Images/Photos of YOUR Favorite Alternate History

[Sport25ing]

Can it Carry Bombs? by @whatisinaname​

A new defensive system by the Liberators

As the 8th AF was loosing hundreds of bombers per month, any suggestion to defend the lombering giants was accepted. One of the most radicals was the installation of the triple rocket launcher M10 been instaled on the rear of the B-24 Liberator bombers (neither the B-17 and B-29 had this system installed - B-17: tail sat to low on the ground for its instalement and installing in other places on the aircraft would had extra drag; B-29: with the 20mm cannon in the tail (most of the time) and with better fire control system was seen the the adding of the rockets unessessary).

As reports between mid-1943 up to D-Day shown that the lower ball turret only enganged enemy aircrafts on about 5%, all bombers with the rockets installed (the lead elements of the High, Low and Low Low Elements of the Combat Box) had their lower ball turrets removed and said rockets attached, with a hatch in the tail for the waist gunners be able to reload the weapons, while a fire button was added for the tail gunner. With a proximity fuse installed on the rockets, they would actually the bombers in some instances as the rockets would scare the newbies Luftwaffe pilots from both propeller and jet driven aircrafts (while not a single direct hit was recorded, the shrappnel from the rockets did shoot down a few fighters, and many more were damaged)

Decisive Darkness: What if Japan hadn't surrendered in 1945? by @The_Red

An F6F Hellcat shooting down an A6M (converted as a kamikaze), November 14th 1945

On the X-Day of Operation Majestic, the greatest aerial battle occured simultaneous with the landings, as many as ten thousand japanese planes would take off in several waves to attempt to destroy the Allies naval flotilla. For the more than ninth thousands combat aircrafts off the Allies, this was a massive task, and as casualties began to rise on the fleet and the men on the ground, any and all available armed aircrafts were send to stop the massive waves of enemy aircrafts (when you realize that nearly 80% of the Medal of Honor and Navy Crosses won by pilots in the entire Pacific War were from actions on the 14 to 16 of November, including on a ace-in-a-day pilot flying a SC-1 Seahawk!!, you see how desperate they were).

As mentioned, many pilots from the USN, USMC, USAAF and FAA (plus a single RAF pilot from an Tempest II squadron sent alongeside Tiger Force) would become ace-in-a-day, with four even becoming twice in the same day (and many more close by), from fighters to dive-bombers, from medium bombers to the already mentioned floatplanes (only the heavy bombers didn't have any pilots that reached ace status, from the air, as they could have with the amount of bombs dropped on the airfields in Kyushu).

While they have defended with success most of the invasion fleet, with was with their own sacrifice, as more than one thousand aircrafts were lost (to the point that three undamaged Essex-class carriers had to pull out due to the lack of aircrafts!!), and with many pilots and crewmembers exausted, they couldn't support the Army and Marines in the ground as much as they wanted.

"Goring's Reich" An Alternate World War II and Gorings Reich (Part 2) Heartland versus Rimland by @galveston bay​

The predecessor of the Belgian Shock Reconnaissance Company, the Belgian Expeditionary Corps in Russia

When the Axis invaded the Soviet Union in September 1939, many volunteers from other European nations would join the Soviet forces to once again fight against fascism, as they did during the SCW. Most came from the Balkans (Greece and Yugoslavia), but France was were the biggest number of volunteers from an individual nation came from, enough to form their own Shock Divisions, the 1871st Shock Division (number taken from the Paris Commune). Even so, Belgium and Switzerland volunteers formed their own units inside the French own to help the same to gain strengh. It was used near Leningrad from early 1940 to augment the soviet forces based there. A few pilots also join the VVS, but due to a lack of numbers, only formed an single Independent International Escadrille, flying Sukhoi Su-2 ground attack aircrafts.

After the death of Stalin, in September of the same year, and the signing of the Treaty of Riga, all foreign units were disbanded and most were able to return home (and many off them were arrested) and when Germany invaded the West in 1941, they would use their knowlege to help the defense of their home nations (but were ignored, due to political reasons above everything else).

