As 1944 dawns upon the world, the Greater German Reich and the Empire of Japan continue to fight on. In 1939-40 Germany quickly took over Poland, Denmark, Norway, the Benelux countries and France. Knowing that Italy was not prepared for war, Mussolini not join the war on the German side, invading Greece instead. Greece would hold on. Churchill would start making plans to aid Greece, hoping to get an ally on the continent, mainly to bomb the Romanian oil fields. Mussolini would be forced to ask Hitler for assistance. Hitler, knowing he had no other choice, authorised the invasions of Greece and Yugoslavia. Italy would join the war against Britain in 1941, however this wasn't the start of major military actions. The Italians would not advance into Egypt, knowing that they were not prepared to attack. Ethiopia would be evacuated before the start of the war, knowing that holding the place was impossible, leaving them alive to fight another day. Operation Barbarossa would be launched on June 15, 1941. This operation would cause massive damage to the Red Army. Though the Wehrmacht was stopped at the gates of Moscow the situation was not good. Leningrad had been totally encircled. Germans would hold onto Rostov, leaving them in a perfect position to capture the Caucasus. In 1942 the Wehrmacht would advance towards the Caucasus and Stalingrad. The city would fall swiftly, the Luftwaffe performing exceptionally, preventing most reinforcements from landing. Though most of the oil was unobtainable due to Soviet sabotage the Germans would find minor relief in the oil they would get. The Soviet winter offensives would fail to achieve their objectives. In other news, Leningrad would fall due to a complete lack of food. What about the far east? The Empire of Japan would take total control of most of the Pacific. The Battle of Midway, in which the US of A lost 3 carriers, had dealt yet another blow to America.
By 1943 the situation for the Axis powers was getting dire. The American fleets, though severely slowed down by the remnants of the IJN and kamikaze attacks, were slowly advancing. In Africa the Allies would take Italian Libya, then they would take Southern Italy, stopped at the gates of Rome. In Russia the lend-lease kept the Soviets in fighting condition, allowing them to conduct a massive offensive towards Army Group South, liberating Stalingrad and preventing any more of Caucasian oil from helping Germany. In 1944 Operation Bagration would destroy the Army Group Centre and South, forcing Germany to give up eastern Ukraine and parts of Belarus.
The Germans would see a victory in the west.
"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone."
With a combination of deteriorating weather, Germans not being fooled by the Allied campaign to make it seem that the attack was meant for Calais, and Hitler being awake to authorize the usage of Panzer divisions the landings were stopped.
Though the invasion was a failure, it spooked many Wehrmacht officers in thinking that they could no longer win the war. These officers would launch Operation Valkyrie, they would kill Hitler, arrest the party members and the SS, and immediately demand a ceasefire, in Hungary officers would also stage a coup, hoping to get a better deal for Hungary, in Japan the Emperor would declare his intent to start peace talks.
But did the Allied powers not make it clear that they would not accept anything less of unconditional surrender? Why would they start negotiations?
The anti-war and anti-communist sentiments were quickly rising in the US. The failure of D-day and Soviet successes on the front made it seem like their continued fight would leave Europe a communist continent. In 1944 Robert Taft was nominated as the Republican candidate for president. His campaign would mention how America should not help communist nations, how Henry Wallace was a Soviet sympathizer, how the war did nothing good for America. His victory would be secured by FDR's death from Intracerebral hemorrhage. American did not want the "pro-Soviet" Wallace in power. And so America went the road of isolation.
Stalin would have preferred to fight on, but the lack of manpower was starting to show itself, not to mention the lack of American lend-lease. The English wanted a victory, though they couldn't land without American aid, also, they weren't too keen on a communist Europe either. The Germans and the Japanese decide that they would exit the peace deal in a better shape if there was one peace deal for all of the Axis powers, not separate ones. And so the negotiations began.
Some parts of the deal were easy: restoration of France, the Benelux countries, Denmark, Norway, That was easy, then came the more difficult bits.
