Merrill Hardy
The stage is set in Rommel is Dead, the first book in the Conditional Surrender Trilogy for an altered WW2 history and a changed world. Beginning at the end of 1941 on land, sea and in the air familiar WW2 battles are fought with different leadership, units and equipment. As we move into 1942 circumstances for the major nations are now altered, different outcomes began to emerge for our historical and fictional characters.Never much of a religious person, it is reported that in 1947 Winston Churchill sent for a noted Christian scholar and minister to explain to him what insight might be gained from the Bible about managing current world events. As the story goes, Churchill showed such an interest in the relevance of what this man of God had to say that he cancelled the rest of his day’s meetings in order to continue their discussion. A real change of Churchill’s heart earlier (during the war years) might have had a noticeable positive effect on how the war turned out.Now facing a dire situation including a series of setbacks cumulating in the fall of the island fortress of Malta, Churchill changes some of his priorities and shifts some forces. Other historical characters’ fates are changed by these and other altered circumstances (i.e. some not dying or having their death postponed, some never captured, some dying earlier).The reader is kept invested by the fast moving changing circumstances and counter reactions to Churchill’s and other leaders’ decisions. Old and new conflicts and prejudices emerge providing additional twists of fate. The whole world is waiting in anticipation of the next startling revelation or monumental horrific events. Loyalties will be tested to the limit as death and destruction reign supreme. Forms of government will be deal their severest challenges as the world spins out of control.The world we know today begins to be reformed. The reader will benefit with knowledge of the real history and can judge for themselves if this could have happened or might happen again. Moreover, are our circumstances all that much different than what the WW2 generation endured? Are we failing to properly read the signs of our times? The reader is left to ponder these issues and the hard to grasp thought of a world at war with even more deadly results.
