AHC: Japan and Germany switch fates in WWII.

In OTL the Germans surrendered in May 1945 (before the US could use the bomb on them). Some months later the US drops two bombs on Japan (Hiroshima and Nagasaki), forcing their surrender in September 1945.

How could it have come to pass where the Japanese Empire surrendered some time in in the first half of 1945 before the US develops the bomb, while Germany surrenders in the second half due to the US use of Atomic Weapons?


EDIT: Also, where in Germany would the bombs be used? And the after effects of TTLs WWII?
 
Hard, but doable. It would require that for some bizarre reason the US focuses more resources on Japan than the US.
 

d32123

Banned
Have Pearl Harbor be much worse, to the point where the American public demands that the majority of our resources are put towards defeating the Japanese.
 
Japan uses gas and/or bio weapons on Okinawa, killing thousands US troops. US than throws all the might on Japan and get them to surrender earlier. Germany is left alone and defends a little better against USSR, holding out to August. Fat chance, but somehow they manage. And then...
 
There's just the issue of the Japanese WWII psyche their dedication and fanaticism was downright scary. Forcing them to surrender took extreme measures (ie Nuclear Weapons),

I can see a vauge route however.

1.Pearl Harbor is REALLY bad, maybe much higher civilian casualties.
2.The American public is crying out for Japanese blood.
3.The Yanks go in against Japan, boots and all.
4.In Europe the British and the USSR receive less support, D-Day doesn't go ahead and the Eastern advance is slowed by lack of supplies.
5. The US finally fight their way to Japan, and launch a land invasion.
6. Naturally this is costly with millions of US and Japanese dead.
7. Japan finally surrenders, but it's a Pyrrhic victory for the US.
8. The war in Europe continues to rage on and the British and the USSR keep calling for assistance.
9. Tired and not willing to commit to another land invasion, the US drop their recently developed atomic weapons on Germany, the Third Reich, cowed surrenders.

It's by no means perfect and there are so many details that would need to be hammered out, but it's a start.
 
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