Comment: It Happened Here

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The Consequences of a German Victory • Chris Underhay France is defeated, the entire German army is temporarily stopped at the English Channel just waiting for an opportunity to invade the UK and most of the British army’s weapons and equipment has been abandoned at Dunkirk. This was the situation facing the people of Britain in 1940 and so for them things were not certain, anything could of happened.

Yet for us today it is all merely history, the Germans were defeated in battle of Britain and the threat of invasion stopped. However what if the Luftwaffe had beaten the RAF, what if waves of German divisions had then crossed the channel and made this country a small spec of occupied territory on a world map dominated by the "master race". Its when you begin to think of such questions that you realise just how important our victory was because if we had fallen then its quite possible that in the end Russia and even the United States would of fallen as well. Hitler’s one thousand year Reich then seems an all too frightening possibility and a reality that would of, had it happened, caused great consequences for this nation and the rest of the world.

"It happened Here" written and directed by Kevin Brownlow and Andrew Mollo demonstrates many of the possible consequences of a German invasion by using many images that perhaps today don’t have quite the same impact as they would of in 1966, when the film was released, but which still have relevance. Not only do we see German soldiers marching through the streets of London but we also see those same soldiers chatting with local people and taking pictures of famous landmarks.

We are also bombarded with countless amounts of German propaganda from posters, radio and film as well as witnessing nazi ideals being presented and taught by British people. All of this gives the sense of how the Germans could and probably would have imposed themselves on British society and truly attempted to Nazify the country. This of course is not to mention the likely terror that would have been inflicted on British Jews and the mentally and physically disabled under a regime desiring racial purity.

The UK Fascist Leader Mosely and likely leader of the UK Nazification.

In the end it’s quite reasonable to suggest that had Germany defeated this country a new world order could of set in that would have had great consequences worldwide. Hitler’s dream of a German superpower with living space in Russia and domination in Europe could have found a horrific reality and lead to the eradication of all the basic freedoms we take for granted today in favour of racism and terror. A day should never pass when we don’t spare a thought for those that stood up to the unimaginable evil we faced in those years of war for they have, through their courage, given us the opportunity to lead the lives we do.

© Christopher Underhay December 2003
chrisunderhay@hotmail.com
Chris is a first year Creative Arts and Film student at Portsmouth University UK
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