 

[Kurt_Steiner]

British soldiers with a captured 50mm german antitank gun added to the defenses of Toburk

From The Spirit of Salamis- A Short Allied Victory in Crete TL

 

[Sport25ing]

Comrade Harps

A Cromwell tank of BMAL (British Military Administration (Libya)), in Tripolitania, late 1944. Most British equipment in this territory would be "abandoned" and its entirety been integrated into the Royal Italian Armed forces.

After the end of the African campaign in May 1943, Libya, was initially under the Allied administration of Libya, divided between the UK (Cyrenaica and Tripolitania) and Free France (The Fezzan, and the tiny enclave of Ghadames). After the 22 of August Separate Peace/Great Betrayal, it was decided to divide the former Italian colony, with the French occupation fully annexing then into the French Argelia, with the puppet sheikh, Sayf al-Nasr, as their "head of state", while the British would also divide their respective territories. Ironically, the British would gift Tripolitania back to the Kingdom of Italy in return for their declaration of war against the Empire of Japan and volunteer forces, while a betrayal by the rest of the of the UN (including France, but the need of troops to reconquer Indochina was greater) and Cyrenaica became a "independent" nation as the Emriate of Cyrenaica under the leadership of Muhammad Idris.

While the United Nations would disagree with the division of Libya, with their focus against the Empire of Japan and , after the defeat of the Berlin Pact, on the Moscow Pact, would distract them from North Africa (even after the Arab liberation of Palestine in 1947, with some Cyrenaicans joining the Egyptian Army to fight against Britain). In 1950, with World War III breaking up and all its colonizers been occupied by the MP, all three territories would rise up and expell their occupiers (including the Fezzians expelling the Argelians) and their puppetts, and a year later, unite all three territories as the Libyan Arab Republic and declared their neutrality, which was respected until 1965, after the UN launched Operation Desert Peace, and the leftists launched a coup at the capital Tripoli, which forced the democratic forces to spread their attacks against the entirety of North Africa instead of focusing on the Middle East as intended.

General Sir Richard McCreery, Commander-in-Chief of British Forces in Austria, inspects the old guard of the 5th Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment), during the changing of the guard at the Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna (the British Forces of Occupation headquarters in Austria)

With the 22 of August Separate Peace/Great Betrayal, the Western Allies were allowed to divide Austria between the big three (US, UK and France), plus the Socialist Union in the East. BUT, as the Berlin Pact pushed the Socialists out of Poland and Czeschoslovakia and stabilized their front in Romania (that descended into civil war), the Germans were still present in Eastern Austria, and formed the Free Austrian Republic. Four Wehrmacht divisions (that had roots from the Austrian Army in 1938) were transfered to Austria (with some men from the now disbanded US 101st Infantry Battalion (Separate - aka the Austrian Battalion) augmenting some of the BP units) while the Free Austian AF as formed in September.

Meanwhile, the Western side of the territory would be occupied by the more combat fatigued units that fought in Europe, while most of the remaining would be send to other parts of the world. As time passed, their would be rotated while less unwanted units would replace them, as well as unwanted equipment (this is not the full list):
Units:

• Liberian Expeditionary Force; 100th Infantry Battalion*; Brazillian Occupation Force**; - US occupation zone
• Tekil Brigade (Ethiopia); 4th Infantry Battalion (Canada)**; - British occupation zone
• 7th regiment of Senegalese Tirailleurs (previously part of French 2nd Armored Division) - French occupation zone

Equipment:

• P-74A Bobcats - USAAF and Armee l'Air
• Char B1 bis, Somua S35, Hotchkiss H35 (all leftovers from the Heer stationed in France prior to 22 August) - France

Outside of Austria, many more units would be stationed in Benelux, France, Denmark and northern Italy as a "deterrent" for the BP (in reality, against the Socialist Union), lus a few units near the border with Republican Spain. Other nations that didn't joined the UN prior to the Separate Peace, would also contribute with small units, such as Portugal, would also send a Infantry Brigade to be integrated into a British reserve division near Dunkirk, plus a squadron of Hawker Typhoons to be integrated into the RAF Second Tactical AF.

*442nd Infantry Regiment was disbanded to help fill up ranks
**Army kept in Europe for occupation duties while Marines were send to the Pacific
***Canadian version of 100th Infantry Battalion;

Turks and Caicos Islander with a Canadian Flag, 1950's

With the fall of continental Europe in 1950, plus England becoming a battle ground for a couple of years, there was a fear among the New Continent that many of the islands and territories that the British, French and Dutch still control would also fall to the socialists badies, so, a week after their respective fall, the UN would invade the european colonial possessions (similar operations were conducted in Oceania and in the Indian Ocean). As the "easy part" was done quickly and with little bloodsheed, what would happen to said islands was another matter.

