A slightly more patient, slightly less reckless Hitler

No, it would be better to wait until 1946, complete your own buildup, seize Czechia and it's military equipment at that time, and then invade Poland.
Really, really not. Hitler always, always, always intended to go after SU eventually. If he waits even til '42, the Red Army has many more T-34s & KVs, & the handfuls they did have caused enormous headaches for Heer as it was. Can you feature meeting 1000s, before the Germans even know about them?:eek: Can you say, "Red Army on the Rhine in '42"?
 

General Zod

Banned
Actually, if the PoD truly allows a more sane & savy Hitler, he can have his anti-Soviet crusade in pretty much the same schedule and far better conditions. The optimal masterplan would run like this: never invade rump Czechoslovakia in 1939, slowly satellitize it completely using economic and political pressure (its post-Munich government was fairly bent towards appeasement anyway), demanding favourable economic deals for the Reich as it concerns Czech industries and an alliance, or at worst plan for its occupation (more advantagoues than satellitization but not worth a general war in 1939) only when the attention of Britain is focused on some other great power (like Soviets or Japan) blatantly misbehaving. Redouble your peace offensive towards Britain and France. Take care to build a belieavable casus belli against Poland (stir up what may look like genuine grassroots irredentist unrest among Germans in Danzig, the Corridor and Upper Silesia, then demand a Munich II settlement, which Britain in these conditions will most likely concede, then declare war only when a) Poland refuses ot abide by the great powers' settlement and/or b) uses force to repress the irredentist unrest of Danzig or pOlish Germans). Britain shall throw Poland to the wolves and France shall almost surely do the same or make a symbolic phony war ineffective show of solidarity with Poland behind the safety of the Maginot line. In any case, be moderate with the peace settlment of defeated Poland: annex the 1914 territories, kick out the Poles thereof, set up the rest as an nominally independent fascist vassal state. Public opinion in Britain and France won't begrudge you for it. If the phony war with France is ongoing, don't ever go on the offensives, keep sending peace offers to France asking for British mediation and wait for the inevitable collapse of whatever residual luckluster will to fight the French may have in a few months. Make a new charm offensive to Britain and France sending offers of non-aggression treaties, naval limitation treaties, guarantees of Western borders, etc. orgnize a detente with the West. Work up Stalin's paranoia and try to lure him into a self-fulfilling prophecy to make prememptive aggressive moves against Eastern European states and use those moves to lure Britain, France, and those EE states into a grand anti-Communist alliance. Cycle up their pattern of provokations until by 1941-42 you may go at war with the USSR with the West's blessing and alliance.
 
Considering the way the war went IOTL I don't see how waiting could have been better for Germany. As others have pointed out, in 1942 the Soviets would have thousands of the T34 tanks that defeated Germany yet Germany would not controll any Soviet territory. In 1941 France would have ample numbers of things like Somua S35 tanks, D520 fighters and that good light bomber they were building instead of being beaten and occupied. Britain would have completed her KGVs and armoured carriers, without the threat of invasion and the reality of uboats, Blitz and war in Africa.

Waiting is about the worst thing Hitler could have done, in Europe alone he is only about half as strong as the combination of his rivals. Picking them off early and piecemeal was good use of his opportunities.

As for his failures, then a more competent Hitler could have concentrated on fixing his weaknesses against Britain and the Soviet Union. Things like more trucks, stronger mobile/armoured forces, better long range airforce, stronger navy complete with a core channel-crossing capability. These could have been started pre-war and ramped up under wartime emergency conditions.
 
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