A hypothetical military victory of the

Axis powers The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis and also Rome–Berlin–Tokyo Axis, was the military coalition which initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Ge ...

over the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

(1939–1945) is a common topic in speculative literature. Works of

alternative history Alternate history (also referred to as alternative history, allohistory, althist, or simply A.H.) is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which one or more historical events have occurred but are resolved differently than in actual history. As ...

(fiction) and of

counterfactual history Counterfactual history (also virtual history) is a form of historiography that attempts to answer the ''wikt:what if, What if?'' questions that arise from counterfactuals, counterfactual conditions. Counterfactual history seeks by "conjecturing ...

(non-fiction) include stories, novels, performances, and mixed media that often explore speculative public and private life in lands conquered by the coalition, whose principal powers were

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

Imperial Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

, and

Fascist Italy Fascist Italy () is a term which is used in historiography to describe the Kingdom of Italy between 1922 and 1943, when Benito Mussolini and the National Fascist Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictatorship. Th ...

. The first work of the genre was '' Swastika Night'' (1937), by Katherine Burdekin, a British novel published before Nazi Germany launched the Second World War in 1939. Later novels of alternative history include '' The Man in the High Castle'' (1962) by Philip K. Dick, '' SS-GB'' (1978) by

Len Deighton Leonard Cyril Deighton ( ; born 18 February 1929) is a British author. His publications have included cookery books and works on history, but he is best known for his spy novels. After completing his national service in the Royal Air Force, D ...

, and ''

Fatherland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic nation ...

'' (1992) by Robert Harris. The stories deal with the politics, culture, and personalities who would have allowed the

fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

victories against democracy and with the psychology of daily life in

totalitarian Totalitarianism is a political system and a form of government that prohibits opposition from political parties, disregards and outlaws the political claims of individual and group opposition to the state, and completely controls the public sph ...

societies. The novels present stories of how ordinary citizens would have dealt with fascist military occupation and with the resentments of being under colonial domination. This subgenre usually focuses on

's supremacy over

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

and/or the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, although The Ultimate Solution, Man in the High Castle and The Divide (novel) all provide some description of life in the

Japanese Empire The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From 1910 to ...

's domination over the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

coast of the former United States. In both The Ultimate Solution and Man in the High Castle, there is a

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

between the two estranged Axis partners, reminiscent of the equivalent animosity in our world between the United States and

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, which is threatening to turn into a fully fledged nuclear holocaust. The most detailed discussion of the Japanese Empire's coeval ascendancy is in Man in the High Castle within the occupied Pacific States of America. Cyril Kornbluth's short story "Two Dooms" (1958) also more actively explores the Japanese presence in the defeated and occupied United States. In Man In the High Castle, fascist Italy is relegated to a distant and dependent third place, with derisive mention of its "African empire." The term Pax Germanica was applied to the hypothetical Imperial German victory in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

(1914–1918). The concept is derived from that of

Pax Romana The (Latin for ) is a roughly 200-year-long period of Roman history that is identified as a golden age of increased and sustained Roman imperialism, relative peace and order, prosperous stability, hegemonic power, and regional expansion, a ...

and follows the trend of historians coining variants of the term to describe other periods of relative peace, whether established or attempted, such as Pax Americana,

Pax Britannica ''Pax Britannica'' (Latin for , modelled after '' Pax Romana'') refers to the relative peace between the great powers in the time period roughly bounded by the Napoleonic Wars and World War I. During this time, the British Empire became the ...

and Pax Sovietica (see pax imperia). Academics such as Gavriel David Rosenfeld in ''The World Hitler Never Made: Alternate History and the Memory of Nazism'' (2005), have researched the media representations of 'Nazi victory'.

