AHC: smaller Soviet bloc

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
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Here's the challenge.

With any PoD after November 1939, have WWII end with a Soviet bloc that only contains the northern tier of the old Warsaw Pact, USSR, Poland and East Germany, with the other OTL Warsaw Pact members not under Soviet occupation or control. Like this map:

sregan_basemap_08.12.11_1950- Europe - only northern Warsaw Pact.jpg


Alternatively, with any PoD after November 1939, have WWII end with a Soviet bloc that only contains the eastern tier of the old Warsaw Pact, USSR, Romania and Bulgaria, with other OTL Warsaw Pact members not under Soviet occupation or control. Like this map:
sregan_basemap_08.12.11_1950- Europe - only eastern Warsaw Pact.jpg
 
For scenario 1: Hitler's invasion of France in 1940 goes pear-shaped, and Germany's attack eventually loses all momentum. Sensing blood in the water, Stalin betrays Hitler and invades northeastern Germany from Poland, making it all the way to the Elbe. Benito Mussolini also piles on, seeking to detach Austria from Germany and turn it into an Italian ally. The end result sees Germany partitioned more or less along OTL lines, with Soviet control extending over East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. The Soviets fail to encroach upon the Balkans, Hungary and Romania (which retains her pre-1940 borders), however, and the area eventually becomes a stage of competing influences.
 
Wait until the coup so that the Soviet Union regains control over Poland in the 1970s. Done as historic ;).

Perhaps you meant a verb softer than control? Predominant external influence?
 

raharris1973

Gone Fishin'
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Monthly Donor
For scenario 1: Hitler's invasion of France in 1940 goes pear-shaped, and Germany's attack eventually loses all momentum. Sensing blood in the water, Stalin betrays Hitler and invades northeastern Germany from Poland, making it all the way to the Elbe. Benito Mussolini also piles on, seeking to detach Austria from Germany and turn it into an Italian ally. The end result sees Germany partitioned more or less along OTL lines, with Soviet control extending over East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. The Soviets fail to encroach upon the Balkans, Hungary and Romania (which retains her pre-1940 borders), however, and the area eventually becomes a stage of competing influences.

Cool - Have an idea for option # 2 ?
 
Minor nitpick: if the Western Allies get as far as the second map suggests, then the Polish border will not extend as far west as the Oder-Neisse line. Poland will still receive territorial concessions from Germany, but the Western leadership was not enthusiastic about giving the country that much land. The Soviets were, though, but if they are not physically occupying and administering Poland and eastern Germany, then they will not be in a position to do anything about it.
 
General Le May gets the ok to threaten the Soviets with nukes when only America has them, but they are allowed to keep East Germany and Poland.
 
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