Eurofed
Banned
Maybe I am mistaken, but I thought that Hungary was offered by Hitler and refused annexing or occupying all of Slovakia.
Actually IIRC the opposite was true, Horthy wanted to annex Slovakia and Hitler vetoed it.
Then will the USSR still pick up Bessarabia, or might that be a bridge too far and cause a larger war?
IMO, this rough standard would be in force in this kind of TL: the USSR may get away with unprovoked annexation of Lettonia and Estonia without causing a general war. To get away with the annexation of the Kresy and Bessarabia likely requires a war or international crisis that involve Poland and Romania and are caused by another great or regional power (such as a German-Polish or Hungarian-Romanian war). Soviet conquest of Lithuania likely requires a German-Polish crisis.
They may even get away with a Winter War (and the OTL gains) if there is another parallel international crisis in Eastern Europe (such as a German-Polish war or an Italo-Yugoslav war) to distract the European powers, although Europe would draw a line in the sand afterwards.
Unprovoked Soviet attacks on Finland, Poland, or Romania, in the absence of another crisis in Eastern Europe to cloud the issue, would likely plunge an Euro-Soviet war, and apparent Soviet attempts to go beyond OTL gains and dominate any of those nations in its entirety would very likely trigger such a general war.
By the way, this is the same guideline I used to write "Phony War, Short War": after Hitler and most of his close associates die in the Nov. 39 bomb, the army takes over, Stalin annexes the Baltic countries and makes the Winter War, Mussolini invades and defeats Yugoslavia with some effort and Hungarian-Bulgarian support. After some difficult negotiations, post-Nazi Germany and the Entente make a compromise peace, Germany keeps the Sudetenland, Danzig, West Prussia, Upper Silesia, and bits of Posen, Czechia and Poland are returned to independence and the latter keeps Gdynia, the rest of Posen, and an extraterritorial communication to the sea. There is a German-Polish exchange of minorities much like the Greco-Turkish one after WWI. The Winter War ends much like OTL, the Third Balkan War ends much like 1941, with Italy annexing central Dalmatia, Kosovo, and bits of Slovenia and Vardar Macedonia, Hungary Baja and Baracka, and Bulgaria the rest of Vardar Macedonia. Czechia and Slovakia become independent German satellites (and Finland a German client), the '39 Banovina of Croatia and Slovenia independent Italian satellites (and Hungary and Bulgaria Italian clients), resentful Poland and Yugoslavia make a bloc of their own. This peace settlement triggers a general detente between European powers, but peace is soon broken by a Hungarian-Romanian war, which the powers mediate to an outcome much like the Second Vienna Award. The Soviets intervene during the war and grab Bessarabia. This Soviet move triggers the start of an anti-Soviet Pan-European reapprochement.
Stalin turns his ambitions to the Far East, attacks Japan and invades China. With some time and effort, the Red Army defeats Japan and the KMT, conquers Manchuria and northern China (but fails to get Korea), turning both into Soviet satellites. Soviet expansionism in Asia pushes the formation of earnest Pan-European cooperation (and a Japan-KMT reluctant peace and alliance of convenience sponsored by Europe and the USA). The USSR sponsors Communist/Pan-Slav insurrections in Poland, Yugoslavia, and Bulgaria, which make the latter a Soviet satellite, but plunge the former two into civil war. Ongoing Soviet expansion and war in Asia and the civil wars in Eastern Europe bring the European bloc to support Japan in a Cold War with the Soviets, which may turn Hot any moment.
Last edited: