Hitler starts World War II three years late

After being a member of this forum for almost two years, I think I, and many here would agree that the best chance for a Nazi win is mostly predicated upon them doing pretty much what they did in OTL - up to and including invading Russia in 1941. Any deviation, even slight ones, would make it even harder for Hitler and his ilk to squeeze out a total victory. (the amount luck and timing in Fall Gelb for instance...)
So a major one like waiting 3 years to declare war would all but guarantee an Allied-curbstomp
 
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Germany got through 1939/40 on the money it got from annexing Czheckoslovakia and Austria plus fancy scams like the KDF-Wagen savings scheme, MEFO and Oeffa Bills. By 1941 there would be no new money coming in
 
There were disastrous problems in their command system, doctrine and are still outnumbered by a qualitatively superior army.
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Who totally isn't facing a nation that has undergone economic collapse and has probably defaulted on debt, and is facing a modern military and 2 major maritime powers far more prepared forces and if they're going to invade Poland a far better prepared Polish military and a Soviet bear that is just about recovered the purges IIRC. Along with an America that is going to be providing tons of shit to the western powers and has an economy that is currently in wartime due to their conflict with Japan and is going to be providing large amounts of aid. Yeah, German quality advantage is just about gone.
 
There were disastrous problems in their command system, doctrine and are still outnumbered by a qualitatively superior army.

The command system was on the edge of change. Gamelin had outlasted his political support and would have been replaced in may 1940 whatever else happened. Probablly sooner had war not come in 1939. That would have opened the flood gate on a wholesale replacement of general officers down to division. Much of the Methodical Battle doctrine was based on the mobilization with undertrained and stale reservists, a problem deriving from inadaquate funds voted by the legislature. The plan being executed was to adjust doctrine after post mobilization training brought the HQ staff at all levels up to speed. Something that would have been accomplished for all the Active & A Series units before the end of 1940. The Series B & units formed post mobilization should have been trained up to standards by mid 41. While that would have been dragged out absent a DoW the projected French rearmament budgets drastically increased training funds as well as the equipment funds.

In 1938 from the Cezch Crisis France laid on a massive modernization program for the Army & Air Force, that was aimed for maturation in 1942.

... and are still outnumbered by a qualitatively superior army.

In 1944 the Allied armies invading NW Europe were out numbered, and in many peoples view were inferior in quality. Exactly how they defeated the superior Germans in the west in ten months is worth comparison.
 
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I question the idea that the US will automatically be at war with Japan in this scenario. So much of the Pacific War was percipitated by Japan taking advantage of the German victory of 1940 and forcing its way into French Indo China. Absent French defeat the occupation of FIC would not happen & US/Japanese tensions remain far lower. In theory it can still happen, but the odds may be against a Pacific war occuring.
 
US will automatically be at war with Japan in this scenario
I would just add that Japan would have to be even crazier to think it can fight one on two+ (China/France/Dutch etc) with USA/GB+ so its unlikely to start anything no matter what US does. Without any hope of European support even Imperial Japan might be eventually willing to back down over China if its not done too ineptly by US+.
 
bombers sure but was the Hawk 75 and P40 superior to the MS 406 and D520?
They were Superior in one very important prehaps the most important way. They were available. Unlike many French aircraft due to lack of funding during the inter-war years and the need to build up a big enough army to fight germany.
 
The command system was on the edge of change. Gamelin had outlasted his political support and would have been replaced in may 1940 whatever else happened. Probablly sooner had war not come in 1939. That would have opened the flood gate on a wholesale replacement of general officers down to division. Much of the Methodical Battle doctrine was based on the mobilization with undertrained and stale reservists, a problem deriving from inadaquate funds voted by the legislature. The plan being executed was to adjust doctrine after post mobilization training brought the HQ staff at all levels up to speed. Something that would have been accomplished for all the Active & A Series units before the end of 1940. The Series B & units formed post mobilization should have been trained up to standards by mid 41. While that would have been dragged out absent a DoW the projected French rearmament budgets drastically increased training funds as well as the equipment funds.

In 1938 from the Cezch Crisis France laid on a massive modernization program for the Army & Air Force, that was aimed for maturation in 1942.



In 1944 the Allied armies invading NW Europe were out numbered, and in many peoples view were inferior in quality. Exactly how they defeated the superior Germans in the west in ten months is worth comparison.

Without the outbreak of war why would the reservists be mobilized? If anything the lack of war would have brought in an atmosphere of calm to Europe.

The Allies invading NW were not outnumbered, that is absolutely not the case. They had a massive advantage in manpower and almost total air superiority.
 
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Who totally isn't facing a nation that has undergone economic collapse and has probably defaulted on debt, and is facing a modern military and 2 major maritime powers far more prepared forces and if they're going to invade Poland a far better prepared Polish military and a Soviet bear that is just about recovered the purges IIRC. Along with an America that is going to be providing tons of shit to the western powers and has an economy that is currently in wartime due to their conflict with Japan and is going to be providing large amounts of aid. Yeah, German quality advantage is just about gone.

In the event of a default the Germans could have still nationalized various war industries and embarked on a policy of total war esque mobilization. Poland is going to last a few extra weeks at best, and if anything that will just end up contributing more equipment for Germany to capture and turn on the allies. There is no rule that the Americans would be at war with the Japanese whose opportunism rested on the outbreak of war in Europe. American aid at this point would mostly be sales of subpar tanks and perhaps some aircraft. The Germans will still command a massive advantage in quality from continuing armaments production as well as from their superior officers, better trained soldiers and more adept general staff. Germany would still end up trouncing France.
 
The French soldiers fought just as hard as the Germans did in the Battle of France .
"The figures speak for themselves. Of the 3,000 tanks the Germans deployed, 1,800 were put out of action. Of 3,500 planes they lost 1,600. In a month of fighting they lost 50,000 dead and more than 160,000 wounded. It was a genuine combat."
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-32956736
 
Britain declared war on Germany in 1939 because they could not continue the pace of rearmament without emergency powers...that was 1939..how they supposed to continue rearmament through 1942 without emergency powers to finance all this?

likewise the malaise that afflicted the French took decades to take root, it could not be reversed in a matter of years. Likewise the damage to the Soviet Moral from purges and decades of abuse could not be overcome in a matter of years....it would take a decade or more.
 
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