Change one single event of the War...

My one change for the Axis would be - the priority during the 1940 German invasion of Western Europe is to defeat Britain, not France. So no halt order for Guderian's panzers on 21 May 1940. Result: Almost the entire BEF is surrounded and forced to surrender - only 35,000 Allied troops escape at Dunkirk instead of 350,000, and the final French surrender is delayed by two weeks to 8 July 1940.

Without the morale boost provided by Dunkirk, the British government might have been more willing to consider a compromise peace.

For the Allies it would be persuading the Belgians to join the Allies in 1939 (with the Maginot Line considered impregnable a German invasion of Belgium was virtually certain) - so the Allies are ready for the German invasion in May 1940 instead of having to race the fast-moving Germans into Belgium. With strong Allied support the Belgians might have held up the Germans for some time instead of being quickly defeated.

 

Ha, I suppose there was no von Bock before? That´s a hard one for Friedrich.To change Hitler to von Bock??We´ll see.

Anyway, that might have changed the British attitude about peace,if they lost total 400 000 thousand men in Dunkirk!They did lose almost all equipment.Ha, why didn´t they sack Goering after this??!

 

I don't think that the Red Army would have let von Bock greeting the parade of his own POW Army Group...he would have been allowed to march in front of them, however

(Let's see if that darn image works, if not: http://www.magma.ca/~nebogato/foto_27.htm)

Cheers,

 

Nice touch Andy!
You totally got me!!

 

That was a REALLY hard one! I thank you, Peppy. But don't torture me anymore for making me decide, OK? I think all of you have seen my choice already... But I had to choose the MOST powerful man in Europe, I think that's better than one of the brightest commanders in History... (But could change at any time)...

 

At Pearl Harbor, the Japanese catch the American carriers and sink them, following this victory up with a seaborne invasion of Hawaii.

 

The Luftwaffe crushes the RAF in the Battle of Britain, and the Germans invade England sucessfully with operation "Sea Lion".

The Russians would be left to fend for themselves, and Geramany would not be hit by American and British bombers! I think the outcome would be quite different!

Matt

 

Germany builds a larger navy, enough to defeat the royal navy before the U.S. enters the war. Britain is blockaded, and there is no threat of any western front. Hitler is free to attack the Soviet Union without having to worry about any second front.

 

Welcome to the forum kulgion.

I just thought of another one: The United States eners the war with Britain and France; and Germany struggles with whether to attack east or not.

 

Ok, i know i am going to get a lot of flak for this one, but here we go.

Germany defeats Russia, In my opinion, the communists always have been a greater threat (at least to americans) than facists. Hitler didnt want a war with Britain or America, we were his kinda people. This doe snot mean i think that we shouldve been friends with Hitler, no far from it. I simply think that it would be easier to deal with a fascist empire than a communist empire.

Also, i wouldve like to have seen the Americans hold out on Bataan and Corregidor until some help could arrive. But that help probably wouldve never come. (This one doesnt matter, after me first statement, everyone wont care about this one)

CvM

 

Thanks for the welcome dasreich. It's much appreciated.

Carl, I guess you believe as I do that Germany would defeat the Soviet Union if they were able to use all available resources for barbarossa.

I think Hitler invested too much in the army at the expense of the other branches.

 

kulgion; no problem were all friends here, when we arent bitterly arguing over nothing
If your interested in Barbarossa, there are 2 live threads raging on the subject, and many more dormant ones in the russian front section.

CvM; hehehe i like that "his kinda people." Your right though. He felt more akin to the British, and consequently the Americans. Overral though, I think he was about as dangerous as the USSR. Especially if he got the a-bomb.

[ 30. October 2002, 09:34 PM: Message edited by: dasreich ]

 

hmmm, how come so many would like axis victories?

regards/ daniel

 

I can only speak for myself but I am sure the others would agree, I am not looking at this from a political standpoint but from a military standpoint. Meaning, looking at this particular topic, take a large battle or campaign and decide what I would change to that would change the outcome. I am not looking at supporting Nazism, communism or imperialism. Just plain military tactics. Hope this helps.

 

Of course I would like an Axis victory! Though not a Nazi victory. Not since I watched "Triumph of the Will". It scared the hell out of me. And right afterwards by coincidence I saw the power the SS had accumulated by 1945. If they had won, the Dark Ages would have descended on Germany for good and perhaps all of mankind. Who in their senses could want that!?

[ 31. October 2002, 03:34 PM: Message edited by: Andreas Seidel ]

 

Hello Kulgion welcome aboard and, its scary but--all good minds think alike--

 

OK. It is indeed a scary thought if you are a Russian or a Polish or whoever else. But if you are a German living in Germany in the 1940s you would surely want an Axis victory because all that bloody propaganda about: "Europas Sieg ist dein Wohlstand" was TRUE!. At least for the GERMAN people...

 

Damn again..too many..all the above....especially agree with Martin on 30xxx reaching Frost...

A dozen sqadrons of hurricanes fully supported on Crete..

Full air support for the Brits and French in Norway 1940...

But ok goto have one...So Ill go for one that wont change the world, wont alter a single battle..but why reinforcce Hong Kong against all common sense of the time...Dont send those Canadians....

 

Wonder if the "new generation" can come up with something totally different?

 

Well this is hard, morally, Hitler sees sense and withdraws from Poland on the 2nd September 1939

Axis point of view the capture of the BEF and subsequent invasion of Britain.

Allied point of view, BEF and French Forces do indeed launch offensives and destroy German advance towards the English Channel, German field commanders panic and the rot sets in, leading a frightened Hitler to call off the invasion of the West, although out numbered and out gunned the Allies push home the advantage and invade Germany through Belgium, Netherlands and through the Maginot Line, Hitler is forced to surrender in early 1941.

v.R