A Short Victorious War: A Nazi Cold War

Alright this TL is for an alternate Cold War I'm working on. The first part deals with how the Germans win World War II, basically by forcing a settlement with Britain and why America is not at war with Germany.

A Short Victorious War

September 1939- Germany invades Poland. Using rapid combined arms warfare, the Wehrmacht quickly overruns the country. Britain and France declare war on Germany but do not move against Nazi Germany. Mobilization occurs in both nations while Germany begins shifting its forces west. American President Franklin D. Roosevelt attempts to get Congress to pass a new Neutrality Act that would allow the United States to provide aid and armaments to the Allies. His effort fails. The Phony War continues between the Allies and Germany.

April 1940- Germany moves against Norway. This is done to ensure that vital supplies of iron ore reach Germany. It also would provide air and naval bases to Germany to use against England. France and Britain responds by sending an expeditionary force to aid the Norwegians. Despite losses to the Kriegsmarine a poor Allied response Germany secures Norway. Denmark is also conquered. The failure in Norway leads to the downfall of Prime Minster Neville Chamberlin and the rise of Winston Churchill to replace him.

May 1940- The German offensive against the West is launched. As forces move into the Low Countries a concentrated armored thrust is launched out of the Ardennes Forrest which aims to cut the British and French armies in two. The French Army and command system is still trapped in the mindset of the First World War. They are unable to deal with the rapid battlefield changes brought by blitzkrieg and eventually the BEF and French Army are separated.

Counterattacks against German salient fail. British and some French forces are forced to fall back to the port of Dunkirk. Over the next several days these forces are evacuated from the port under heavy air attack by the Luftwaffe. German ground forces slowly move in on the port. The Allied soldiers escape leaving their heavy equipment behind. Germany moves to finish off the French. What is left of the French armed forces and government are unable to reverse the situation. Former World War I hero Marshal Philippe Petain was asked to form a new government. This new government dismantles the Third Republic and signs an armistice with Nazi Germany on June 22nd.

July 1940- Flush from their victories Hitler eagerly wants to turn the German war machine against Russia. However Britain refuses to give in. Prime Minster Churchill vows to that England will fight Germany on the beaches, in streets, and that they will never surrender. For the Nazi elite the question of whether or not to invade is not given a clear answer. While the Kriegsmarine is for it they say it can only work if air superiority is achieved.

Hitler wavers between invasion and pushing the British to the negotiation table. While an impromptu invasion fleet is gathered in ports along the Channel, the Luftwaffe begins the air war. The first battles begin over the English Channel in July. German bombers go after the convoys heading for Britain which lack proper air cover. In August the Adlerangriff or Eagle Attack against the coastal airfields and then later expanded into assaults on all the southern airbases. These attacks nearly pushed the Royal Air Force to the breaking point.

September 1940- Germany begins bombing London. The attacks are motivated by retaliation for Bomber Command attacks and Hitler hoping to push the British people over the edge. As London is pulverized by bombers the RAF manages to inflict a heavy toll on the Luftwaffe. On September 14th in a meeting with his commanders Hitler finally gives up on the notion of invading Britain. FDR attempts to bypass the neutrality acts by offering Britain fifty old destroyers in exchange for basing rights in the Atlantic. However he comes under fire for the move by Congress. With the election approaching FDR is forced to withdrawal the deal.

October 1940- Italy invades Greece. They meet determined resistance and the Italians are unable to defeat the Greek Army. Eventually the Italians are driven back into Albania. Over the winter the Italians stabilize their lines and prepare a new offensive.

March 1941- President Roosevelt having won re-election attempts to bring aid once again to the British and Allies. He proposes a Lend Lease program. Surplus supplies and weapons would be loaned to the Allies. Congressional support is mixed for the plan. While many Senators and House Representatives recognize the threat from Nazi Germany they are concerned that this will draw America into the war. A few more raucous Congressmen say that is exactly what the president wants. Eventually what is passed is a modified program. Surplus weapons and production will be transferred to the British but they must be transferred in British ships not American ones. Nor will the Navy escort these ships outside American waters. While the deal provides Britain with support it puts a heavier strain on its shipping capacity.