Depictions of the Axis powers

Themes

Helen White stated that a hypothetical world in which Nazi Germany won the Second World War is a harsher and grimmer place to live in than the real world, where Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers lost the War in 1945. Speculative literature about hypothetical military victories by the Axis Powers have generally been English-language literary work from the British Commonwealth and the United States as such protagonists tend to experience events from the perspective of military defeat and foreign military occupation. The literary

tone Tone may refer to: Visual arts and color-related * Tone (color theory), a mix of tint and shade, in painting and color theory * Tone (color), the lightness or brightness (as well as darkness) of a color * Toning (coin), color change in coins * ...

fiction presents the military victory of the Axis Powers as a melancholy background against which the reader sees the unfolding of political plots in a socially strained atmosphere of foreign occupation and socio-economic domination. The social story of '' SS-GB'' (1978), by

, concludes with a US

commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...

raid into Nazi-occupied Great Britain, to rescue British nuclear scientists, while the British Resistance remains hopeful of eventual military liberation by the United States. In '' Clash of Eagles'' (1990), by Leo Rutman, the people of New York City rebel against the Nazi occupation of the US. Some depictions focus on Nazism's contradictions, suggesting that even with military triumph, the system would eventually start to collapse under its own weight. In ''

'' (1992), by Robert Harris, the Greater German Reich faces economic crisis, forcing Hitler to pursue rapprochement with the US; at the story's conclusion, the protagonists thwart this effort by exposing the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

to the American people.

Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed his ...

's '' In the Presence of Mine Enemies'' (2003) presents the Nazi world two generations after their victory in WWII, in a time and place that allowed political liberalization and democratization. The ''

Hearts of Iron IV ''Hearts of Iron IV'' is a 2016 grand strategy video game developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive. It is the sequel to 2009's ''Hearts of Iron III'' and the fourth main installment in the ''Hearts of Iron'' s ...

'' mod ''The New Order: Last Days of Europe'' shows the Reich declining thanks to economic stagnation and hostile relations with its former allies. Another example can be found in '' Wolfenstein: Youngblood'' plot, set in an alternative 1980s; high-ranking SS generals are seeking to establish a

Fourth Reich The term Fourth Reich () is commonly used to refer to a hypothetical successor to Adolf Hitler's Third Reich (1933–1945) and the possible resurgence of Nazi ideas. It has also been used pejoratively by political opponents. Origin The term " ...

to replace the unstable and corrupt Reich after it lost most of its power due to the liberation of America and the demise of Nazi leaders such as the fictional Deathshead and Frau Engel, as well as

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

himself, in the 1960s.

Early depictions

The novel '' Swastika Night'' (1937) presents the post-war world born from the victory of the Axis Powers: a

dictatorship A dictatorship is an autocratic form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, who hold governmental powers with few to no Limited government, limitations. Politics in a dictatorship are controlled by a dictator, ...

characterized by much "violence and mindlessness" which are justified by "irrationality and superstition". Published two years before Nazi Germany began the Second World War in 1939, ''Swastika Night'' is a work of

future history A future history, imaginary history or anticipatory history is a fictional conjecture of the future used by authors of science fiction and other speculative fiction to construct a common background for stories. Sometimes the author publishes a t ...

and not a work of

. The book reviewer, Darragh McManus, said that although the story and plot of the novel are "a huge leap of imagination, ''Swastika Night'' posits a terrifyingly coherent and plausible orld, that "considering when it was published, and how little of what we know of the

Nazi regime Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictat ...

today was then understood, the novel is eerily prophetic and perceptive about the nature of

Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...

". The short story, '' I, James Blunt'' (1941), is a work of wartime propaganda set in a fictional September 1944 when Great Britain is under Nazi rule. The story is told through the entries of a diary, which describe the social and economic consequences of military occupation such as British workers sent to the shipyards of Nazi Germany and Scotland to build warships to attack the U.S. The short story concludes with the diarist exhorting the reader to ensure that the story of the Nazi occupation of Great Britain remains fiction. The novel ''We, Adolf I'' (1945) presents a Nazi victory in the

Battle of Stalingrad The Battle of Stalingrad ; see . rus, links=on, Сталинградская битва, r=Stalingradskaya bitva, p=stəlʲɪnˈɡratskəjə ˈbʲitvə. (17 July 19422 February 1943) was a major battle on the Eastern Front of World War II, ...

which allowed Hitler to crown himself emperor of the world. In Berlin, the Nazis build an imperial palace featuring architectural elements of the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...

and the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...

