AH Challenge: Five-Way Cold War

With a Point of Divergence no earlier then September 2nd, 1939, create a timeline where Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Imperial Japan, the United States, and Great Britain ALL become opposing superpowers with nuclear weapons and competing spheres of influence via proxy.

The 'Cold War' must last for at least five years.

Bonus points if it lasts for ten.

GO!
 
Germany becomes the first member of the nuclear club. Fearing Nazi domination over Europe. Britain and the USSR begin their own crash program. Japan developes nuclear weapons in partial thanks the Nazis who share material and scientists with Japanese. Fearing that Pacific will become a Japanese lake, the Americans also begin their own crash bomb program. Within ten years everone has the bomb.
 
a proposed map of the 5-way spheres of influence

5 way cold war.PNG
 
Germany becomes the first member of the nuclear club. Fearing Nazi domination over Europe. Britain and the USSR begin their own crash program. Japan developes nuclear weapons in partial thanks the Nazis who share material and scientists with Japanese. Fearing that Pacific will become a Japanese lake, the Americans also begin their own crash bomb program. Within ten years everone has the bomb.

No way the Nazis are going to have the bomb before the mid-40's, and no way Hitler is going to wait that long before attacking the USSR. Say, Hitler dies in a tragic strudel-related accident in late '40, and after a messy power struggle, the military take over. Being less tainted than the Nazis, after occupying northern France in a much messier (if ultimately successful) invasion than OTL they are able to negociate a peace with the UK. Germany withdraws from France (to be disarmed) and the Low Countries, but holds onto conquests in Scandianvia and the east. Being more concerned to hold what they have, the new regime doesn't invade the USSR. They also decide to invest some money in Heisenberg's interesting ideas...but oops, this isn't Nazi Germany. My bad.

Bruce
 
Surely Argentina, Uruguay and Southern Iran are more likely to be British influenced than American....?
 
WHat youve got it all wrong... If Hitler i have his whole life story in my room... if he holds the sigfried line from the allies then he holds out the western allies and then sets up a defense of eastern europe then he seeks peace..the western allies seeing that after a year of ww1 style warfare then caves and they end the war with germany getting everything west of the sigfred line for influence. after another year of ww1 style warfare on the eastern front then stalin fearing another revoultion gets peace with the axis. churchill and the 1946 us president are at each otheres necks and then realtions between the empire of britain and the U.S.A break down. The japanese with aid from the germans win the battle of midway and set up defnense on midway. the Americans fearing japan launching another invasion of hawaii seeks peace with the japanese. chinese forces push the japanese forces to the sea with help from the red army... the U.S.S.R seeks peace with japan... norht korea is set up by the soviets and south korea is by the british... the PRC is proclaimed in april 1950. the nationalist are defeated and the chinese rush to liberated the french colinies in indo china setting up pro-chinses goverments.... British force move into protect australia and new zealend..

Japense friendly goverment. are set up in indoesia.... Americans move into africa and sicliy declares indopences from the new facist italy...


Hows that im working on more this idea has came to me numerous times do you guys want more..?
 
How about the a/c carrying the German plans isn't lost over Belgium. Hence the Germans carry out a more traditional attack through the low countries, met head on by the best allied units. Superior tactics and co-ordination with the Luftwaffe means they win out but its a very bloody 3-4 month campaign with much higher losses on all sides before France surrenders.

The heavy casualties, possibly with much of the BEF being taken prisoner means that Halifax [or ANOther] becomes PM instead of Churchill and Britain makes peace. Possibly after a period of skirmishing that persuades the Germans an attack on Britain is not going to work.

The German attack on Russia occurs with somewhat weaker forces as Germany is still recovering from the losses the previous year. Coupled with the fact that even Stalin realises a German attack is coming, the Red Army does a little better although the Germans make huge gains. The war in the east lasts until ~45 before mutual exhaustion persuades the two powers to agree terms - possibly by this time Hitler dies of natural causes or one of the assassination attempts succeeds.

Faced with a full strength Britain as well as a France that while partly disarmed is better able to defend its interests Japan dare not drive south. Also with a weakened France and Britain wishing to avoid another costly war and the Netherlands under German domination Japan is able to buy the raw materials it needs. The war drags on in China and Japan is persuaded, for whatever reason, not to attack Russia. Finally, fearful of a reviving Soviet presence in the east and drained by the war Japan comes to terms with Chaing Kai-shek to end the conflict. It maintains control of Manchuria and neighbouring provinces and a lot of influence in China itself, although bitterly hated there.

By the late 40's the world is without major conflict but heavily militarised. The Nazi and Soviet empires glare at each other over a highly fortified border while Britain, aided by the Dominions has built up an impressive navy and air force and also considerably upgraded its industrial base. America has surpassed the RN in strength and also has a very large air force. [Or two if you count the naval one]. Japan is clearly the weakest of the 5 blocs but is also maintaining substantial forces.

The initial development of the atomic bomb in Britain or America hence occurs in peacetime when there is fear of war and a desire for efficiency savings but no actual shooting war. Intelligence leaks and/or the desire of the democracies to show what they have to deter attacks means that information about the new weapons leak out, meaning the other 3 blocs are motivated to prioritise their own research and probably get some hints about what's the best route.

By ~1955 all 5 powers have nuclear weapons, along with some capacity to deliver them. This further heightens tension but also means no power dare start anything. Especially since even if it 'won' by doing more damage to its opponent that it took itself both would be weaker compared to their 3 undamaged rivals. The world continues to be divided into 5 highly militarised blocs with mistrust and a large degree of economic isolationism. Even the Commonwealth and the US are at, relatively minor, loggerheads over the continuation of the British empire in much of Africa and US attempts to control much of Latin America.

Steve

OCC - Not saying this is a likely change of events but might happen and seems to be the best way of achieving the desired result. Also not clear how it would end but could get very nasty.
 
hum i have six blocs in mine you could have even more if you did things right.

Could do. Say include China and possibly by the present day a fully independent India, plus possibly one or two more but think it was getting unlikely enough without expanding too much more. With more nuclear blocs in competition you might see other powers wanting to join them to secure their independence. However also likely to have, in such a potentially unstable situation, the existing great powers highly motivated to prevent anyone else getting nukes, far more so than in OTL.

Steve
 
Okay, have six, plus a seventh- the Non-Aligned Movement uneasily united between India, Indonesia, Yugoslavia, parts of the Arab World, most of Africa and South America.
 
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