While the entirety of Guyanas would declare independence in seperate ways (with Guyana itself entered a international crisis almost in a instant), many islands would be annexed, with Canada taking possession of the entirety of all British islands (and British Honduras, plus Saint Pierre and Miquelon, from France) north of Trinidad & Tobago be annexed by the US northern neigbour (that also bought some recent land from them**)

All others were either annexed by Venezuela (Trinidad & Tobago and Dutch West Indies), Argentina (Falklands and South Georgia) and Mexico (Clipperton Atoll). They would see various kinds of degrees of success and failures trought the years, depending of the islands (and Canadian Honduras).

*With the fall of the British and the discovery of oil in late 1940's, the Venezuela would launch a rush, yet successefull invasion of the territory, and while a low socialist insurection continues to this day, with the embargo of Iranian oil in 1979/80, they would become one of the richest UN nations in the southern hemisphere
**Point Roberts, attached to land in the city of Delta, British Columbia, was purchased the year prior

 

[Gillan1220]

With the fall of continental Europe in 1950, plus England becoming a battle ground for a couple of years, there was a fear among the New Continent that many of the islands and territories that the British, French and Dutch still control would also fall to the socialists badies, so, a week after their respective fall, the UN would invade the european colonial possessions (similar operations were conducted in Oceania and in the Indian Ocean). As the "easy part" was done quickly and with little bloodsheed (apart from Venezuela against British Guyana*), what would happen to said islands was another matter.

What caused Europe to fall to the socialists?
I need to read on this scenario. Seems really interesting.

 

[Sport25ing]

What caused Europe to fall to the socialists?
I need to read on this scenario. Seems really interesting.

I'm gonna ask for more details to CH, but as Trosky ruled the Socialist Union, it supported more international unions (unlike Stalin, that while it did support some communists abroad, he was more focus inside of its borders). It could have culminated in 1950, when the Moscow Pact (the Alliance of socialists nations) launched an invasion of the Western Europe through Germany (it was defeated in May 1946), and the socialists inside WE launch a revolt, which helped all of them to fall (although the UN held Northern Ireland and Orkney and Shetland Islands until mid-1960's)

 

[Gillan1220]

I'm gonna ask for more details to CH, but as Trosky ruled the Socialist Union, it supported more international unions (unlike Stalin, that while it did support some communists abroad, he was more focus inside of its borders). It could have culminated in 1950, when the Moscow Pact (the Alliance of socialists nations) launched an invasion of the Western Europe through Germany (it was defeated in May 1946), and the socialists inside WE launch a revolt, which helped all of them to fall (although the UN held Northern Ireland and Orkney and Shetland Islands until mid-1960's)

So it's like Red Alert minus the Soviet superscience?

 

[Sport25ing]

Yeah, almost

 

[Gillan1220]

Yeah, almost

Then I would see Fortress America. Meaning the ENTIRE Americas would be a huge fortress making sure the Reds don't make landfall across the Atlantic.

 

[Sport25ing]

Then I would see Fortress America. Meaning the ENTIRE Americas would be a huge fortress making sure the Reds don't make landfall across the Atlantic.

Almost - Cuba fell to a civil war with Castro forces (Batista won) and the Colombian Crisis made the UN forces invaded said nation to restore the pro-UN government as the new neutral make a deal with the NacroReds of that timeline + theres an upcoming Guyana crisis, probably

And more info to help with the fall of Western Europe: The US didn't implement the Marshall Plan and maintained only a minimal military presence in Europe post-1946. These isolationist policies saw Western Europe suffer great economic hardship during reconstruction and this was taken advantage of by the Reds. Western Europe was ripe for revolution by the summer of 1950 and the Red Army's role was largely one of providing armed and logistical support to the domestic revolutions.

