Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
The scenario was Britain and the Commonwealth, plus a US involvement in late 1941, with Japan and the USSR in neutrality. The Soviet Union would pose it's problems in the defense area for Germany, and Japan perhaps would pose a problem for the Soviets as well. It was a world war after all. That's it.
Big enough to hold most of Europe for 4 years. The Germans did not want the world.. the russians did. What about Neville Chamberlain?.. His role was slightly more then minor in Germanys invasion of Chez republic etc..
I belive that Stalin would attack Europe, as he mentioned in two times:
"Nonintervention represents the endeavor... to allow all the warmongers to sink deeply into the mire of warfare, to quietly urge them on. The result will be that they weaken and exhaust one another. Then... (we will) appear on the scene with fresh forces and step in, naturally "in the interest of peace," to dictate terms to the weakened belligerents."
"It must be our objective that Germany wage war long enough to exhaust England and France so much that they cannot defeat Germany alone.... Should Germany win, it will itself be so weakened that it won't be able to wage war against us for 10 years.... It's paramount for us that this war continues as long as possible, until both sides are worn out."
Stalin's Secret War Plans: Why Hitler Invaded the Soviet Union. Richard Tedor.
...
We have to remember that the Soviets had their own agenda in WW2 so, with such a scheming nation we can never really rely on them as allies.
John
But in the real world, Hitler did declare war on the USA.
Certainly Hitler showed restraint and had plenty of reason to declare war. It would be interesting to speculate as to how damaging the lend lease funding of the British war effort and the neutrality patrols could be compared to outright war. Bomber commands efforts didn't require much manpower at all, it required bombers, foreign exchange to buy the aluminium needed for making the aircraft and the food for British workers who made them as well (and weren't exporting anymore) as well as fuel in large amounts: all of which US lend lease money could supply.
Would he have been better of NOT declaring war?
Well we can look at what planes came from the us to britain at what time in significant numbers. like when the p-47, p-38, and p-51 appeared in british hands
The P51 (with the RR Merlin) was vital as a long range bomber protector.
We must not forget that lend lease was not a gift. It took us decades to pay for WW2 USA supplied armaments.
I know we have had a very long thread on LL which ended in tears so, all I will say is we ( British) may have paid for the metal but, I believe that we are forever in debt for the US blood lives expended.
John
yes this is true, but i like to think that simply by standing and fighting alongside america as it ground down the third reich, britain has paid its dues, and the friendship our two countries share is pretty strong. the p-51 was indeed vital, but i dont know how the earliest variants would face off against the fw.190s that came out in 1942 and forced advances in spitfire designs, and then the improved bf.109s around then
".... Certainly Hitler showed restraint and had plenty of reason to declare war."
Yes - if he was prepared for prolonged war - which he wasn't. He wasn't in December 1941 when he did declare war against Mr. Roosevelt, but by then Japan had attacked the US in a manner very pleasing to Mr. Hitler's personal war philosophy. Hitler had no alternative other than 'restraint' - until then - Ruben James excepted ....
MM