The Proteus Operation

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The Proteus Operation is a science fiction novel which was written by James P. Hogan and published in 1985. Alternate history, time travel and parallel universes form the basis of its plot, in which a group of commandos, diplomats and scientists travel back to 1939. They try to prevent the Axis Powers from winning World War II.

[edit] Plot

In the book, we learn that our history is the result of multiple meddling with the timeline. Originally the First World War was a wake-up call for the human race, leading to a greater internationalism and a "Never Again" spirit which would eventually wear away the differences between the various power-blocs until, by the 21st century, a global League of Nations oversees a planet totally at peace.

Unfortunately the people who feel they have lost out because of the social transformations enabled by decades of peace and co-operation (the aristocracy, corporate dynasties, etc) come up with a plan to build a functional Time-Machine and change history for their benefit. Their scheme is to go back as far as they can (the very early 1920s) and mentor the fledgeling Nazi Party, which they see as the perfect tool for destroying the Soviet Union and establishing an elitist tyranny to which they can re-locate and live the lives of luxury and entitlement they believe have been stolen from them. Hitler, however, has other plans. He uses the Uptime history lessons he receives to ensure that Western Europe falls swiftly, and then drops a few Uptime nuclear weapons to remove the Soviet Union from the map. That done, he destroys his end of the Time Conduit and declares independence from his former sponsors. By the 1970's, Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan have conquered everything other than North America, Australasia and parts of South America. Africa has suffered a genocide every bit as complete as the one inflicted upon the Jews, and the Axis stands poised to start a final War that the USA is bound to lose.

It is agents from this altered timeline who, having discovered the secret behind the Nazi successes of the previous decades, decide that they will build their own Time Machine and go back to stop the nightmare from developing. Their Time Machine isn't as advanced or powerful, so they can only open a gate to 1939, where the plan is to make a military alliance between the presidents of USA Kennedy and Roosevelt. But things go wrong, and it is up to the Uptime agents to keep the Allies in the fight while working to close off Hitler's gateway to the alternate 2020s before he gets his nuclear advantage.

In the end, they succeed, and the Alternate Timeline they create in the process turns out to be our world.