Manfred von Richthofen Lives

[Major Major]

I wrote a thread on soc.history.what-if where Richthofen survived.

Later on I expanded it into a novel. There were a lot of interesting bits . . . imagine General Rommel in Belarus welcoming the Trapp family to sing for the troops.

But it got turned down.

 

[Some Bloke]

Ok so we rule out the swapping fates idea. Was the Red Baron's cousin or nephew involved with the Nazis? Maybe a timeline where Lothar lives ...

 

[Jotun]

How about a conservative but ultimately democratic German government with von Lettow-Vorbeck as chancellor and von Richthofen as foreign minister? Both had incredible prestige in Britain and could conceivably influence affairs to Germany's benefit.

 

[Some Bloke]

I'd be interested to see how L-V and Richtofen manage to outmanouvre the Nazis in this scenario.

 

[Jotun]

Hm. They'd from the start have the advantage of being appealing to the whole conservative spectrum, stealing votes from the far right. They'd have an aura of untarnishable military competence (look at the contortions the Nazis had to go through to paint Hitler as a military man) which would cause the military to be loyal to them.
Both would also not be untouchables to the moderate (democratic) left, enabling them to, if push comes to shove, form coaltions with them.

 

[Archibald]

Richtofen and Goering swap fates during WWI

Not very well. It was Goering who was able to connect Hitler to the higher circles, leading to the mass contributions that helped the party achieve successes in the elections.

I usually get bored by the "non Hitler" TL, but this one I could be interested in. Someone has to do that - Richtoffen succeeding Hindenburg in 1932 or 1934, kicking the ass of an obscure asshole named Adolf Hitler that history quickly forget.
Menwhile, on the other side of the border, French president De LaRocque (and his prime minister René Fonck ?) are watching the events anxiously...
Remember that one ?
http://forum.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=126624&page=19

 

[Some Bloke]

Or maybe L-V beating Hindenburg for the presidency.

Common joke in the 1930s.

What's the difference between Britain and Germany?

One has a General Election, the other has an election of Generals.