April 1941- Germany in an effort to help its Italian ally launches an invasion of Yugoslavia and then Greece. A British force is sent for political reasons to help the Greeks. The main defense line is outflanked by the Germans in the north. Despite the British assistance the Greek cities fall to the Axis. A huge operation to evacuate the Allied forces to Crete is undertaken. This prompts Operation Merkur the largest airborne operation to that date against Crete. In heavy fighting the German paratroops capture the island on June 1st.

June 1941- Hitler launches Operation Barbarossa. Over three million German soldiers participate in the invasion. Despite repeated warnings from his intelligence services Josef Stalin ignores the warnings. The bombing of Soviet airfields, cities, and troops is followed by a strong attack by the two German Army Groups. Army Group Centre was directed right at Moscow while Army Group South moved against the Ukraine.

Originally there had been debate among Hitler and his generals as to how many thrusts there should be into Russia. Those advocating a direct assault towards Moscow manage to convince the Fuhrer to eliminate a northern thrust. Strong defenses are deployed by Army Group Centre to protect its left flank. Following the invasion a rebellion by the Lithuanians and Estonians breaks out against the Soviets. Troops deployed in the Baltics are forced to deal with the rebellion rather than attack Army Group Centre.

Following the Nazi invasion Stalin suffers a breakdown. His absence over the opening days of the invasion does not help the Soviet command. The previous years of which saw the purging of the officers corps and movement of Soviet units westward away from their old defense lines and positions proves to be devastating. Huge numbers of Russian aircraft are destroyed on the ground and the Soviet troops are not ready for battle. Centre’s two Panzer Groups met up at Minsk on June 27th, advancing 200 miles into Soviet territory and a third of the way to Moscow. In the vast pocket between Minsk and the Polish border, the remnants of thirty-two Soviet Rifle, eight tank, and motorized, cavalry and artillery divisions are encircled.

Army Group South pockets Soviet troops around Minsk and Białystok, inside which the Soviets were still fighting. However rather than closing the pocket the Germans leave enough forces in place to contain the Soviets. Some escape and attempt to held back to Soviet lines, but not a large enough number to change the German strategy. By only trapping the Russians, the two German Army Groups stay on the move and keeps the pressure on the Soviets while the Germans continue the march towards Moscow.

July 1941- Heavy summer rains slow the German advance and allow the Soviets to stiffen their defenses in front of Moscow. Smolensk is the next objective of Army Group Centre. The Russians use the slow down to gather their forces and counterattack. They attempt to organize an attack as well against the left flank of the Nazi advance but attacks by Luftwaffe planes and the continuing rebellion in the Baltics leave only piecemeal forces on hand. They lack the strength to truly be a threat to the German flank.

The main Soviet counterattack comes in the form of several hundred tanks against Army Group Centre’s 3rd Panzer Army. However the Russians launch the attack with little to no air cover. Luftwaffe planes destroy many of the tanks in the open. During the Russian counterattack the 2nd Panzer Army crossed the River Dnieper and closed on Smolensk from the south while the 3rd Panzer Army, after defeating the Soviets, closed on Smolensk from the north. Trapped between their pincers were three Soviet armies. On July 26th the Panzer Groups closed the gap and 180,000 Red Army troops were captured.

Worried that they might be overstretching their supply lines, the German forces of Army Group Centre pause while they reduced the forces trapped in the Smolensk pocket. Efforts by the 100,000 plus troops to escape are stopped. Only a few thousand are able to make it through the German lines and back to Soviet forces. These few thousand have no heavy weapons and many lack even their small arms. During the pause Hitler fearful of the Soviet Union’s strength considers redirecting the German armies. He wants to damage the Soviet industrial capacity.

