WI: Invasion of France halted?

What if the wAllies prevented the German breakthrough during the invasion of France? Maybe there is a different Mechelen incident or none at all, leading to the Germans occupying Belgium and the Netherlands but getting bogged down in France.

How do the war and the diplomatic situation unfold from that point on?

I'm particularly interested in these things:
1. Hitler's grip on power, and how a drawn out war in the west would affect it.
2. What this would mean for the Soviet-German alliance, since this would butterfly all of Hitler's subsequent plans as we know them.
3. Italy's entry into the war and German-Italian relations.
 
yep,i can only recommend that really good written and well researched TL,which also has extensive discussions by the readers about all your questions.
 
1. Hitler's grip on power, and how a drawn out war in the west would affect it.

Consider the effects of: Increasingly stringent rationing & the corruption at accompanies that.

Declining imports of critical items. & no the USSR cannot provide all, or even half of what Germany needs to keep a economy afloat.

A plummeting treasury balance to pay for anything with.

2. What this would mean for the Soviet-German alliance, since this would butterfly all of Hitler's subsequent plans as we know them.

It means the USSR will continue to mobilize its military & war industry. the current round of weapons modernization and training would have been complete between late 1941 or mid 1942. That is, about the same time as the French material modernization and training program. Draw you own conclusions.

3. Italy's entry into the war and German-Italian relations.

That was opportunistic and based on a exisitng near decisive victory. Unlikely in th ecase of a indecisive campaign.

Like darfanta wrote; read the thread.
 
What if the Western Allies prevented the German breakthrough during the invasion of France? Maybe there is a different Mechelen incident or none at all, leading to the Germans occupying Belgium and the Netherlands but getting bogged down in France.

How do the war and the diplomatic situation unfold from that point on?
As others have said pdf27's timeline A Blunted Sickle is about this very idea, IIRC the point of divergence being Gamelin actually creating a strategic reserve and going with his original Escaut Plan rather than our timeline's more expansive Dyle Plan.
 
That's a good question. Other than complete their buildup, what will the Soviets do?

Wait until it's obvious the Germans are on the verge of collapse (which would be likely be signified by something like an Anglo-French spearheads rolling across the Rhine and into the Ruhr) then storm across the Germans eastern frontier, presenting the Anglo-French with a fait accompli. Ir would be easy enough for the Soviets if the moment comes in 1942. If it's in 1941... not so much.
 
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