Best Western Performance in WW2

With all the best units and equipment in the east there'd have been little to stop them. In 1939 there was little difference between the Allies and German tanks...
Actually, the differences were significant, the British and French tanks were virtually invulnerable by enemy tanks, but were slow and unreliable, while the German tanks had much lighter armour, but were both faster and more reliable. This was best exemplified at Arras, Rommel's panzers had made excellent progress (250 km or so from the Belgian border in 11 days, impressive for such a force), but were severely out-classes by the British Matilda IIs in a straight-out fight, to such a degree that the British counterattack at Arras was only eventually defeated when the Germans pressed their 88m anti-aircraft guns and 105mm light howitzers into service as anti-tank weapons.
 
Maybe have France actually respond the the German reoccupation of the Rhineland in 1936? If they do and push the German brigades out of the Rhineland (which they easily could have), Word War II, as we know it, may never have happend.
 
Britain may be able to clear N. Africa, if they don't send troops to Greece. Operation Compass just keeps on going.
 
Have the French and British get a clue and heavily bomb and shell the key roads through the forests and bridges in the Ardennes turning it into the worlds largest armoured traffic jam. With limited routes they can take if they kept it up then is could delay the Germans a considerable amount of time, allowing the Allies to reposition their units and then it goes from Blitzkrieg to more of a slugging match.

Use Bomber Command more effectively right from the off by targeting Germany's power grid to shut down its industry. Go after the canals and railways that were key to transporting the coal that Germany relied on, then go after the power plants themselves, and finally go after the national grid itself so that they can't re-route power from still functioning areas to the affected ones. And for an added bonus go after their other transport hubs as well.

Shoot everyone in charge of the British forces in the Far East or at the very least replace them with people that will actually do what they're meant to and actively prepare for an invasion. So much of what happened was half Japanese skill and luck but half seemingly complete incompetence on the part of their opponents.
 
Best performance in the west would be if France continued its offensive in 39 and advanced further than the range of the guns in the Maginot Line. The Germans had been convinced Britain and France would not fight and stripped their western defences. Its possible the Allies could have broken through the West Wall into Germany proper and ended things then. Unlikely I admit but possible.

Not "the Germans". Especially not the generals. They were extremely worried.
The guy who was convinced or gambled that Britain and France won´t attack was Hitler. Not unreasonable given the experiences of the 1930s.

If I remember correctly, the German divisions in the West mostly had older equipment, an ammunition reserve for just three days and the West Wall was a really big propaganda lie.
One book I´ve read years ago mentioned a German general commenting on the West Wall. Essentially "I´ll p*ss on it and I´m through".

A real French offensive quite likely could have reached the Rhineland. At the very least it would have given the French army a major morale boost. For that though you need to remove Gamelin.
 

Hkelukka

Banned
If the french did a "best that can be expected" push through the west wall during this period, they would probably force the diversion of sufficient force from Poland to give poland 1-3 weeks more before it falls, time it sorely needed.

While the French wouldnt be able to force Germany to peace on its own, their push would result in most of the battle being fought over German industrial heartlands and while they would be pushed back by the returning German army. They would spend at least way until 1941 repairing and preparing for the eventual counterattack. Possibly even further.

While the French could have ended the war in 1939, had they fully invaded. There is no way to get that kind of political will without massive PoD's. What you can get is large concentrations of units attacking while most would be kept in reserve, the attacking units would probably be very well armed and geared and sent as a sort of "hitting the ice with the stick" and once they realise how little there is opposing them they would rally the rest but the germans would probably respond by then.

anyway, doubt the french can win the war on their own, but they can force the Germans to lose when they try to invade france.
 
I mentioned that earlier, I would imagine its going to panic all those generals who were afraid Hitler was being reckless, maybe this time they actually take some action.

Actually the German generals did plan a coup during the Sudetenland crisis in 1938. Probably the best planned coup during the Nazi years and the one with the best chances of succeeding. If I remember correctly they even send a messenger to London to beg the British government to stop appeasing Hitler. Unfortunately the British didn´t trust the messenger. The result was Munich.

It´s a bit hard opposing Hitler if the British and French grant him everything up to 1938. How do you convince people to support a coup if said dictator up to now was always successful?

Nevertheless there were numerous assassination plans during the war. One general in early 1940 (before the war against France really started) planned to shot Hitler when Hitler was supposed to visit the general´s HQ. Hitler didn´t visit him. Another plan was to kill Hitler during the victory parade in Paris in 1940. Hitler visited Paris a few days earlier and didn´t stay for the parade. It´s almost ASB to see all the plans and for some reason Hitler just doesn´t turn up.

And just to mention it. :(
If Britain and France had been willing to grant the democratic Weimar Republic - say during the Stresemann years - even half of the concessions they willingly gave Hitler later then the Weimar Republic perhaps might have survived.

Assuming this quote is correct:
Gustav Stresemann shortly before his death to diplomat Sir Albert Bruce Lockhart:
"If the allies had obliged me just one single time, I would have brought the German people behind me, yes; even today, I could still get them to support me. However, they (the allies) gave me nothing and the minor concessions they made, always came too late. Thus, nothing else remains for us but brutal force. The future lies in the hands of the new generation. Moreover, they, the German youth, who we could have won for peace and reconstruction, we have lost. Herein lies my tragedy and their, the allies' crime."
 
The Western democracies could derail the Nazi war machine in 1940 with the right PODs. A problem with any post-1941 POD is anything smoothing the Western war effort also smooths the past of the bigger, Eastern one. Especially as for the West to do that much better means the Nazis have to do that much worse.
 
So, start with things like France builds a "War Government" in 1939 that includes elements of the political right--there will be a national unity government in place during this crisis.

And no Laval going "Better Hitler than Blum!" in the background.

Throw in elements of Operation Compass Succeeds and Calbear's Pacific War Redux in terms of preparation.

Another bastardly thing to do the Axis would be for Germany to accidentially get the United States involved in the war earlier. Unrestricted Submarine War around the UK could plausibly kill a large amount of Americans, as well as generate all kinds of horrible incidents.

If we put a truly unlucky incident in which someone like an American Senator is killed as a result of a U-Boat sinking, we get a lukewarm US DoW against Germany--we should put this as early as feasible, perhaps Spring of 1941.

Japan is too intimidated to dare to attack the United States, particularly as it sees the incredible speed the USA is building its armed forces--meanwhile, Hitler continues to attack the Soviet Union in June 1941 because that's everything he believed in.

Early US entry to WW2: Because kicking Nazi butt earlier and harder is so very worthwhile. With the US in the fight for all of 1941, V-E day is going to fall in 1944.
 
Top