Fedor von Bock and almost all the German generals involved in Operation Barbarossa, vehemently argued in favor of continuing the all-out drive toward Moscow. Besides the psychological importance of capturing the enemy's capital, the generals pointed out that Moscow was a major center of arms production and the center of the Soviet communications and transportation system. More importantly, intelligence reports indicated that the bulk of the Red Army was deployed near Moscow under Semyon Timoshenko for an all-out defense of the capital. The generals manage to sway the Fuhrer who approves continuing the main drive on Moscow with only secondary ones in Army Group South. Soviet counterattacks in the Ukraine are repulsed, while the forces wait for the deceive battle in the center before moving on.

August 1941- Army Group Centre resumes it advance on August 15th. Soviet forces facing the Wehrmacht were deployed along three Soviet fronts, formed from exhausted armies that had already been involved in heavy fighting for several months. Troops and weaponry, while presenting a significant threat to the Wehrmacht based on their numbers alone, were poorly located, with most of the troops deployed in a single line, and had little or no reserves to the rear. The Soviet command began constructing extensive defenses around the city. These defenses were still largely unprepared by the beginning of the operation because of the speed of the German advance.

Near Vyazma, the Western and Reserve fronts were quickly defeated by the highly mobile forces of the 3rd and 4th Panzer groups that exploited weak areas in the defenses and then quickly moved behind the Red Army lines. The defense setup, still under construction, was overrun as both German armored spearheads met at Vyazma on August 30th. Four Soviet armies are encircled. Despite pressure from Moscow and their commanders to keep fighting, these tired troops mount little effective resistance. Eventually the pocket collapses into mass surrenders. Russian reinforcements have little time to move up before they are hit by the next German assault.

Fresh reserves lie in the Far East and Siberia however Stalin refuses to commit these forces till he can learn Japanese intentions. What was one of the best sources of intelligence on Japan for the Soviets was a spy named Richard Sorge. Sorge supplied the Soviet Red Army with information about the Anti-Comintern Pact, the German-Japanese Pact and he had warned of the German attack on the USSR. He could have provided more on Japanese intentions but was arrested on August 3rd. The Soviets denied Sorge worked for them and as a result he was not able to pass on information that Japan was planning to go to war against America and not the Soviet Union. As a result the divisions in the Far East would not be transferred.

In the south near Bryansk, initial Soviet performance was barely more effective than near Vyazma. The Second Panzer Group executed an enveloping movement around the whole front, linking with the advancing 2nd Army and capturing Orel by August 20th and Bryansk by the 23rd. Luftflotte 2 flew 984 combat missions and destroyed some 679 vehicles during the offensive. On August 24th a mixture of 100 dive-bombers and medium bombers destroyed rail lines and hampered Soviet troop movements in the Sumy-Lgov-Kursk area. Again two Soviet armies were encircled and their forces quickly gave into the Germans.

A victory is scored by the Soviets at Mtsensk. The 4th Panzer Division was hit by the Soviet 1st Guards Special Rifle Corps and 4th Tank Brigade which operated the new T-34 tank. With its slopped armor the T-34 proved invulnerable even to the German Panzer IVs. Only from the rear could the Nazis effectively destroy the Soviet tanks. Luftflotte 2 flew 1,400 attacks against Soviet positions to support the 4th Panzer Division, destroying 20 tanks, 34 artillery pieces and 650 vehicles of various kinds. Fueled by the victory at Mtsensk the Soviets launch more counterattacks however their forces lack proper air cover and the Luftwaffe takes a heavy toll on the Red Army.

