I'm not an expert, but I would suggest you have a look at the various decorations, political and wartime, which the Nazis awarded:
Miscellaneous >1900 (Alternate) History Thread
- Thread starter RMcD94
- Start date
The Fuehrer's office had fallen silent, made oppressive thanks to a number of desperate men thinking hard and fast. Hitler had paused, and was surveying the six men he had convoked. He stared at them with calculating eyes, wondering who would be the first to speak.
To his surprise, it was Baron von Neurath, the foreign minister.
"My Fuehrer, I accept your thinking. But I would like to suggest an alteration to the plan."
"Is that so?" Hitler asked, calm as six inches of snow.
"Yes, I would like to propose that instead of focusing on Austria and Czechoslovakia first, we concentrate our efforts on Poland."
"Why Poland specifically?"
"It would be far more acceptable politically, and give the people a victory against a hated foe. We can cook up a stew in the League of Nations about the persecution of the volksdeutsche in Poland and say that the plebiscites that gave them Posen and West Prussia were fraudulently organized.
"No-one in the West cares for the Poles. From their point of view, Poland is nothing but a military dictatorship masquerading as a republic. They've waged aggressive war against Russia, Czechoslovakia, Germany, and even Lithuania. If Germany were to concentrate on her first, we could convince the League to force Poland to yield the provinces they stole from us."
"And if it should come to a fight, and the Poles refuse to hand over the lands peacefully, we would have the important advantages," Blomberg said, realizing where Neurath was going. "Man for man, we have the better organization and the quality of our fighting troops is superior to the Poles."
Hitler rubbed his chin, considering. "The idea has some merit. If we cut the Poles down to size now, we would be getting rid of trouble for ourselves in the future. And we can do it without firing a shot, since the democracies will do the hard work for us. All we have to do is play the aggrieved nation asking for aid against an aggressive neighbor."
Finally he nodded and stood up. "Neurath, send someone to the League. No, strike that, go yourself. I shall have Goebbels work up a propaganda campaign against the Poles. And you gentlemen," this was directed at the Generals, "Will prepare plans for an invasion of the country to be implemented the moment they refuse. We shall start quietly and intensify the campaign as the new year comes around. I expect your plans to be ready by then."
This minor change has unleashed a whole carnival of nightmares in its turn. If Neurath had spoken differently, history would have taken a different and brighter turn.
To his surprise, it was Baron von Neurath, the foreign minister.
"My Fuehrer, I accept your thinking. But I would like to suggest an alteration to the plan."
"Is that so?" Hitler asked, calm as six inches of snow.
"Yes, I would like to propose that instead of focusing on Austria and Czechoslovakia first, we concentrate our efforts on Poland."
"Why Poland specifically?"
"It would be far more acceptable politically, and give the people a victory against a hated foe. We can cook up a stew in the League of Nations about the persecution of the volksdeutsche in Poland and say that the plebiscites that gave them Posen and West Prussia were fraudulently organized.
"No-one in the West cares for the Poles. From their point of view, Poland is nothing but a military dictatorship masquerading as a republic. They've waged aggressive war against Russia, Czechoslovakia, Germany, and even Lithuania. If Germany were to concentrate on her first, we could convince the League to force Poland to yield the provinces they stole from us."
"And if it should come to a fight, and the Poles refuse to hand over the lands peacefully, we would have the important advantages," Blomberg said, realizing where Neurath was going. "Man for man, we have the better organization and the quality of our fighting troops is superior to the Poles."
Hitler rubbed his chin, considering. "The idea has some merit. If we cut the Poles down to size now, we would be getting rid of trouble for ourselves in the future. And we can do it without firing a shot, since the democracies will do the hard work for us. All we have to do is play the aggrieved nation asking for aid against an aggressive neighbor."
Finally he nodded and stood up. "Neurath, send someone to the League. No, strike that, go yourself. I shall have Goebbels work up a propaganda campaign against the Poles. And you gentlemen," this was directed at the Generals, "Will prepare plans for an invasion of the country to be implemented the moment they refuse. We shall start quietly and intensify the campaign as the new year comes around. I expect your plans to be ready by then."
This minor change has unleashed a whole carnival of nightmares in its turn. If Neurath had spoken differently, history would have taken a different and brighter turn.
If the Hashemites unified the Arabian Peninsula, The Levanant, and Iraq after ww1 would they restore the Caliphate
Driftless
Donor
The US military in the early 20th Century calculated the reverse - deporting the Japanese farm workers in Hawaii to the Mainland, in case of war with Japan. They quickly calculated there was nowhere near enough shipping to accomplish that bit of heinous behavior and tossed the idea to the scrap heap where it belonged. Even if the US desire was there, post-Pearl Harbor, ALL of the available shipping capacity was needed for other, better purposes.
That sounds interesting. I wonder if they would continue to exist as a nation? What would happen to the Austrians and Czechoslovaks?
I mean, it was proposed to give the title to them but they were viewed as sellouts.
So ok. Well good for them.
Dagoth Ur
Banned
Maybe more of a general history question, but how the hell did FDR win reelection in 1940? 1936 I can understand, people might have thought four years wasn't enough to get the New Deal really rolling, and 1944 I understand since we were in the middle of a world war, probably the war for which US public opinion has had the most support ever. But in 1939 the unemployment rate was apparently higher than it was in 1931, while most of the rest of the civilized world was already out of the depression. I can't really find any good clues for it. Were the Republicans really so incompetent they couldn't point this simple fact out? Did they still seem too in bed with big business? Or is it something else.
The whole idea is that he wins some prestige abroad for standing up to a militant, expansionist state. So that whatever he does afterward is treated as a reasonable statement. Annex Austria? Sure, Germans have a right to stick together! Annex the Sudetenland? Ditto. And then he marches in and occupies both the rump of Poland and Czechoslovakia, and the western Democracies suddenly realize that too late, they were abetting someone who is now more powerful than them.
From a UK perspective- I always thought FDR won in 1940 due to being a) sitting President with a decent record of trying to help folk eg The New Deal, b) there is a war in Europe and despite isolationism the US was invovled via Lend Lease and you do not change Prez in wartime, c) Charisma
American perspective is probably different on this.
what will happen if walt disney never had an fatal heart attack and and it decided to run for President?
Last edited:
What if Erwin Rommel had survived all the way to the Nuremberg Trials? Would he have anything to fear from that?
WI Air Force One is grounded for one reason or another when Nixon attempts to fly home from China AND there's a simultaneous communications failure?
Would Agnew become acting potus, and if so, what would he do?
Would Agnew become acting potus, and if so, what would he do?
Grey Wolf
Donor
Can you find out what Karl Wolff had?
Karl Wolff - Wikipedia
Grey Wolf
Donor
Pretty sure he would, in at least fact if not name. It would be like Bush when Reagan was shot, that sort of situation. Obviously, nobody knows what's going on, but power would essentially delegate itself.
The main question would be what happens if Agnew tries to formalise it?
)
He had worked for LBJ for decades and wasn’t particularly a fan of the Senate, so it’s unlikely. If he does jump in he’ll probably win.