Nobody cared for Italy, the Germans saw them as a very weak ally that would cause more bad than good, the Allies saw them as the enemy. The Dodecanese islands would be negotiated to Turkey. Italian Dalmatia, Fiume and Istria were given to Yugoslavia. Carniola and South Tyrol would be given to Germany. The biggest change would be a splitting of Italy. In the south a western, democratic government would be created, in the north a communist state would be created. Why would the Germans allow for a communist state to be created? There were reasons. If they kept a Northern Italy, the resistance would cause more trouble than Italy was worth. If Italy was abandoned as a fascist state, they would collapse and join with the south. And so Italy was divided into a capitalist western south and an independent communist north. Albania would be released as an independent neutral state, losing no land to anyone. Libya would be released as a one free country. Ethiopia would be released, gaining Eritrea and Somalia.
Poland would be released as a neutral nation, the western border being the pre-war line, the eastern border being the Molotov-Ribbentrop line. It was created solely as a buffer state. The Baltic states would be given independence as neutral countries. Lithuania would receive Vilnius, Memel, and all of East Prussia. Expansion solely so that Germany and the Soviets would not have a border. Also, the Baltic populations were somewhat pro-German, so it made sense for Germany to suddenly care about them. Romania would be given Bessarabia and would become a neutral state. Bulgaria would keep Southern Dobruja and would become a neutral state. Yugoslavia would also be forced to become neutral, the Germans made sure that Tito was not in charge. Hungary would win a lot in the negotiations. They would be able to keep Northern Transylvania. They would be able to negotiate an annexation of Slovakia, nobody seemed to care. They would need to give up Carpathian Ruthenia, Stalin wanted that piece of land for security. In the end Carpathian Ruthenia would become independent as a compromise. Hungarians were happy to gain all that land and become neutral. Czechia would be given independence as a neutral state, Sudetenland left to Germany. Finland would remain independent, the border being the 1939 pre-war line.
India would gain independent as one state. No Pakistan. No Bangladesh. No Burma. Muslims and Hinduists would continue to live as part of one state. Thailand would not be punished for participating in the war. Indochina would be released as one independent state. I wonder who will take power there. Indonesia, Malaysia, New Guinea, and the Philippines would be united into one state to "resist foreign colonialism". Yes, Japan, you did liberate them, let's hope you didn't cause ethnic conflicts.
Manchuria would not be given to China, they would become a truly independent state. Korea would be released as one neutral state. An Inner Mongolian People's Republic would be released. I wonder what Mao would think of that. Japan would keep the Kuril islands and southern Sakhalin, Port Arthur, Ryukyu islands, Taiwan, and the other many islands in the Pacific. They would have no restrictions placed on their sovereignty.
Germany would get to keep Austria, the Sudetenland, their border with Poland would not be changed from the pre-war line(apart from East Prussia), western border would also not change from the pre-war line. Germany would become a neutral nation.
Franco would be left alone.
"Neutrality" did not mean demilitarization.
The Western and Soviet civilizations are now divided by neutral nations,
Action from one civilization would cause a response from the other.
Japan and China remain wildcards.
The stage for a Cold War is set.
By 1943 the situation for the Axis powers was getting dire. The American fleets, though severely slowed down by the remnants of the IJN and kamikaze attacks, were slowly advancing. In Africa the Allies would take Italian Libya, then they would take Southern Italy, stopped at the gates of Rome. In Russia the lend-lease kept the Soviets in fighting condition, allowing them to conduct a massive offensive towards Army Group South, liberating Stalingrad and preventing any more of Caucasian oil from helping Germany. In 1944 Operation Bagration would destroy the Army Group Centre and South, forcing Germany to give up eastern Ukraine and parts of Belarus.
The Germans would see a victory in the west.
"Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone."
With a combination of deteriorating weather, Germans not being fooled by the Allied campaign to make it seem that the attack was meant for Calais, and Hitler being awake to authorize the usage of Panzer divisions the landings were stopped.
Though the invasion was a failure, it spooked many Wehrmacht officers in thinking that they could no longer win the war. These officers would launch Operation Valkyrie, they would kill Hitler, arrest the party members and the SS, and immediately demand a ceasefire, in Hungary officers would also stage a coup, hoping to get a better deal for Hungary, in Japan the Emperor would declare his intent to start peace talks.
But did the Allied powers not make it clear that they would not accept anything less of unconditional surrender? Why would they start negotiations?