. In the course of the story, the despot Hitler enters a dynastic marriage with the Japanese Imperial

princess Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...

in an effort to produce a

Fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

heir to rule the world after Hitler. The 1946 novel ''The Last Jew'' () by tells the

of a Nazi world ruled by the League of Dictators. The League of Dictators plan the public execution of the last Jew as entertainment during the Olympic Games. Before they can realize the spectacular death of the last Jew, the Moon's excessive proximity to Earth, a negative consequence of Nazi lunar colonization, provokes a catastrophe that extinguishes life on planet Earth. The stage play '' Peace in Our Time'' (1947), by

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

explores the nature of fascist rule in London and examines the deleterious effects of military occupation upon the mental health of the common man and the common woman. As a playwright, Coward was included in the Gestapo's Black Book of enemies-of-the-state to be arrested upon completion of

Operation Sea Lion Operation Sea Lion, also written as Operation Sealion (), was Nazi Germany's code name for their planned invasion of the United Kingdom. It was to have taken place during the Battle of Britain, nine months after the start of the Second World ...

, the Nazi conquest of Great Britain. The novel '' The Man in the High Castle'' (1962) presents an Axis victory after

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

is assassinated in 1933 and the

is divided between Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.

Later depictions

Additional notable depictions of Axis victory include:

Literature

* '' The Sound of His Horn'' by Sarban (1952) * "

Living Space Housing refers to a property containing one or more shelter as a living space. Housing spaces are inhabited either by individuals or a collective group of people. Housing is also referred to as a human need and human right, playing a cri ...

" by

Isaac Asimov Isaac Asimov ( ; – April 6, 1992) was an Russian-born American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. H ...

(1956) * '' The Big Time'' by

Fritz Leiber Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. ( ; December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was an American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. Along with Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock, Leiber is one of the fathers of sword and sorcery. Life ...

(1957) * ''Two Dooms'' by C. M. Kornbluth (1958) * '' The Man in the High Castle'' by Philip K. Dick (1962) * ''Wenn das der Führer wüsste'' by Otto Basil (1966) * '' The Iron Dream'' by

Norman Spinrad Norman Richard Spinrad (born September 15, 1940) is an American science fiction author, essayist, and critic. His fiction has won the Prix Apollo Award, Prix Apollo and been nominated for numerous awards, including the Hugo Award and multiple N ...

(1972) depicts a science fiction/fantasy allegory of a Nazi victory * '' The Ultimate Solution'' by Erik Nordsen (1973) * '' SS-GB'' by

(1978) * '' The Divide'' by William Overgard (1980) * '' The Proteus Operation'' by James P. Hogan (1985) * '' Thor Meets Captain America'' by

David Brin Glen David Brin (born October 6, 1950) is an American science fiction author. He has won the Hugo Award, Hugo,

(1986) * ''Moon Of Ice'' by

Brad Linaweaver Bradford Swain Linaweaver (September 1, 1952 – August 29, 2019) was an American science fiction writer, film producer, actor, and magazine publisher. Over a 40-year career, he completed a body of work including novels, short stories, and scree ...

(1988) * '' The Last Article'' by

(1988) * '' Clash of Eagles'' by Leo Rutman (1990) * '' Timewyrm: Exodus'' (''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' novel) by

Terrance Dicks Terrance William Dicks (14 April 1935 – 29 August 2019) was an English author and television screenwriter, script editor and producer. In television, he had a long association with the BBC science-fiction series ''Doctor Who'', working as a ...

(1991) * ''

'' by Robert Harris (1992) * ''No Retreat'' by John Bowen (1994) * '' '48'' by

James Herbert James John Herbert, OBE (8 April 1943 – 20 March 2013) was an English horror writer. A full-time writer, he also designed his own book covers and publicity. His books have sold 54 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into 34 la ...

