May 1941
London is suffering heavy bombardment, the House of Commons is hit.
In a stroke of madness Rudolf Hess, third in line to control Nazi Germany flies a plane into Scotland and is captured. Early reports say he's sane and he's imprisoned but letters and other actions lead many to believe he's suffered a nervous breakdown. Churchill has interrogators wring what information they can out of Hess, Churchill needs information, without the US Lend-Lease program he needs some leverage, something to give hope.
Soviet Union recognizes and installs Rashid Ali's "National Defense Government" in Iraq setting it up principally as a satellite nation. Britain's forces from India receive support from Australia. A beachhead is formed. This earns Stalin wide support among Rashid's followers and enables him to spend less forces policing Iraq and more fighting Britain at Basra. The battle of Basra is going to drag on for at least a few weeks, maybe months.
The Battle of Alexandria would go down in the history books as one of the turning points of the Med war, right up with the Battle of Gibraltar a few months earlier. The Italian Navy having seen the faltering British influence decide to engage the port of Alexandria, it will be a combined assault, Rommel will command the ground forces, the Italian's will provide most of the naval assets, German and Italian air assets, German U-Boat wolfpack. The goal is to remove the British from the Med sea. Two weeks of planning go into the attack, as Rommel moves into Egypt and up to the city.
Germany transfers Fleigerfuhrer Irak to Mosul to support the Russians. Stalin is thankful for the German assistance. (This would be different than IRL that the force has bomber and fighter assets). They help provide air cover to the Russians in Basra, while also beginning to take pictures of Russian troops and fortifications.
Battle of Crete lasts 3 days with Italian Navy no longer concerned about the British navy hiding at Alexandria engages along with German troops. This is considered a warm up for the Battle of Alexandria coming up in the next week.
British forces make a bit more progress around Basra, though the progress is slow.
Special Staff F arrives in Iraq to support the Arab Freedom Movement. They have special orders from the Fuhrer.
Adolf Hitler issues Fuhrer Directive 30.
FDR gets his wish, SS Robin Moore is sunk by a German U-Boat. The nation is startled. FDR calls upon Congress to pass the Lend-Lease Act that it previously had rejected. He makes an impassioned plea as it is clear that Germany considers our merchant ships fair targets in their war. We must act before all hope is lost. We must move to support those who are our friends, and we must recognize those that would be our enemies. The attack makes it impossible for Congress to pass a Neutrality measure.
The government of Ethiopia falls, but Italian forces continue the fight, some good news for the British.
The German dreadnought Bismark makes for the open Atlantic, in an engagement it sends HMS Hood to the bottom of the ocean and seriously damages Prince of Wales. Britain tries to rally its remaining naval assets in the hunt for the Bismark. Although damaged Bismark makes to the port of St. Nazaire for repairs (Ark Royal was sunk a few months ago, no other British ship can stop Bismark from making it, without those torpedo hits from Ark Royal's planes the Bismark's steering mechanism is never taken out of action). Fear begins to spread even to the United States that the Bismark might start targeting shipping. FDR moves to upgrade trade route escorts from just destroyers to include heavy cruisers, but still keeps US Battleships near his coast.
Italian squadron arrives to reinforce Special Force F.
In the waning days of May the attack is launched, it begins with bomb attacks on Alexandria targeting oil storage, munitions, ships, and airfields although Britain has almost no air assets left here. Ships in port escaping the bombs head into waters that are as dangerous as the bombs, Italian and German U-Boats quickly take out the remaining heavy ships, though they lose a couple of subs as well. The destroyers and light cruisers of Britain left are no match for the Italian battleships and heavy cruisers that are attacking their line. It is in all sense one of the worst Naval disasters of the war. Italian Battleships would then soften up the city with their guns, as bombing continued. Much as it had in ancient times, Alexandria would burn. Rommel sweeps in from the desert attacking what remains of the British defenses, within a week in early June Alexandria falls, leaving only Malta as the last British outpost in the Med with no air or naval assets.
June 1941
FDR seeing war is coming even if Congress doesn't forms the Tuskagee Airmen, with the 99th Fighter Squadron.
In the early days of the month Alexandria falls, within 2 weeks all of Egypt will belong to the Germans and Rommel will turn his attention south to reclaim the territory the Italians couldn't hold in July. HMS Illustrious is scuttled by the Germans and Italians, who do not yet see the need for an aircraft carrier. Some point out this was perhaps one of the blunders that started to turn the war.
A British convoy that had slipped past Gibraltar in the dark of night attempting to deliver relief supplies to Malta including new fighters is discovered and sunk by Italian U-boats and finished off by German bombers.
Congress feeling popular pressure passes the Lend-Lease Act at last. FDR signs the bill the same day.
Finland begins to mobilize.
The Battle of Malta occurs more as a cleaning exercise than anything. The woefully undersupplied British troops at this point surrender.
FDR uses the FBI to freeze all German, Italy and Russian assets in the United States. FDR orders the consulates in Germany, Italy and Russia closed and has their staffs evacuated.
Germany invades Russia, Romania joins Germany in the Invasion, Finland begins to allow German troops. Stalin is highly unprepared for this. His weak interior means that the German blitz reaches the oil rich Caucasus oil fields within 2 weeks. Hitler's forces are also to the outskirts of Moscow by then. Leningrad is under siege with to few Soviets to guard it.
Albania, Hungary, Slovakia declare war on Russia.
Minsk and Bialvystok fall before the end of the month their troops having been moved to support the war in the Middle East.
Churchill can scarcely believe Hitler has invaded the Soviet Union, with the Lend-Lease program, and now this he's got some time, there is hope in Britain that the Empire will not die. FDR watches from America, yes war was coming it was inevitable. One thing is certain its a good thing he avoided that neutrality pact, it stunk to high heaven and see how well the Germans honored that pact with Russia.
Stalin needs his forces to help him, the closest armies are those in Turkey. Though furious he orders all troops in Turkey to leave that country realizing this was just a ruse by Hitler and to immediately counteract the German flank and make haste to the oil fields. He also issues orders to his forces in Iraq and Iran and they start to withdraw as well. British forces can scarcely believe their eyes.
The Turks inflict severe casualties on the retreating Russians using their forces, they want to make sure its a clear victory for their forces. They then occupy the abandoned Russian fortifications (and their former fortifications). Maybe Turkey will survive, though right now things not looking good surrounded as they are. Turk scouts cross into Iraq and make contact with the British in Basra.
British and Australian forces push back the Free Arab Government and Germans in Iraq, even as Turks come south to give support, both groups seeking to secure a line between them. Iraq is under British/Turk control at the end of the month.
The Italian Navy moves back to ports in Italy and refurbish. There next use will be against Turkey who has no real naval assets at this time.
Operation Arctic Fox.