I'm thinking about making a Barbarossa 1942 TL, you know, where the Germans actually invade later?
So far I'm still doing some research, but I'm stuck on one question.
Possible POD(s)?
Can anybody suggest a good POD for a 1942 Barbarossa?
So far I've got 1 :
In 1941, Cripps, the British foreign ambassador in Moscow at the time is asked by Churchill (if he were to see him) that the Soviet Union now had an opportunity of joining forces with Britain in the Balkans by furnishing material help to Yugoslavia and Greece; this would delay a German attack on Russia.
This Balkans war could drag on until September (?) 1941 thus delaying Barbarossa until spring 1942.
And I've also got the problems :
1) Relations between England and SU weren't good at that time. Owing much to the Hess incident and Britain's supposed doggedness to continue the war when, in Soviet eyes, it was already lost.
2) Cripps himself wasn't popular and Molotov avoided him 'like death'
3) Russian closeness with Germany.
'(the Balkans intervention plea) would have produced no results, since Stalin had firmly set his mind to continue in his policy of co-existence with Hitler' - Russia at War - Alexander Werth
Need a POD to make Stalin distrust Hitler.
4) It was already too late to save Yugoslavia - Earlier POD?