With the failure of the counterattacks the Soviet Army pulls back towards Moscow. Their initial defeats cost the Soviets over 700,000 men. Many of whom surrender in the pockets. Material losses are heavy as well. The Soviet air arm is also badly hit during by the Luftwaffe despite having more planes. As Army Group Centre closes on the Mozhaisk Line, General Georgy Zhukov is recalled from Leningrad. He is ordered to take control of the defense of the city. However during his travel Zhukov’s transport is hit by German fighter-bombers. The general is killed along with much of his staff. Shortly after his death Stalin orders that the Communist Party, the General Staff and various civil government offices evacuate Moscow. This triggers a panic and thousands attempt to flee the city. Some of the chaos is stopped when Stalin says he too will remain in Moscow for the final battle.

September 1941- As Army Group Centre closes on Moscow the Soviets had only 90,000 men and 150 tanks left for the defense of Moscow. These forces were attempting to be strengthened by reserve forces and fresh guns and tanks from factories, some in Moscow itself, but it’s a race against time. Despite the weakness of the Soviet forces, the Germans too have problems. Nearly half their AFVs are down for maintenance or lost in battle. The supply lines are badly stretched and the poor Russian transportation system is not helping. One September 1st the Germans launch attacks on the flanks of the Mozhaisk Line at the weakly protected city of Kalinin, and in the south at Tula.

By September 14th both Tula and Kalinin fall. Heinz Guderian’s Panzers pushed north hoping to cut off the Moscow from the east and south. As his tanks moved on Kalomna the Soviets launched a counterattack. It made some success slowing Guderian and the T-34s continued to cause problems for the German Panzers. Although slowed the German southern pincer had not been stopped. In the northwest Army Group Centre launched attacks east and south aiming to encircle Moscow and link up with the southern pincer.

The Soviets work around the clock to reinforce their defenses and turn Moscow into a fortress. Reserves have brought the number of Russian troops near Moscow up to 100,000 but they are still thinly deployed and bombed by the Luftwaffe. The German divisions committed to the final assault on Moscow numbered over a million men, 2,900 tanks. In a controversial decision the Soviets pulled back their forces to Moscow and into the three layered defenses. In a series of quick drives against little opposition, Army Group Centre’s pincers linked at Noginsk and Moscow was encircled.

October 1941- The Red Army gets a break as rain turns the Russian countryside into mud. This immediately brings the German moves to a crawl. Even have trouble moving through the terrain. Operations are halted as supplies can not reach forward units. Both sides use the pause to rest and rearm their forces as best they can. Gathered around Moscow is the majority of Army Group Centre (4th Army, 2nd Panzer Group, 3rd Panzer Group, 4th Panzer Group, 9th Army, and 18th Army). The Germans build strong defenses against Russian counterattacks from the east and south. In the Ukraine Army Group South takes Odessa and reaches the Black Sea. Additional forces are slowly moving towards the River Dnieper. Kiev falls as Soviet troops are withdrawn to reinforce the units opposite Army Group Centre.

The Soviet leadership pleads with Stalin to leave the city before the final battle. Stalin refuses becoming fatalistic. He tells Foreign Minster that if Moscow falls then what happens to him doesn’t matter since the Soviet Union will have fallen as well. Reserves are moved from the Far East finally despite the threat of Japanese attack. However the Russians are unsure if they will reach the front in time to make a difference.

As both sides wait for the final showdown a debate begins in Berlin between OKW and Hitler. His generals warn that the first snows have already fallen in Russia; there is a need for the Heer troops inside the USSR to prepare for winter weather. At first Hitler is dismissive. Secretly the German commanders of various armies begin asking for winter supplies and clothing. When Hitler learns of this he demands to know why. Once again the generals explain that the winter is coming. The Panzers and other forces facing Moscow will have to wait for the ground to freeze anyway before launching the final assault. Hitler wanting Moscow taken agrees and allows more supplies of winter clothing and other cold weather gear to go forwards. It will not be enough for all the forces in Russia but it would be better then if the Germans had not prepared.

