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Post by Max Sinister on Apr 27, 2024 23:31:21 GMT
Fun fact I found on Quora: Siilasvuo wrote one month after Operation Barbarossa had started to his son:
I'll have to correct myself twice: First, there was a mistake in the first version of the map. Confused some military symbols (first time I've done this).
Second: The head of the 196th division is Generalleutnant Richard Pellengahr, while Kurt Dittmar leads the 169th! Those numbers are a bit confusing. Hence, Pellengahr will be the "golden fox" of the propaganda. (Siilasvuo leads a corps with two divisions, but has the lower rank of major general. This might lead to some kerfuffle, or what do you think?)
(BTW: ITTL there'll be rumors and conspiracy narratives that Siilasvuo knew what Pellengahr was up to, if not worse.)
(BTW2: I've calculated that ITTL Barbarossa will start with 192 divisions for the Axis. Which makes sixteen dozens. Now I'm wondering whether the propaganda may mention this fact.)
Anyway:
After his victory, the Germans (incl. Dietl) called Pellengahr after his operation "der Goldfuchs" (the golden fox). The Nazi Propaganda exaggerated the German part of the Karelian victory, especially that of Dietl, Schörner, and Pellengahr. All of them were promoted in 1941 (Dietl to General der Gebirgstruppe, Schörner to Generalmajor, Pellengahr to General der Infanterie) and commended.
Siilasvuo, thanks to whom the victory had become possible, wasn't totally forgotten. There was much talk about him getting his military training during World War 1 in Germany, in the Königlich-Preußisches Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 27 made up of Finnish volunteers, under Major Maximilian Bayer, Reichsfeldmeister of the German scout's league. Th German public also learned about his fights in Courland and later in the Finnish War of Independence against the "Bolshevists". Nazi Propaganda inisisted on calling him "Strömberg", to paint him as an "Aryan" Swede. - His own soldiers OTOH called him Jalmari Verinen (Hjalmar the Bloody), some of them even thought has his victories had gone to his head.
At least, he and the other Finns had impressed the "Führer" with their courage so much that he dropped his idea of adding Finland in the near future as a Bundesstaat of the "Reich". Instead, he was content with Finland covering the Flank of the "Reich" in future.
The Wehrmacht raised its own Skier division after this mixed-bag operation (with Finnish help for training), to be better prepared for future wars.
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stevep
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Post by stevep on Apr 28, 2024 13:25:46 GMT
Fun fact I found on Quora: Siilasvuo wrote one month after Operation Barbarossa had started to his son: I'll have to correct myself twice: First, there was a mistake in the first version of the map. Confused some military symbols (first time I've done this). Second: The head of the 196th division is Generalleutnant Richard Pellengahr, while Kurt Dittmar leads the 169th! Those numbers are a bit confusing. Hence, Pellengahr will be the "golden fox" of the propaganda. (Siilasvuo leads a corps with two divisions, but has the lower rank of major general. This might lead to some kerfuffle, or what do you think?) (BTW: ITTL there'll be rumors and conspiracy narratives that Siilasvuo knew what Pellengahr was up to, if not worse.) (BTW2: I've calculated that ITTL Barbarossa will start with 192 divisions for the Axis. Which makes sixteen dozens. Now I'm wondering whether the propaganda may mention this fact.) Anyway: After his victory, the Germans (incl. Dietl) called Pellengahr after his operation "der Goldfuchs" (the golden fox). The Nazi Propaganda exaggerated the German part of the Karelian victory, especially that of Dietl, Schörner, and Pellengahr. All of them were promoted in 1941 (Dietl to General der Gebirgstruppe, Schörner to Generalmajor, Pellengahr to General der Infanterie) and commended. Siilasvuo, thanks to whom the victory had become possible, wasn't totally forgotten. There was much talk about him getting his military training during World War 1 in Germany, in the Königlich-Preußisches Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 27 made up of Finnish volunteers, under Major Maximilian Bayer, Reichsfeldmeister of the German scout's league. Th German public also learned about his fights in Courland and later in the Finnish War of Independence against the "Bolshevists". Nazi Propaganda inisisted on calling him "Strömberg", to paint him as an "Aryan" Swede. - His own soldiers OTOH called him Jalmari Verinen (Hjalmar the Bloody), some of them even thought has his victories had gone to his head. At least, he and the other Finns had impressed the "Führer" with their courage so much that he dropped his idea of adding Finland in the near future as a Bundesstaat of the "Reich". Instead, he was content with Finland covering the Flank of the "Reich" in future. The Wehrmacht raised its own Skier division after this mixed-bag operation (with Finnish help for training), to be better prepared for future wars.
