How about:
Hitler listens to his generals; attacks through northern Belgium rather than take risky and likely logistically impossible route through Ardennes. Bogs down against French, English, and Belgian positions. For the next 3 years, there is a stalemate on the Western front, possibly with some minor retreats by Franco-British forces. Japan continues on route of imperialism and invades Indochina. Thailand becomes Japanese puppet. USA protests Japanese atrocities and aids KMT. Soviets look at all the bloodshed, take notes, and invade Finland. Late 1941, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor, destroying most US battleships and carriers in the Pacific. They also invade Philippines, Malaya, Burma, and Indonesia. Japanese string of victories continues for longer, notably the battle of Midway is won by the Japanese even though amphibious assault on island itself is dismal failure.
In mid-1942, Soviets invade Iran in order to remove German residents and install a new shah. They do not have any British assistance. Also, Iran's military modernization has proceeded well and Soviets take heavy casualties in the invasion. However it is not as bad as the winter war; many of the problems in the soviet military revealed in that war have been fixed. For example, engineers are almost never wasted as badly as in Finland, and combat and deep reconnaissance are strenuously and competently conducted. Also, radios have been issued to every tank and German "Command Independence" doctrine has been adopted to some extent, especially at the lowest levels. Overall the doctrine of mobile warfare, which had been falling out of favor due to the continued positional warfare on the western front, is reaffirmed.
Hitler is furious over the invasion of an axis-sympathetic power, but is restrained from executing an invasion of Russia by his generals, who realize that almost the entire German army, as well as most of the Italian, Hungarian, and Romanian armies, are bogged down in France. At this point the Maginot line is still held, but the French lines in the north have been driven out of Belgium and into Northern France. However, German casualties have been immense and the Luftwaffe is crippled after a poorly planned terror bombing campaign in France and Britain. The Kriegsmarine is mostly sunk, but the Italian navy is still supplying Northern Africa and making things difficult for the French and British navies. The US Army has started sending an expedition force to this front.
In late 1942, the USN, it's Pearl Harbor losses replenished, wins a major battle off the coast of Nihau and follows it up with a string of victories in early 43. In mid 43, the Soviets invade Germany, Romania, and Hungary. Although German troops have been massing there since the Soviet invasion of Iran, they are far from the cream of the crop and outnumbered significantly by the invading Workers and Peoples Red Army. The Luftwaffe keeps the skies contested and delivers a modicum of CAS to the defenders. However, this air power is diverted from the Western front. In addition, the entire Romanian and Hungarian armies are recalled, often disorderedly, allowing lines in northern France to shift significantly North for the first time in the war. The Soviets, with their surviving purged officers and generals having been long rehabilitated, their officer corps being given time to recover, and their forces fully prepared for war, make a textbook Deep Operations offensive and crush the German defenders.
The Hungarians and Romanians eventually regroup well behind their borders and mount a more competent resistance, although they are still losing. The Red Army captures Berlin in December, and Hitler withdraws to Hamburg. The Nazis attempt to fight a war on two fronts and inflict heavy casualties on the French and Soviet offensives, but eventually Hamburg falls to the Soviets and he commits suicide. The Germans subsequently surrender, and the Italians had already done so in the invasion of Italy shortly following the soviet attack.
Stalin doesn't stop. He realizes that the Franch are exhausted, their forces are not poised for a defense of the new lines, and the French manpower has been wrecked, even with the absence through most of this war of ill-fated constant offensives and counteroffensives like in the last war. Britain is also critically low on manpower, and America doesn't have many forces in Europe yet. The Soviets continue their offensive two weeks after German surrender. The Wallies are quickly encircled and over a million men are taken prisoner. The Red Air Force takes heavy casualties, but the Red Army advances into France and Italy, installing communist governments in both. A million Frenchmen and thousands of Americans and Brits are sent to the Gulag. Britain is not attacked, but India and Iraq are invaded through Iran and the British force in Burma thus has to withdraw to India. Slim mounts a very competent defense of the Raj, but much of India is overrun. Eventually Britain goes to the peace table to get its empire back, which Stalin is willing to furnish. The Red Army withdraws from Britain and the Benelux countries are allowed to go in the Anglo-American sphere of influence and have non-communist governments.
