WW2 Continued: What next?

Suppose, do some missteps and "friendly" fire incidents, WW2 continues on and the world skips the Cold War. What really happens?

Could the Soviet economy survive being completely cut off from US lend-lease aid and fighting the US, Britain, and France?

Would German POW's and troops be immediately sent to the front lines, to fight for the Allies?

Would the Allies win? Or would they be driven off the continent? Will other parts of the world, nominally allied (such as South America and the African/asian colonies) be pressed to provide men and material? What would they get in return, post-war?

What does the post-war world look like?

And what kind of problems arise post-war, during the rest of the century? Massive population shortages across Europe/the west? An earlier rise/dominance of the developing world? An end to the Western-dominated world?
 
Depending on when the shift is, Japan might survive (if there are still German troops about, probably).

Wasn't Europe quite starved by '45-46? Could the Soviets have continued the war without food aid?
 
Depending on when the shift is, Japan might survive (if there are still German troops about, probably).
It would be in the last year of the war, so Japan has already more or less lost and has been under bombardment. But if germany isn't dead yet, Manchuria and Korea are still solidly Jap.
Wasn't Europe quite starved by '45-46? Could the Soviets have continued the war without food aid?
I believe so, but I don't know how much they had stored/could steal from occupied areas.
 
I seem to remember a fairly intense discussion a few months back about the relative strength of the US-UK armies and the Soviets in 1945. The consensus seemed to be the Soviets have the initial advantage, but may not be able to make it work to their advantage. The Western Allies will have to scramble and will have to make the most of their air power to sever lines of communication and supply, but once the Red Army is fended off, the USSR is probably on its last legs.
 
Fortunately, Soviets and Allies did not fight each other OTL (except several rumoured minor skirmishes between fighter planes), so it really hard to predict an outcome of 1st ground battles. Although, if actions against Japanese (probably only country which fought Soviets as fiercely as Allies) and experience of German Sixth Panzer Army (which had a field day in tanker's hell of Ardennes with Allies and was throughly smashed in tanker's paradise of Hungarian Plains by Soviets immediately after that) is any indication, Allies will have pretty tough time. According to most estimates, Soviets could wage total war for at least 12 more months before serious economic troubles hit. And they could press troops and industries from occupied territories into service. For sure, Polish armies will not fight good against Britons, but they will do their level best against German units, pressed by Allies into service according to "Operation Unthinkable" drafts. And Eastern German troops will fight against Anglo-Amerikan aggressors, if not against their Western German comrades. All in all, very messy affair, and Allies don't have that many nukes yet.
 
Of course, the US does have a nuclear monopoly, and if the fight is against RUssia, then bombing of Japan is going to be put off. Fatman and Little Boy will fall somewhere in Europe, not East Asia.
 
Fortunately, Soviets and Allies did not fight each other OTL (except several rumoured minor skirmishes between fighter planes), so it really hard to predict an outcome of 1st ground battles. Although, if actions against Japanese (probably only country which fought Soviets as fiercely as Allies) and experience of German Sixth Panzer Army (which had a field day in tanker's hell of Ardennes with Allies and was throughly smashed in tanker's paradise of Hungarian Plains by Soviets immediately after that) is any indication, Allies will have pretty tough time. According to most estimates, Soviets could wage total war for at least 12 more months before serious economic troubles hit. And they could press troops and industries from occupied territories into service. For sure, Polish armies will not fight good against Britons, but they will do their level best against German units, pressed by Allies into service according to "Operation Unthinkable" drafts. And Eastern German troops will fight against Anglo-Amerikan aggressors, if not against their Western German comrades. All in all, very messy affair, and Allies don't have that many nukes yet.

I think East German troops would simply defect to the Allies if the Soviets used them (not too likely given Stalin's paranoia; if anything, they'd be in work details).

We are talking a downright continuation of WW2, right? They'll view Americans as liberators, not invaders.
 
I think East German troops would simply defect to the Allies if the Soviets used them (not too likely given Stalin's paranoia; if anything, they'd be in work details).

We are talking a downright continuation of WW2, right? They'll view Americans as liberators, not invaders.

Yes, not to mention that West and East Germany weren't created yet IIRC. At least, if we follow this POD and WWII continues on directly from OTL end...
 
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