Challenge: Prolonging the Second World War
- Thread starter Adam
- Start date
Have Stalin go paranoid and attack the allies after the fall of Berlin (been done, but it WOULD prolong the war).
Anaxagoras
Banned
This would require two PODs: one to prevent German reverses on the Eastern front (i.e. avoid having 6th Army trapped at Stalingrad, or doing better at Kursk) and another to prevent the development of the atomic bomb.
If the war lasts into 1946 with the Germans still in a strong position, you then have widespread use of jet fighters and super U-boats, which could then prolong the war further.
In particular, a POD which allowed the Germans to capture the Soviet oil supplies at Baku (which was the real target of their 1942 offensive) would greatly strengthen their position, as lack of fuel was the main weakness of the Luftwaffe and prevented them from exploiting their technical advantages.
If the war lasts into 1946 with the Germans still in a strong position, you then have widespread use of jet fighters and super U-boats, which could then prolong the war further.
In particular, a POD which allowed the Germans to capture the Soviet oil supplies at Baku (which was the real target of their 1942 offensive) would greatly strengthen their position, as lack of fuel was the main weakness of the Luftwaffe and prevented them from exploiting their technical advantages.
If the German's had followed a more practical defensive strategy on the Eastern front (such as proposed by Manstein et al) they might have held the Russians at bay longer without the horrendous losses of personnel & territory.
On the Western front, had they utilized their mobile forces in a more effective way rather than the Ardennes offensive they could have prolonged the campaign and inflicted heavier losses on the US & UK.
Also, a more effective use of the V-1 & V-2's could have made life difficult.
Had RM Speer been given a chance to rationalize German production earlier, the output of tanks and other weapon systems would have been higher. (It is interesting to note that some of the highest production levels of tanks occurred in 1944 when the bombing attacks were at their height)
On the Western front, had they utilized their mobile forces in a more effective way rather than the Ardennes offensive they could have prolonged the campaign and inflicted heavier losses on the US & UK.
Also, a more effective use of the V-1 & V-2's could have made life difficult.
Had RM Speer been given a chance to rationalize German production earlier, the output of tanks and other weapon systems would have been higher. (It is interesting to note that some of the highest production levels of tanks occurred in 1944 when the bombing attacks were at their height)
What was the name of that Game, where WWI had been fought well into the 60s? 
It'd be fantastical / ASB, but I wonder if there is a scenario in which WWII could last into the 90s? Maybe a world full of much less fisionable material....
It'd be fantastical / ASB, but I wonder if there is a scenario in which WWII could last into the 90s? Maybe a world full of much less fisionable material....
This is easy. The A Bomb proves to be unbuildable, forcing an invasion of Japan and Hilter gives his generals freedom of maneuver after D-Day.
B_Munro said:
I'm aware of that, but the inability to develope nuclear weapons means that you can't force an end to the fighting in either theatre, so even if Germany falls as in OTL, you have no way to force an to the fighting in the Pacific,leaving no other alternative but to invade the home islands of Japan, thus fulfilling the challange and extending the war, perhaps as much as 5 years. Also, as I said in my last post, you could probably extend the war in Europe if Hitler gave his generals freedom of maneuver, like they asked for after the D-Day Invasions.
Aldroud
Banned
Heart of Darkness said:What was the name of that Game, where WWI had been fought well into the 60s?
It'd be fantastical / ASB, but I wonder if there is a scenario in which WWII could last into the 90s? Maybe a world full of much less fisionable material....
It's called 'Iron Storm'. Great 1st Person shooter game with a fascinating storyline. Year is 1964, trenches run through central germany, and the eastern powers are about to get the a-bomb.
Hitler becomes the Martyr of the Nazi Party in the 1930's. Better leadership at the top, and a unified R&D program.
King Thomas
Banned
No nukes, and better German generalship.Maybe Stalin and Hitler could declare peace so the West has to fight Germany alone.
Mike Stearns said:
Sorry, I misunderstood - I thought you were linking the two.
In any event, after D-day and the firm lodgement of US forces in France there's really nothing Hitler's generals can do that will delay things more than a few months - the Allies have simply too much of an advantage in men and material at this point. As for Japan, five years??? Surely you jest.
With much of the population de-housed, massive infrastructure damage and breakdowns in distribution, plus mobilization of the population to die suicidally, the winter of '45-'46 is going to be bad, very bad: when you add in US plans for destruction of the Japanese food supply with chemical and biological weapons, expect mass famine in '46. Even if the Emperor doesn't call for surrender in the face of deaths that make the Hiroshima bombing look like a case of acne (assasinated? Killed by a misplaced bomb?), Japanese society isn't going to make it through the winter of '46-'47 as an entity coherent enough to carry on anything like organized warfare. There might be some guerrila attacks for a while yet, but anything that can be called a war is unlikely to go on after 1946.
Now, if we have no atom bomb, and the Germans manage somehow to break the back of the USSR '41-'42 so the US has to invade Fortress Europe with little or no help from the Red Army or Instant Sunshine, I can see things grinding on until '47 at least...
best,
Bruce
No, I don't. At the time of the Trinity test, American war planners were projecting that the earliest ending for the war was some time in 1948. And remember the most important thing in Japanese society, especially during this time was saving face and protecting a person's personal honor.
Last edited: