Alistair Walsh was a Welsh-born veteran of both the First and the Second World Wars. He was a lifer, remaining in the service after the first war, and attaining the rank of sergeant prior to the second. His opinion of the conduct of the second war was informed by his experiences in the first. Walsh was never shy about sharing his frustration and disgust at the British government's conduct of the war early on.

Walsh's unit of the British Expeditionary Force arrived in France in October, 1938, shortly after Germany invaded Czechoslovakia. However, they did not invade Germany, as France had, a fact that Walsh and his comrades found frustrating. By November, Germany had subdued Czechoslovakia, pushed French forces out of German territory, and began a drive to the Netherlands.

Now Britain and France were stymied by Belgium's intransigence. Walsh and many of his colleagues were convinced that King Leopold was secretly pro-German. Thus, it was only when the Netherlands fell that Belgium permitted Allied troops into Belgium. Walsh was among those who entered. However, Belgium surrendered after three weeks of fighting, and Walsh found himself retreating again.

With Germany driving through Belgium, Walsh was given a brief leave in Paris. The German Luftwaffe targeted the city. Walsh witnessed the top of the Eiffel Tower blown off in December, 1938.

For the first months of 1939, Walsh was part of a series of advances and retreats, as Allied forces were slowly driven back to Paris. In April, 1939, an Anglo-French counter-offensive succeeded in stopping the German drive once and for all. This, in turn, stalled leaving Walsh in the small hamlet of Messy. There the lines stabilized and both sides dug in much as they had in WW I.

Walsh witnessed the failed attack spearheaded by Mark I Cruisers which proved to be horribly vulnerable to German anti-tank rifles and 37mm anti-tank guns. When the Germans invaded Norway, Walsh's company was pulled from the line and sent by train to Brest. There they took a troopship to England and then another train to Aberdeen. From there, they were sent to Trondheim via another troopship and put in the line to try to stop the German advance. These efforts failed, and Britain and France evacuated.

After the evacuation, Walsh went on leave in Scotland. While bicycling near Dundee, Walsh saw German Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess parachute from a plane. Walsh took Hess into custody and escorted him to the authorities. During much of their journey, Hess, who spoke fluent English, tried to convince Walsh of the value of an alliance between their two countries in the fight against the Soviet Union. Walsh finally ordered Hess to be silent. While Walsh was unreceptive, the government of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was, despite protests from War Minister Winston Churchill. Churchill even favor Walsh with a visit before Churchill was killed by a drunk driver.

Disgusted, Walsh resigned from the Army after the "Big Switch", and was quicly drawn into Ronald Cartland's clique. Walsh was soon being surveiled by Chamberlain's successor, Sir Horace Wilson.

v · d · e The War That Came Early Books Hitler's War • West and East • The Big Switch • Coup d'Etat • Two Fronts • Untitled sixth volume 1 of 5 Add photo POV Characters Juan Antonio Ansaldo* • Joaquin Delgadillo† • Aristide Demange • Willi Dernen • Peggy Druce • Hideki Fujita • Sarah Goldman • Luc Harcourt† • Adolf Hitler* • Theo Hossbach • Vaclav Jezek • Ivan Kuchkov • Fritz-Julius Lemp • Pete McGill • Anastas Mouradian • Ludwig Rothe† • Hans-Ulrich Rudel • Alistair Walsh • Chaim Weinberg • Sergei Yaroslavsky† Countries Belgium • Britain • China • Czechoslovakia • France • Germany • Italy • Japan • Philippines • Poland • Soviet Union • Spain • United States Events Spanish Civil War • World War II (The War That Came Early) *denotes a character who was a POV for a single scene. † denotes a deceased character.