An Alternate History Idea

[Leandros]

Originally Posted by Aktungbby

Small thinkers- GO BIG!: In a fabulously successful combined operation Germany takes control of...ICELAND!... and the Azores! Tirpitz, Bismark, Prinz Eugen, Graf Spee and Scharnhorst are based out of these with half of the VII fleet and all the Luftwaffe air supremecy support of Doenitz's fantasy. Holland falls and the Dutch Antilles and oil reserves of Bonaire and Aruba become the replacement for Baku. Encouraged, those nasty little yerba-mate suckers in Buenos Aires under Col Peron, pro fascist dictator, provide another Western Hemisphere base to the Kreigsmarine- all the IX's- and Panama is Kaput. Not to be out-done in the back-stabbing department at this point, Spanish Gen. Francisco Franco suddenly gets brave and seals off the Gibraltar Straight; Vigo and the Baleares are open Nazi bases. The Bay of Biscay transit is a Nazi lake. Churchill cancels his 'end of the beginning' speech...

Barbarossa didn't work, Sea Lion we don't know wouldn't work. I'd still go for a friendly (like Norway.....) lease of air, sub and S-boat bases in Northern Ireland September 1940. North-Western Approaches closed - England is down. Because of no invasion the US would stay protectionist, Roosevelt might even be dumped. England down and Stalin would stay a loyal supplier of all kind of goods to Germany.

A new government in the UK, Churchill and friends would escape to Canada (if they get through the German blockade) but the British and Norwegian merchant fleets would divert to the US. Lots of war booty in the UK, naval ships, aircraft, transports.

India throw the British out.

Franco accepts German march-through to seize Gibraltar.

In the period up till June 1941 - Japan then attacks in the Pacific (because the British are weaker than in the RL and India declares neutrality) - Germany can increase its fleet in leisure. Declares war on the US after the Japanese attack. Stalin becomes even more loyal and is threatened to cut down on his armed forces build-up, there is no longer any possibility of assistance from the UK and the US. German inspectors oversee this.

The Commonwealth forces (mainly Australian - the Indians have already gone) withdraw from North Africa after the UK surrender. North Africa is evacuated. No British intermingling in Greece. Greece accepts Italian terms. Italian forces reach the Suez Canal. Italian North-Western Africa is supplied and sustained. Iraq takes control of its oilfields. Aden is evacuated. The Axis can receive oil from the shipping terminals in the Eastern Med.

The Philippines are much weaker in June 1941 than in the following December. Fall quickly. Much more shipping available for reinforcement of US bases in Eastern Pacific but Australia denies any US forces on their ground. Makes non-aggression pact with Japan, sacrifies Dutch East India.

But......what shall the U-boats do now......?

Fred