 

[Józef piłsudski]

Almost - Cuba fell to a civil war with Castro forces (Batista won) and the Colombian Crisis made the UN forces invaded said nation to restore the pro-UN government as the new neutral make a deal with the NacroReds of that timeline + theres an upcoming Guyana crisis, probably

And more info to help with the fall of Western Europe: The US didn't implement the Marshall Plan and maintained only a minimal military presence in Europe post-1946. These isolationist policies saw Western Europe suffer great economic hardship during reconstruction and this was taken advantage of by the Reds. Western Europe was ripe for revolution by the summer of 1950 and the Red Army's role was largely one of providing armed and logistical support to the domestic revolutions.

where to read it because I can't find it

 

[Sport25ing]

where to read it because I can't find it

What I'm posting is "legends" story of a modeler called Comrade Harps from WhatIfModellers. I can give you some of its aircrafts links for you to see:

Grumman P-74D Bobcat

Grumman P-74D Bobcat

www.whatifmodellers.com

Royal Canadian Navy Corsair V in IndoChina

Royal Canadian Navy Corsair V in IndoChina

www.whatifmodellers.com

Argentine Navy Skyray

Argentine Navy Skyray

www.whatifmodellers.com

Argentine F-4U Cherry Box Phantom II

Argentine F-4U Cherry Box Phantom II

www.whatifmodellers.com

Brazillian Panavia Tornado MBR vs DPRK

Brazillian Panavia Tornado MBR vs DPRK

www.whatifmodellers.com

Cape Verde AIDC F-104T Starfighter

Cape Verde AIDC F-104T Starfighter

www.whatifmodellers.com

 

[Sport25ing]

Morgen die ganze Welt​

Captured Hungarian M3 Stuart, 1942 - more would come

As it is know with the collapse of the USSR, thousands (if not a million) of different types of equipment were captured by the Axis Power, including many US and British tanks from Lend-Lease. One such of this tank types was the M3 Stuart light tank. While not a bad tank, the Heer would not operate any such tanks excluding some temporarily fielded by the Afrika Korps. As such, all Stuarts were hand over to Hungary and Romania, alongeside other former LL equipment.

In Hungary, nearly three hundreds former-Soviet M3 Stuarts were hand over to them in 1943, replacing the T-38 (designation for Pz 38(t)) in all Armored Divisions. This would actually help Germany, as with the Hungarians receiving such equipment, they wouldn't have to as for German-made one until mid-1946, as by that time, all Axis factories would be out of the reach of Allied bombers with their transfer to the East territories, apart from some rare B-29 raid and a more common sabotage in the production line. With the later Operation Margarethe, with the German invasion of Hungary, Hitler would send the entirety of the Hungarian armed forces in the East for occupation force, but it is confirmed that at least a tank company of M3 Stuarts were send to France for possible use against the Allies in Normandy, but they were not deployed, but did still suffer casualties for rare allied air raids from August onwards.

 

[Sport25ing]

The North Star is Red: a Wallace Presidency, KMT Victory, Alternate Cold War TL by @TastySpam​

One of the disabled Centurions tanks given to Israel by the British during the Syro-Israeli War - this would bite them later

One of the M47 Pattons of the Spanish Occupation Force (or Blue Division) in West Germany, 1960's.

Colombian soldiers of the Colombian Brigade with a Chinese POW, during the Three Year War, Chinese front.

 

[Sport25ing]

Decisive Darkness: What if Japan hadn't surrendered in 1945? by @The_Red

IJN Yukikaze destroyer in Rabaul 1943

During the almost entirety of the war, the IJN Yukikaze became famous among its piers as the "miracle ship", simply to the fact that it escape several encounters with the USN without a scrath (or even as the sole survivor) while every other ship was hit or sunk around it. This all changed on November 16th (X-Day). While Operation Ten-Go is very famous (as the engagement that sunk the battleship Yamato), less know was a similar operation (name was loss with the nuking of Niigata in Operation Petbe) envolving all available destroyers based in Kyushu and Pacific-faced Honshu islands.

Their objective was similar to the Guadalcanal campaign, with extra added, such as beaching themselves, ramming LST's or even boarding actions on the UN. Yukikaze was among others nearly thirty others destroyers (the biggest available warships - rest were either in the Sea of Japan or lack the fuel for the operations) and others ships. Alongeside the aerial and naval kamikazes, the japanese flotilla would sail against the invasion force. But as with many japanese operations by this time, they were found just minutes after starting, and while all USN torpedo bombers of the first wave didn't carry torpedos, they would nonenless sunk ten ships, including three destroyers. Yukikaze once again escaped unmarmed.