Or 16 double six's. 
Interesting that quote from Siilasvuo that suggests that not just the higher command but also a lot of the general soldiers were distinctly overconfident that the blitzkrieg would solve everything.
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Post by Max Sinister on May 1, 2024 22:41:04 GMT
Fun fact I found on Quora: Siilasvuo wrote one month after Operation Barbarossa had started to his son: I'll have to correct myself twice: First, there was a mistake in the first version of the map. Confused some military symbols (first time I've done this). Second: The head of the 196th division is Generalleutnant Richard Pellengahr, while Kurt Dittmar leads the 169th! Those numbers are a bit confusing. Hence, Pellengahr will be the "golden fox" of the propaganda. (Siilasvuo leads a corps with two divisions, but has the lower rank of major general. This might lead to some kerfuffle, or what do you think?) (BTW: ITTL there'll be rumors and conspiracy narratives that Siilasvuo knew what Pellengahr was up to, if not worse.) (BTW2: I've calculated that ITTL Barbarossa will start with 192 divisions for the Axis. Which makes sixteen dozens. Now I'm wondering whether the propaganda may mention this fact.) Anyway: After his victory, the Germans (incl. Dietl) called Pellengahr after his operation "der Goldfuchs" (the golden fox). The Nazi Propaganda exaggerated the German part of the Karelian victory, especially that of Dietl, Schörner, and Pellengahr. All of them were promoted in 1941 (Dietl to General der Gebirgstruppe, Schörner to Generalmajor, Pellengahr to General der Infanterie) and commended. Siilasvuo, thanks to whom the victory had become possible, wasn't totally forgotten. There was much talk about him getting his military training during World War 1 in Germany, in the Königlich-Preußisches Jäger-Bataillon Nr. 27 made up of Finnish volunteers, under Major Maximilian Bayer, Reichsfeldmeister of the German scout's league. Th German public also learned about his fights in Courland and later in the Finnish War of Independence against the "Bolshevists". Nazi Propaganda inisisted on calling him "Strömberg", to paint him as an "Aryan" Swede. - His own soldiers OTOH called him Jalmari Verinen (Hjalmar the Bloody), some of them even thought has his victories had gone to his head. At least, he and the other Finns had impressed the "Führer" with their courage so much that he dropped his idea of adding Finland in the near future as a Bundesstaat of the "Reich". Instead, he was content with Finland covering the Flank of the "Reich" in future. The Wehrmacht raised its own Skier division after this mixed-bag operation (with Finnish help for training), to be better prepared for future wars.
Or 16 double six's.
Interesting that quote from Siilasvuo that suggests that not just the higher command but also a lot of the general soldiers were distinctly overconfident that the blitzkrieg would solve everything.
1. No breaking of the Fourth Wall, that'd be ASBish! 2. That's the result of so much nazi propaganda...
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Post by Max Sinister on May 4, 2024 7:15:11 GMT
Well... I see your point, but IMO I didn't exaggerate that much. TTL has a PoD in late May 1940, so everyone conceived/born before that date will be the same person from OTL. Until the elections of 1976, every POTUS candidate has to be an OTL person. The US are far from Europe, so the butterfly effect won't hit them that hard. Many things will be the same as IOTL: Reagan will still be a great communicator. Nixon will still be a big crook. Kissinger will still be cunning. Joseph P. Kennedy will still try to make the one or other son of him POTUS. The Forbes family will be still rich. (TTL Forbes won't be the Steve Forbes who went into politics, but his ATL brother. Theoretically, his father may even marry and impregnate a different woman.) Perot will still start to use the name "Ross" in honor of his dead older brother. And much more.
