The Afrika Reich by Guy Saville

‘Fatherland for an action-movie age’ – Daily Telegraph

In 2000, I was living in Rio de Janeiro. One afternoon I went to the beach and began reading Philip K Dick’s The Man in the High Castle, arguably the most famous what-if-the-Nazis-won-the-war novel.

On page 17 of my edition was the following line, ‘And then he thought about Africa, and the Nazi experiment there. And his blood stopped in his veins.’ Then, a few pages later: ‘As to the final solution of the African Problem, we have almost achieved our objectives…’ These two passing references sowed the seed to what became The Afrika Reich. I began speculating about what a Nazi Africa would look like; eventually that speculation led to researching the possibility and I found the Nazis had drawn up substantial plans for the continent.

Two years later I had written the first version of the book – a nightmarish, hallugenic story of a man travelling up the River Congo to find Walter Hochburg, messianic architect of the Africa Reich. At over a quarter of a million words it began in the Congo and ended in the death camps of the Sahara, with a major subplot set in Madagascar, where Europe’s Jews had been exiled. Heavily influenced by Heart of Darkness and Apocalypse Now, it proved a bit too much for publishers and was rejected by everyone.

The idea, however, refused to let go of me. So when several years later my agent suggested I write a thriller I returned to the concept and completely re-imagined it as a more conventional page-turner. In writing The Afrika Reich, I harked back to the men-on-a-mission stories of my youth (Where Eagles Dare and The Wild Geese were big influences) as well as giving it a contemporary political edge and a sprinkling of the fantastic realism that captivates my imagination.

The book went on to be an international bestseller and a critical hit. It was chosen as one of the ‘Books of the Year, 2011’ in the Express and Economist.

From the Dust Jacket

The Real History

Map of Nazi Africa

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A-Z

Original Website

From the Dust Jacket

1952. It is more than a decade since the Dunkirk fiasco marked the end of Britain’s war and the beginning of an uneasy peace with Hitler.

In Africa, the swastika flies from the Sahara to the Indian Ocean. Gleaming autobahns bisect the jungle and jet fighters patrol the skies. Britain and the Nazis have divided the continent, but now the demonic plans of Walter Hochburg – architect of Nazi Africa – threaten Britain’s ailing colonies.

In England, ex-mercenary Burton Cole is offered one last contract. Burton grabs the chance to settle an old score with Hochburg, despite his own misgivings and the protests of the woman he loves. If Burton fails, unimaginable horrors will be unleashed in Africa. No one – black or white – will be spared.

But when his mission turns to disaster, Burton must flee for his life.

It is a flight that will take him from the unholy killing ground of Kongo to SS slave camps and on to war-torn Angola, finally reaching its climax in a conspiracy that leads to the dark heart of the Reich itself.

Guy Saville has combined meticulous research with edge-of-the-seat suspense to produce a superb novel of alternative history.

The Real History

In May 1934, barely a year after seizing power, the Nazis established the Colonial Policy Office – Kolonialpolitisches Amt (KPA). Its objective was to agitate for the African territories Germany had lost after the Versailles Treaty: namely, Cameroon, Togoland, German East- and South-West Africa. At its head was Franz Ritter von Epp, a former general who had served with distinction in Africa during World War I.

Hitler described the purpose of the KPA ‘to press energetically the preparatory work for a future colonial administration’. Systematic planning began in the spring of 1939.

Despite this Hitler didn’t see himself turning to Africa till at least 1944 – after the Soviet Union had been defeated. It was the fall of France in June 1940 which accelerated events. The KPA, along with the Foreign Ministry and Kreigsmarine (Navy), began to circulate secret memoranda detailing Nazi ambitions for the continent. Common to all of them was the reacquisition of Germany’s former colonies and creation of ‘Mittelafrika’ – a solid bloc of territory stretching from the Atlantic to the India Ocean.

The most comprehensive of these secret documents is the Bielfeld Memorandum of 6 November 1940 upon which the world of my novel is based. This proposed the seizure of Belgian and French Congo, Equatorial French Africa and a large portion of French West Africa; there was also some suggestion of incorporating Nigeria, Kenya and Northern Rhodesia. Naval bases were earmarked for Dakar, Conakry and the Canary Islands. This vast area was to be exploited for its natural resources, upon which Germany’s European empire would be built.

In January 1941, Himmler established a training centre for the colonies in Berlin with a view to making the SS responsible for policing Africa. He also wanted to control the continent’s labour, industry, agriculture, forestry and mining. His plan was to sideline the KPA. It is this conflict – between the SS and civilian administration – that lies at the heart of The Afrika Reich.

For a more detailed account of the real history see my ‘Author’s Note’ at the end of The Afrika Reich.