Well pick on the Irish republic for this one since it could have a better air arm than the one it's had and still nearly has. I thought a good POD if it's not ASB would be Ireland entering the 2nd world war on the allied side sometime in late 1942, perhaps American pressure and promises of reward sway them to allow the USNavy use of it's ports and airfields (build new ones) to accomodate Liberators, Catalinas etc in the battle of the Atlantic.
So in 1943 the Irish are supplied with some US aircraft types to form a more capable air arm. Probably a squadron of patrol bombers and some fighters for air defence. Fast forward to the end of hostilities and you have a quite healthy little Irish military and naval capability that they decide to keep. The army has experience of fighting in Europe, the navy has operated a handful of corvettes in the U-Boat war and the air force has a cadre with combat experience and a reasonable ammount of equipment that it can call an air arm.
Maybe comprising a training wing with Harvards etc, a fighter wing with Mustangs, a naval wing with Catalinas, a reconnaissance squadron, a bombing squadron with something like the B25, some C47s. Basically a fair bit of US surplus, but good enough to last 10 years or so.
Moving on Ireland joins NATO in the 1950's and gets Sabres, T33s and so on, reequiping roughly in line with other NATO countries but remaining a small professional force similar in size to unaligned countries of Europe.
Sound feasible?
So in 1943 the Irish are supplied with some US aircraft types to form a more capable air arm. Probably a squadron of patrol bombers and some fighters for air defence. Fast forward to the end of hostilities and you have a quite healthy little Irish military and naval capability that they decide to keep. The army has experience of fighting in Europe, the navy has operated a handful of corvettes in the U-Boat war and the air force has a cadre with combat experience and a reasonable ammount of equipment that it can call an air arm.
Maybe comprising a training wing with Harvards etc, a fighter wing with Mustangs, a naval wing with Catalinas, a reconnaissance squadron, a bombing squadron with something like the B25, some C47s. Basically a fair bit of US surplus, but good enough to last 10 years or so.
Moving on Ireland joins NATO in the 1950's and gets Sabres, T33s and so on, reequiping roughly in line with other NATO countries but remaining a small professional force similar in size to unaligned countries of Europe.
Sound feasible?
) then De Valera and Fianna Fail have to be out of the picture. Maybe if Michael Collins survives and becomes the dominant political figure then Ireland just might join in WW2 after the U.S. gets involved, it would have been politically impossible to have declared war before this as it would have been seen as a "British War."
