
British plans eventually came down to two stumbling blocks - -1- the mass revenge on the populace after the death of Heydrich, and -2- that Hitler being such a piss poor strategist made him very useful to the Allied war effort!
If they wanted to kill someone useful, then perhaps Speer or Goebbels would be a relevant target
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
MrP
Banned
It's made sufficient of an impression on me that he'll be surviving in mine. Though I don't know what the deuce he'll be doing come '39 ITTL.