Post by mcnutt on Feb 21, 2017 17:15:48 GMT
On June 16, 1940, the French government decided to continue the war from exile in Algeria. The French military was ordered to evacuate the country. On September 9, 1940, the defeated French and their Commonwealth allies scored a victory when the forced Italy to surrender Libya. With the heavy British and French naval strength in the Mediterranean, Hitler decided not to rescue the Italians in Libya. During the Second Phony War, the European Theater would be a naval and air war with no ground combat, until June 22, 1941, when the Germans invades the USSR. The US would enter the war after the Japanese attack on September 7, 1941. Italy and Germany would declare war on the September 11, 1941. On August 8, 1942, US forces arrived in Europe as the Allies invaded Sicily. On August 22, 1942, Mussolini was overthrown. On August 30, 1942, the Allies reached an Armistice with the new Italian government. After Germans attacked Italian forces Italy declared war on Germany on September 1, 1942. The last German forces surrendered on Sicily on September 17, 1942. Germany, however, who had been sending troops to defend Italy for two years was able to take control of the Italian mainland. The Italian government was forced to flee Rome on September 19, 1942. Progress was slow in Italy. Allied forces landed at Anzio on March 13, 1943, and began months of frustrating fighting. Rome was finally liberated on September 12, 1943, but the Germans still controlled much of the Italian peninsula
Much more successful was the Invasion of Normandy on July 10, 1943 or D Day. The Western Allies took Prague on May 4, 1944, and met Soviet troops in Poland on May 13, 1944. Hitler committed suicide on May 26, 1944. The Germans would surrender on June 6, 1944, or VE Day. The war in the Pacific would still go on. It began in 1941, the Japanese in China had advanced to the border of French Indo China, with hopes of cutting off French supplies to the Chinese. A border incident led to a declaration of war by France and Britain against Japan on June 30, 1941. On September 7, 1941,Japan attacked British, French and American territory. The Japanese advance was stopped with the Battle of the Bismarck Archipelago on May 4-5 1942 and the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942. By that time, the Japanese had conquered Thailand, French Indo China, Hong Kong. most of the Dutch East Indies, the Philippines, Guam, Wake Island, the Marshall Islands, the Gilbert Islands, the Solomon Islands and The Bismarck Archipelago. The one place where the Japanese met frustration was the British colonies of Burma, British Borneo and Malaya. The controlled the Northern coastline of Papua New Guinea but were locked in fighting with Commonwealth forces in the interior, The lull in the fighting in Europe had allowed the British to build up their defenses. They had even occupied Sumatra so they could preserve the supply line to Malaya. In May 1942,Americans joined the Commonwealth forces defending New Guinea and arrived to assist in Burma and Malaya. The last Japanese forces from New Guinea were defeated on November 21, 1943. US forces returned to the Philippines, when they landed at Leyte on January 26, 1943. The Japanese had transferred many of the troops that had occupied the Philippines to the Malay and Burma fronts, so the Americans were able to make steady progress liberating Manilla on March 17, 1943. The next important operation in the Pacific came in May 1943, when Thailand surrendered. In June 1943, the Allies were able to begin an invasion of French Indo China. On May 25, 1944, the Allies had secured the last Japanese forces in the Dutch East Indies, By July, most of the Allied South East Asian veterans were transferred to China. In October WAllied European veterans arrived to assist in China and the Central Pacific. Allied forces had begun the offensive in the Central Pacific when they landed in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands in August 1943. The conquest of the Mariana Islands came in March 1944. In June 1944, the Allies began using these islands to bomb the Japanese home islands. Allies won the Battle of Iwo Jima on November 11, 1944. They then won the victory on Okinawa ( January 1-February 10, 1945). The Soviet Union declared war on Japan and invaded Manchukuo on September 6, 1944. In early October WAllied and Soviet forces would meet south of Beijing. That same month Commonwealth and US European veterans entered the Pacific Theater. The forces from Europe also dramatically increased the bombing and blockade of Japan. The Allies were able to devastate the Japanese infrastructure and seal Japan off from the rest of the world. This dramatically depressed the Japanese economy and caused chronic shortages. There was also the tensions between the rural population and the evacuated city residents. Fearing a revolt Emperor Hirohito decided to surrender and ended the war on February 15th, 1945.