November 1941- The Germans open their offensive shortly after the ground freezes. Leading the attack are the best winter equipped troops. Slogging against the Soviet defenses they encounter problems with freezing equipment and despite the winter preparations, thousands of cases of frostbite. Despite being cut off the Russians have adequate supplies of ammunition and food. Luftwaffe bombers are hitting Moscow as much as weather allows, but effective air defenses and well trained fire brigades keep damage low.

In order to relieve the pressure on the Moscow pocket, counterattacks are launched to retake Tula and Kalomna from the Germans. Despite the fanatical attacks by the Soviet 50th Army the flanks of the German pincer hold. By November 20th, the German 7th Panzer Division had seized a bridgehead across the Moscow-Volga Canal — the last major obstacle before Moscow — and stood less than 35 kilometers from the Kremlin. A counterattack by the weakened 1st Shock Army fails to dislodge them. Heavy causalities occur on both sides but the Germans slowly close the pocket around Moscow. By the 28th the Germans enter the suburbs of the city.

With the situation grim, Soviet officials relocated in Kuibyshev ask Stalin to leave. Before sending a response Stalin asks the city’s defender to be honest and see if there is any hope of saving Moscow. He responds that in all likelihood without relief from the outside Moscow will fall. Stalin agrees to leave Moscow. However the rail lines and roads are controlled by the Germans. The military arranges to have a light plane fly into Red Square and pick up the Soviet leader. On November 30th the plan is put into affect. The plane manages to avoid the German air patrols and land in the city. Stalin boards and the plane takes off a short time later. It is unknown what happens to the Soviet leader’s plane. Some evidence suggests it’s shot down by anti-aircraft batteries of Army Group Centre; others suggest that the plane suffered a mechanical failure. Whatever happened, Josef Stalin dies that day.

December 1941- The lost of Stalin throws the Soviet hierarchy into disarray. Molotov, Beria, and others begin competing for who should take the lost Soviet leader’s place. Their confusion is felt on the battlefield as the Red Army doesn’t know who is giving the orders. Plans for a large scale counterattack on the German encirclement of Moscow are ordered then canceled then ordered again. When the counterattack is finally launched on December 3rd it’s conducted in a piecemeal fashion and fails to break through the German lines.

On December 7th the Japanese Combined Fleet attacks Pearl Harbor. The damage is massive with six battleships badly damaged and two completely destroyed. Dozens of planes are destroyed on the ground. One lucky break for the USA is that Admiral Halsey had left with the American carriers earlier and escaped the Japanese strike. While the war began at Pearl Harbor it quickly spread to the rest of the Pacific as the Japanese launched attacks against western holdings and bases. Following the surprise attack, President Roosevelt asks for Congress to declare war against the Empire of Japan. The declaration is unanimous.

By December 15th the Germans are fighting in the heart of Moscow. As the infantry and tanks of Army Group Centre push on the Kremlin, the exiled Soviet leadership forms a lose troika of power. However the settlement of who is in control of the USSR comes to late for the city. The last Red Army forces and their civilian militia inside Moscow surrender on December 24th. Hitler informs the Germany of their ‘Christmas present’ over Radio Berlin. The Soviets vow to fight on.

January 1942- The new year starts off as bad for the Allies as the previous one. Russian efforts to retake Moscow fail. Despite the arrival of troops from Siberia and the Far East the German Army’s defenses are too strong. German troops are relieved to have even the limited shelter offered by the destroyed buildings in Moscow. Other attacks are made against Army Group South and make better progress; however German counterattacks knock the Soviets off balance.

In North Africa Rommel’s Afrika Korps launches a new offensive with the goal of driving British forces from Libya. In rapid succession Agedabia and then Benghazi are retaken by the Axis forces. The Desert Fox succeeds and pushes the British back to the Gazala line. British counterattacks and strong defenses stop his drive. Both sides pause to begin reequipping and preparing for the next set of battles. Especially short in each army is tanks. British forces lack armor equal to that of the German Panzers. Limited numbers of American made M4 Shermans and M3 Lee brought from America reinforce the 8th Army along with more tanks from England although many of them are second rate.