But after three more waves and more than twenty more ships sunks (twelve destroyers including, as they were ironically the larget targets), the final show down was against two USN destroyers radar pickup stations (and after the end of the Okinawa and the end of the war in Europe, all said pickups were now a destroyer division each, which also increased the survivabily of all ships), with eight Flecther destroyers (and aerial support) vs thirteen destroyers (and other small ships - and the rare kamikaze attacker). In the end of the last naval engagement of WWII, all but three IJN destroyers escorts and two torpedo boats survived (all severly damaged) with a single Fletcher-class sunk and two damaged. Yukikaze was the final japanese destroyer sunk, fighting against three Americans ships (and damaging one of the said destroyers).

U-858 surrendering to a US Navy subchaser and US Coast Guard HNS-1 Hoverfly one day after Germany’s overall surrender.

While the helicopters were deployed earlier than November 1945, many would know that the Americans (and to a smaller extent, the RN, through Lend-Lease) deployed said vehicles more frenquently than in any other part of the conflict, there fore, more eyes would see these wonders flying and thinking this were their first deployment.

Regardless, while there still many more seaplanes than helis, the R-4, R-5 and R-6's (all Sikorsky products) would made their marks for both friends and foes.

Sarushima island

The only island inside Tokyo Bay, it had a battery to protect the capital from enemy raids since the 1600's. While modernized over time, in late 45/early 1946, it became a target for the allies to neutralize it prior to Operation Coronet, but otherwise completely ignoring it. Therefore, as a the very first target, the Tiger Force on mid-December launced a small bombing campaign while the BPF aircrafts (after X-Day) launched sumplementery aerial assaults and mining operations, and by Y-Day, the small units based there were totally isolated and could only watch as the American armies crossed their homeland with Tokyo as their final destination. With the surrender of Japan, only a platoon of foot soldiers survived by that point, their physical shapes been almost compared to the victims of the Holocaust.

 

[Sport25ing]

The Twin Vipers: A Finished TL of the Berlin-Moscow Axis by @BiteNibbleChomp

Väinö Myllyrinne, the tallest soldier that ever existed

With the fall of Finland by the Soviet Union, thousands of Finnish refugees and military personnell escaped alongeside the British-Frenc Expeditionary Force with the help of the Allied fleet. Among them was Väinö Myllyrinne, the tallest men that joined any armed forces (with 2 meters and 51cm). As is volunteer for the Finnish Armed Forces-in-exile, it became the "mascot" for said forces, been send on tours to gain funds for the liberation of its nation. But Väinö didn't wanted to go on tours, we wanted to fight. So, he was send to one of the Finnish-in-exile artillery batteries attached to the British Army in the Western Front. He was a excellent help for said forces, as been strong (as shown in the photo), it could carry heavier equipment that would have needed two men. It would survive the conflict and is battery was the first such unit to cross the Finnish border.

An Senegalese tirailleur who has been awarded the Cross of the Liberation, 1944

As Germany was "liberated" from the Nazis/Soviets, France as become to weak to continue to push further into Poland and behond due to taking to much casualties for its liberation and initial phases of the German campaign, therefore, it would become the main occupation force of Germany to liberate the other participating nations for continue the campaign agains the Soviet Union, althought the Armée de l'air would would continue to help the Allies during the rest of the war.

Allied soldiers pose in front of a captured projectile (left) and an obturation case (right) of Krupp 80 cm Kanone (E) Schwerer.

As the German Armed Forces collapsed (minus the SS), thousands of different types of equipment were left abandoned to be captured by the advancing Allies. Including on this list was the two massive railways guns Krupp 80 cm Kanone (E) Schwerer Dora/Gustav. Initially, they were left in place as the situation with the Allies was in limbo if either liberate Poland and stop the war or continuing. During the time it was decided to continue, the British brought some of their own railways guns while the Poles send it own unit with French-made ones. But the usefulness of the Krupp guns was also brought into question, and after several talks, it was decided that the guns would be solely operated by one of the newest Allied member: Spain. With this, the Spanish Independent Artillery Corp was formed with the purpose of supporting the US Army (and the attached Blue Division) in its assault against the Stalin Line. After the war, Gustav was scrapped, while Dora was saved and sent to Spain to be used as a memorial for all fallen Spanish men in the Soviet Union.

