Scenario: A General Wever lives Luftwaffe scenario (Like a "better show in 40", but the Germans don't actually invade). The Germans in this TL have a weapons system that could allow them a real chance to beat Britain 1 on 1 so Hitler delays Barbarossa until 1942 and goes in it to win it against Britain. However the Americans and Japanese are in on December 7th 1941 so Germany never finds a good opportunity to do Barbarossa.
a) The Germans really have the British on the ropes. Requiring large USA commitments early to mid east and Africa. Including an extra carrier or two in the Atlantic as top cover for important convoys.
b) The Japanese don't do Pearl Harbor but still attack the Philippines. Holding the Carrier strike force back if the American commit their fleet.
b) Minus a carrier or two in the Pacific, The Americans don't do their little carrier raids in the Pacific pre Coral Sea, including no Doolittle raid. Result is the Japanese bring all 6 carriers to midway, and the Americans don't engage (the direct effect of this are that the Japanese invade Port Moresby and Midway and fail miserably but their carrier force is intact and no longer try to push forward, but build the ring where they are. The Americans wait until November 43 to start to counterattack.
c) The Japanese don't commit their Navy and large air force contingents (either navy or army) preferring to wait until the "decisive battle" and to force the Americans to have to take losses grinding against fortified islands.
d) The Germans and Japanese are both able to buy stuff from the Soviets and a limited exchange of goods, advisers and tech is allowed across the trans Siberian railway.
e) The Germans and Japanese, with more shared intelligence and focus, and with some tips from the Soviets figure out sometime in early 43 the Allies are decoding their communications and try to tighten their codes.
f) The decisive battle occurs June 1944. The result is at least attritional. And the resulting fight for the Marianas is a real grinder.
g) The Allies wanting to focus everything on a cross channel invasion of France in 1945 offers the Japanese peace on 1937 boundaries which the new Japanese government accepts after the loss of Saipan (along with a Japanese halt on Naval construction).
a) The Germans really have the British on the ropes. Requiring large USA commitments early to mid east and Africa. Including an extra carrier or two in the Atlantic as top cover for important convoys.
b) The Japanese don't do Pearl Harbor but still attack the Philippines. Holding the Carrier strike force back if the American commit their fleet.
b) Minus a carrier or two in the Pacific, The Americans don't do their little carrier raids in the Pacific pre Coral Sea, including no Doolittle raid. Result is the Japanese bring all 6 carriers to midway, and the Americans don't engage (the direct effect of this are that the Japanese invade Port Moresby and Midway and fail miserably but their carrier force is intact and no longer try to push forward, but build the ring where they are. The Americans wait until November 43 to start to counterattack.
c) The Japanese don't commit their Navy and large air force contingents (either navy or army) preferring to wait until the "decisive battle" and to force the Americans to have to take losses grinding against fortified islands.
d) The Germans and Japanese are both able to buy stuff from the Soviets and a limited exchange of goods, advisers and tech is allowed across the trans Siberian railway.
e) The Germans and Japanese, with more shared intelligence and focus, and with some tips from the Soviets figure out sometime in early 43 the Allies are decoding their communications and try to tighten their codes.
f) The decisive battle occurs June 1944. The result is at least attritional. And the resulting fight for the Marianas is a real grinder.
g) The Allies wanting to focus everything on a cross channel invasion of France in 1945 offers the Japanese peace on 1937 boundaries which the new Japanese government accepts after the loss of Saipan (along with a Japanese halt on Naval construction).