(1996) * '' Attentatet i Pålsjö skog'' by Hans Alfredson (1996) * '' Making History'' by

Stephen Fry Sir Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director, narrator and writer. He came to prominence as a member of the comic act Fry and Laurie alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring in ''A Bit of ...

(1996) * ''Patton's Spaceship'' by

John Barnes John Charles Bryan Barnes (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. Often considered one of the greatest England players of all time and one of Liverpool's greatest ever players, Barnes currently works as an ...

(part of '' The Timeline Wars series''

997 Year 997 ( CMXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Japan * 1 February: Empress Teishi gives birth to Princess Shushi - she is the first child of the emperor, but because of the power stru ...

* The works of Peter G. Tsouras: ** ''Hitler Triumphant: Alternate Decisions of World War II'' (1999) ** ''Third Reich Victorious: Alternate Decisions of World War II'' (2002) ** ''Rising Sun Victorious: The Alternative History of How the Japanese Won the Pacific War'' (2007) * '' Against the Day'' by Michael Cronin (1999) * '' After Dachau'' by

Daniel Quinn Daniel Clarence Quinn (October 11, 1935 – February 17, 2018) was an American author (primarily, novelist and fabulist), cultural critic, and publisher of educational texts, best known for his novel ''Ishmael'', which won the Turner Tomorrow ...

(2001) * '' Collaborator'' by Murray Davies (2003) * '' In the Presence of Mine Enemies'' by

(2003, the first 21 pages were originally a short story published in 1992) * ''The Leader'' by Guy Walters (2003) * '' Mobius Dick'' by Andrew Crumey (2004) * '' Warlords of Utopia'' by Lance Parkin (2004) * '' Farthing'', '' Ha'penny'', and '' Half a Crown'', series by

Jo Walton Jo Walton (born 1964) is a Welsh-Canadian fantasy and science fiction writer and poet. She is best known for the fantasy novel '' Among Others'', which won the Hugo and Nebula Awards in 2012, and '' Tooth and Claw'', a Victorian-era novel w ...

(2006–2008) * '' Resistance'' by Owen Sheers (2007) * '' The Conquistador's Hat'' by

John Maddox Roberts John Maddox Roberts (June 25, 1947 – May 23, 2024) was an American author of science fiction, fantasy, and historical fiction including the SPQR series, ''SPQR'' series and ''Hannibal's Children''. Personal life John Maddox Roberts was born ...

(2011) * ''

Dominion A dominion was any of several largely self-governance, self-governing countries of the British Empire, once known collectively as the ''British Commonwealth of Nations''. Progressing from colonies, their degrees of self-governing colony, colon ...

'' by

C. J. Sansom Christopher John Sansom (9 December 1952 – 27 April 2024) was a British writer of Historical mystery, historical crime novels, best known for his Shardlake series, Matthew Shardlake series. He also wrote the spy novel ''Winter in Madrid'' and ...

(2012) * ''A Kill in the Morning'' by Graeme Shimmin (2014) * ''

The Afrika Reich ''The Afrika Reich'' is a 2011 alternate history (fiction), alternate history thriller (genre), action thriller novel by Guy Saville in which the point of divergence is the United Kingdom being defeated by Nazi Germany during the Battle of Dunki ...

'' and '' The Madagaskar Plan'' by

Guy Saville ''The Afrika Reich'' is a 2011 alternate history (fiction), alternate history thriller (genre), action thriller novel by Guy Saville in which the point of divergence is the United Kingdom being defeated by Nazi Germany during the Battle of Dunki ...

(2011–2015) * Mecha Samurai Empire series by

Peter Tieryas Peter Tieryas is an American writer. He is the author of ''Bald New World'' (2014) and the ''Mecha Samurai Empire series'' which consists of ''United States of Japan'' (2016), ''Mecha Samurai Empire'' (2018), and ''Cyber Shogun Revolution'' (2020) ...