 

[Sport25ing]

CH timeline

One of the Vickers light AA Mk II tank* Lend-Leased to the Socialist Union, late 1942

Through the Iran corridor to the Jadid Brotherhood of Nations in Central Asian part of the Socialist Union, plus another corridor made in eastern Afghanistan (with the King permission) from Termez (Uzbekistan) to Peshwar (British India) via Baghlan, Charikar, Kabul and Jalabad, several Lend-Lease equipment was sent to the Socialist Union forces taking part of The War against Fascism (as they called their struggle against the Axis powers and its allies, including the Soviet Socialist Republics of TransCaucasia). Several equipment disliked (or been replaced) by the Allies (such as the M6 heavy tank, P-50 Spitcats, Defiants fighters, Fairey Swordfish's, A-25 Shrikes, etc.) were given to the Socialists forces as they would also request such equipment (such as the Shrikes until enough IL-2 Sturmoviks were built). Most of the said LL machinery was gradually replaced by home-made equipment after The Great Betrayal, and those to usefull were either modified to use Socialist pieces (like M4 Shermans with their turret replaced by Katyusha rocket system) or given to other nations for less important fronts (such as P-50E Spitcats given to Mongolia)

*Fifteen Vickers light AA Mk II in total were sent to Socialist Union, after been retired in the British Army, due to their obsolence in North Africa. They were send to the 15th Self-Propelled AA Company of the 107th SPAA Battalion in the only Tank Guard Division of the Exiled Jewish's forces in the Socialist Union. While late to participate in the Battle of Volvograd, they would be kept in Kuban bridgehead. Until their retirement in the end of the campaign, they would shoot down nearly 70 axis aircrafts, plus damaging 100 more.

An German-inspiring Afghan Army in 1950's

While still considered a backwater nation to this day, the Kingdom of Afghanistan remains in fact one of the more independent stable nation in Central Asia (compared to its neigbour Pakistan), despite bordering the Socialist Union (or more precisally, the Jadid Brotherhood of Nations). While the King wanted to modernize its nation, the more rural Afghan people would always revolt, as such, it was decided to plan such reforms little by little, to not distabilize the nation so much for either alliances (United Nations or Moscow Pact) use their oppurtinty to use the Afghan country as a battlefield. Therefore, the nation continues in the neutral camp, trading with both the SU and US and barely picking sides in the world stage (that didn't stop Pakistan from launching Operation Saif against terrorist cells based in Afghan (and losing one F-5A against PAF Starfighters) in 1977 and allowing UN aircrafts to fly over their airspace (and Pakistany as well) to attack Iranian targets in the Gulf War due to SCUD missiles intended for India landed on the wrong side of the border).

As seen in the picture, in the interwar period, the Afghan Army was inspired by the German Army, but bought most of their firearms from the British, and while some Afghan men volunteer with the JBN, Afghanistan itself remained neutral throught the entire period of war, between 1939 and 1946 (but allowing a supply line to pass through the Eastern part, were most of the said volunteers came). Throughout the 1950s up to today, the higher ups in the military and few political sphere decided to slip their purchase of equipment between the MP and the UN to not piss up neither alliance (to the point that the Air Force main fighter was the Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighter, while the majority of the helicopters were Socialist-made.)

Meredessantpataljon (Marine Landing Battalion) - 1919 and 1941-1944

The first interaction of the Meredessantpataljon was operational from March to June in 1919 (during the Estonian War of Independence) with around 400 volunteers from crews of the Estonian surface warships, students and Finnish volunteer soldiers. As common marine infantry tasks include providing security in a warship whilst at sea and reflecting the pressed nature of the ships company and the risk of mutiny, plus other tasks including boarding of vessels during combat or capture of prize ships and providing manpower for raiding ashore in support of the naval objectives (the Estonian Meredessantpataljon was more focused on the latter)

The second interaction of the Meredessantpataljon was formed shortly after the start of Operation Barbarossa. While sharing some of the same tasks as the previous interaction, the new battalion was more inspired by the USMC, as some Estonians attaches saw the Americans performance during the interwar. They even formed their own Eskadrill of aircrafts to perform the same task as their airforce (they even wanted home-made Spitfires as well, but it was refused as those were kept for home defense). The most famous deployment of the Meredessantpataljon was in late 1941 on the siege of Leningrad, were they encounter the 2nd Lincoln-Washington Battalion, and after two day straights of fighting, the Meredessantpataljon took defensive positions until relieved. They would be use in smaller operations around the city until mid-1944, when the Socialist Union liberated the nation and the battalion was disbanded for the last time.