Japan invaded Burma, the Dutch East Indies, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and captured Manila, Kuala Lumpur and Rabaul. After being driven out of Malaya, Allied forces in Singapore prepare for a siege. These defeats follow the rapid conquest of Hong Kong, Guam, Wake Island, and the elimination of Allied air power in Southeast Asia in December. U.S. forces in the Philippines fall back to the Bataan Peninsula following the Japanese invasion in December. The forces under General Homma use most of the month to prepare for their attack on Bataan.

May 1942- After months of resisting with little food, ammo, or medical supplies the American forces in the Philippines is forced back to the fortress at Corregidor the artillery position is bombed and assaulted by the Japanese. General Douglas MacArthur was ordered by President Roosevelt to leave the Philippines in March. Command is left to General Wainwright. The Americans keep fighting till Japanese troops land on Corregidor. On May 8th Wainwright surrenders all U.S. forces in the Philippines. Soon these POWs will be forced to complete the Bataan Death March.

In North Africa Rommel opens his offensive against the Gazala Line. After a gambling flank attack the German and Italian forces slug it out with the British 8th Army. The battle was by no means a sure thing as Rommel began considering surrender while trapped in an area that soldiers refer to as the Cauldron. The Desert Fox’s sprits are lifted however as his men break out from the Cauldron and drive the British back.

Hoping to regain the initiative on the Eastern Front the Soviets launch an offensive at Kharkov against Army Group South on May 12th. Initially the offensive goes well for the Red Army. Although the Germans fight hard the 6th Army is battered with sixteen battalions destroyed. The Germans are also hampered by fighting in the heavy rain and mud. Quickly Army Group South regroups. The Luftwaffe was able to secure air superiority and begin bleeding the Red Army as it advanced. Combined with stiff German resistance the attack slows.

By May 17th, the initiative was successfully taken by the Germans, as 3rd Panzer Corps and 44th Army Corps began a counterattack on the Soviet bridgehead. Aided greatly by air support, the Germans were able to crush Soviet positions and advanced up to ten kilometers on the first day of the attack. Many of the Soviet units were sent to the rear that night to be refitted, while others were moved forward to reinforce tenuous positions across the front. That same day, Timoshenko reported the move to the ruling Troika and asked for reinforcements and described the day's failures. Vasilevsky's attempts to gain approval for a general withdrawal were rejected by the leadership.

The situation worsened the next day and STAVKA suggested once more stopping the offensive and ordering the Soviet forces to break out of the salient. However the communist leadership is so desperate for a victory they refuse. German troops quickly began overrunning the Russian defenses and despite efforts to escape the Soviets are encircled by May 23rd. Repeated efforts are made to escape from the pocket but most fail. In total Soviet losses exceed 200,000 including much of their armor. The defeat is a disaster for the Soviet forces in the south.

June 1942- Following months of defeat the United States scores a major victory against the Japanese at Midway. Admiral Yamamoto wished to finish what the Combined Fleet had begun and Pearl Harbor and eliminate the American Pacific Fleet. By threatening Midway Island Yamamoto hoped to draw out the U.S. carriers and destroy them. Unknown to the Admiral is that the USN intelligence staff has cracked the JN25 code. Admiral Chester Nimitz now has the complete Japanese plan and order of battle. Ambushing the Japanese carriers, dive bombers off the U.S. carriers destroy three of them. The fourth Japanese carrier is lost soon after at the cost of the USS Yorktown.

Despite the American success things continue to go poorly for the Allies fighting Nazi Germany. Soviet forces are thrown on the defensive as the Germans launch Fall Blau the summer offensive against southern Russia. The main goal was to capture the Soviet oil production facilities near Baku plus the capture the other industrialized areas of Soviet Union in Europe, comprehensively defeating USSR. An additional benefit will be the capture of air and naval bases on the Black Sea. Soviet forces cannot stop the German assault which pushes towards the river Don and then turns south.

