Final Impact

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Final Impact
Author John Birmingham
Country Australia
Language English
Series Axis of Time
Genre(s) Alternate history, Science fiction
Publisher Macmillan
Publication date January 2007
Media type Print (Paperback)
Pages 368 pp
ISBN ISBN 0-345-45716-1
Preceded by Designated Targets

Final Impact is the third volume of John Birmingham's Axis of Time trilogy.

Contents

[edit] Plot summary

Picking up two years onwards from the end of Designated Targets, Final Impact is the last novel in the Axis of Time trilogy. The supercarrier USS Hillary Clinton has been refurbished and is to head back into battle, with Admiral Kolhammer back in command. Many characters have died in the intervening time period, from FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, by his own hand to Commander Dan Black, one of the main characters of the story who asks for a return to combat and dies during the retakeover of Hawaii, when his plane crashed during take-off from Muroc Airfield, California. D-Day has begun a month early and the Third Reich is crumbling as the Allies invade France. Paul Brasch's (who is now a Major General) cover is blown and is extracted by the British. Hitler has a seizure and suffers permanent brain and muscle damage; with the T4 program in mind and believing it is for the good of the Reich, Himmler suffocates him. The USSR re-enters the war on the Allied side and surges through the Western Front and the Eastern, having used the intervening two years to train huge armies as well as outfit their troops with advanced technology, including AK-47s and Mig-15s. However, before a full scale invasion of the Home Islands of Japan can begin, the Soviets drop an atomic bomb on Litzmannstadt (that is, Łódź, Poland which in reality was colonised by the Nazis in 1939, ethnically-cleansed and re-named.)

In response, Himmler authorizes the use of anthrax in an unsynthesized form which will hang around for months halting a Russian advance. The USSR takes another blow when a massive kamikaze strike cripples their Pacific Fleet.

The Allies have by now completed the Manhattan Project which has been delayed for several months, to let the allies build up -with a large amount of help by thousands of people from the future Multi-National force, a large enough stockpile of bombs to take on both the Germans and USSR at the same time, if necessary. Berlin is attacked by three U.S. nuclear weapons and is obliterated. The Soviets also destroy Tokyo, killing the Emperor. The Axis Powers give in to unconditional surrender but the damage has been done. The USSR has pushed into Asia securing gains as far as Vietnam as well as taking half of Japan and in Europe the USSR has gone around Germany and has taken all of Eastern Europe including Greece & Italy as well as the Middle East to secure Afghanistan. With the war over, most of the main characters move into the private sector and start anew.

[edit] Historical characters featured

[edit] British Commonwealth

[edit] Germany

[edit] Japan

[edit] USA

[edit] USSR

[edit] Quotes

  • 'Stalin hammered the desk with his fist, once, making a water jug jump two centimeters off the polished walnut surface. "... I do not want to be quoted old Wikipedia articles about this new B-52 bomber. ..."'
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Axis of Time novels by John Birmingham
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