It is possible that someone who was a nobody IOTL makes it, but then - how often does that happen IOTL?
Not often but in the US at least a lot of people and their descendants are going to survive WWII unlike OTL and a lot of other people will have their careers affected. For instance MacArthur is likely to remain a minor figure who retires totally before 1950 and people who made their reputation, or had it shattered by the OTL war will be numerous.
Also with democracy on the edge of extinction and two large murderous totalitarian empires dominating most of the world that will hugely affect the view of the world in the US and even more so in the rest of the world. How does the US react to this challenge? Does it go fairly autocratic and highly militaristic itself as people believe that's needed to survive which would mean a hell of a lot of political and social changes, or try and go more liberal with similarly dramatic effects? Nixon might or might not get caught out here, Reagan might end up force to resign or even jailed instead? Kissinger could fail to be a significant figure especially if possibly Jews are treated drastically differently in TTL US. Joe Kennedy will want one of his children to be President but that could well not happen. A lot of people who left Europe for the US during or after WWII OTL may well not do here. One obvious example would be Wernher von Braun who is very unlikely to be active in the US rocketry systems.
In terms of other people emerging one example from ~50 years earlier would be Teddy Roosevelt. But for a charge up an hill in Cuba he could have ended up a minor member of a wealthy family or even have died in Cuba. Either from disease say or I have read that he was damned luck with that charge as the Spanish forces defending the hill had been supplied with the wrong ammo for their guns else the Rough Riders could have been slaughtered. Which even if Teddy survived he could end up as a figure of ridicule.
I'm not saying change everything but there will be significant changes occurring even by my life-time - born in late 1959, even in the US. For instance would Ike become a significant military leader let alone a president without the OTL US involvement in the war in Europe and that war ending successfully, which it won't do here?
Just to answer your last question: I plan on making Ike a significant military leader, simply because a) the US will join the war, so or so, b) he was a competent general and c) I find him quite sympathetic. Although the deeds he'll do will be very different from OTL. Whether he'll make it POTUS - not 100% sure. I also had the idea of him being fed up with politics completely because the way he was treated. Because - if a nice guy like him acts that way, things must be really bad.
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Post by stevep on May 4, 2024 11:33:54 GMT
Not often but in the US at least a lot of people and their descendants are going to survive WWII unlike OTL and a lot of other people will have their careers affected. For instance MacArthur is likely to remain a minor figure who retires totally before 1950 and people who made their reputation, or had it shattered by the OTL war will be numerous.
Also with democracy on the edge of extinction and two large murderous totalitarian empires dominating most of the world that will hugely affect the view of the world in the US and even more so in the rest of the world. How does the US react to this challenge? Does it go fairly autocratic and highly militaristic itself as people believe that's needed to survive which would mean a hell of a lot of political and social changes, or try and go more liberal with similarly dramatic effects? Nixon might or might not get caught out here, Reagan might end up force to resign or even jailed instead? Kissinger could fail to be a significant figure especially if possibly Jews are treated drastically differently in TTL US. Joe Kennedy will want one of his children to be President but that could well not happen. A lot of people who left Europe for the US during or after WWII OTL may well not do here. One obvious example would be Wernher von Braun who is very unlikely to be active in the US rocketry systems.
In terms of other people emerging one example from ~50 years earlier would be Teddy Roosevelt. But for a charge up an hill in Cuba he could have ended up a minor member of a wealthy family or even have died in Cuba. Either from disease say or I have read that he was damned luck with that charge as the Spanish forces defending the hill had been supplied with the wrong ammo for their guns else the Rough Riders could have been slaughtered. Which even if Teddy survived he could end up as a figure of ridicule.
