Hörnla's first timeline - this time with poll

What should I try my hands and mind upon?

  • 1914 Franz Ferdinand survives

    Votes: 32 31.4%
  • 1917 Germany decides to play it safe

    Votes: 25 24.5%
  • 1930 Hindenburg dies of old age

    Votes: 16 15.7%
  • 1932 Hitler dies in a flaming planewreck (accident)

    Votes: 11 10.8%
  • 1936 Austro-Czechoslovak rapprochement

    Votes: 14 13.7%
  • 1940 The gamble in the Ardennes does not pay off

    Votes: 18 17.6%
  • 1943 Hitler dies in a flaming planewreck (no accident)

    Votes: 9 8.8%
  • 1944 The Allies clear the Schelde estuary

    Votes: 1 1.0%
  • 1945 The US press for a different partition of Germany

    Votes: 20 19.6%
  • 1969 Rudi Dutschke suffers less severe injuries and lives to the present day

    Votes: 11 10.8%
  • 1985 The Cold War continues

    Votes: 21 20.6%
  • 2000 Sep 11th is a perfectly ordinary day

    Votes: 20 19.6%
  • 2005 Gerhard Schröder does not risk general elections

    Votes: 10 9.8%

  • Total voters
    102
  • Poll closed .
Well, of course I had a bunch of ideas in mind, but I completely mishandled the "new thread" and "especially the polling".


Alternate History was so calm recently. So just perhaps, I might finally, after much commenting, start an own timeline. Alas, so many ideas, barely time for one project...

1914 700 Years of Habsburg rule

Few people realize that the aptitude of a driver changed the course of World History.

1917 The War is won

A casual remark highly impresses the Crown Prince.

1930 That cursed office

Reichspräsident Paul von Hindenburg's death, aged 82, wasn't untimely, but shocked Germany. Would ever a Reichspräsident live through the seven years he got elected for?
1932 A Führer falling from the Sky I

Some people warned the leader of the up-and-coming NSDAP that, despite proving an effective campaign-gimmick, flying was a new technology which was not without its risks.

1936 ...something has to be done

With little entourage, in a small car, Bundeskanzler Kurt Schuschnigg crosses the border to meet a leader who is not exactly a friend of Austria. But it is not Adolf Hitler.

1940 Waiting for Sedan

The German crossing of the Maas fails, Sichelschnitt results in a huge tank-jam in the Ardennes. And then?

1943 A Führer falling from the Sky II

March 13th: the bomb that didn't fail

1944 A necessary River
With high priority, the Allies clear the coasts of the Schelde estuary.

1945 Uncle Joe's Trap

Nobody in his right mind would agree to a partition of Germany which includes a separate partition of the capital which is isolated within the sector of an unreliable ally.

1969 Rudi lives

What if Josef Bachmann decides to shoot from further away and doesn't hit Dutschke's head, so he remains more active and - most of all - doesn't die untimely in 1979, aged 39.

1985 Who is Gorby?

Michail Gorbatschow remains an obsucre second tier member of the Politbureau. The Cold War continues... for how long?

2000 No 9/11

The unspectacular arrest of a gang of wannabe terrorists with possible links to the Al-Quaeda-network made no headlines.

2005 Schröder goes for it


Instead of risking early elections, Bundeskanzler Gerhard Schröder decides to ride the storm out and tries to stay in office until the regular date in Autumn 2006.



P.S. Please do not expect results soon. But I'd like to know what you would like to read.
 
Well, I for one would follow it. Your comments in my thread have been very helpful. You seem to be versed in German history. Why not trying a timeline on Weimar Germany continuing on, without Hitler or Nazi ever coming to power?

Thank you very much, Shaby. Weimar continuing would certainly be in the cards for the 1930 POD, perhaps also for the 1932....though that would be a roughter path!

I guess you're planning a post-1900 TL then? And given your knowledge about German history, the standard approach would be a "Germany wins WWx"-scenario. Naturally, that's been done so many times. What I'd be really interested about is what would happen if there were no world wars in the 19th century and indeed Germany did not start a single war since 1900.

Well, I don't have much of an interest in surreal scenarios letting the 2nd or 3rd Reich triumphantly win. However, 1943 and 1917 should be about Germany trying exit-scenarios out of the war.

The "surviving Franz Ferdinand" might actually go on the way towards a Europe without the 2nd-30-years-war.

Can you give us some choice to pick- a few possibilities?

Err, yes, that was my intention. Shameful for someone who works in the IT-business.
 
1936 or 1940, anything where nazi germany gets derailed has to be inherently good, or 1914 might be interesting
 
1917 onwards...

and

1943(with the bottles of brandy!) perhaps the toughest choice(a war thread mostly)
 
It may be cliche, but you can put me down for an alternate 1914. I think we should bear in mind that, as a Germanophone, you have access to all kinds of research material that might have been too obscure or controversial to have merited translation into English (or French, or what have you). And besides, WWI taking place when it did was basically Germany's last chance to defeat the combined forces of the Entente - if it's delayed, then that can only be good for the Empire! :D (No, not the German Empire - nor the Russian, though they'll obviously be much better off too. And Austria-Hungary? Well, that's going to be a key topic of discussion in any such timeline, no doubt.)
 
