WI Hitler Uses WMDs Against Germany

Delta Force

Banned
Hitler was opposed to the use of chemical weapons due to its use against his unit during World War I. However he was prone to revenge fantasies, such as when he ordered the entire city of Paris destroyed and when he ordered Berlin to never surrender.

The question is what would happen if during one of Hitler's bouts of insanity towards the end of the war Hitler decides that the German people have failed him or death would be preferable to capture by the Soviets and orders the SS (its members having sworn personal loyalty to Hitler) to use chemical weapons against captured German cities and towns? Might this result in a less harsh settlement for Germany (especially if a civil war erupts) after the war by making it appear the Germans were victims of the war as well (as with Austria and Czechoslovakia), or would it result in an even more harsh settlement? How might the Western Allies and Soviets respond to the attacks, especially those inside Germany itself?
 
Hitler was opposed to the use of chemical weapons due to its use against his unit during World War I. However he was prone to revenge fantasies, such as when he ordered the entire city of Paris destroyed and when he ordered Berlin to never surrender.

The question is what would happen if during one of Hitler's bouts of insanity towards the end of the war Hitler decides that the German people have failed him or death would be preferable to capture by the Soviets and orders the SS (its members having sworn personal loyalty to Hitler) to use chemical weapons against captured German cities and towns? Might this result in a less harsh settlement for Germany (especially if a civil war erupts) after the war by making it appear the Germans were victims of the war as well (as with Austria and Czechoslovakia), or would it result in an even more harsh settlement? How might the Western Allies and Soviets respond to the attacks, especially those inside Germany itself?

Hitler believed up to the Stiner assault (that never happened) that the war could be turned around. As for him earlier deciding to gas German cities it would have never happened, like the orders to burn Paris they would have ended up in the trash can.

An order that could have been carried out would be to use Germany's chemical weapons stockpile against the Red Army in which case the Western Allies and the Soviet's respond in kind.

Hitler was presented with such an option from his SS generals in 1945 (to use chemical weapons against the Red Army), but chose against it likely because he didn't want to get gassed again himself.
 

RousseauX

Donor
Hitler was opposed to the use of chemical weapons due to its use against his unit during World War I. However he was prone to revenge fantasies, such as when he ordered the entire city of Paris destroyed and when he ordered Berlin to never surrender.

The question is what would happen if during one of Hitler's bouts of insanity towards the end of the war Hitler decides that the German people have failed him or death would be preferable to capture by the Soviets and orders the SS (its members having sworn personal loyalty to Hitler) to use chemical weapons against captured German cities and towns? Might this result in a less harsh settlement for Germany (especially if a civil war erupts) after the war by making it appear the Germans were victims of the war as well (as with Austria and Czechoslovakia), or would it result in an even more harsh settlement? How might the Western Allies and Soviets respond to the attacks, especially those inside Germany itself?
Presumably this takes place during the last days of the war when he was in the FuhrerBunker, chances are it would be disobeyed just like when he ordered Speer to raze all infrastructure in Germany in the last month of the war.

Even if some SS general was personally loyal to him...well, he needs to have quite a few guys on board with it to carry it out.
 

Delta Force

Banned
Presumably this takes place during the last days of the war when he was in the FuhrerBunker, chances are it would be disobeyed just like when he ordered Speer to raze all infrastructure in Germany in the last month of the war.

Even if some SS general was personally loyal to him...well, he needs to have quite a few guys on board with it to carry it out.

It would be during the Battle for Berlin and perhaps a few weeks before then. The Germans were already carrying out extreme actions by that point (such as using child soldiers and even combat aircrews) and Hitler was in search of a wonder weapon. Someone could suggest chemical weapons as that wonder weapon.
 
Top