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Bryan v Hughes Wilson had the advantage of incumbency but Bryan was a well-known figure and a gifted orator. Assuming that we're talking about a smooth nomination process for Bryan, those factors should offset each other.

Taft-Hartley and Vietnam An interesting thread, however-- I question the repeal of Taft-Hartley. That had been passed in 1947 with sufficient numbers as to override Truman's veto (68-25 in the Senate and 331-83 in the House). That's going to be reversed just 6-7 years later? The Indochina...

Bryan's resignation Even without the advantages of incumbency, Bryan should be able to win the election. The POD is credible although the fact that Bryan resigned as Wilson's Secretary of State just the prior year might have made him less amenable to Wilson loyalists. I'm not altogether...

Eagle Claw succeeds I like the idea of a successful hostage rescue as the POD. Note that it wouldn't have deterred Kennedy from entering since it took place on 24 April, at which point primary contests had been going on for a few months. Kennedy had some earlier wins but also made a...

The monarchists had a majority in the National Assembly and the Orleanists had agreed to back Henri. The question is, if Chambord is out of the picture, do enough Legitimists agree to back the Orleanists candidate to preserve that majority?

With what forces? And nothing with which to exploit any breakthrough. Pickett's division had been shredded. Further, do you mean that it had enough left to break through Hall's brigade (the 19th & 20th Massachusetts, the 42nd NY and the 7th Michigan). What about Dana's brigade to the...

The dressing of lines was needed Except that the dressing and closing up of ranks would've been necessary to preserve unit organization and what coordination that the assault would've had. A close assault relies on the mass of troops hitting the target. Hence Pickett's left oblique as well...

McClellan I think the comparison between the WWII Wehrmacht and the armies in the Civil War is a bit off. To elaborate on Grey Wolf's point, the Wehrmacht was a professional force with centuries-old Prussian tradition behind it. The Union and Confederate armies were largely volunteers around...

Sounds like a plan I don't think Charles VIII was entirely focused enough to stick to strict geopolitical priorities (his predecessor, Louis XI, was a different case). Charles gets Bar and the King of Jerusalem title. I think he should also be given command of the crusading forces (logical...

Not a vassal At no point did Louis VII swear homage to Henry II. At no point did Henry II seek Louis's overthrow. Angevin policy was to reduce French overlordship to purely nominal status, not to get rid of it (a legal justification for which would've been difficult to find).

Virginia I would say that pro-independence sentiment was also present in Virginia. A quick British occupation of the Northeast would presumably see that as the new revolutionary center.

The basis for Richard's claims Except it's not a question of it's being in his favor. He has no basis for reducing France to vassalship. He would've have been just as concerned about keeping the pretence of acting under color of right as a modern ruler would be.

Why should Charles care that a Frenchman controls... ...Naples. This wasn't about national interest, it was about a dynastic claim. Further, Lorraine was an independent Duchy, I'm not sure he'd even be considered French. Perhaps Charles could be bought off with Lorraine and Bar.

Siege of Boston Not sure I agree with this. The big factor was Henry Knox bringing the guns down from Ft. Ticonderoga and I don't see how that changes with Lee in charge of the Continental Army instead of Washington. Whatever Lee's other deficiencies, he had to have been enough of a...

Charles VIII's claim to Naples I like this timeline too, however would Charles VIII give up his claim to Naples so easily? OTL he conquered Naples as part of a long-term plan to actually do a crusade so he'd certainly be interested in the latter part.

Richard's goals I doubt that Richard I would've gone so far as to overthrow the French king. His goal was the maintenance of the Angevin succession. This entailed 1) preserving lands such as the Vexin and Berry from Philip, 2) securing the succession of John over Arthur of Brittany, 3) the...

Early mobilization If the Poles resisted French pressure and mobilized sooner, they wouldn't feel the need to defend as far forward as they did. Part of the cordon defense rationale was that most of the reserves were from those areas. If the other armies start further back, than the Pomorze...

Halifax taking the government? Five Days in London: May 1940 by John Lukacs covers the period in which the possibility of accepting the Italian mediation offer was mooted. It's been some time since I read it, but I remember coming away with the impression that an Allied disaster at Dunkirk...

Questions Couple of points I had to research to clarify-- Anne St. Leger is a granddaughter of Richard of York by his eldest daughter to have issue, Anne. Princess Isabella refers to the eldest Infanta of Spain. OTL, she and her newborn son died in childbirth in 1498. Assuming survival...

Ports With all that firepower flying around, I can't imagine NATO not commandeering river transport and using whatever ports are available.