On the Baltic German troops and their Axis allies move in finally in strength. Soviet forces had pulled back towards Leningrad the previous year. With the initial Wehrmacht focus on Moscow the Baltics were left to themselves for the most part with only key roads and cities occupied. Between May and June the Germans move occupation forces in. At first the Germans are welcomed but as Gestapo and SS teams begin rounding up Jews and other ‘undesirables’ the mood changes.

Rommel continues his push into Egypt. As the 8th Army falls back the port of Tobruk held under siege by the Axis, finally falls. Heavy losses are suffered by British armored divisions. British troops fight delaying actions buying time to dig in at El Alamein. An insignificant railway station near the Egyptian coast, El Alamein offered the British a restricted place to fight Rommel. The Qattara Depression prevented German units from flanking the British. Confidence in the county of the British forces is low as panic grips British officers and civilians in Alexandria and Cairo. The Afrika Korps is tried and depleted after its rapid advance, but Rommel is still confident of victory.
 
I like it, and it doesn't seem very implausible at all! I'd love to see a Nazi Cold War, so consider me subscribed. Keep up the amazing work! :D
 
to use against England.

But not Scotland, Ireland or Wales?

that England will fight Germany

Winston did that? Why is the rest of the country not included in this?

with more tanks from England

Tut tut tut, did no one else contribute?

Whys it called a short victorious war? A short victorious war would have been when Britain did agree to ceasefire, letting the Nazis turn all their attention on Russia. Then Germany would just have let Japan go off on their own when they attack Pearl Harbour.
 

CalBear

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Interesting start.

Something of a counterpoint to my T/L.

May want to explain why Hitler didn't declare on the U.S. since Germany is in FAR better position than IOTL.
 
Very nice start, bleak but plausible. Although a Baltic uprising isn't out of the question, I'm not sure how successful such revolutions would be. Also I'm sure Stalin could find better means of escape than that.
 
I like it, and it doesn't seem very implausible at all! I'd love to see a Nazi Cold War, so consider me subscribed. Keep up the amazing work! :D

Thank you! More too come soon.


But not Scotland, Ireland or Wales? Winston did that? Why is the rest of the country not included in this? Tut tut tut, did no one else contribute?

My use of England is more in the generic sense. Of course the United Kingdom as a whole is fighting. In addition troops from Australia, India, and the rest of the Empire are fighting as well.

Whys it called a short victorious war? A short victorious war would have been when Britain did agree to ceasefire, letting the Nazis turn all their attention on Russia. Then Germany would just have let Japan go off on their own when they attack Pearl Harbour.

The title will make more sense shortly. The war will begin to wind down here in 1942. Compared to the actual war this will make it a 'short war'.

CalBear said:
Interesting start. Something of a counterpoint to my T/L.
May want to explain why Hitler didn't declare on the U.S. since Germany is in FAR better position than IOTL.

A major change is a more isolationist Congress. This in turn leads to a non-existent Lend Lease which in turn hampers the British and Soviets. A butterfly of a lack of Lend Lease is decreased attacks on US shipping which in turn prevents FDR from ordering the USN to engage the German U-Boats. This was a major sticking point for Hitler and one of the reasons for his declaration of war.

The Red said:
Very nice start, bleak but plausible. Although a Baltic uprising isn't out of the question, I'm not sure how successful such revolutions would be. Also I'm sure Stalin could find better means of escape than that.

There was a Baltic uprising in OTL, mine is expanded. Its doesn't have to succeed but tie down Soviet units which could have been moving on Army Group Centre. My bit with Stalin was a play on Hitler's during the Fall of Berlin. Hannah Reitsch flew a plane into Berlin and begged the Fuhrer to fly out with her. This my take on the Soviet version and a way to eliminate Stalin.

