Hitler is killed in July 1941

Hi ranoncles
I find many of your ideas reasonable, I will try to defend my position though.
1) I think the army was in better position for a coup in 1941 than in 1944, when the Waffen SS was already very large and the army has been deprived of many independent senior officers replaced by Nazi officers. In 1941 von Brauchitsch still held the high command, he had inmense prestige in the army, and the officer corps was still a very cohesive group, while the Waffen SS was still small.

2) The diplomatic project of making satellite states in Eastern Europe was actually presented to Hitler by Ribbentrop, and the dimplomatic professional corps was also still full of non Nazi career diplomats that would be very willing to work for my Military directory.

3) About the TOEs, well I agree with you, however I take such a pleasure redoing them that I can´t restrain myself :) sorry if that is annoying to you
 
Hi ranoncles


3) About the TOEs, well I agree with you, however I take such a pleasure redoing them that I can´t restrain myself :) sorry if that is annoying to you


Nah, I face the same temptation every time I write an AH :D.

But unless it is germane to the storyline, it adds nothing to the story. You are presumably writing a broad stroke story so its important to 'stay on topic' ;).

For instance, a writer probably should ask himself if is necessary to go into detail about the German artillery and armour allocation rather than state that the army was placed on a more secure footing regarding equipment, perhaps emphasising an increased motorization effort was undertaken and that national defense forces were raised in the 'liberated' areas with a hope that they might be incorporated in German divisions at a later date as cannon fodder.

Just my $0.02
 
April 1942
Operation Hercules unleashed. The Italian Parachute division Folgore and the German Brigade Ramcke are parachuted into the Island, they secure a landing area for the XXX Italian Army Corps (3 Italian Infantry divisions), successfully escorted by the Supermarina. The Royal Navy, weakened by the Air campaign and the attacks of the U-Boats, falls back to Alexandria.
Malta is secured in 3 weeks, a major success for the Italian government. A direct supply line to Benghazi is now open. The Italian army is now actively talking about retaking the whole of Libya while supplies are massed in Benghazi for an offensive the next month.
In the Eastern Front things are still relatively quiet. The Russians have launched an unsuccessful attack to relief Sevastopol, Manstein smashing the 47th and 56th armies in the process. By the end of April Sevastopol surrenders.
 
May 1942
There has been a very disputed debate going all winter in the OKH HQs. Bock, supported by a good number of field infantry commanders, favoured a direct attack on Moscow, however Rundstedt, supported by the Pz commanders, pointed to the wooded nature of the terrain, unsuited for armoured warfare, and the strength of Russian defences, instead he supported and attack along the southern axis.
Finally, plan Prometheus, submitted by Manstein for an attack following Rundstedt suggestions, was approved. Army Group South was positioned since the end of 1941 behind the Donets, the cities of Kursk, Belgorod and Kharkov acting as major bases. Manstein´s plan projected a Cannae style double envelope attack. 4th Pz Army (Hoth) attacking from Kursk, would drive to the Don and then turn south to Rossosh, where it would meet 1st pz Army (Kleist) that would advance from the south along the Voroshilovgrad-Milerovo axis following the railway. SouthWestern Front (Timostchenko) would be trapped and destroyed.
The Russian armoured in the area is very weak, just 2 Tank Corps of recent formation, green units lacking experience. The Russians rest for mobile forces on cavalry units, but the Germans have been actively recruiting Cossacks, undermining the main source of valuable cavalry recruits in the area for the Russians.Zhukov is worried about the weakness of the defence in the area, and when the first intelligence of a coming German offensive is gathered, he grants permission to the Soviet commanders to yield ground to avoid the disastrous encirclements of the previous year.
The second week of May, Kleist delivers the first strike. South Front (Malinowski) fields easily, but the Russian infantry retreats in good order. They don´t make a stand, instead they retreat towards Rostov, as the direction of the German offensive s still unknown, Malinowski fears the German armour will drive behind his front and cut off his path of retreat across the Don, so the Russian divisions are hurried to the rear.
Meanwhile, Hoth starts his offensive with several days of delay, as the 4th Army struggled to get into position between the 2nd and 6th Armies. However, he finds little opposition to his advance, the quick retreat of Malinowski has left SW Front left flank in the air, and Timoschenko has no option but to order a general retreat, however for several days his force is in danger of being trapped by the 2 Pz pincers, but in the end the endurance of the Russian infantryman, capable of long, exhausting marches journey after journey, saves the day, and the SW Front finally crosses the Don to safety.
May ends with mixed results in the Eastern Front, the Germans have pushed the front line all the way to the Don, but they have failed to trap substantial enemy forces.
 
I still think the Nazi/Whermacht would spin Hitler as a hero. The ideal leader. He had suffered no set backs to this point. He'd be Bismark, Otto, Karl der Grosse, Ceaser, Alexander, jebus etc all rolled into one if the Army could beat the soviets and not declare war on america
 
The military goverment naturally will try to discredit Hitler in every manner, the main line of attack would be that he got Germany into a two fronts war, recalling the not too long images of WW1, and the Army had to take control to get things right. Then, there would be a lot of "what if" threads called "Hitler survived 1941 killing attempt" :)
 
Really? Why? All he did was win up until July 1941. He RULED europe and gave germans there pride back. The average german had food, money that was worth something and pride in his nation.