(2016–2020) Counterfactual scenarios are also written as a form of academic paper rather than necessarily as fiction and/or novel-length fiction: * '' What If?: The World's Foremost Military Historians Imagine What Might Have Been'' contains "How Hitler Could Have Won the War" by

John Keegan Sir John Desmond Patrick Keegan (15 May 1934 – 2 August 2012) was an English military historian, lecturer, author and journalist. He wrote many published works on the nature of combat between prehistory and the 21st century, covering land, ...

. * ''Virtual History: Alternatives and Counterfactuals'', edited by

Niall Ferguson Sir Niall Campbell Ferguson, ( ; born 18 April 1964)Biography
Niall Ferguson

, contains "Hitler's England: What if Germany had invaded Britain in May 1940?" by Andrew Roberts and Niall Ferguson, and "Nazi Europe: What if Nazi Germany had defeated the Soviet Union?" by Michael Burleigh. * ''If the Allies Had Fallen: Sixty Alternate Scenarios of World War II'' by Dennis Showalter. In the ''All About History'' Bookazine series, ''What if...Book of Alternate History'' (2019): Among the articles are ''What if...Germany had won the Battle of Britain?'' and ''What if...The Allies had lost the Battle of the Atlantic?''

Film

* '' It Happened Here'' (1966), a British film directed by

Kevin Brownlow Kevin Brownlow (born Robert Kevin Brownlow; 2 June 1938) is a British film historian, television documentary-maker, filmmaker, author, and film editor. He is best known for his work documenting the history of the silent era, having become inter ...

* ''

Philadelphia Experiment II ''Philadelphia Experiment II'' (also known as ''Philadelphia Experiment 2'') is a 1993 American science fiction film depicting a hypothetical Nazi-dominated America. It is the sequel to '' The Philadelphia Experiment'' (1984), with an entirely ...

'' (1993) * ''

'' (1994), based on the 1992 novel * '' Jackboots on Whitehall'' (2010) * '' Resistance'' (2011)

Television

* '' The Other Man'' (1964) * '' Star Trek: The Original Series'': "

The City on the Edge of Forever "The City on the Edge of Forever" is the twenty-eighth and penultimate episode of the Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, first season of the American science fiction on television, science fiction television series ''Star Trek: The Origin ...

" (1967) * ''

'': " Inferno" (1970) * '' An Englishman's Castle'' (1978) * ''

Darkroom A darkroom is used to process photographic film, make Photographic printing, prints and carry out other associated tasks. It is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of light-sensitive photographic materials, including ...

'': "Stay Tuned, We'll Be Right Back" (1981) * ''

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

'': "The Savage Time" (2002) * '' Star Trek: Enterprise'': " Zero Hour"/" Storm Front" (2004) * '' Misfits'': Season 3, Episode 4 (2011) * '' Danger 5'':, Season 2, Episode 7 "Welcome to Hitlerland" (2015) * '' The Man in the High Castle'' (2015–2019), an

Amazon Studios Amazon MGM Studios is an American film and television production and distribution company owned by Amazon, and headquartered at the Culver Studios complex in Culver City, California. Launched on November 16, 2010, it took its current name on O ...

series based on the 1962 novel * '' SS-GB'' (2017), a

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

miniseries based on the 1978 novel * ''

Crisis on Earth-X "Crisis on Earth-X" is the fourth Arrowverse Crossover (fiction), crossover event, featuring episodes of ''Supergirl (TV series), Supergirl'', ''Arrow (TV series), Arrow'', ''The Flash (2014 TV series), The Flash'', and ''Legends of Tomorrow' ...

'' (2017), a four-part

Arrowverse The Arrowverse is an American Superhero fiction, superhero media franchise and shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series ...

crossover event between ''

Supergirl Supergirl is the name of several fictional superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The original, current, and most well known Supergirl is Supergirl (Kara Zor-El), Kara Zor-El, the cousin of superhero Superman. Th ...

