What if WW2 ended before it ever became a World War?

One of the most common answers to "What if the Axis won WW2?" is "They couldn't, they were completely outmatched, it's honesty a miracle the war ever went as well for them as it did."

So what if the Nazis had gotten a lot less lucky than they did OTL, for example because France had more competent generals and better intel on German war plans, and managed to stop the German Blitzkrieg cold before anyone else really had a chance to get involved? Basically WW2 as we know it never actually becomes a thing.

What happens next? How does France react? Do they press for an invasion of Germany in return? How does the rest of Europe react? Does Japan still attack the US? Are we going to see a different world war break out just a few years later? If so, who against who and over what?
 
This is the scenario of A Blunted Sickle. The UK and France are already involved, and Germany is falling in 41
 
Japan only did what it did outside of China because it saw how unstable the european colonies were because their european masters had fallen, prompting FDR to embargo them, which started their resource dwindling which led to pearl harbor. An american-japanese war was probably inevitable, but the american victory likely is as well.

The Soviets would probably build up and either start launching their attacks, or fomenting revolution. Or Stalin makes it a big North Korea... except that analogy wouldn't work because Russia and Japan had a non-aggression pact that basically held until America was wrapping up the pacific.

France would probably be a bit more united but idk if it'll be able to save the third republic. Depression, political instability, who knows...
 
One of the most common answers to "What if the Axis won WW2?" is "They couldn't, they were completely outmatched, it's honesty a miracle the war ever went as well for them as it did."

WWI round 2.

So what if the Nazis had gotten a lot less lucky than they did OTL, for example because France had more competent generals and better intel on German war plans, and managed to stop the German Blitzkrieg cold before anyone else really had a chance to get involved? Basically WW2 as we know it never actually becomes a thing.

Just a more competent French air staff might have OODA looped the Germans into no-winsville.

What happens next? How does France react? Do they press for an invasion of Germany in return? How does the rest of Europe react? Does Japan still attack the US? Are we going to see a different world war break out just a few years later? If so, who against who and over what?

1. France and Germany kill each other until Hitler is finally removed, and someone sensible on both sides sits down and talks.
2. France needs American help to attack Germany. The UK is not enough.
3. Italy sits it out.
4. Russia and Japan go to war. Stalin will get a lot of Russians stupidly killed in the far east Asian and Russian Maritime provinces. The IJA, without an America in play, suddenly become very good at tank warfare. If they are as good as they were in infantry warfare, the Russians are in a LOT of trouble.
 
1. France and Germany kill each other until Hitler is finally removed, and someone sensible on both sides sits down and talks.
2. France needs American help to attack Germany. The UK is not enough.

Didn't France have more, better designed and manned tanks and airforce in 39? Once they get over the Rhine, it seems like it would be heavily in Lebrun's favor, right? Especially with the UK and no italy
 
Didn't France have more, better designed and manned tanks and airforce in 39? Once they get over the Rhine, it seems like it would be heavily in Lebrun's favor, right? Especially with the UK and no italy

1. No. The tank force is measured as a system of systems inside an army. If you effectively have 800 medium tanks and the enemy has effectively 800 medium tanks and his are 2x yours in combat effectiveness inside his system (radios and know how to fight as combined arms) as opposed to yours inside your combat system (no radios and not used to tank dive bomber co-ordination, cannot recon, and do not know how to co-opt artillery fires to make up lack of CAS.) then he has 2x your potential despite the 2000 infantry support Renaults and Hotchkisses and FMC updates of the FT17 WWI design in the French tank park. Garbage doctrine, garbage tanks, and poor training cannot be made up by French courage and tenacity. One has to know HOW as be willing to fight.

2. No. The Germans had 2x the numbers of aircraft and they know how to do CAS and battlefield interdiction. The AdA at the pilot level is much better trained than the German pilots and the top of the line flight-line is good enough to be near parity, but the numbers in what is an essentially attrition form of warfare were never there. The AdA leadership should have been court martialed, jailed and replaced by better men for dereliction and the French should have settled on counter-air and battlefield interdiction modes of campaign and equipment sooner. A whole slue of civilian French air ministers should have been shot for treason, too.
 
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