The Man Who Won the War
| Author | Robert Buckner |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Short Story, Alternative History |
| Publisher | The Atlantic Monthly Company |
Publication date | 1936 |
| Publication place |  USA |
The Man Who Won the War (1936) is a Short Story by Robert Buckner. The short story tells of an exiled British Naval Officer, Roger Bradman, who "really" won the First World War. Before the start of the story, Buckner writes a short paragraph explaining why none of the story can be "legally" proven. This short introductory gives more persuasiveness to the illegitimacy of the story. Buckner writes 'Neither the official records of the Belgian War Office in Brussels nor the British Admiralty Archives in London contain whole proof of what I am about to tell".
Plot summary
The Man Who Won the War is a short story, recording the oral account of Roger Bradman to Robert Buckner; in 1927. Both passengers on the Brussels Express, they engage in conversation that leads to Buckner stating that American won the war. Bradman soon offers an alternative account of recored history, to which, he is the savior of the Allied Forces. The event took place on the late night of October 28, 1914 and the early morning of October 29, 1914. Bradman the commander of the 'Firedrake, a scouting destroyer', was in the North Sea near the Belgian coast. After observing a flash signal, from the coast, Bradman ordered an investigating party go to shore; with him accompanying. There they found a small group of Belgian soldiers and devised a plan to stop the advancing German Army. The plan a success, kept the Germans from marching all the way to Paris, which, they believed would have been so devastating to the Allies, it would have been the collapse of them.
Problems with the story
According to Dictionary of Literary Biography, <ref>[1], Buckner wrote the story after spending time with Cecil Brandon; who's life event the story is modeled after. However, Cecil Brandon is not mentioned as to what role he had in the the creation of the story.
References
1. http://www.bookrags.com/biography/robert-henry-buckner-dlb