WI; Less racially-obsessed Nazis

[Cymry-Korean]

I mean - that's definitely true to some extent, but I think it's not the case that the *only* way for Germany to meet its oil needs is via an invasion of the USSR. It's really long way from the border to Baku! The readiest alternative is probably Romania, which was already an Axis power, and which could be dominated even more than it already was if necessary. There could also have been a turn to the Middle East, especially Iran, which had a Nazi-friendly government with Reza Shah, and Iraq, where the Axis had backed a coup that was ultimately defeated by the British.

Romania could not meet the needs of the Reich. Not even close. Even after Goering tightened the screws to up production it was still far from enough.

Also as this usually comes up in these discussions, no, the Middle East did not have the productive capacity to make up the difference either.

 

[fasquardon]

What if Nazis are less racially conscious but more pan-European than IOTL? Expansion of 1938-41 still takes place but afterwards the conquered populations receive full citizenship of the Reich and are treated as equal to Germans in every aspec. Their territories continue to function more or less as before except that German becomes a 2nd official language.

There is no antisemitism but there sis still very strong anti bolshevism and to a lesser degree, anti-capitalism.

Anti-Semitism is the central pillar of Nazism. What you are asking for is a completely different German right-wing ideology.

fasquardon

 

[Garrison]

I mean - that's definitely true to some extent, but I think it's not the case that the *only* way for Germany to meet its oil needs is via an invasion of the USSR. It's really long way from the border to Baku! The readiest alternative is probably Romania, which was already an Axis power, and which could be dominated even more than it already was if necessary. There could also have been a turn to the Middle East, especially Iran, which had a Nazi-friendly government with Reza Shah, and Iraq, where the Axis had backed a coup that was ultimately defeated by the British.

The Middle East is utterly impractical for the Germans given that they struggled to maintain the OTL Afrika Corps, any expansion of operations there is impractical. There's also the tendency to forget that the Middle East was not a major oil producer at this time and those in the region who were sympathetic to Germany were swiftly disposed of. Also you have made the common mistake of assuming that oil was the be all and end all of what the Germans wanted from the USSR. Food was at least as big a consideration as oil and there were also all manner of other raw materials. Food was critical to the running of labour intensive industries like mining where there was very little automation. Less calories, less coal, less coal, less steel, less steel, less well everything basically. And speaking of labour by 1940 Germany was experiencing serious shortages owing to having so many men under arms, The Ukraine and Byelorussia offered a marvellous source of labour who wouldn't be able to refuse.

Add to all of this the increasing threat of the Red Army, which courtesy of all those machine tools the Germans were trading they were helping equip with new and better weapons and the fact that even some who weren't hardcore Nazi's harboured ambitions for conquest in the East and you are going to need

 

[Avatar of Asura]

Don't want to be an asshole, but I'm pretty sure you just described Fuhrerreich.