 

[Sport25ing]

Morgen die ganze Welt​

Commandant Test seaplane carrier in French service during interwar

As the Allies begin to lose control of the Mediterranean Sea, the Italians decided to raise several French ships that were scuttled in Toulon in November 1942. Several light cruisers and destroyers were duly raised and modernized, but the biggest prize were bought the Dunkerque-class battleship and the Commandant Test seaplane carrier.
Initially, both Dunkerque (renamed Palermo) and Strasbourg (renamed Venice) were to be fully scrapped, but with better resources from the East, it was decided to once again rebuilt such vessels; meanwhile, the Commandant Test (renamed Cavour) was converted into a escort carrier, to join both the Sparviero, Aquila and the now been completed Impero carriers*. Initially flying Re.2001 OR Series II as a early concept of a strike fighter and some Fiat G.50B "Naval Observer" (becoming the new eyes of the fleet, replacing the battleships floatplanes in the scout role), they would be replaced in mi-1945 by the Ta-152T (an carrier-based strike fighter version of the Ta-152C), initially built to replace the Bf-109T and after the cancellation of the Me-155, and intended for the Graf Zeppelin-class, they would see first action with the Italians.

With a successefull naval bombardment raid on Malta on January 9th 1945 by the Regia Marina (including the battleship Palerno) and protected by both the Regia Aeronautica and the carriers aircrafts, and without any response from the British would lead both the Germans and Italians to launch Operation Herkules/C3.

*Irony - all Italians carriers are convertions of existing hulls meant for other purposes.

Panzer IV Ausf H in a quiet zone in the Eastern Front, 1944

In late 1944, Albert Speer, the Minister of War Production, decided that both the main tanks of the Wehrmacht and Waffen-SS and variants would based on the Tiger II, the Panther and Panzer 38(t) (or if new, heavily based on the mentioned hulls) and the others workhorses, the Panzer III and IV and the Tiger I would be gradually slow production and its production ceasing by mid/late 45, and been phased out of German service by late 1946 (the civil war did slow down this process, but eventually, all left service by late 1940's). Even with a much greater pool of resources, thanks to the conquest of nearly all European side of the USSR, it was decided to concentrate such resources in few projects instead of spreading all around. Even so, all three chassis that are to be discountinued were still produced now mostly for the other Axis members (the Tiger I, for example, initially the tank that only the Germans would operate, by the time production ceased, it was mostly been operated by second-rate German Heavy tank units, the Hungarians, Romanians and Italians*).

*The Italians would also license-built the Panzer IV (as P.25/44) and the Panther (P.44/44) tanks, with the P.26/40, P.26/40bis, P.43 and P.43bis been produced as stopgaps, despite protests from the factories

 

[Whiteshore]

From Decisive Darkness

Only surviving image of the IJN Sakawa, flagship of the IJN force during the final naval battle of the war as one of three IJN surface combatant bigger than a destroyer capable of putting out to sea in any capacity. As the last modern cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy (with the Kashima and Kitakami a glorified training ship and a relic of the Great War respectively), Sakawa would be chosen by Jisaburo Ozawa, commander of the Combined Fleet, as his flagship for what turned out to be the final battle of the IJN on X-Day. While the Sakawa would distinguish itself in the bravery of its crew, it, along with the destroyers that accompanied it on the final battle of the IJN, would be overwhelmed by American firepower, putting an end to the IJN’s surface fleet in the process.

 

[Sport25ing]

Morgen die ganze Welt​

Model of an Italian Ta-154 Zanzara (model link: http://www.airwar1946.nl/index.htm)

In late 1943/early 1944, both the He-219 and the Ta-154 night fighters aircrafts were entering Luftwaffe service and both were tearing the RAF Bomber Command forces apart. Bombing raids on the resin factory and air raids against the airfield were the Ta-154 prototypes were stored didn't prevent their massive, but short, deployment.

