I found this story very interesting and read it up until the Fall of France. The Eastern front was really engrossing, but the Western theatre after the UK and France enter the war seems to be where the plot jumped the shark (after the Mussolini blundering into war with the Allies alone section was deleted). It seems like the UK and France are unrealistically weak, with the typical American "they couldn't do it without the US" attitude prevailing.
I thought I would add some feedback. I apologise if you have addressed this before as I only read this thread up to the Fall of France, so feel free to ignore me if I am making you repeat yourself.
I know this is your story (and a very good one at that) and you can write whatever you like, but I found it strange that France would crumble so quickly ITTL when you consider the following advantages the Allies had here compared to OTL:
- Germany had fought a bloody war against the USSR and although victorious it was extremely costly.
- German troops would have been required to pacify occupied lands after this war.
- Germany's economy and infrastructure would be in poor shape after such a war, and having to pacify a large empire in the east and keep watch on the remainder of the USSR would further be a drain on its economy and military.
- France, the UK and the Netherlands had an extra two years to gear up their economies and military for war and were not ill-prepared as in 1939 in OTL. Behind this was the US economy backing them for an extra two years. So they would be far more powerful compared to OTL.
- The Netherlands was an ally and not neutral with Allied forces being stationed there as a forward base to attack the Rhineland.
- De Gaulle's ideas might have been implemented and France might have been less defensive if he was part of the government as he is in your TL. So the UK, France and the Netherlands would have been less cautious as in OTL and might have struck the industrial Rhineland quickly and damaged the German economy. Furthermore, the Allies would have studied the Soviet-German War, so would have likely learned lessons and implemented strategies from this war, rather than trying to relive WWI as in OTL.
- There was always the possibility of the USSR attacking Germany, again further limiting Germany's ability versus a stronger Western Alliance compared to OTL.
If anything, I thought the Allies in your TL were immensely more powerful than in OTL. After reading the build up, I was expecting an Allied victory or a stalemate in this section of the story, yet the result is a swift German victory over France similar to OTL. All the best.
feeling better so now its back to your comments
1. France and the West did not suffer defeat in 1940 due to inferior numbers, equipment or number of combat formations. It suffered defeat based on my reading from everyone from John Keagan to John Ellis (the book Brute Force is particular harsh in its judgement) to other books like "The War Hitler Won" and Len Deightons wonderful book "Blitzkreig" as well as numerous wargames from designers like James Dunnigan, because it was trained, equipped, organized and deployed to fight the war France expected to fight in 1919.
2. The Germans won because the from the very beginning were inside the decision curve of the Allied forces from beginning to end, with the possible exception of Gort's decision to evacuate the BEF.
3. In World War 2, with the exception of the Battle of Kursk, a combined arms team with engineers, infantry, assault guns or tanks, flamethrowers, and demolition charges that is backed by artillery and air superiority cracked every single defense line and fortress. The exception at Kursk was due to the Germans not having air or artillery superiority and lacking the means to prevent Soviet reserves from moving up. In this timeline the Germans cracked the Maginot Line in deliberate assault with all of the elements I mentioned, backed by the best tactical air force of the time period that prevented French reserves from deploying effectively and backed by massive amounts of artillery. A good example of the battle would be the 1944 Normandy campaign, were once the Germans could only plug gaps with reserves as they could reach the battlefield worn down by air attack, and lacked the ability to move them into a successful counteroffensive. Once the crust was broken, the mobile forces of the attacker plunged into the rear and with air superiority momentum did the rest.
This was the typical result of all major battles in the Eastern and Western Front. Once the 'wearing down battle' was completed, a breakthrough resulted. The difference for the West in this as well as OTL is that the standard 250-300 mile drive into the rear (which is about all logistics would support) puts the Germans in Paris, while in the East it simply means a pause to try again after a few months rest.
4. As mentioned early in the timeline, all major campaigns are gamed out using a variety of resources I have on hand. In the case of the Eastern Campaigns and Campaigns in the West and North Africa, i used "Operational Art of War III, Europe Aflame scenario, and with editing gave the Germans and Allies the appropriate AFVs and aircraft I had stated were available in earlier posts. The result was as indicated in several run throughs. As it matches what I have seen happened in wargames as diverse as the Europa Series, Fall of France (with 1941 units, which is an option) and old classics like Avalon Hills "Fall of France", I stand by the results.
5. Setting aside equipment, which is the only thing the Allies could improve reasonably without their own combat experience, the Germans have anywhere from a 25% to 100% combat advantage in term of unit vs unit of the same size and type over the Western Allies. It kind of depends on who you ask of course, but I have seen all those ranges from Trevor Dupuy to a variety of wargames. This is due to a much better doctrine and training to match it, superb junior officers and NCOs, excellent mid level officers and some outstanding operational commanders. The Germans too are using doctrine from 1918, but they are using the shock troop doctrine that broke Allied defenses repeatedly in 1918 and would have won them the war except that fresh Allied reserves, particularly in the form of large American divisions, were available to check and then hold them and the Germans were out of reserves by June 1918.
There are numerous writers who say simply put that the Blitzkreig of 1940 are 1918 tactic with tanks and trucks instead of only being foot bound.
6. The Germans had markedly superior signals capability and doctrine in 1939-42, and thus the flexibility that brings, and by 1940 developed superb air ground tactical air support coordination. The Western Allies in OTL did not develop this until 1942 and were still having difficulties in Normandy in 1944. In this timeline they are even further behind as they are still wedded to 1939 air doctrine.
7. In this timeline, significant armored and mobile forces of the French and British Army, as well as air power in proportion, were diverted to crushing the Italians in East Africa and Libya. The result was success, as the Italians were defeated in both places. The subsequent Axis counterlanding in Tunisia does not change that fact. In a couple of run throughs of the campaign I kept those forces in France. The result only delayed Allied defeat by a month while leaving the British in the historically weak position of 1940 in the Middle East in OTL. Thus my assertion that the allied forces facing the German Army of 1939-42, even with serious losses suffered by the Heer and Luftwaffe against the Soviets, are doomed to defeat. Note that in this timeline the Germans had 8 months to make up their losses and that they had very large Polish and other Allied forces to soak up some of those losses inflicted by the Soviets.
So bottom line, I consider my timeline in respect to the Fall of the West to the Germans defensible and reasonable.
One of my favorite games. I actually played America in Flames at Consim Expo a few years ago. I am saving my nickels and dimes to buy the new version when I have enough room for the whole game.