Post by mcnutt on Apr 21, 2019 12:31:21 GMT
OTL Claus Von Stauffenberg, who had volunteered to assassinate Hitler and then give the signal to being the planned coup, had only time to activate one of the two bombs he brought with him to the meeting, where Hitler would be in attendance.
Activating the bomb was difficult for Von Stauffenberg, because he had lost his right hand. He was called into the meeting before he could deal with the second bomb. ITTL he has his aide, who had two good hands, do the bombs. The aide puts them in Stauffenberg’s brief case and takes them to him.
Stauffenberg leaves the briefcase with the bombs behind as he leaves the meeting. ITTL he does not leave them next to the heavy wood leg of the table, which OTL cushioned the blast. He sees the explosion destroy the building and correctly assumes that the force of two bombs has killed everyone, including Hitler.
The coup fails, the SS arrests the plotters and Heinrich Himmler uses the emergency to take power. This starts a power struggle with the SS cracking down on opponents. This inspires German officers on the Western front to surrender.The most prominent defector is Erwin Rommel.
This causes chaos in the German military.The WAllies move quickly by November 17, 1944 they have surrounded Berlin. By December 3, 1944, they have taken Warsaw. Prague falls to the WAllies on December 4, 1944. On December 9, 1944, Himmler is overthrown and executed. The Provisional Government surrenders on December 16, 1944, VE Day.
The USSR declares war on Japan on March 16, 1945 and begins their invasion of China. The WAllied European veterans arrive in the Pacific front in April 1945. Okinawa falls on May 22, 1945. Japan suffers even more with the stepped up bombing and blockade, Hirohito surrenders on August 3, 1945.
The atom bomb remains a military secret until the Soviets announce they have developed one in 1949. There are other changes. In 1946, there is a not so velvet divorce, when Soviet occupied Slovakia breaks away from Czechoslavika. Poland is divided between its WAllied and Soviet occupied zones.
The London Protocal that sets ups the occupation zones of Germany is signed on September 12, 1944 as it was OTL. The Soviet Zone becomes East Germany. There is a Berlin Airlift and Berlin Wall, the big difference is that because East Germany is surrounded by free nations, the Soviets have the extra expense of supplying their troops in East Germany by ship.
Czechzia and West Poland are the frontline NATO nations.They are the home to most of the US military bases. If you are the child of a German and an American service veteran, you probably have a different heritage.
In 1946,the Soviets expel Jiang’s government which flees to Taiwan. This affects American politics. No one asks the question Who lost China? The Soviet occupied People’s Republic of China is a satellite. The Soviets veto the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. To help wean the Chinese off of Soviet aid, the Soviets encourage Deng Xiopeng’s reforms. China’s economy booms. There is no playing the China card. US China relations open up under Reagan, after corporations lobby for the right to cash in on the lucrative China trade.
The collapse of the Soviet Empire happens much the same ITTL as it did OTL. For example, in 1978, the courageous Cardinal from East Poland becomes Pope John Paul II. In 1979,he visits Poland. The people of East Poland organize the Pope’s stay without the involvement of the Communist Party. This encourages them to challenge the system. In 1980, a strike spreads across the country. A nationwide independent union called Solidarity emerges. The leadership is different then OTL. Lech Walesa is a citizen of West Poland ITTL. The death of the Soviet Bloc proceeds. In 1990, Germany and Poland reunited. In 1991, the Soviet Union breaks up.