I'm not saying change everything but there will be significant changes occurring even by my life-time - born in late 1959, even in the US. For instance would Ike become a significant military leader let alone a president without the OTL US involvement in the war in Europe and that war ending successfully, which it won't do here?
Just to answer your last question: I plan on making Ike a significant military leader, simply because a) the US will join the war, so or so, b) he was a competent general and c) I find him quite sympathetic. Although the deeds he'll do will be very different from OTL. Whether he'll make it POTUS - not 100% sure. I also had the idea of him being fed up with politics completely because the way he was treated. Because - if a nice guy like him acts that way, things must be really bad.
Sounds interesting. Have to see what you come up with.  |
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Post by Max Sinister on May 4, 2024 14:00:00 GMT
Just to answer your last question: I plan on making Ike a significant military leader, simply because a) the US will join the war, so or so, b) he was a competent general and c) I find him quite sympathetic. Although the deeds he'll do will be very different from OTL. Whether he'll make it POTUS - not 100% sure. I also had the idea of him being fed up with politics completely because the way he was treated. Because - if a nice guy like him acts that way, things must be really bad.
Sounds interesting. Have to see what you come up with. Thanks! As said, I'm not 100% sure, and the critical questions of TTL are far from solved. (Haven't even done Malta yet, and that's not a critical one.)
But there certainly won't be a Republican POTUS Eisenhower from 1953-61.
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Post by Max Sinister on May 11, 2024 22:10:55 GMT
On an unrelated note, a glimpse into the future of TTL (if I ever make it that far): The elections for POTUS from 1996!
Malcolm Steve Forbes / Jack Kemp (R) defeat Jesse Jackson / Jerry Litton (D), Ross Perot / Richard D. Lamm (I), Dr. Ron Paul / David H. Koch (L), Pat Robertson / Pat Buchanan (C), Ralph Nader (G)
It depends on how realistic you want the TL to be but I would say that 50+ years after such dramatic changes your likely to see few names from OTL politics in play. Know it makes it easier to have OTL prominent figures for reader recognition but just to say.
I've thought again about this. You know, I'm using the butterfly effect. And I find that the tricky part isn't the time shortly after the PoD when most OTL persons are still around and also act much as they did IOTL, also not the time much later when I'm free to make new persons up who were born after the PoD. The tricky part are those persons who have to exist because they were conceived before the PoD, but were so young that their personality is still malleable. So I can't exclude the possibility that in 1980 some Joe Smith born in 1930 who stayed unknown IOTL might become POTUS - but it feels like cheating if I'm using persons who must have lived in OTL without having even proof that they existed. Does that make sense to you?
(When I wrote the Chaos TL I already noticed a similar problem, but it didn't matter that much. Pretty sure that whatever happened, feudal Europe still would be reigned by the members of the big dynasties. And even so, most kings from the 13h and 14th centuries weren't that well known. Edward I of England already sticks out.)
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Post by Max Sinister on May 11, 2024 22:22:16 GMT
But now about Malta. Since I've decided that a) Fliegerkorps X will ruthlessly from 1940/41 on, b) that Germans subs will use Enigma M4 which will be almost impossible to crack and c) that Petain allowed German planes to use airports and airstrips in Tunisia, British convoys will find it almost impossible to get through. Esp. from the west, which means that they'll have to use the long route from South Africa. And even then, they'll have to run the gauntlet of the Luftwaffe attacking from Bengasi and Sidi Barrani south, AND Crete north (at least starting in late May).
(Apropos c: I think that Churchill might threaten Vichy with war if they don't take their airports back. This however might backfire, since I think old Petain will be too proud to be bullied like that. In this situation, Britain can't afford to add Vichy to its fighting opponents. If Churchill had to eat his words next, that'd be a diplomatic defeat for him. At least those are easier to conceal than military defeats.)
As a consequence, Malta should fall somewhere between the middle and the end of 1941 unless something ASBish happened. The suffering of the Maltese will make governor Dobbie seriously consider this.
