The Madagaskar Plan

The Madagaskar Plan is a 2015 alternate history adventure novel by Guy Saville.[1][2][3][4][5][6] In this world Britain and the Third Reich have negotiated a peace treaty allowing Nazi Germany to conquer much of Africa, averting the Holocaust. Instead, the Nazis have implemented their Madagascar Plan, a scheme to deport the Jewish population of Europe to Madagascar. In the novel, five million Jews have been sent to the island.

The Madagaskar Plan
AuthorGuy Saville
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenreAdventure, alternative history novel
PublisherHodder & Staughton
Publication date
16 July 2015
Media typePrint (Hardback)
Pages518 pp (first edition, hardback)
ISBN978-1-444-71068-7 (first edition, hardback)
Preceded byThe Afrika Reich 

Plot

Following on directly from events in The Afrika Reich, the protagonist, Burton Cole, returns home to Britain to find that his lover, Madeleine, has vanished. Meanwhile, Hochburg’s invasion of Rhodesia has turned to disaster and his forces have been driven back by the Rhodesian Army across the border to Kongo. Emboldened by his failure, anti-Nazi guerrillas in the north of Kongo have launched a surprise attack leaving Hochburg to fight a war on two fronts. After a conference call with Himmler, Hochburg realises that there will be no reinforcements from Europe. Visiting the Shinkolobwe mine, he learns of a super-weapon that will help him turn the tide of the war. Because of Hitler’s policy banning the development of nuclear weapons, the only people capable of developing a bomb for Hochburg are Jewish physicists exiled to Madagascar. Hochburg travels to the island and comes into conflict with its governor, Odilo Globočnik.

Cole has discovered that Madeleine has been sent to the island as a prisoner and smuggles himself there in an effort to find her. He visits the scuppered cruise-liner the Wilhelm Gustloff, which is moored off the island and holds the records of all the Jews on Madagascar and learns of Madeleine’s address in the town of Antsohihy.

In a third strand, Salois, a leader of the Jewish resistance is given a mission to destroy the German naval base of Diego Suarez. Located on the northern end of Madagascar, the base allows the Kriegsmarine to dominate the Indian Ocean (renamed Ostafrikanischer Ozean in the book). Unless it is taken out of action, the British will never be able to defeat the Germans in Africa.

As Burton tracks down Madeleine across the island and Hochburg and Globus clash over the physicists, the strands of the novel come together at Mandritsara, the location of a secret Nazi medical facility. Salois is killed and Globus unleashes a flood against the Jews. Hochburg escapes the island with his nuclear secrets, leaving Burton to vow his revenge.

Historical characters in the book

Along with the Nazi leadership, a number of real figures appear as characters in the book:

See also
  • Axis victory in World War II

References
  1. Saville, Guy. The Madagaskar Plan. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2015. ISBN 978-1-444-71068-7
  2. "Fiction Book Review: The Madagaskar Plan by Guy Saville". Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  3. THE MADAGASKAR PLAN by Guy Saville | Kirkus Reviews.
  4. "The Madagaskar Plan by Guy Saville | Review | Historical Novels Review". historicalnovelsociety.org. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  5. "Book Review: The Madagaskar Plan | Open Letters Monthly - an Arts and Literature Review". www.openlettersmonthly.com. Retrieved 2016-06-26.
  6. "Guy's alternative history". 2015-07-22. Retrieved 2016-06-26.

Sources
  • Picker, Lenny (June 8, 2015). "Ripple in Time: PW Talks with Guy Saville". Publishers Weekly. 262 (23): 38.
  • Pitt, David (May 15, 2015). "The Madagaskar Plan". Booklist. 111 (18): 38.
  • "The Madagaskar Plan". Kirkus Reviews. 83 (1): 245. June 2015.
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