This TL would cause changes in some parts of the world. Charles DeGaulle may have become a hero but would not be the hero. He would not dominate post war French politics. There would probably be no-one to lead a change in constitutions in 1958. France would probably still be in the Third Republic. Poland would have been split into two nations from 1945 until they voted to reunite in 1990. Czechoslovakia would end in a not so velvet divorce in late 1945. China would be like Germany and Korea a country divided by the Cold War. North China, Soviet occupied Manchuria and Inner Mongolia would be a Soviet satellite. Moscow would veto the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. They would support Deng and his efforts to bring free enterprise to China and make it less dependent on Soviet aid. North evolves into a capitalist country like OTL. The Republic of China or South China, would be the host of a large number of US Military bases and would dependent on US aid, until the 1970s. In that decade foreign investors taking advantage of cheap labor and would industrialized South China. The large South Chinese middle class leads a drive for democracy in the late 1980s. The North Chinese dictatorship has to work hard to suppress a large movement to reunite China among the prosperous North Chinese population, who are knowledgable of the outside world. In 2011, the unification movement inspired by the Arab Spring took to the streets. On November 12, 2011 after months of disruptive demonstrations and strike and pressure from the business community, the people of North China voted in a referendum overwhelmingly for reunification. On May 15, 2012, the People’s Republic of China ended. Since there is no playing the China card, US Communist Chinese detente is delayed. Reagan opens with North China after being lobbied by corporations eager to cash in on the North China trade. During most of its post war history, the USSR would have had endured the financial burden of aiding and occupying North China. The also would have had to pay the expenses of suppling East Germany by sea. One nation not divided is Vietnam. The WAllies liberated most of Indo China. Ho does not end the war in control of as much of the country as he did OTL. He does not have a source of supplies from a friendly neighbor. After France gives independence to Vietnam, later than OTL. Vietnam uses American military aid to fight the Communist guerillas. It does not escalate to a full scale war. There is no need for US troops. In addition to avoiding the Vietnam War, there are other smaller changes in the US. FDR lives to see the end of the war. He may have lived longer, free from wartime stress. The atomic bomb would have been a military secret until 1949, when the Soviets announced they had one. There would have been a smaller American military presence in Germany. Most of the OTL German military bases would have built in the front line states of the Czech Republic and West Poland. If you are the child of a German and a member of the American Armed Forces, ITTL you have a different heritage.
Much more successful was the Invasion of Normandy on July 10, 1943 or D Day. The Western Allies took Prague on May 4, 1944, and met Soviet troops in Poland on May 13, 1944. Hitler committed suicide on May 26, 1944. The Germans would surrender on June 6, 1944, or VE Day. The war in the Pacific would still go on. It began in 1941, the Japanese in China had advanced to the border of French Indo China, with hopes of cutting off French supplies to the Chinese. A border incident led to a declaration of war by France and Britain against Japan on June 30, 1941. On September 7, 1941,Japan attacked British, French and American territory. The Japanese advance was stopped with the Battle of the Bismarck Archipelago on May 4-5 1942 and the Battle of Midway on June 4, 1942. By that time, the Japanese had conquered Thailand, French Indo China, Hong Kong. most of the Dutch East Indies, the Philippines, Guam, Wake Island, the Marshall Islands, the Gilbert Islands, the Solomon Islands and The Bismarck Archipelago. The one place where the Japanese met frustration was the British colonies of Burma, British Borneo and Malaya. The controlled the Northern coastline of Papua New Guinea but were locked in fighting with Commonwealth forces in the interior, The lull in the fighting in Europe had allowed the British to build up their defenses. They had even occupied Sumatra so they could preserve the supply line to Malaya. In May 1942,Americans joined the Commonwealth forces defending New Guinea and arrived to assist in Burma and Malaya. The last Japanese forces from New Guinea were defeated on November 21, 1943. US forces returned to the Philippines, when they landed at Leyte on January 26, 1943. The Japanese had transferred