Again thanks to the Feedback more to come soon!
 
Interesting timeline, so far it is plausible. I see post war world being Germany stretching from the Atlantic or at least Alsace Lorraine all the way to the Urals. While Japan won’t last as long as OTL with all the US has being thrown at them. With at most a rump Soviet Union east of the Urals, it is possible that the Nationalists will win or have a stalemate in the Chinese Civil War.
 
I think you need to explain a bit more WHY Congress is more isolationist than in OTL.
Historically the Fall of France made them shit bricks, so its difficult to see why they are more relaxed this tie around. I think you need to show a reason why.
 
well , i totaly agree , that the question of the Congress , being so isolationist than in OTL, is not expained, you need o explain it, or else this situation wont make any sense.:)
 
I think you need to explain a bit more WHY Congress is more isolationist than in OTL.
Historically the Fall of France made them shit bricks, so its difficult to see why they are more relaxed this tie around. I think you need to show a reason why.

Okay, any suggestions? A lot of what I'm finding mentions the 'strong isolationist' factor of Congress but lacks details. There is North Dakota Senator Gerald P. Nye. Maybe he runs against Roosevelt as a third party candidate in 1940, forcing FDR to move more neutral? In turn this makes Congress more neutral with various HR and Senators running for re-election.
 
Okay, any suggestions? A lot of what I'm finding mentions the 'strong isolationist' factor of Congress but lacks details. There is North Dakota Senator Gerald P. Nye. Maybe he runs against Roosevelt as a third party candidate in 1940, forcing FDR to move more neutral? In turn this makes Congress more neutral with various HR and Senators running for re-election.

A few problems with this :

Roosevelt will happily change his stance after hes elected, just like any other politico would.

The Congress did indeed have an isolationist faction, although IIRC it was declining steadily as the war went on, however the big problem was the fall of france. until then, it was fine to be isolationist because the US was hiding safe behind the MN and RN. Once the MN was in danger of being absorbed by Germany that changed real fast.
Granted, being politicians they couldnt admit they'd been wrong, but it was easy to justify support for the UK on the grounds that it made the chance of the RN being gotten by the Germans less likely. Now THAT was a possibility that made the MN anxiety seem trivial - it was the true nightmare scenario for the USN.

Thats why its important to butterfly LL and other US help away, its going to require a REALLy big butterfly, something about the size of a 747....

It might work better if you change more of the war. Halifax taking over instead of Churchill gives a better chance of a UK-german peace (though probably not of a surrender, the British are still making rude gestures at Hitler from behind the safetly of the channel...), and a peace would allow Barbarossa, without terrifying the US so much (it now looks like things have calmed down in Europe, so they can go back to agonising about China...)
 
I agree that America's position needs a bit more explaining. And perhaps why eliminating Army Group North makes the Germans fight better. Because the added panzer group and 2 armies doesn't seem to have improved AG Centre's fighting capacity very much....

Regarding America, Germany's demands were not that farfetched and Britain and France did declare war. Perhaps they are depicted as war mongering colonial powers trying to dominate Europe with American money and (later) American blood. There was still ill will about the repaying of WWI debts and the fact that America (allegedly) was sucked in that mess to help American industrialists recoup their investments. So sending war material again could be spun by ant-interventionists.

Germany would also not be seen as a global danger with only continental ambitions. You could argue that Britain was a bigger "danger" with its interests in the carribean, Canada and the pacific, effectively surrounding the USA....Surely a more direct danger than a Germany without a fleet? And why does America need to help Britain? With Britain's infleunce cut down to a smaller size but not emasculated (as a generous German peace offer would do), America only stands to gain. It would also allow America to penetrate British dominated markets.

And how does Britain sustain its war effort? Lend-Lease is apparently curtailed so it has to largely sustain it on its own. That means less aircraft, less tanks and less supplies. So what has to give in?
 
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