WI: Great Britain and France declare war on the Soviet Union as well in 1939?
- Thread starter Iggies
- Start date
Honestly, if it's a giant phoney war (no Operation Pike or anything like that), I can see it being rapidly wound up in June 1941 via Stalin sending lots of desperate envoys via Switzerland that just say 'look, this is just ridiculous now, we obviously need each other'.
I don't think it would impact Hitler's plan to attack the Soviet Union. I equally don't think much of a meaningful alliance would occur - Hitler isn't going to let the Red Army travel through Germany to come 'help' with Fall Gelb.
I don't think it would impact Hitler's plan to attack the Soviet Union. I equally don't think much of a meaningful alliance would occur - Hitler isn't going to let the Red Army travel through Germany to come 'help' with Fall Gelb.
Surely he would at least think twice?
Even Hitler would have to see the great advantage in having a massive ally of convenience sitting right on his eastern border.
Invade...India? Through Afghanistan? That might cause the USSR to collapse 50 years early.
Because the potential losses would have been so dramatic compared to the OTL cakewalk that was the Great Patriotic War?
Not really. Soviet Union in 80-ties was not what it was in 30-ties. Stalin would exterminate any oposition in Afghanistan similar way he pacified Caucassus and basmatchi movement or whatever they were called - even using gas I believe or Ukraine and baltic states after WWII.
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Germany didn't have almost four times as many people as the entire USSR, nor did it have the backing of the British and French Empires.Because the potential losses would have been so dramatic compared to the OTL cakewalk that was the Great Patriotic War?
He still wouldn't be able to take India. At best, he'd drop out of the war and withdraw from Poland, and that's if he's smart.
Yes to what?
PoeFacedKilla
Banned
I don't think the USSR is your area of expertise
I think Britain and France were preparing for war with the USSR, weren't they planning on sending aid and eventually men to Finland; the Fall of France got in the way.
No, it's not. I wasn't being entirely serious, either. It was more of a reference to Afghanistan's nickname as the "Graveyard of Empires", and the fact that India has four times as many people as the entire Soviet Union put together.I don't think the USSR is your area of expertise
PoeFacedKilla
Banned
Hold on What
When did Afghanistan have 400 million people,
if you mean Britain the empire wasn't unitary and mobilizing the Indian Army was always a bad Idea
Britain v USSR == USSR Victory
They were on the brink of unstoppable by '43
Stalin would "Liberate" India.
Not Afghanistan. India, which somebody stated would be the Soviets' target. To reach India, they would have to go through Iran, Afghanistan, or both.Hold on What
When did Afghanistan have 400 million people,
if you mean Britain the empire wasn't unitary and mobilizing the Indian Army was always a bad Idea
Britain v USSR == USSR Victory
They were on the brink of unstoppable by '43
PoeFacedKilla
Banned
see above, Indian army will get big enough to not like Britain anymore.
The USSR will gladly move through Afghanistan and Persia, and then into India where the propaganda machine will already have a good percent of the Northern Indians expecting a liberation of British Imperialism.
the USSR and USA rose to prominence by doing this with plenty of countries following WWII.
The USSR will gladly move through Afghanistan and Persia, and then into India where the propaganda machine will already have a good percent of the Northern Indians expecting a liberation of British Imperialism.
the USSR and USA rose to prominence by doing this with plenty of countries following WWII.
1) British Raj in 1939 had a population of ~312 million people, the Soviet Union at the same time had a population of ~169 million people. You really should get your numbers straight before making faulty assumptions. And besides that: Just because a country has a large reservoir of possible soldiers doesn't mean that it has the necessary equipment to fight.
2) You might want to read the OP again. In this scenario, we're talking about what would happen if the UK and France declared war on the USSR. That's a major point, and your argumentation therefore makes not the slightest bit of sense.
PoeFacedKilla
Banned
Well, in his blindness he brought upon an interesting question.
If the USSR did invade India, Britain would have a choice between fighting a war for France or fighting a war for India. Which would it choose?
Britain doesn't have conscription so she does not have the forces to fight a two-front war against 2 of the most powerful armies in the world.
I myself actually don't have an idea which won they would choose, it would be a disaster for Britain if France still falls.