'', ''

Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...

'', ''

The Flash The Flash is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date, cover-dated Jan ...

'', and ''

Legends of Tomorrow ''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American Time travel in fiction, time travel superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, ...

Comics

* "Blitzkrieg 1972", issue 155 of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (September 1972) depicts an alternate timeline where Nazis led by Captain Axis are attempting to invade

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and battle an outnumbered U.S. Army assisted by the

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

. * The 1988

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

'' Kerberos Panzer Cop'' and related media in

Mamoru Oshii is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including ''Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer'' (1984), ''Angel's Egg'' (1985), '' ...

's '' Kerberos saga'' depict an alternate universe where Nazi Germany develops "Protect Gear"

powered exoskeleton An exoskeleton is a wearable device that augments, enables, assists, or enhances motion, posture, or physical activity through mechanical interaction with and force applied to the user’s body. Other common names for a wearable exoskeleton in ...

s early into the war, defeating the Allies and managing to occupy the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

(part of the Allies in the saga's timeline). However, the

20 July plot The 20 July plot, sometimes referred to as Operation Valkyrie, was a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler, the chancellor and leader of Nazi Germany, and overthrow the Nazi regime on 20 July 1944. The plotters were part of the German r ...

succeeds, and the regime succeeding Hitler purges

from the German Reich and restores the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

, though authoritarianism is suggested to remain the dominant ideology. * In the 2003–2004

Captain America Captain America is a superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appeared in '' Captain America Comics'' #1, published on December 20, 1940, by Timely C ...

story arc ''Cap Lives'' (''Captain America'' Vol. 4, issues 17–20), Captain America awakens from suspended animation in 1964 to find that, due to a temporal anomaly, Nazi Germany has won World War II and conquered much of the world, including the United States. After dropping a nuclear bomb on the U.S., Nazi Germany took control of North America, renaming

as "New

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

" and declaring it the capital of Nazi America. The

Red Skull The Red Skull is the alias of several supervillains appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by France Herron, Jack Kirby, and Joe Simon, the character first appeared in ''Captain America Comics'' #1 (March 1941), in ...

has become the ''

Führer ( , spelled ''Fuehrer'' when the umlaut is unavailable) is a German word meaning "leader" or " guide". As a political title, it is strongly associated with Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. Hitler officially cal ...

'' of the so-called "New Reich" and seeks to create an army of blonde, Aryan supermen or

super soldiers ''Super Soldiers'' was a comic book published by the Marvel UK imprint of Marvel Comics in 1993. Part of the shared Marvel Universe setting, it centered on a team of superhuman British soldiers, with some plot aspects drawing on the background o ...

based on Captain America's DNA. Alongside American resistance fighters that include

Bucky Barnes James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally introduced as a sidekick to Captain America, the character was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared in '' ...

Nick Fury Colonel (United States), Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and ...

and his

Howling Commandos The Howling Commandos is the name of several fictional groups appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team also appears in the franchises developed for other media. Fictional team history Original Incarnation (1963) T ...

Peter Parker Spider-Man is a superhero in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the Silver Age of ...

, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, Sue Storm, Reed Richards,

Hank Pym Dr. Henry Jonathan Pym is a character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by penciller Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee and writer Larry Lieber, Pym debuted in ''Tales to Astonish'' #27 (Ja ...

, Janet van Dyne,

Tony Stark Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, the character first appearan ...

, Donald Blake,

Bruce Banner The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

, Matt Murdock,

Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr. in 1972, he was the first Af ...

Frank Castle The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher mad ...

, and Stephen Strange, Captain America fights against the New Reich and succeeds in returning to the timeline in which he is originally meant to be. * In DC Comics,

Earth-X ''Earth X'' is a 1999 comic book limited series published by American company Marvel Comics. ''Earth X'' was written by Jim Krueger with art by John Paul Leon. Based on Alex Ross' notes, the series features a dystopian version of the Marvel Un ...

is an alternative Earth in which the Nazis developed the atomic bomb before the U.S. and won World War II. * In the ''

A-Next A-Next is a team of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is the Marvel Comics 2 universe version of the Avengers. The team made its first appearance in '' What If?'' #105, the first comic featuring Spider ...

