Change one single event of the War...

that Hitler was assasinated in 1933! Other than that, is this a "what if?" or "what do i want to see happen?" If its a "what if," i'd say what if the Germans got the a-bomb in 1943.

 

Stalin would have attacked sooner or later. See "Stalin's missed chance" in wikipedia. I know wiki is not always accurate, but this theory is believeable and altogether possible. It definitely would have changed the course of the war and the post-war world as we know it.

 

I have been in a discussion on another forum on the Battle of Britain & Operation Sealion. According to the moderator who was an NATO operations officer, the Germans had no chance in hell to successfully invade England as the battle plans were rotten. Even if the Germans had air superiority, it is his professional judgement that the German bridgehead would have been crushed.

 

Miguel B,

David Glantz argued that the Germans attacked Russia at the moment when Red Army was exactly the weakest by sheer luck. If the German attack commenced one year earlier or later, the Wehrmacht would have been soundly defeated within the year.

 

Triple C, that's what I said



Cheers...

 

What book does he present this argument? I haven't heard of it.

 

Stumbling Colossus

 

Yes, and in that scenario, most if not all of the German formations that did make it over the channel would have been lost in one way or another to destruction in combat or by surrender with their backs to the sea. The Luftwaffe would have been much more damaged that they were in the historical Battle of Britain, and the Kreigsmarine would have more than likely been seriously thrashed also, more than they were in the Norweigan Campaign. All this is an opinion of course. I know that I've mentioned this before, but at this point, with the cream of the Wehrmacht lost or seriously destroyed in Operation Sea Lion, the opportunity for Stalin to make his move would be much more inviting. Maybe not in 1941, when the Soviets were in the midsts of their re-structuring (as so eliquently pointed out to me in previous posts on another thread), but later on in 1942 perhaps. Also, with the defeat of Germans in the cross-channel attempt, they would have been doing some serious re-structuring of their own. This lull would have changed the progress and direction of the war considerably. Mussolini would probably not go into Egypt or Greece (well, ok maybe Greece), no German intervention in North Africa or the Balkans, and of course no capability of pulling off, much less seriously considering an operation of the magnitude of Barbarossa for several years. Jeez, this really changes things up a lot, eh?

If the Japanese continued along the historical time/storyline, does anyone think that Hitler would still declare war on the US? That opens up a new scenario too.

With the British victorious in defending their homeland in a smashing way, and in a much stronger position, would the Japanese hit the Brits also in December 1941, or just the Dutch and the US? I think they still would, but would think about it first. If the British didn't strengthen their presence in the Far East, things would have continued along as they did in the war. Would the British have been able to re-enforce that region more than they did? The natural resources in that area was much needed by the Japanese war machine and effort. I think that they would still go after it. They had to.

I know that I rambled on quite a bit with this scenario, but one thing just led to another. Who knows. Anyone?

 

It seems that some wish that Britain was defeated. If so, Not my choice, but one thing that would have changed the war dramatically is if (Despite the argument whether it was sabotage or mis-information) Werner Heisenberg managed to develop the atom bomb for Germany. Bang! No Britain. Bang, No France. Bang, No Russia. Bang, No Africa. Bang............End of the war!

 

If the Germans had been foolish enough to actually try to launch Operation Sea Lion, it would, as you say, have led to Germany's defeat and would most likely have left Germany in no position to launch Barbarossa for a long time.

In that case, Japan would never had dared to become embroiled in any kind of war with Britain, the Netherlands, or the US. The European war, including Britain's apparent defeat at Germany's hands, and the opening of the war against the Soviet Union was what encouraged Japan to think that she had any chance of prevailing against Britain and the US. With her Axis partner, Germany, crippled by the defeat of Operation Sea Lion, and the Soviet Union not having to deal with Barbarossa, not even Japan would have been mad enough to take on the western nations.

Japan might have tried to keep pushing it's war against China, but would have been forced to back down the minute the US imposed it's petroleum embargo. That would have been a bitter pill for the Japanese, and may even have caused a civil war in Japan. But there really would have been no choice.

 

You may want read some of the other posts and threads on the subject of the German A-bomb Program.They were nowhere even close.Years away. Then you would have to factor in the logistics of it. Getting enough of the radioactive materials and heavy water. Then producing enough weapons grade material for the warheads.Then the bombs themselves.The delivery systems, IE that could carry the heavy bombs for the distances needed. To all of Russia and even to Africa or the US for example.

 

I like the way you think....here's a salute for you. For lack of a better term, it's mind boggling when one thinks about how much history can be altered by the turn of events such as a successful/unsuccessful campaign, or just a single event in a battle. Thanks for the input!

 

Just finished one book on Stalin and half way through Robert Service's Stalin.
In which the Soviet military informed Stalin they would be ready for war in 1943.

 

Communism was a far Darker time than National Socialism.
Unless you where a German Jew of course.

 

The West Wall may well of held against a French attack.

 

An English soldier (Durham Light Infantry I believe) actually had Hitler under his bayonet in World War 1 but spared him.
He only died a few years ago.
Hitler painted a picture off him after the war.

If this had happened they would have been no holocaust and no Nazism as you say but it is highly likely that Europe would have gone Fascist.

 

From my point of view Iraq no Afghanistan is worth one British life.

 

Strange then how two generations of my family in both wars committed some of the most violent acts you could imagine yet came back normal and well adjusted.
The acts we see today that you mention are brought about through a lack of discipline, hope in society and the future, deviant parents and low self esteem rather that violent films.

 

Britain would still not have come to terms.

 

However in this situation the Germans could have attacked the caucasus if they had taken the Middle East perhaps with even Turkey onside.