WI: Hitler dies 5th October 1939.

In the day of 5th October 1939 Hitler took of the parade in captured Warsaw. However he didn't know that polish sapers while they were cleaning the city after capitulation, prepared bombing targeted at him. My question is what could happen if bomb was detonated and it killed him. What would be political and military consuequences of that?
 
Goering takes power, almost certainly keeps delaying action against France. Wallies win war by 42. German gives up Poland, more land, plus reparations.
 
Goering: SHould we attack France now?

Heer: Not now, in six months.

Six months later.

Goering: SHould we attack France now, six months passed.

Heer: We don't know, intelligence looks like it would be a close run thing, we should spend more time building up.

A year later.

Goering: They're attacking the Rhur, what should we do?

Heer: Let's come to terms after we give them a bloody nose.
 
Prolly be a state of military infighting, as Goering thought too much of himself and would have most likely been at odds with the OKW.
 

CaliGuy

Banned
Goering: SHould we attack France now?

Heer: Not now, in six months.

Six months later.

Goering: SHould we attack France now, six months passed.

Heer: We don't know, intelligence looks like it would be a close run thing, we should spend more time building up.

A year later.

Goering: They're attacking the Rhur, what should we do?

Heer: Let's come to terms after we give them a bloody nose.
Waiting would have only strengthened Britain and France, though; indeed, surely Goering would have been smart enough to figure this out, no?
 
After Poland, wouldn't there be some victory disease that would make attacking France more likely regardless of who was at the top?
 
Waiting would have only strengthened Britain and France, though; indeed, surely Goering would have been smart enough to figure this out, no?
The rest of the Heer was not, why would he be? The majority of the Heer wanted to prolong the war indefinitely, and their plan for France was Schiefflen 2.0.
 

CaliGuy

Banned
The rest of the Heer was not, why would he be? The majority of the Heer wanted to prolong the war indefinitely, and their plan for France was Schiefflen 2.0.
Prolonging the war indefinitely means that Germany runs out of money and thus loses the war by default, though.
 
Prolonging the war indefinitely means that Germany runs out of money and thus loses the war by default, though.

Remember though the Heer wasn't 100 percent confident going to war with France at all, Hitler really pushed the whole thing. Quite simply Goring may not have had the balls for such a bold offensive.
 

CaliGuy

Banned
Remember though the Heer wasn't 100 percent confident going to war with France at all, Hitler really pushed the whole thing. Quite simply Goring may not have had the balls for such a bold offensive.
The fact that France was the one who declared war on Nazi Germany didn't leave the Germans with much choice, though. Indeed, IIRC, Hitler offered peace to Britain and France after the fall of Poland but had his peace offer rejected by the Anglo-French.
 

CaliGuy

Banned
Of course, if Goering really wants to make peace with Britain and France, he could agree to peace on Anglo-French terms; however, this would mean--at the very least--a German withdrawal from Danzig and Poland--something which even the Polonophobic German military might not be very eager to accept.
 
One other element not brought up yet: killing Hitler himself would have invited horrible, horrible reprisals against Poland. OTL is littered with examples of responses to assassinations.
 

CaliGuy

Banned
One other element not brought up yet: killing Hitler himself would have invited horrible, horrible reprisals against Poland. OTL is littered with examples of responses to assassinations.
Yep--indeed, look at what happened to the Czechs after Heydrich's assassination in our TL. :(

They weren't thinking at far ahead obviously.
Yeah, and here lies the problem--they didn't have a better alternative for Hitler and wouldn't have had a better alternative for Goering.
 
Yep--indeed, look at what happened to the Czechs after Heydrich's assassination in our TL. :(


Yeah, and here lies the problem--they didn't have a better alternative for Hitler and wouldn't have had a better alternative for Goering.
Yeah, but Hitler forced the issue. WIthout Hitler they play the delay game.
 

natalieb

Banned
The Polish Government-in-exile which is residing in fantasyland as it did in OTL will want Eastern Poland back... and Stalin ain't givin' it back.
 
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