(And even then, Mussolini will insist that his soldiers will do an Operation Hercules - except that it'll be called Mercury ITTL - so he can make some propaganda movies. He'll definitely make propaganda movies about the poor starved Maltese, and fascists handing out food.)
The nazis will think that this victory proved that they can be victorious on the sea as well. Which is wrong of course, since they won because they ruled the air and the deep sea.
Churchill may blame Cunningham for the loss, just as he blamed Wavell for losing Somaliland, although it wasn't his fault having to deal with so many more Italians. If that happened, Churchill's popularity in the RN might suffer.
Things are developing...
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Post by stevep on May 12, 2024 14:22:25 GMT
It depends on how realistic you want the TL to be but I would say that 50+ years after such dramatic changes your likely to see few names from OTL politics in play. Know it makes it easier to have OTL prominent figures for reader recognition but just to say.
I've thought again about this. You know, I'm using the butterfly effect. And I find that the tricky part isn't the time shortly after the PoD when most OTL persons are still around and also act much as they did IOTL, also not the time much later when I'm free to make new persons up who were born after the PoD. The tricky part are those persons who have to exist because they were conceived before the PoD, but were so young that their personality is still malleable. So I can't exclude the possibility that in 1980 some Joe Smith born in 1930 who stayed unknown IOTL might become POTUS - but it feels like cheating if I'm using persons who must have lived in OTL without having even proof that they existed. Does that make sense to you?
(When I wrote the Chaos TL I already noticed a similar problem, but it didn't matter that much. Pretty sure that whatever happened, feudal Europe still would be reigned by the members of the big dynasties. And even so, most kings from the 13h and 14th centuries weren't that well known. Edward I of England already sticks out.)
Yes its always difficult. I have a draft TL where there's an enterprizing young man who survives WWI and then makes the right career moves meaning is a 3rd option for a certain meeting in London on 9th May 1940 who ends up as PM and a significantly different war. But then that's necessary to get the required different British policies.
In the sort of period your talking about, say from 10-50 years after the PoD most significant positions are likely to fall to people who were players OTL, assuming that's not something like the Imperial regime in Russia surviving so Lenin, Trotsky and Stalin all end up as at best footnotes in history. However there will be differences, such as a Presidential and VP paring might still emerge but the other way around or the party in power might be different. There would be unknown people turning up, initially in small numbers but steadily increasing over time as Motha flaps its wings.
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Post by Max Sinister on May 14, 2024 23:07:09 GMT
I've thought again about this. You know, I'm using the butterfly effect. And I find that the tricky part isn't the time shortly after the PoD when most OTL persons are still around and also act much as they did IOTL, also not the time much later when I'm free to make new persons up who were born after the PoD. The tricky part are those persons who have to exist because they were conceived before the PoD, but were so young that their personality is still malleable. So I can't exclude the possibility that in 1980 some Joe Smith born in 1930 who stayed unknown IOTL might become POTUS - but it feels like cheating if I'm using persons who must have lived in OTL without having even proof that they existed. Does that make sense to you?
(When I wrote the Chaos TL I already noticed a similar problem, but it didn't matter that much. Pretty sure that whatever happened, feudal Europe still would be reigned by the members of the big dynasties. And even so, most kings from the 13h and 14th centuries weren't that well known. Edward I of England already sticks out.)
Yes its always difficult. I have a draft TL where there's an enterprizing young man who survives WWI and then makes the right career moves meaning is a 3rd option for a certain meeting in London on 9th May 1940 who ends up as PM and a significantly different war. But then that's necessary to get the required different British policies. Something similar: A certain fellow who calls himself "Alexander Student" features ITTL. See, he's Greek, and IOTL he joined the resistance and was killed. ITTL he decides to fight the nazis in a different way. His real name is Alexandros <something>, he uses a pseudonym.
