Pacific Earlier
might make more sense.
China incident and Panay sinking gets out of hand; an IJN ship sinks an American Asiatic Fleet destroyer off China, everything slides down the drain in 1937.
In 1939 europe lights off and Japan, desperate for resources, moves south from the Philippines into NEI.
By 1940 the Marianas have fallen, and the return to PI is imminent. Hitler takes France and the low countries.
In '41, the US returns to the PI, then takes Formosa. B-17s out of Formosa burn the Japanese cities to the ground.
Mid-Atlantic incidents in the autumn such as the sinking of the Reuben James on Halloween make it a global war at last. FDR agrees to switch to a Germany Firstmost strategy, leaving only enough naval assets in the Pacific to maintain the blockade of the Home Islands.
There is no invasion in '41 or '42. Half the Japanese starve before the weakened government disintegrates and the Emperor forces a surrender to Admiral Richardson's Pacific Fleet command in January of '43.
Meanwhile, after a rough first six months, Germany is getting it's clock cleaned. The disasters in North Africa and Stalingrad leave the Wehrmacht in a bad position.
Massive amounts of invasion shipping have assembled in England. The US Marine 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th divisions are all moved to England. The Pacific 5th and 7th Air Forces are redeployed. Admiral King shells the French coast day and night. The U-Boats are driven from the Atlantic.
The excellent P-44 and P-51 fighters, which mastered the zero in Asia, now pummel the Luftwaffe as they escort the 8th Air Force's B-17s and B-24s deep into Germany.
On June 1, 1943, the Allies launch Sledgehammer, the invasion of France. Eight US and four UK / Commonwealth divisions land in Normandy. Aftre slow progress the first two months, the Allied armies are built up to a 48-division force which breaks out during Operation Zephyr (August 3-11, 1943) and traps the cream of the defending Wehrmacht forces at the Battle of the Mortagne Pocket. Paris falls ten days later, and General George Patton's Third Army races off for Germany, with General Brooke's First British Army moving into the Low Countries.
The Russians begin to advance from the east, liberating most of Russia and the Ukraine, then defeat the Germans in a massive battle in Byelorussia in October.
Hitler irrationally tries to attack on both fronts in December. He delays the allied advance two weeks and the Russians about 3. Little is left after that to stop the advancing armies. The Americans cross the Rhine in late January. Bombers now operating from France smash Berlin and Germany's industry to rubble. Berlin falls to Patton on April 7, 1943, but Hitler has cheated the hangman, killing himself two days earlier.
Anglo-American armies continue eastward, liberating most of Poland and Czechoslovakia before linking up with the Red Army in May at Deblen, Danzig and Bratislava. On May Day, Admiral Raeder signs the unconditional surrender of all German forces to the Three Allies. World War II is finally over.