many of the troops that had occupied the Philippines to the Malay and Burma fronts, so the Americans were able to make steady progress liberating Manilla on March 17, 1943. The next important operation in the Pacific came in May 1943, when Thailand surrendered. In June 1943, the Allies were able to begin an invasion of French Indo China. On May 25, 1944, the Allies had secured the last Japanese forces in the Dutch East Indies, By July, most of the Allied South East Asian veterans were transferred to China. In October WAllied European veterans arrived to assist in China and the Central Pacific. Allied forces had begun the offensive in the Central Pacific when they landed in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands in August 1943. The conquest of the Mariana Islands came in March 1944. In June 1944, the Allies began using these islands to bomb the Japanese home islands. Allies won the Battle of Iwo Jima on November 11, 1944. They then won the victory on Okinawa ( January 1-February 10, 1945). The Soviet Union declared war on Japan and invaded Manchukuo on September 6, 1944. In early October WAllied and Soviet forces would meet south of Beijing. That same month Commonwealth and US European veterans entered the Pacific Theater. The forces from Europe also dramatically increased the bombing and blockade of Japan. The Allies were able to devastate the Japanese infrastructure and seal Japan off from the rest of the world. This dramatically depressed the Japanese economy and caused chronic shortages. There was also the tensions between the rural population and the evacuated city residents. Fearing a revolt Emperor Hirohito decided to surrender and ended the war on February 15th, 1945.
This TL would cause changes in some parts of the world. Charles DeGaulle may have become a hero but would not be the hero. He would not dominate post war French politics. There would probably be no-one to lead a change in constitutions in 1958. France would probably still be in the Third Republic. Poland would have been split into two nations from 1945 until they voted to reunite in 1990. Czechoslovakia would end in a not so velvet divorce in late 1945. China would be like Germany and Korea a country divided by the Cold War. North China, Soviet occupied Manchuria and Inner Mongolia would be a Soviet satellite. Moscow would veto the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. They would support Deng and his efforts to bring free enterprise to China and make it less dependent on Soviet aid. North evolves into a capitalist country like OTL. The Republic of China or South China, would be the host of a large number of US Military bases and would dependent on US aid, until the 1970s. In that decade foreign investors taking advantage of cheap labor and would industrialized South China. The large South Chinese middle class leads a drive for democracy in the late 1980s. The North Chinese dictatorship has to work hard to suppress a large movement to reunite China among the prosperous North Chinese population, who are knowledgable of the outside world. In 2011, the unification movement inspired by the Arab Spring took to the streets. On November 12, 2011 after months of disruptive demonstrations and strike and pressure from the business community, the people of North China voted in a referendum overwhelmingly for reunification. On May 15, 2012, the People’s Republic of China ended. Since there is no playing the China card, US Communist Chinese detente is delayed. Reagan opens with North China after being lobbied by corporations eager to cash in on the North China trade. During most of its post war history, the USSR would have had endured the financial burden of aiding and occupying North China. The also would have had to pay the expenses of suppling East Germany by sea. One nation not divided is Vietnam. The WAllies liberated most of Indo China. Ho does not end the war in control of as much of the country as he did OTL. He does not have a source of supplies from a friendly neighbor. After France gives independence to Vietnam, later than OTL. Vietnam uses American military aid to fight the Communist guerillas. It does not escalate to a full scale war. There is no need for US troops. In addition to avoiding the Vietnam War, there are other smaller changes in the US. FDR lives to see the end of the war. He may have lived longer, free from wartime stress. The atomic bomb would have been a military secret until 1949, when the Soviets announced they had one. There would have been a smaller American military presence in Germany. Most of the OTL German military bases would have built in the front line states of the Czech Republic and West Poland. If you are the child of a German and a member of the American Armed Forces, ITTL you have a different heritage.