Der Erzherzog, Der Führer, und Der Reichspräsident...and the 9/11 one please.
 
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My vote was for the 1943 plane downing of Hitler's. Sure, Hitler dies during the war TL are overdone, but rarely have I found them all that interesting as they usually occur too late for Germany for turn around the war effort or so early that Nazism itself would become a very different beast from what we know of (if it happens at all). 1943 was a year where Germany still had a chance of being able to avoid being occupied had things worked out differently.
 
Well....to me it looks as if I have to prepare myself for some World-War-One-Era writing...

That's interesting, though 1914 will concentrate on reforming Austria-Hungary in a bumpy but doable way (I like the Popovici-proposal, but it is pure theory!), whereas 1917 focusses on the Germans...and their attempt to suddenly try diplomacy, politics, strategic understanding and reason.
 
1936 or 1940, anything where nazi germany gets derailed has to be inherently good...

I agree on that part. It would be interesting to destroy their nimbus of being super-soldiers. whereas the French inherently suck in military matters.

...or Rudi Dutschke!

I would have to do a lot of research, as I am not such a left-leaning guy (on a German scale of things). But, I find Dutschke quite interesting. For his old-age, I would have something special in mind and I would like to find out if I could make it work.

1917 onwards...

and

1943(with the bottles of brandy!) perhaps the toughest choice(a war thread mostly)

You are right, war threads are hard to do because so many people on here are very much convinced to know what is possible and what borders on ASB. Often, this is the case due to a lot of knowledge and meticulous research - which wouldn't make things easier for me.

It may be cliche, but you can put me down for an alternate 1914. I think we should bear in mind that, as a Germanophone, you have access to all kinds of research material that might have been too obscure or controversial to have merited translation into English (or French, or what have you). And besides, WWI taking place when it did was basically Germany's last chance to defeat the combined forces of the Entente - if it's delayed, then that can only be good for the Empire! (No, not the German Empire - nor the Russian, though they'll obviously be much better off too. And Austria-Hungary? Well, that's going to be a key topic of discussion in any such timeline, no doubt.)

Don't exaggerate the level of research I can realistically put into my writing, despite an M.A. in Modern History, I also have a M.A. in doing-my-jobology and a Ph.D. in husbandlife cum parenting.
However, as there was always a certain level of awareness in the perils of a Great war, delaying it might lead to decision-making which is very different from what happened in July/August 1914. Yes, these should be interesting times and despite a few ideas I would like to have as main themes, I am quite open towards the developments occuring.

My vote is for 2005 --Gerhard!

I have to go almost to a day-to-day-basis here..... otherwise that would be a very short timeline. Seven years to go.....


Der Erzherzog, Der Führer, und Der Reichspräsident...and the 9/11 one please.

"Das sind ja gleich vier Wünsche auf einmal".... kommt Zeit, kommt Rat. Looks as if your first wish might come true after all... The 9/11 would not be that long, actually, but should focus on something other timelines of this time didn't take into account at all: repercussions of Germany and Europe in general.

My vote was for the 1943 plane downing of Hitler's. Sure, Hitler dies during the war TL are overdone, but rarely have I found them all that interesting as they usually occur too late for Germany for turn around the war effort or so early that Nazism itself would become a very different beast from what we know of (if it happens at all). 1943 was a year where Germany still had a chance of being able to avoid being occupied had things worked out differently.

That's why I refrained from a Valkyrie (1944)-POD. Tragically, these actions would have come too late to change much except for increasing bitterness in post-war-Germany. Early-1943 would leave the conspirators a great deal more options.
 
No Berlin Airlift or Berlin Wall? But what instead?

That is indeed the big question I would have to ponder. Will the lack of possibilities to apply pressure on the West lead to less tensions and more of a detente? Or will other fronts of the Cold War become hotter instead?

Concerning Germany (East and West), I can already imagine a good dozen of major possible consequences.
 
Err... Apparently, someone Else just Started another FF survives-Timeline. Have to Watch that one closely.
 
I'd love to see the Austro-Czechoslovak Reapproachment TL. :cool: It is a very original idea.

Thank you very much. It is the only option for Austrian patriots post-1936 and I wonder why nobody even tried to pursue it. Oh, the difficulties of reality, you will say. So, OK, I admit that it would be kind of Utopian.

I wonder if I need to kill off Benes, though. I have the slight impression that he already thinks two steps ahead and get rid of the Germans in the CSR once and for all by the later 30s...
 
Well, polls are closed. I thank you all for your cooperation, Inspiration and interest.
However, As to now I feel Forced to ignore the vote. Until now, the New TL "it truly is nothing seems to go into very much the Same direction.

Thus, I will wait until it considerably differs from my ideas. Until then, I prepare for #2, the 1917-timeline.
 
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