Hi mates...I've come up with another, more plausible idea for this whole stuff: I have come to think that actually, there were quite a lot of plans for the division of germany, late in the conflict: now, most (not all, but most) of theese plans, while calling for a partition and de-industrialization of the country, never considered giving german territory away to foreign countries, with the exception of the Ruhr and Saar areas; now let's assume that Otto von Habsburg is restored to the throne in Austria, during say 1936-38, in order to stabilize the country in face of german diplomatic pressures. Of course this will simply not work, and Austria will be annexed anyway; but this would give Otto some legitimization in the post-war process. Now let's always assume that a coup against Hitler succeeds in 1944, and though unable to sign peace with the western allies, the new provisional government manages to move all of its troops to the east; due to this little advantage and due also to the fact that many of the best german commanders are still alive (Erwin Rommel, someone?), the germans manage to resist those two more months upon the Vistula, so to stop the soviets long enough to allow Patton to enter Berlin (and Wien and Prague and Breslau).
All not extremely absurd untill now, you shall convene.
Now let's move to the post-war timeframe; let's imagine that with the soviets out of germany, Stalin gets a totally free-hand in eastern Europe (much like in OTL), BUT, when it comes to Germany, the western allies decide to implement one of the wartime plans: a modified version of the Roosvelt plan, or the Wells plan: so we get Germany divided into three or more smaller states; let's assume, that the country is split into its pre-unification constituent states, with Prussia, strippes of its Western territories, wich are, instead awarded to a new Westfalian state; Austria is split from the rest of Germany; Otto is reisntated to his throne; now while in Austria many are still not totally confortable with the restored monarchy, all in all, the populace considers Otto as their head of state, illegally deposed by a foreign aggression...more or less so...well not totally, but...whatever; they will buy it, and Otto had quite a charisma...I am sure he can make his people buy this version of the story, maybe capitalizing upon the disdain Austrians feel towards their northern neighbours.
Stalin is unhappy with the outcome of the war (and many soviet commanders will have their head roll for not managing to get into Germany); anyway his claims to the country are dismissed by the allies, on the basis that germany is going to be partitioned and demilitarized, and it will never pose a threat to its neighbours; most of all the concept is that Germany is to become neutral, and niobosy is getting nothing inside the country, not the alles, nor the soviets (weel this is untrue...); after all what Stalin truly wanted was to weaken germany, and that seems to have been accomplished; also the allies will speak of the necessity to build a bunch of buffer states to divide the two influence zones, and bla bla bla...the point is that Stalin is bought, at least for a while.
This situation, with a partitioned Germany, will last for a few years, with one exception: the southern german states (or state, depending on wich post-war plan you want to implement; some called fo a restroarion of Bavaria, Baden, Württemberg and, others for the creation of a single southern german state) joins Austria very soon; there are a few reasons for this to happen: first of all, southern germans come to see that Austria is enjoying a faster recovery, a greater political stability, and is not threatened by what are perceived as soviet expansionism and western (mostly French) desire for revenge; on the other hand otto needs a wider political platform in order to stabilize his hold to the throne; southern germans are culturally akin to austrians to whom they have looked for leadership for centuries, while being never too enthusiastic of prussian miilitarsim (and protestantism). Now what we get is a southern german confederation, wich ironically is modeled after the north german confederation formed by Prussia in the wake of its victory over Austria in 1866; monarchy is restored in Bavaria, Württemberg and Baden (southern german states are quite conservative, so in the immediate post-war period it is not that absurd to imagine a restoration of monarchy in those lands; also Rupprecht of Bavaria was famed as a good man, and a victim of nazism. In addition the restoration of german southern monarchies is presented as the proof that southern german states are not being "annexed" by Austria). Now Stalin opposes this, but not so much: after all such a confederation is still not very powerful; also, he is much more interested in eastern and northern germany, and he thinks that an independent southern germany might even be better thaan a western-controlled one...more or less; anyway is army is partially demobilized, the americans have the atomic bomb, and he does not wish war with the west upon southern germany.
Meanwhile time passes on; the korean war starts to rage; Germany is quiet; when Stalin dies he is succeded by a more moderate Nikita Chruscev; on the 1st of january, 1957 the Saarland rejoins Germany (or to better say, southern germany); we are in a totally different mood now, the seeds of european cooperation have been planted: NATO is a reality already; a close inter-german relationships has already been allowed to develop; along with this mood, western germany (or the western german staes, according to your likes) holds a referendum, in wich the great majoritty of voters, opts to join Southern Germany. Chruscev says nothing more or less, while being not happy at all; US, UK and France, have now realized that the soviets pose muchn greater a threat than this moderate, liberal, Habsburg-guided, pro-European Germany. Evantually Eastern Germany (or Prussia + Saxony), are allowed to join the union too; the yaear is 1958-1959; Chruscev protests vigorously, but after all germany was not in his grip, so there is not much he can do, nor he can explicitely meddle into the domestic policies of two formally independent states, so he does nothing, as a matter of facts, unwilling to go to war for such a small gain as not to allow two states, both outside of his direct political influence to merge together along with ethnical and historical lines (after all this was the official predicament during OTL too: Germany was "one nation, two states", and bla bla bla, clutter like that.)
Once the reunification process is complete a new constitution is drafted, with the main german monarchies restored and so son...actually this Germany would look much like the one from 1870, but with Austria at its head, instead of Prussia.
This leaves Bohemia out, but this is a matter for another day; and MOST OF ALL, this is not ASB...just unlikely
