Post by PitYak Studios on Oct 16, 2006 12:57:23 GMT 12
Just bought Harry Turtledove's "Drive to the East" at the weekend and am almost finished it.
This is the ninth book in a series that starts with the south winning the civil war, after the famous "lost orders" incident (which actually happened) was averted, thus allowing Lee's Army of Northern Virginia to smash the Army of the the Potomac and march onto the Whitehouse lawn. The first book delt with the years following the war, with General custer cutting down attacking British lancers with machine guns, amongst other battles. The next three delt with WWI, except in this WWI the main protagonists are the USA and CSA, with Britain, France and Canada fighting alonside the CS, Germany the US. "Barrels" (which in our history became known as "tanks") make their fist appearance, along with poison gas, flame throwers, and insane trench warfare with infantry suicidaly charging machine gun pits (General Custer again).
The CSA is defeated, and the next three books deal with the depression era, and the rise of a charismatic, extreme right wing racist politician, who ultimately becomes president of the country.
The latest three deal with WWII (The American WWII, so it doesn't start till '41
). Jake Featherston continues his rise to power, begins rounding up the county's blacks (no longer slaves, but hardly any better off than when they were) shipping them off to camps and gassing them. The CS have invented a unique method of conducting warfare; infantry, armour, artillery and air support are combined into a lightning warfare force, catching the US by surprise, and cutting the US in half, with an armoured attack led by general Patton reaching Lake Erie. All is not lost however, as the US has a daring young barrel commander, who has had many difficulties with his superiors, by the name of Morrel (it took a few books before I twigged to that gag). The US has poorer barrels and equipment generally, but has vast plains and a vast source of manpower to draw on. The CS, while much smaller, has generally better trained, better motivated and perhaps more fanatical troops, much better barrels, assault rifles and smgs. As well as the army itself, it also has a paramilitary force who wear similar uniforms but in confederate grey (the army wears "butternut", or khaki, along with battle-bowler style tin hats - the US wear green-grey). These fellas tend to get the jobs of guarding concentration camps and generally behaving dastardley to the jews blacks.
Look at the pic from the cover;
Isn't that just crying out to be turned into a FOW army???
This is the ninth book in a series that starts with the south winning the civil war, after the famous "lost orders" incident (which actually happened) was averted, thus allowing Lee's Army of Northern Virginia to smash the Army of the the Potomac and march onto the Whitehouse lawn. The first book delt with the years following the war, with General custer cutting down attacking British lancers with machine guns, amongst other battles. The next three delt with WWI, except in this WWI the main protagonists are the USA and CSA, with Britain, France and Canada fighting alonside the CS, Germany the US. "Barrels" (which in our history became known as "tanks") make their fist appearance, along with poison gas, flame throwers, and insane trench warfare with infantry suicidaly charging machine gun pits (General Custer again).
The CSA is defeated, and the next three books deal with the depression era, and the rise of a charismatic, extreme right wing racist politician, who ultimately becomes president of the country.
The latest three deal with WWII (The American WWII, so it doesn't start till '41
). Jake Featherston continues his rise to power, begins rounding up the county's blacks (no longer slaves, but hardly any better off than when they were) shipping them off to camps and gassing them. The CS have invented a unique method of conducting warfare; infantry, armour, artillery and air support are combined into a lightning warfare force, catching the US by surprise, and cutting the US in half, with an armoured attack led by general Patton reaching Lake Erie. All is not lost however, as the US has a daring young barrel commander, who has had many difficulties with his superiors, by the name of Morrel (it took a few books before I twigged to that gag). The US has poorer barrels and equipment generally, but has vast plains and a vast source of manpower to draw on. The CS, while much smaller, has generally better trained, better motivated and perhaps more fanatical troops, much better barrels, assault rifles and smgs. As well as the army itself, it also has a paramilitary force who wear similar uniforms but in confederate grey (the army wears "butternut", or khaki, along with battle-bowler style tin hats - the US wear green-grey). These fellas tend to get the jobs of guarding concentration camps and generally behaving dastardley to the Look at the pic from the cover;
Isn't that just crying out to be turned into a FOW army???