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Post by Max Sinister on May 15, 2024 4:52:59 GMT
One thing is sure: After TTL's WW2, there'll be a lot of AH asking the question "What if we had won the war?" in the Anglosphere. There are many AH and borderline AH authors from OTL living then, e.g. Heinlein. Of course, there'll be a lot of disagreement about the question how the world will look like, esp. the political system: Democracy, Socialism/Communism, or even odder choices like Libertarianism, revived monarchy, or technocracy a la Howard Scott?
In the next time, I'll work on TTL Barbarossa. As said, the Germans started ten days earlier and had a dozen divisions more, but this doesn't make Russia any smaller, the trains better, or the weather lovelier. (I might improve the weather, after all the Rasputitsa took especially long in spring, came esp. early in fall, and winter was esp. cold that year, and the butterfly effect would allow that, maybe even enforce it, because of regression towards the average - but that feels like cheating too! So no change about that either.)
Sure, they got Karelia, but that was because they fought against a weaker opponent, even just counting the men. Other theaters will be different. Sure, they may never lose Kharkov and Rostov temporarily, and may gain some smaller cities (maybe even Tula with its factories, or Kolomna at Oka river SE of Moscow), get dangerously close to Stalingrad, but that won't give them Moscow. Or Leningrad. After their experiences in Kiev, they won't really want to storm the city either, even if they could. If they cut off Leningrad, the poor city will suffer even more, though. Then again, Churchill will chew out the Finns that this means war with the Empire if they allow that. Then again again, Mannerheim or Ryti may answer to that how they're supposed to defend against the Wehrmacht in that case. Quite a reason, TBH.
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Post by Max Sinister on May 22, 2024 19:41:44 GMT
OK, I know what I wrote in the last post, but now I read up on Gibraltar and decided to jump a bit to the future and look what'll happen to the peninsula. Conquering it isn't strictly necessary for finishing this TL, but I wanted to do this. Now you'll know that there are several good reasons for Spain not even to enter the war on the Nazis' side: - Franco feared a British invasion. If not of the mother country, then at least of the colonies and the Canary islands. That's why he asked for lots and lots of artillery to defend Spain's long coast.
- The country is in the middle of starvation and would need at least several hundred thousand tons of food. And oil.
- Spain would need strong artillery to storm the fortress itself.
- He demanded all of French Morocco plus some other areas.
- Spain's infrastructure wasn't the best. The only airport suited for Stuka planes was too far - and the nearby ones weren't suited for Stukas.
- He dislikes foreigners - including German and Italians. Especially if they seem "pagan" to him, which certainly applies to the Nazis.
- He even was against the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, even if it was purely pragmatic.
Did I forget something? - So obviously, I'll have to solve all of these problems first before I can even think of Spain entering the war. (And I prefer post-war Spain as part of a Nazi-fascist block, not as a potential invasion place of the Anglos.) My suggestion to solve all of these problems: (I need something as a premise for which I don't have yet a solution for: A Nazi-Soviet peace treaty. But let's pretend I had it already, and it happened no later than late 1941. Because as often in this war, the fast, the better. As soon as the WAllies will pull off the equivalent of Torch, it's too late anyway. After that, only ASBs would make it happen.) Which allows us: - Nazi Germany delivers lots of captured artillery to Spain. Mostly from the Soviets, I guess.
- Nazi Germany delivers part of the food and oil the SU has to deliver to Spain. (This will take some more weeks or even months until they arrive in Spain.)
- Nazi Germany lends them some strong artillery.
- The Organisation Todt shall build the necessary airports/airfields/roads/whatever. For which they'll use French forced labor, I guess.
- Admiral Canaris who has sympathy for Southern Europe might influence Franco to join the war to prevent the Wehrmacht invading Spain as well, which Canaris wants to avoid.
