Ok, here's and idea I had and I was wondering how plausible it is.
Let's presume that somehow, at least a part of the French leadership in 1940 decides to continue the war even though many are against it and want an armistice. The Germans do overrun France like OTL but they had to stop eventually do to logistical problems. The French evacuate this resistance government to Algeria along with the Navy, a part of the Air Force and some ground troops and civilians. They can be evacuated by way of Corsica which would make it easier and there would probably be British help. The Germans eventually take everything and even launch a bloody on Corsica which could be TTL's Crete for the German forces. Some collaborators will be found and placed at the head of a new quisling French state with the Germans running the show. No doubt the occupation will be much harsher than OTL.
In North Africa the Mussolini decides to attack Tunisia while the Germans are busy with fighting what resistance remained in France and preparing for an invasion of Corsica. Mussolini refuses German help wanting to have all the glory for himself. Now, in the Meditteranean there is the British fleet with a strong French fleet that is evacuated and they cause much more damage to the Italians making OTL Taranto looking like just a start. Operation Compass is launched as OTL, with the British effort going even better as there is no concern over colonies such as Madagascar or elsewhere and more troops can be brought not just no NA but also to Eastern Africa. the French, with British help in terms of manpower, money and resources and able to count on additional troops from colonies such as Syria and in Central and Western Africa stop the Italian attack in southern Tunisia and counterattack into Libya against a large Italian army that is facing a logistical disaster. Eventually, facing destruction they surrender and all of Libya is lost before the Germans can land so much as a regiment. Mussolini has to abandon the invasion of Greece with all the losses he sustained in Africa, heavy bombardment of cities in southern Italy and considerable naval losses, as well as significant lack of resources.
The Japanese are forced, perhaps unwillingly to invade French Indochina so they cut off the supply routes to the Chinese and continue the attack towards the south and this doesn't go well with them facing a bloody guerrilla war that would eventually reduce their OTL gains in SE Asia and causing the Americans to embargo them.
With North Africa lost in early 1941 Hitler relies on the Italians to protect the southern flank while he makes preparation for his long awaited campaign against Russia. He is forces to invade Yugoslavia after a coup that is similar to the one IOTL and attacks Greece to secure his flank. However, with his paratroopers sustaining huge casualties in Corsica he doesn't send them to Crete and the island thanks to allied support remains free. Bloody guerrilla wars ensue that year in Yugoslavia, Albania and Greece with both communist and royalist groups rising to fight. Operation Barbarossa goes similar like it actually did and is stopped before Moscow. A new drive in 1942 to take Stalingrad fails utterly.
In the Pacific Pearl Harbor happens and America joins the war. The japanese are however less successful in the Netherlands east indies after slowly dragging across the French Indochina. Germany declares war on the US. For the Americans there is no need to launch operation Torch but instead they invade Sicily and southern Italy directly in the summer of 1942, successfully tricking the axis into thinking the invasion will target the Balkans. By the end of the year Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica and Italy up to Salerno or Naples. In 1943 Wehrmacht is pushed out of Russia and suffers serious defeats in Belarus and eastern Ukraine. On the western front Normandy is invaded successfully and a month or so later France is invaded from the south too. By the end of the year it is liberated. Also, Mussolini's regime collapsed by now and Rome is liberated with a larger part of the country. Things are complicated in the Balkans with constant infighting among various rebel groups. However, the Greek government, being on Crete rather than in exile can exert much more influence on the resistance in Greece and with an earlier German retreat they could overpower even the communist rebels. I'm not so sure on the situation in Albania. As for Yugoslavia, the chetnik regime initially had the support of the allies but lost it eventually as they were mostly fighting the communist partisans and collaborated with the Axis. If they realise a sooner axis defeat they might change their policy and start targeting Axis and their collaborationist troops while trying to convince the British and US officers it was also necessary to remove the partisans and Tito. Chetniks were at least officially fighting for the king and the government in exile so they could draw on that support.
An interesting part here is Bulgaria. They never trusted the Germans really and could perhaps be persuaded to switch sides. That would cut off all Axis troops in Greece and also allow the Allies, once Greece is cleared out, to move up to together with the Bulgarians into Yugoslavia or Romania (although less likely).
Now let's say all these advantages allow the Western Allies to reach Berlin first and we see a British and an American flag over the Reichstag sometime in the first half of 1944. Soviets will overrun the Baltic, Ukraine, Belarus, Ukraine. Now here are my questions:
1. Poland most likely goes to the eastern bloc and an Oder-Neisse line established as the border to weaken Germany even further. What happens to Czechslovakia, Hungary and Romania? How will the post war Europe look like and be divided?
2. Will Nato and WarPac analogues arise like OTL?
3. How will France look like ITTL? There is no Charles de Gaulle the lead the Free French like OTL and that must have a huge influence
4. Would the communism spread be limited more than OTL? Perhaps the USSR falls earlier?
5. How will Japan fare in a shorter war? If it falls before the nukes are dropped how would that effect the future use of nukes?