America does not make peace, however. It sends an expeditionary force to assist Slim, and when Britain makes peace they are sent into Bengal to fight the Japanese. After the Japanese are eventually pushed out of Burma, this AEF goes into China under secret orders to bring Chiang Kai Shek onside. They hold him at gunpoint and force him to cut all ties with the USSR and to declare war on the CCP. The Burma road is heavily developed and supplemented with supply transportation by air to China. The Communists struggle with the KMT to the aid of no one but the Japanese. However, these Japanese are losing badly by this point in the Pacific War. Okinawa and Iwo Jima are captured late 1945, and Japan is nuked shortly following. The emperor surrenders, but the IJA in China fights suicidally on. After a few months long invasion of China to assist the KMT, a Soviet offensive in Manchuria and Korea which turns those areas over to the CCP and the DPRK, respectively, they too surrender.
A "Warm War" follows, as no side can really touch the other. The USSR invades many former axis puppets and are usually opposed by US troops. Both sides send large numbers of troops into China, where both the KMT and CCP are unreliable allies, with especially the KMT not wanting to be fighting the USSR after operation Zet. This continues into the 1950s, when MAD is conceptualized and growing nuclear arsenals result in a decrease in brutal proxy wars throughout the globe. In 1970, the USSR and USA finally make peace. France has developed a nuclear arsenal, split with Moscow over doctrinal matters, and is in general a rogue nation supplying radical communists throughout the world and engaging in horrible experiments in trying to achieve Communism. China is divided between the KMT and the CCP, both of whom have nuclear weapons, the KMT's coming with assistance from Israel. The KMT and CCP are both non-aligned also. They are each totalitarian regimes that attempt to play the Soviets and Americans against eachother. DPRK is nice and peachy, just like OTL. And the USSR and USA both support horrible regimes around the world.
Hitler listens to his generals; attacks through northern Belgium rather than take risky and likely logistically impossible route through Ardennes. Bogs down against French, English, and Belgian positions. For the next 3 years, there is a stalemate on the Western front, possibly with some minor retreats by Franco-British forces. Japan continues on route of imperialism and invades Indochina. Thailand becomes Japanese puppet. USA protests Japanese atrocities and aids KMT. Soviets look at all the bloodshed, take notes, and invade Finland. Late 1941, Japan bombs Pearl Harbor, destroying most US battleships and carriers in the Pacific. They also invade Philippines, Malaya, Burma, and Indonesia. Japanese string of victories continues for longer, notably the battle of Midway is won by the Japanese even though amphibious assault on island itself is dismal failure.
In mid-1942, Soviets invade Iran in order to remove German residents and install a new shah. They do not have any British assistance. Also, Iran's military modernization has proceeded well and Soviets take heavy casualties in the invasion. However it is not as bad as the winter war; many of the problems in the soviet military revealed in that war have been fixed. For example, engineers are almost never wasted as badly as in Finland, and combat and deep reconnaissance are strenuously and competently conducted. Also, radios have been issued to every tank and German "Command Independence" doctrine has been adopted to some extent, especially at the lowest levels. Overall the doctrine of mobile warfare, which had been falling out of favor due to the continued positional warfare on the western front, is reaffirmed.
Hitler is furious over the invasion of an axis-sympathetic power, but is restrained from executing an invasion of Russia by his generals, who realize that almost the entire German army, as well as most of the Italian, Hungarian, and Romanian armies, are bogged down in France. At this point the Maginot line is still held, but the French lines in the north have been driven out of Belgium and into Northern France. However, German casualties have been immense and the Luftwaffe is crippled after a poorly planned terror bombing campaign in France and Britain. The Kriegsmarine is mostly sunk, but the Italian navy is still supplying Northern Africa and making things difficult for the French and British navies. The US Army has started sending an expedition force to this front.
