Fox on the Rhine

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Fox on the Rhine
Author	Michael Dobson and Douglas Niles
Cover artist	Tony Greco
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Alternate history, War novel
Publisher	Tor Books
Publication date	June 2002
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	546 pp
ISBN	ISBN 0-8125-7466-4
Followed by	Fox at the Front

Fox on the Rhine is an alternate history book co-authored by Michael Dobson and Douglas Niles. It deals with the 1944 Plot to assassinate Hitler, which failed in reality. Heinrich Himmler comes to power through assassinations of his superiors, so he may become führer. Erwin Rommel is a main character throughout the book, and realizes that Germany is not headed in the right direction.

1 Plot introduction
- 1.1 Explanation of the novel's title
2 Plot summary
3 Historical Characters in "Fox on the Rhine"
4 Footnotes
5 External links

[edit] Plot introduction

Fox on the Rhine is set in Europe during World War II. Being an alternate history novel, it deals with how one small thing could change history. In this case, the man who moved the briefcase bomb behind a concrete divider did not move it, due to a sneeze. The plot to kill Hitler that failed in reality then succeeds. A new phase of the war begins.

[edit] Explanation of the novel's title

In the novel, Operation Fuchs am Rhein is Rommel's alternate Battle of the Bulge.^[1] This translates to Fox on the Rhine in English.

[edit] Plot summary

Hitler is killed by the real-life bomb plot put in place by Colonel von Stauffenberg, and from there, Himmler assigns the SS to kill anyone ahead of him in the chain of command until he was führer. Himmler quickly realizes that the Nazis can't win a two-front war. He gets a weak treaty with the Russians, surrendering only countries he thought were lost already. He then implements Operation Carousel, a plan to get every Nazi off the Russian front and ready to defend the Fatherland. Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox, comes out of the hospital after suffering an air attack to his car, and is assigned his position of Feldmarschall on the front against the Allies. The development of jet technology is very important to Himmler, as he wants control of the skies for an attack on the Allies.

After being pushed back for so long, the Nazis attack the Allied front using their feared Blitzkrieg. The Axis reach Bastogne and finally the Meuse River, when their advance is halted except for two bridges in the Belgian town of Dinant. American tanks sneak by Tigers and Panzers to get into the city. Rommel says he will surrender to the Allies, leaving Himmler-loyal SS forces in chaos. Himmler orders Rommel and anyone associated with him traitors and enemies of the Reich. Rommel survives an attempt on his life and surrenders his men to American General Patton.