London
From Turtledove
London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. London has been a major settlement for two millennia and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire, when it was named Londinium. London is one of the planet's most populous cities, a major financial center, and a major cultural crossroads.
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[edit] London in In the Presence of Mine Enemies
London was occupied by German forces following Britain's defeat in World War II. Led by Winston Churchill, Britain put up stiff resistance to the German invasion, sacrificing the city and reducing it to rubble, all in vain.
By 2010, it was the center of the pro-Nazi government ruled by the British Union of Fascists, party founded by Oswald Mosley in the 1930s. The harsh reparations imposed by the Germans and partisan uprisings which finally crushed by 1970 left substantial parts of the city in perpetual ruin. Although the city had a more modern look than Berlin, it was still in a state of rebuilding a half-century after the war ended.
The 2010 the annual meeting place of the BUF saw initial rumblings against the German Reich, as Charlie Lynton became party leader by quorum rather than by appointment, and began calling for a similar selection process for the German Führer.
More mundanely, London was also the site of the annual meeting of the Medieval English Association, attended by scholars from all over the Reich, including Susanna Weiss.
[edit] London in The Man With the Iron Heart
London had been on the receiving end of destructive German bombing raids throughout World War II. Even in December, 1946, much of the city was still in rubble. One night, a pair of German Freedom Front agents used truck bombs to destroy Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral. This was months after another GFF agent had detonated a bomb at the base of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Although the British government had stationed guards around several monuments in the immediate aftermath of the Paris attack, the guards had been withdrawn when no attack came.
One PC Cedric Mitchell witnessed the Westminster Abbey attack.
[edit] London in Ruled Britannia
London was occupied by Spanish forces supporting Queen Isabella and King Albert from 1588 to 1598. It was in London that Sir William Cecil's plot to overthrow the Hapsburg monarchs and restore Queen Elizabeth was hatched.
Notable sights include the Tower of London, The Theatre, St. Paul's Cathedral, and the Southwark bear-baiting arena.
In 1898, with the impending death of Spain's King Philip II, English nationalists, led by Cecil's son Robert, set forth a plan to overthrow Spanish rule. William Shakespeare was commissioned to write a play designed to inspire the citizens of London to rise up and cast the Spanish out.
The play, Boudicca, was a complete success, as the crowds in attendance quickly saw the parallels between the Roman oppression presented in the play and their own situation. The mob took the streets, and quickly escalated from a riot into a revolution, as the Londoners overcame the regiment of Spanish soldiers and freed Elizabeth from the Tower.
[edit] London in Southern Victory
In 1944, London was one of three British cities destroyed by a German superbomb on the same day; Norwich and Brighton were also destroyed by the Germans.
[edit] London in Worldwar
London was bombed heavily by German forces in World War II. After the Race's Conquest Fleet invaded Earth in 1942, London hosted several strategy meetings for representatives of the governments of the Big Five.
In 1943-44, the Race invaded Britain, landing two columns: one north of London, the other south. The hope was that these columns would be able to besiege and starve London and thus force Britain out of the war. Prime Minister Winston Churchill had warned of dire consequences to the invading forces, but was ignored. Churchill made good his warning by using chemical weapons and poison gas against the invading Lizards. The Race had never conceived of such a weapon, and were completely unprepared for it. The sheer horror of chemical weapons, coupled with the stubborn resistance average Londoners put up against both columns forced the Race to desperately retreat. Much of their equipment and war material was left behind for the British to plunder.
After the war, England became economically dependent upon the Greater German Reich. London became a difficult place to live for Jews.
[edit] London in "Gentlemen of the Shade"
London was secretly the home of a group of vampires called the Sanguine Club. In 1888, a rogue vampire called Jack began a series of murders in Whitechapel, a district in London's East End. Terrified that Jack's actions would reveal them to the world, the Sanguine Club finally captured him and sealed him the foundation of the Tower Bridge
[edit] London in "A Massachusetts Yankee in King Arthur's Court"
President John F. Kennedy was visiting London for a summit with Prime Minister Harold Macmillan when he was transported back through time to the historical Cam'lod'n.
