Hello everyone, this is my first attempt at writing a timeline.
Premise: The overall premise of the TL is that the UK signs a ceasefire with Nazi Germany in 1940. However, this ceasefire will eventual breakdown and the UK will reenter the war at a later date. This ceasefire naturally causes huge butterflies in the conduct of war not only in Europe but also in the Pacific. The following is the first installment of an outline for the TL. Any sort of feedback or detail would be greatly appreciated.
Outline for the Timeline:
POD: The Norwegian Campaign goes slightly better for the Allies. British naval losses are not a severe including the HMS Glorious which survives. On land allied forces also fair better against the Germans. The fact that the campaign went better for the Allies keeps Chamberlain from resigning as he did in OTL on 10 May 1940.
10 May 1940: The Battle for France begins. It is just as much of a German success as in OTL.
27 May 1940: PM Chamberlain obtains a cease-fire with Nazi Germany in an effort to save the BEF which looks to be on the verge of annihilation. Chamberlain views this as the only way to save the lives of British troops in a war that seems to be lost.
The stipulations of the ceasefire are as follows
1. An immediate cessation of hostilities between the armed forces of Great Britain and the German Reich.
2. The BEF with its equipment is to be withdrawn from the continent no later than July 1, 1940.
3. POW’s are to be exchanged.
4. The cease fire will continue until a formal peace treaty is signed.
Hitler doesn’t press for a more detailed agreement thinking that they will be hammered out in the subsequent peace treaty.
Needless to say British emotions about the ceasefire are mixed. Some side with Chamberlain in thinking that the ceasefire was the only practical way to save the BEF, and that France was undoubtedly going to lose. Others however, such as Churchill who was strongly against the ceasefire in the first place, view the ceasefire as merely a temporary pause in a war that will inevitable start up again.
5 June 1940: In the wake of the British defeat Chamberlain resigns as PM due to his handling of the war and that practically no one in the UK wants him to be at a negotiating table at any possible peace conference. Churchill becomes the new Prime Minister as it is hoped he will be able to get the best possible deal for Britain.
7 June 1940: France, on the heels of what they feel to be a betrayal by their British allies, signs an armistice with Nazi Germany. This armistice is very similar to OTL but is slightly more lenient. Because of the ceasefire with the UK, Germany does not occupy as much territory in Northern France. The Germans do occupy the ports but keep only a small garrison in Paris. Petain forms a new government known as the French State (as opposed to the free French Republic forces under de Gaulle) in Paris.
Churchill is devastated by the news of the French capitulation. In light of this development Churchill realizes that any hope that Britain might quickly reenter the war is squashed. Churchill however, has his own plans. Whether the British people realize it or not, he knows that there can be no lasting peace with the likes of Hitler. Churchill might not be able to break the ceasefire but he has no intention of singing a formal peace treaty with Germany. As the remnants of the BEF return to Britain, Churchill begins to formulate his own plans for when the war resumes. Hitler, however, has already begun to turn his eyes to the east....
Need Feedback:
One question I do have is does Chamberlain have the authority to accept a cease-fire?