In late 1942, the USN, it's Pearl Harbor losses replenished, wins a major battle off the coast of Nihau and follows it up with a string of victories in early 43. In mid 43, the Soviets invade Germany, Romania, and Hungary. Although German troops have been massing there since the Soviet invasion of Iran, they are far from the cream of the crop and outnumbered significantly by the invading Workers and Peoples Red Army. The Luftwaffe keeps the skies contested and delivers a modicum of CAS to the defenders. However, this air power is diverted from the Western front. In addition, the entire Romanian and Hungarian armies are recalled, often disorderedly, allowing lines in northern France to shift significantly North for the first time in the war. The Soviets, with their surviving purged officers and generals having been long rehabilitated, their officer corps being given time to recover, and their forces fully prepared for war, make a textbook Deep Operations offensive and crush the German defenders.
The Hungarians and Romanians eventually regroup well behind their borders and mount a more competent resistance, although they are still losing. The Red Army captures Berlin in December, and Hitler withdraws to Hamburg. The Nazis attempt to fight a war on two fronts and inflict heavy casualties on the French and Soviet offensives, but eventually Hamburg falls to the Soviets and he commits suicide. The Germans subsequently surrender, and the Italians had already done so in the invasion of Italy shortly following the soviet attack.
Stalin doesn't stop. He realizes that the Franch are exhausted, their forces are not poised for a defense of the new lines, and the French manpower has been wrecked, even with the absence through most of this war of ill-fated constant offensives and counteroffensives like in the last war. Britain is also critically low on manpower, and America doesn't have many forces in Europe yet. The Soviets continue their offensive two weeks after German surrender. The Wallies are quickly encircled and over a million men are taken prisoner. The Red Air Force takes heavy casualties, but the Red Army advances into France and Italy, installing communist governments in both. A million Frenchmen and thousands of Americans and Brits are sent to the Gulag. Britain is not attacked, but India and Iraq are invaded through Iran and the British force in Burma thus has to withdraw to India. Slim mounts a very competent defense of the Raj, but much of India is overrun. Eventually Britain goes to the peace table to get its empire back, which Stalin is willing to furnish. The Red Army withdraws from Britain and the Benelux countries are allowed to go in the Anglo-American sphere of influence and have non-communist governments.
America does not make peace, however. It sends an expeditionary force to assist Slim, and when Britain makes peace they are sent into Bengal to fight the Japanese. After the Japanese are eventually pushed out of Burma, this AEF goes into China under secret orders to bring Chiang Kai Shek onside. They hold him at gunpoint and force him to cut all ties with the USSR and to declare war on the CCP. The Burma road is heavily developed and supplemented with supply transportation by air to China. The Communists struggle with the KMT to the aid of no one but the Japanese. However, these Japanese are losing badly by this point in the Pacific War. Okinawa and Iwo Jima are captured late 1945, and Japan is nuked shortly following. The emperor surrenders, but the IJA in China fights suicidally on. After a few months long invasion of China to assist the KMT, a Soviet offensive in Manchuria and Korea which turns those areas over to the CCP and the DPRK, respectively, they too surrender.
A "Warm War" follows, as no side can really touch the other. The USSR invades many former axis puppets and are usually opposed by US troops. Both sides send large numbers of troops into China, where both the KMT and CCP are unreliable allies, with especially the KMT not wanting to be fighting the USSR after operation Zet. This continues into the 1950s, when MAD is conceptualized and growing nuclear arsenals result in a decrease in brutal proxy wars throughout the globe. In 1970, the USSR and USA finally make peace. France has developed a nuclear arsenal, split with Moscow over doctrinal matters, and is in general a rogue nation supplying radical communists throughout the world and engaging in horrible experiments in trying to achieve Communism. China is divided between the KMT and the CCP, both of whom have nuclear weapons, the KMT's coming with assistance from Israel. The KMT and CCP are both non-aligned also. They are each totalitarian regimes that attempt to play the Soviets and Americans against eachother. DPRK is nice and peachy, just like OTL. And the USSR and USA both support horrible regimes around the world.
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