do not want to offer speculation that this scenario is favorable or advantageous for Germany however it might have forced a more limited war on them, their later Panther-Wotan Line about as far as they get, with a capture of Leningrad replacing Stalingrad (in the timeline.)
that is a scenario...
it seems the Japanese regime (as it existed) could more plausibly improve relations with the USSR than with the US/UK?
we are way out in speculative territory here but the Allies would (likely) only embrace Japan if the USSR continued their collaboration with Germany? (I've always cited trade...
possibly this could happen if Nazi Germany had backed the Vichy regime over Indochina and revived their cooperation with KMT China, by Sept. 1940, Japan had remained out of the war with GB for a year. (not speculating Vichy France and/or KMT China are joining the Axis, just that the Nazis might...
IDK, I have the opposite unpopular opinion, that absent (at least some) purge pre-invasion, one could be launched after the invasion? maybe/likely not in 1941, but afterwards, harming the Soviet resurgence.
not the expert on the subject but a religious civil war or strife might be more realistic than a Communist led revolution? Subhash Chandra Bose did go first to the USSR but my understanding the Soviets were not receptive?
it seems they could reach a deal with France, Belgium, and the Netherlands (keeping the Maginot Line and other fortified positions) but doubtful they would leave Denmark and Norway?
this would all move out of the very speculative category if the USSR and/or Japan were making moves? (to settle...
what kind of hypothetical deal could be struck between Germany and the UK? it does not seem possible that the Nazi regime would (immediately at least) withdraw from all the occupied countries like the Low Countries and Norway?
my understanding Nazi Germany had zero interest in the return of any...
it seems, at least for a time, there would be no need to launch any Battle of Britain? beyond the Channel warfare.
would the British attack on the French fleet at Mers-el-Kebir happen under this scenario? the rationale would still be there but the British would be lacking a certain credibility...
while my postings on this subject are endorsing caution on the German side , if we start with a German victory at Dunkirk, a large majority of the BEF captured, there is no way to see it other than a catastrophe for GB.
who knows what the Vichy regime, the USSR, and Japan would do? with a much...
it seems to me there would be more apparent downside than upside (at the time), the worst scenario would be a stalled offensive rather than any British evacuation(s), which could be seen as tomorrow's problem?
so it's down to the LW and KM to stop the evacuations? rather than drain or divert...
missed this exchange but thought it worth revisiting. the merchant raiders needed some aviation component, but fell victim to the latter two points, it alerted nearby ships a raider was present and the aircraft were cumbersome to launch and somewhat fragile (with the methods used on the...