The military would make him an idol and villify surviving nazi leaders. He would become a symbol. There would be no historic Hitler by a myth for Germans to hold on to. Goering and Himmler are going to get it though.

You're wrong here
 
Hi all
This is my first post here, starting with a WW2 variation

Hitler killed in July 1941

July 1941: German armies are advancing victoriously through the Soviet Union, Hitler is paying a visit to Army Group Centre HQs. He is warmly congratulating von Bock when Colonel von Tresckow, a staff officer in von Bock´s HQs, shoot him through the head twice, killing him instantly. Tresckow is quickly taken by Hitler´s personal guard, but under direct orders by FM von Bock (Don´t touch my niece!), he is surrendered to the Military Police.
August 1941: The Army has taken over the power. A Military Directory has been created, presided by Walther von Brauchitsch. Nazi leaders are in detention or have been summarily executed. The Luftwaffe is under control of the OKH and the SS has been disbanded. The military get the support of the Industrial magnates and the Bureaucracy.
September 1941: The war is going well in the East. Soviet SW Front has been encircled and destroyed at Kiev, it is time for the new German government to reassess targets, what are their plans for the future? They have promised the people, fearful about a repetition of WW1 two fronts war, that the war will be short, but Soviet reserves look much stronger than previously thought. A general plan for the future of Germany is laid down by the ministers of the new government.
1)Diplomacy has been entrusted to the professional members of the diplomatic career. They present a project based on two pillars
a)Peace with Britain and a permanent settlement with France. The first step will be the withdrawing of German troops from Northern France.
b)The creation of a ring of Vassal States in Eastern Europe that will provide raw materials and markets for German industries. This states will have their own governments, fiercely anticommunists, and entirely dependant on German good will.

October 1941: Vyazma pocket is liquidated, German troops enter Kharkov. However winter is closing and the German army is exhausted. Von Rundstedt advices caution and the OKH agrees, the soldiers start digging positions and building shelters, the army is effectively taking winter quarters
. The main problem-german generals wanted to attack moscow in AUGUST 1941-and Group of Armies "Center" could be circled near Moscow.
 
Ok, slowing down a bit

November 1941: While the front remains relatively quiet, the Germans are busy reorganizing the conquered territory.
The new free countries of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraina are proclaimed. Anticommunist volunteers are enlisted in their recently created Territorial Armies. These armies lack a proper HQ staff and support units, the volunteer units, Battalion size, are meant to be the cadre for larger, conscripted forces to be created along 1942. OKH plans are to create Infantry Brigades of 3 Battalions supported by an artillery company (12 pieces, mainly Czech Skoda 76.5mm M.30 or Russian 76mm ZIS 3) doubling as AT company. Those Brigades, after serving in garrison or Antipartisan duty (not much partisan activity though, the new national governments make good use of anticommunist and anti Russian feelings) will be upgraded to front line units, by the end of 1942 OKH hopes to attach one of this Brigades to every German infantry Division.
Weapons production is also reorganized, winter equipment is mass produced in time to reach the German army before December. Costly, extravagant weapon projects are abandoned, no wonder weapons, no V1-V2, no Big Cats, instead there is a rationalizing of production. The 7.5 cms Pak 40 has just entered service and the OKH judges it good enough for the future years. The 5 cms pak 38 is phased out, and the pak 40 is the new universal AT gun, either towed, mounted in Stu or as a tank gun version in Pz IV, greatly simplifying ammunition supply and production.
There other changes implemented through the army.

Full mobilization of Industries to war allows mass production of standard equipment. Panzer Divisions retain the 3rd Pz Bn, and by late 1942 all three Battalions are Pz IV kwk40 L/43. The first Schutzen regiment in each Pz Division get mechanised (that will only be accomplished by the end of 1943 though).
The 150mm Howitzers of the divisional artillery, always considered too heavy for horse teams, get motorised. The Heavy companies themselves are detached from Divisions and attached to the newly created fully motorised Corps Artillery regiments, (with a TOE of 3x150mm Howitzer companies and 1x170mm gun company).
The Hvy Arty company in the Divisional artillery is replaced by a Nebelwerfer 41 company (the diversion of resources from the V1-V2 projects) allows the mass production of them.
The Stu Battalions are reorganized as Stu Brigades, with a mech infantry company added (the mass production of SDKFz 251/1 allows to create them in enough numbers). They are attached to Army Corps and by mid 1943, Pz Divisions also get one.

In the diplomatic field, a final agreement is reached with France, in exchange for some promises of compensation in colonies (including the cession of German rights on former German colonies, like Tanganika) Germany retains Alsace and Lorraine, but German troops are retired from all other territories. French government moves back to Paris, to the displeasure of Gral Petain.
1/ Why these "countries" are proclained? What's for? German need east territories and slaves.
2. Pro-german Russian liberatoring Army wasnt be taken to the front-german thought, they could pass to russian
3. Full mobilisation can
worsen image of the government in opinion of the german population.
4. france was very importan territory for german in WW2- workers, from France for german indusrtry, french meal, french weapon-all it help german to send more men to the East front.
 
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