'' comic series by

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...

, an alternate reality designated as Earth 9907 is depicted, in which the Red Skull survived and assumed leadership of the failing Third Reich, leading it into total world domination. * The 2003 graphic novel '' The Life Eaters'' is an adaptation and expansion of '' Thor Meets Captain America''.

Video games

* '' Rocket Ranger'' (as a background story/alternate reality) by Cinemaware (1988) * '' Turning Point: Fall of Liberty'' by Spark Unlimited (2008) * '' Battlestations: Pacific'' by

Eidos Interactive Eidos Interactive Limited (formerly Domark Limited) was a British video game publisher based in Wimbledon, London. Among its franchises were '' Championship Manager'', '' Deus Ex'', ''Hitman'', '' Thief'' and ''Tomb Raider''. Domark was founded ...

(2009) * '' Wolfenstein: The New Order'' by

MachineGames MachineGames Sweden AB is a Swedish video game developer based in Uppsala. The studio was founded in 2009 by seven former employees of Starbreeze Studios, including founder Magnus Högdahl. After unsuccessfully pitching game ideas to several ...

(2014) ** '' Wolfenstein: The Old Blood'' (2015) ** '' Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus'' (2017) ** '' Wolfenstein: Youngblood'' (2019) ** '' Wolfenstein: Cyberpilot'' (2019) * ''

We Happy Few ''We Happy Few'' is an action-adventure video game developed by Compulsion Games and published by Gearbox Publishing. In 2016, an early access version was released for Windows, with the full game seeing wide release for PlayStation 4, Windows, ...

'' (2018), a survival game set in an alternate mid-1960s England after the successful occupation of the country by Nazi Germany. * Among the many alternate history timelines featured in the

GURPS The ''Generic Universal Role Playing System'', or ''GURPS'', is a tabletop role-playing game system published by Steve Jackson Games. The system is designed to run any genre using the same core mechanics. The core rules were first written by St ...

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...

''Infinite Worlds'' is the highly dangerous timeline known as '' Reich-5'', the worst of several Nazi-victorious alternate histories. * In the

grand strategy wargame A grand strategy wargame or simply grand strategy game (GSG) is a wargame that places focus on grand strategy: military strategy at the level of movement and use of a nation state or empire's resources. The genre has considerable overlap with 4X ...

'' by

Paradox Interactive Paradox Interactive AB is a video game publisher based in Stockholm, Sweden. The company started out as the video game division of Target Games and then Paradox Entertainment (now Cabinet Entertainment) before being spun out into an independ ...

, many conversion mods set in a world with an Axis victory have been created. ** '' The New Order: Last Days of Europe (''abbreviated as ''TNO)'', a mod for ''Hearts of Iron IV'' taking place after the Axis Powers won

where an alternate three-way

is fought between

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, and

America The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The mod has received praise for its rich storytelling and its dark and gloomy atmosphere. **''Thousand Week Reich'', presents a German victory in

. In its timeline, the Germans capture the British Expeditionary Force at

Dunkirk Dunkirk ( ; ; ; Picard language, Picard: ''Dunkèke''; ; or ) is a major port city in the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), Nord in northern France. It lies from the Belgium, Belgian border. It has the third-larg ...

, which causes the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

to sign an

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

with

in 1940.

then is able to conquer the western portion of the

following a long conflict. The

(at peace with Germany) are able to win against

in the

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

. The mod begins with a

between the

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

(which is led by

Subhas Chandra Bose Subhas Chandra Bose (23 January 1897 – 18 August 1945) was an Indian independence movement, Indian nationalist whose defiance of British raj, British authority in India made him a hero among many Indians, but his wartime alliances with ...

after a successful revolution).