The anti-war and anti-communist sentiments were quickly rising in the US. The failure of D-day and Soviet successes on the front made it seem like their continued fight would leave Europe a communist continent. In 1944 Robert Taft was nominated as the Republican candidate for president. His campaign would mention how America should not help communist nations, how Henry Wallace was a Soviet sympathizer, how the war did nothing good for America. His victory would be secured by FDR's death from Intracerebral hemorrhage. American did not want the "pro-Soviet" Wallace in power. And so America went the road of isolation.
Stalin would have preferred to fight on, but the lack of manpower was starting to show itself, not to mention the lack of American lend-lease. The English wanted a victory, though they couldn't land without American aid, also, they weren't too keen on a communist Europe either. The Germans and the Japanese decide that they would exit the peace deal in a better shape if there was one peace deal for all of the Axis powers, not separate ones. And so the negotiations began.
Some parts of the deal were easy: restoration of France, the Benelux countries, Denmark, Norway, That was easy, then came the more difficult bits.
Nobody cared for Italy, the Germans saw them as a very weak ally that would cause more bad than good, the Allies saw them as the enemy. The Dodecanese islands would be negotiated to Turkey. Italian Dalmatia, Fiume and Istria were given to Yugoslavia. Carniola and South Tyrol would be given to Germany. The biggest change would be a splitting of Italy. In the south a western, democratic government would be created, in the north a communist state would be created. Why would the Germans allow for a communist state to be created? There were reasons. If they kept a Northern Italy, the resistance would cause more trouble than Italy was worth. If Italy was abandoned as a fascist state, they would collapse and join with the south. And so Italy was divided into a capitalist western south and an independent communist north. Albania would be released as an independent neutral state, losing no land to anyone. Libya would be released as a one free country. Ethiopia would be released, gaining Eritrea and Somalia.
Poland would be released as a neutral nation, the western border being the pre-war line, the eastern border being the Molotov-Ribbentrop line. It was created solely as a buffer state. The Baltic states would be given independence as neutral countries. Lithuania would receive Vilnius, Memel, and all of East Prussia. Expansion solely so that Germany and the Soviets would not have a border. Also, the Baltic populations were somewhat pro-German, so it made sense for Germany to suddenly care about them. Romania would be given Bessarabia and would become a neutral state. Bulgaria would keep Southern Dobruja and would become a neutral state. Yugoslavia would also be forced to become neutral, the Germans made sure that Tito was not in charge. Hungary would win a lot in the negotiations. They would be able to keep Northern Transylvania. They would be able to negotiate an annexation of Slovakia, nobody seemed to care. They would need to give up Carpathian Ruthenia, Stalin wanted that piece of land for security. In the end Carpathian Ruthenia would become independent as a compromise. Hungarians were happy to gain all that land and become neutral. Czechia would be given independence as a neutral state, Sudetenland left to Germany. Finland would remain independent, the border being the 1939 pre-war line.
India would gain independent as one state. No Pakistan. No Bangladesh. No Burma. Muslims and Hinduists would continue to live as part of one state. Thailand would not be punished for participating in the war. Indochina would be released as one independent state. I wonder who will take power there. Indonesia, Malaysia, New Guinea, and the Philippines would be united into one state to "resist foreign colonialism". Yes, Japan, you did liberate them, let's hope you didn't cause ethnic conflicts.
Manchuria would not be given to China, they would become a truly independent state. Korea would be released as one neutral state. An Inner Mongolian People's Republic would be released. I wonder what Mao would think of that. Japan would keep the Kuril islands and southern Sakhalin, Port Arthur, Ryukyu islands, Taiwan, and the other many islands in the Pacific. They would have no restrictions placed on their sovereignty.
Germany would get to keep Austria, the Sudetenland, their border with Poland would not be changed from the pre-war line(apart from East Prussia), western border would also not change from the pre-war line. Germany would become a neutral nation.
Franco would be left alone.
"Neutrality" did not mean demilitarization.
The Western and Soviet civilizations are now divided by neutral nations,
Action from one civilization would cause a response from the other.
Japan and China remain wildcards.
The stage for a Cold War is set.