Dale Cozort's Alternate History Newsletter

How Do You Get France Defeating Germany in 1940?

A couple of German mistakes would do it, but what would the consequences be?

Dale Cozort's

Alternate History Newsletter

Volume 4: Number 1 --- January 2001

(Seven time winner of the clear cut award)

What If Hitler Hadn't Declared War on the US?

It isn't all gravy for Germany, and Japan has some serious problems.

Neanderthals in the New World?

If Neanderthals had crossed the Bering Strait a few hundred thousand years before the Indians, would they have survived? How would the Old World react to meeting them?

An Inca/Aztec Level Civilization In North America?

How can we get an Inca/Aztec-level Civilization in Eastern North America before Columbus?

Review

Hitler's Italian Allies

Were the Italians really that bad? If so, why?

More Stuff For POD Members Only

What you see here is a truncated on-line version of a larger zine that I contribute to POD, the alternate history APA. POD members get to look forward to more fun stuff.

What Is This?

Unfortunately, this is going to be my second rather skimpy issue in a row. Between work stresses and the ongoing issues of dealing with my wife's aging and increasingly dependent parents, I simply haven't had time to do the kind of writing I would like to do. If there is a theme to the issue it's "and then I ran out of time." Not one of my four major scenarios is at a point where I wanted to leave it, but I tried to do too much and simply ran out of time on all of the scenarios. I also intended to continue at least two of last issue's scenarios, but there again I ran out of time.

There are some good things in the issue. There is fairly long scenario where I actually have the French beating the Germans in 1940. That takes some doing, but it is by no means impossible. I take on the popular question of how World War II would have gone if Hitler had not declared war on the US after Pearl Harbor. I also start a scenario where Neanderthals make it to the New World. (Yeah, I know Harry Turtledove did something similar with Homo erectus in "A Different Flesh", but Neanderthals have a rather different impact, and this is straight AH, rather than an AH story, which does make a difference.)

I also start a scenario where an Aztec/Inca-level Indian civilization develops in Eastern North America, and do a book review or two. POD members may get a reprint on proto-agriculture systems in California, along with as much commentary as I have time to do-a respectable amount this time, though I didn't get to the commentary I didn't do for last issue.

I also didn't have time to write a review of Dean Ing's book Flying to Pieces, which isn't really alternate history, but is a lot of fun. I missed it when it came out in 1997, but picked it up used, and really enjoyed it. A bunch of World War II-era aviators-now in their sixties or seventies-get wind of a cache of mint-condition World War II-era Japanese warplanes. The planes would be worth millions in today's collector market, but getting them out is an adventure. I highly recommend this one.