Well, we all knew that Germany was actually coming rather late in the Colonial fad despite being a Great Power on their own right, so, lacking any colonies to boost German Prestige, Kaiser Wilhelm II The Visionary (or The Mad, depending on your perspective as he did screw German Economy somewhat), ordered The German Moon Colonization Program, that many thought to be a German folly.
Of course, it took several decades and a huge financial injection that almost breaks the German Economy of that time, but Kaiser Wilhelm managed to live to personally see the first unmanned probe land on the Moon in 1941, merely a week before his death, to be exact.
The manned mission to claim the Moon for the German Empire would only be achieved in 1954, but it was nonetheless marked a very important step in human scientific achievement.
Now, let's say that Kaiser Wilhelm II was never struck with his obsession to claim The Moon in the first place... What will happen to Germany without that mind of obsession? Who will land on and claim The Moon first?
OOC: This was taken from/inspired by several discussions about earliest possible Moon Landing and feasibility of German(Nazi) Space Program. Assume Germany ITTL had some luck behind them.