But even as it was the Erhard Milch favorite aircraft, the near entirety of the Luftwaffe nightfighters units prefered the He-219 over the Moskito, and even then, the Heinkel has is days numbered once the jet nighfighters and the Ju-388J variants began arriving in the frontline service. It was shortly after the end of the 1944 French campaign that the Ta-154 left frontline service in the Luftwaffe, performing other rules such as training. But other nations also saw the potencial of the aircraft and decided to acquire some as well:
- Kingdom of Italy: acquired around 50 former Luftwaffe A-2/U4 Zanzara ("Mosquito" in Italian) before buying brand new models, totaling around 200 in total before phasing them out with C-3 variants, powered by a Jumo 213T and used the FuG-240 Berlin radar with an internal antennae in the nose of the aircraft, allowing the aircraft to fly as fast as 750km/h.
- Finland: Operated around 30 A-2/U4 over the main cities, all replaced by C-1's with Jumo 213A engines and incorporating a metal nose section as well as a raised canopy
- Bulgaria: 50 A-2/U4 were flown over Bulgarian airspace and its occupied territories at night as a stopgap for their later order of He-219's.
- Independent State of Croatia: Operated A-2/U4, A-4 and C-3/U4 (armed with the BK-5 autocannon) - the only nation to operate the BK-5 armed variant, as its was usefull against partisans raids on the ground
- Turkey: After joining the Axis powers in 1944, at least 100 A-4's were offered as a gift from the Luftwaffe

It saw much more service in the others Axis nations that in the Luftwaffe, and in fact, more were built for said market that for the Luftwaffe itself. All aircrafts were finally retired by 1948, been replaced again by nighfighters variants of the Me-262 (themselves bee replaced in the Luftwaffe around the same time).

 

[Sport25ing]

All from @Onkel Willie

The Sudeten War: History of the World after an Alternate 1938​

An Italian Macchi C.200 with the colors of an Squadriglia based in the Italian Morocco in 1943.

With the fall of the National-Socialist government in Germany and the Condor Legion leaving Spain (leaving some of its equipment to the Nationalists), Italy would be the main supplier of the Franco faction (with some Portuguese help), but with an increasing Soviet presence in the Iberian peninsula, the Republicans started to regain ground. Even with the introduction of new weapons and vehicles by the Italians (such as the M13/40 tank and the C.200 fighter), the Nationalists would end up been defeated by the Republican forces and those would end up been evacuated under the guns of the Regia Marine battleships to the Balearic Islands, while the rest of the renmants of the Spanish Empire would remain under Nationalists until 1943, when they were sold to Italy for needed cash (in fact, Italians troops already occupied thoses colonies prior to 1943).

Disaster at Moscow - a WW2 TL​

Japanese carrier Katsuragi* been used temporarily as a troop transport, 1946

Shortly after the end of the war with Operation Trump Card (an scaled down version of Olympic) in late August 1945, the US, under President Dewey, went to once again enter in a isolation phase, with some limited involvement in the Pacific War, as it did prior to 1941. With this in mind, the Americans removed an page from the Treaty of Versailles and allowed the now Japanese Self-Defense Force to field an 400.000 men army (and also barred from possessing any NBC weapons ever again), 500 frontline aircrafts (excluding transports, trainers and liason) and a navy big enough to counter the Soviet Pacific Fleet, with the limit been two aircrafts carriers, three battleships (althought never furfilled due to the current "meta", with only Nagato been fully operational), two heavy cruisers, four light cruisers, 50 destroyers and about 150 smaller vessels. The US government could enforce this agreement with the simple threat of nuclear destruction, even worse with the introduction of the B-36 Peacemaker.

Alongeside the RoC Navy (after 1953, possessing two light carriers, one battleship, three heavy cruisers, six light cruisers, twenty-six destroyers and nearly fourty other smaller ships) and the USN, would help them contain the already mentioned Soviet Pacific Fleet and both a separated naval squadron based in Busan and both the Korean and Manchurian navies.

*Both Katsuragi and its unfinished sister ship Kasagi (of the Unryu-class) would be selected as the firsts postwar fleet carriers of the JSDF.