Abusing the messenger!

[Abdul Hadi Pasha]

Good Lord! Why on God's Green Earth would Germany invade Turkey?!? In this time period the Turks were very, very strictly neutralist, but had decent relations with the Soviets. If the Germans massed to invade, the Turks would ally with the USSR and the Red Army would have the entire manpower resources of Anatolia added to its force pool. That is just insane, and would be a far, far greater diversion than Yugoslavia and Greece - it would in fact threaten the entire Axis position in SE Europe.

 

[Grimm Reaper]

Abdul, that's just it. In this ATL the German invasion started taking heavier losses at an earlier date, while the Soviets developed a higher degree of proficiency. At the same time an Operation Sea Lion is impossible and the British have effective control over Africa and the Mediterranean, as well as the Middle East. Germany has to do something to correct that and a push into the Middle East through Turkey might strike Hitler as the way to do it. It would certainly not be surprising if Hitler were to underestimate what this would do for the USSR's defenses vis a vis the Reich, especially given the relative manpower for both.

Note that Turkey is NOT out of the fight, just badly hurt. Hmm, Abdul, what do you think our gallant Turkish ally would desire as repayment for its sacrifices in WWII?

 

[Abdul Hadi Pasha]

Abdul, that's just it. In this ATL the German invasion started taking heavier losses at an earlier date, while the Soviets developed a higher degree of proficiency. At the same time an Operation Sea Lion is impossible and the British have effective control over Africa and the Mediterranean, as well as the Middle East. Germany has to do something to correct that and a push into the Middle East through Turkey might strike Hitler as the way to do it. It would certainly not be surprising if Hitler were to underestimate what this would do for the USSR's defenses vis a vis the Reich, especially given the relative manpower for both.

Note that Turkey is NOT out of the fight, just badly hurt. Hmm, Abdul, what do you think our gallant Turkish ally would desire as repayment for its sacrifices in WWII?

Mosul. That's the only territorial claim the Turks had outstanding. Batum would be nice, but Stalin wasn't really in the business of giving up territory.

However, this is all moot, as Turkey is now a Soviet puppet state, and that is a disaster of epic proportions for the West.

 

[Grimm Reaper]

Abdul, the US has gone quasi-fascist, and the global situation is that either Hitler will win WWII or Stalin will win it singlehandedly in Europe and Asia. I think the disaster is already beyond mere 'epic' proportions.

 

[MerryPrankster]

A Lindbergh Presidency is NOT quasi-fascist. Has he started putting people in internment camps, suppressing freedom of speech, or indulging in large-scale government surveillance? Nope.

Not wanting to join in the war against Hitler isn't fascist; otherwise, I guess super-decentralized Switzerland and nordic-socialist-Sweden are Fascist. Same as most South American states (though they did join in at the very end just to get into the UN).