Of course, until all the pieces are in position, Pearl Harbor will have happened (because I think it would, and in fact want it to happen), which means that Germany and Italy will be at war with the US now... Oh, and another problem: As the people around him say, Franco organizes the papers on his desk in two stacks: That which is unimportant now, and that which will be unimportant if you wait long enough. |
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Post by Max Sinister on May 25, 2024 19:23:02 GMT
Regarding Felix, I've decided to add a twist: Franco will give his final agreement to join - after everything else has been agreed, even if the "Führer" is grinding his teeth - on December 6th in 1941. No, Pearl Harbor or its equivalent won't happen exactly on this day. But around this time. After which Nazi Germany and fascist Italy will declare war on the US. Which'll lead Franco to complain that he didn't sign up for this. But this time, admiral Canaris will travel to Spain to convince Franco not to change his decision, because he fears that otherwise, the Wehrmacht will simply invade Spain - which is something Canaris wants to avoid. After all, he had wished to keep out Greece and Yugoslavia out of the war as well, even if he failed.
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Post by Max Sinister on May 30, 2024 0:52:36 GMT
(This is a summary for everyone new.)
As said, I think I'm half through with TTL. But the most important part - the operation on its heart/brain - is still missing. I know I need a Nazi-Soviet peace in late 1941 for this - just how? Sometimes I think we might need to invent a new science for solving this...
Everything else seems solvable:
- Dunkirk
- Malta
- Felix
- Karelia
- Barbarossa a bit earlier (but not too early, to avoid spring Rasputitsa) and with some more divisions (consequence of Dunkirk)
- better Enigma (thanks to the "Black Orchestra" being uncovered), possibly leading to a peace or armistice with Britain
And some things are clearly right out:
- Sea Lion
- going from El Alamein to Alexandria during Sonnenschirm (sorry, Rommel)
- storming Leningrad
- storming Moscow
- Japan starting a war with the Soviet Union
Also, I don't want to use Turkey as a Nazi ally, even if the latter wouldn't mind Turkey covering their flank (similar as Finland) and I'm not entirely sure why they didn't accept the offer, or whether a putsch of Axis-friendly marshal Fevzi Çakmak would be realistic.
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Post by stevep on May 30, 2024 15:07:29 GMT
(This is a summary for everyone new.)
As said, I think I'm half through with TTL. But the most important part - the operation on its heart/brain - is still missing. I know I need a Nazi-Soviet peace in late 1941 for this - just how? Sometimes I think we might need to invent a new science for solving this... Everything else seems solvable: - Dunkirk - Malta - Felix - Karelia - Barbarossa a bit earlier (but not too early, to avoid spring Rasputitsa) and with some more divisions (consequence of Dunkirk) - better Enigma (thanks to the "Black Orchestra" being uncovered), possibly leading to a peace or armistice with Britain And some things are clearly right out: - Sea Lion - going from El Alamein to Alexandria during Sonnenschirm (sorry, Rommel) - storming Leningrad - storming Moscow - Japan starting a war with the Soviet Union Also, I don't want to use Turkey as a Nazi ally, even if the latter wouldn't mind Turkey covering their flank (similar as Finland) and I'm not entirely sure why they didn't accept the offer, or whether a putsch of Axis-friendly marshal Fevzi Çakmak would be realistic.
On this last point, while the Turks feared the Soviets they were also concerned about the Nazis, especially possibly with their racists beliefs. Also allying with Germany would mean war with Britain which could make their eastern territories a battle area and Britain would likely seek to stir up unrest in the Kurdish areas for instance. Furthermore if this is before Barbarossa it would be a red flag to Stalin as it threatens both a way to attack Baku and neighbouring regions and also German influence if not outside control of the Turkish straits which has both military and economic consequences for the USSR. Also after a German-Soviet peace or at least ceasefire the Turks are likely to want to hunker down and avoid as much of the bloodbath occurring around them as possible.
In terms of the other points I agree that the biggest single issue is getting some sort of peace between the Nazis and Soviets which both sides agree on and which both sides actually keep. Especially given that the nature of the two regimes and the example set by Barbarossa how much the two trust each other and its quite likely that the two would keep much if not most of their military on the common border much of the time.
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