WI: Germany didn’t declare war on the USSR or USA?

[Dan]

I can see where the assumption made earlier that the Soviets were "days away" from invading Germany.

The Third of the Five Year Plans concentrated on arms and armaments, it was scheduled to run from 1938 to 1942, (theoretically, it's acknowledged to have ended on 21st June 1941 for some odd reason...).
On the surface it would appear that this would put the Soviets into a position to attack Nazi Germany, but given how poorly the Third plan actually went, even had the Soviets completed the Five Year Plan successfully, they still wouldn't have actually been in a position to attack Germany.

So while I can see where the assumption comes from, it falls at the first hurdle of reality and/or critical thinking.
I think it needs to be stored in the same bin as the Unmentionable Sea Mammal actually landing successfully.

 

[TJSwoboda]

I can see where the assumption made earlier that the Soviets were "days away" from invading Germany.

The Third of the Five Year Plans concentrated on arms and armaments, it was scheduled to run from 1938 to 1942, (theoretically, it's acknowledged to have ended on 21st June 1941 for some odd reason...).
On the surface it would appear that this would put the Soviets into a position to attack Nazi Germany, but given how poorly the Third plan actually went, even had the Soviets completed the Five Year Plan successfully, they still wouldn't have actually been in a position to attack Germany.

So while I can see where the assumption comes from, it falls at the first hurdle of reality and/or critical thinking.
I think it needs to be stored in the same bin as the Unmentionable Sea Mammal actually landing successfully.

ZOMG, that's what they want you to think! (further explanation backing that up should go here... but isn't)

 

[Basileus_Komnenos]

So what if Hitler decides to wait untill after he defeats Britain to try and achieve liebenshram, and takes the advice of his generals, and doesn’t declare war on the US after it declares war on Japan? Does japan fall quicker? Are nukes still used? How does the war in Europe go? Does Germany win? Do the US and USSR still end up getting involved? What happens?

Actually the Germans had to declare war on Russia. They had no access to oil. The main producers were the US, Iran (UK controlled), and the US. The closest one was teh Russian oilfields in the Caucus region. Hitler's war-machine was starved for fuel. Even during the campaign in France they had to partially de-motorize because they didn't have enough fuel. Hitler's initial strategy in Russia was actually very sound. The old notion of Hitler ignoring his generals costing him the war is a myth especially early in the war. Most of his generals all wrote this to distance themselves from him. He had some sound strategic thinking in invading Russia by focusing on the South using their initial momentum to quickly secure oil and resource for their war effort. Halder had changed the initial plans. He thought he could take Moscow and force capitulation, but Russia was a wholly different animal. It transplanted industry. German encirclement depleted its manpower and strained its logistics and by the time Hitler and his general staff found out it was too late. Plus Nazi economics and administration was notoriously bad with Hitler and his band of thugs keeping people divided so that they don't try to gang up on the top brass. They only kept the aesthetics of the old Prussian Germany for legitimacy. In order for it to hope to delay invading Russia it would have needed better economic planning instead of autarky. But this means that someone other than Hitler and his cronies had to be in charge. Perhaps a bullish Kaiser Wilhelm III takes back power and seeks to restore the empire.