Hypothetical German victory in World War I

Depictions of the Central powers

A similar but less frequent theme are alternate histories describing a hypothetical victory of

Imperial Germany The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The first of this kind was ''

When William Came ''When William Came: A Story of London Under the Hohenzollerns'' is a novel written by the British author Saki (the pseudonym of Hector Hugh Munro) and published in November 1913. It is set several years in what was then the future, after a war b ...

'' (full name: ''When William Came: A Story of London Under the Hohenzollerns'') written by British author

Saki Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 – 14 November 1916), popularly known by his pen name Saki and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirise Edwardian society and ...

(the pseudonym of Hector Hugh Munro) and published in November 1913, thus at the time a

rather than alternate history. Correctly predicting a war between Britain and Germany (in which Saki himself would be killed), the book assumes that Germany would win and impose a harsh occupation regime on the defeated Britain. A much later example is

's '' Curious Notions'', describing a world dominated into the late 21st Century by the descendants of Kaiser

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia from 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication in 1918, which marked the end of the German Empire as well as th ...

, who promote monarchies everywhere and preserve

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

and the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

as German satellites. In the book, the people of the occupied United States, like the rest of the world, are harshly oppressed by an omnipresent German

secret police image:Putin-Stasi-Ausweis.png, 300px, Vladimir Putin's secret police identity card, issued by the East German Stasi while he was working as a Soviet KGB liaison officer from 1985 to 1989. Both organizations used similar forms of repression. Secre ...

, similar to the role of the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

in Nazi victory scenarios, but without the Nazi murderous antisemitism. In the alternate timeline of Keith Laumer's '' Worlds of the Imperium'',

won the

but failed to consolidate its victory, with a chaotic and highly destructive war, and eventually, a nuclear war, continuing to sweep the planet for generations.

Philip José Farmer Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy fiction, fantasy novels and short story, short stories. Obituary. Farmer is best known for two sequences of novels, t ...

's '' The Gate of Time'' mentions, but does not describe in detail, an alternate timeline in which Kaiser Wilhelm IV (rather than

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

) controls an expansionist, imperialist Germany in this world's Second World War. The alternate history mod '' Kaiserreich, Legacy of the Weltkrieg'' of the video game

also covers a world where

won

, as the

never joins the Entente. Causing

to gain territory in

Central Africa Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries accordin ...

and

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountain ...

, securing their gains under the Reichspakt military alliance and the

Mitteleuropa (), meaning Middle Europe, is one of the German terms for Central Europe. The term has acquired diverse cultural, political and historical connotations. University of Warsaw, Johnson, Lonnie (1996) ''Central Europe: Enemies, Neighbors, Friends' ...

economic alliance. The

and French mainlands were taken over by

syndicalist Syndicalism is a labour movement within society that, through industrial unionism, seeks to unionize workers according to industry and advance their demands through strikes and other forms of direct action, with the eventual goal of gainin ...

revolutionaries, while their governments remain in exile in Canada and Algeria respectively.

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

is divided between a syndicalist government in the north, the

Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies () was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1861 under the control of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the Bourbons. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by population and land are ...

in the south, the

Papal State The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct Sovereignty, sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy fro ...

in Rome, and the Austrian-supported Italian Republic in Lombardy and Venetia.

and the

survive the war and

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

gains territory from

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

and

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. The

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

still occurs, but ends in the victory of the

White movement The White movement,. The old spelling was retained by the Whites to differentiate from the Reds. also known as the Whites, was one of the main factions of the Russian Civil War of 1917–1922. It was led mainly by the Right-wing politics, right- ...

. The

continues to be in an

economic depression An economic depression is a period of carried long-term economic downturn that is the result of lowered economic activity in one or more major national economies. It is often understood in economics that economic crisis and the following recession ...

by 1936.

Depictions of the Axis powers

Themes

Early depictions

Later depictions

Literature

Film

Television

Comics

Video games

Hypothetical German victory in World War I

Depictions of the Central powers

See also

References

Further reading