AHC - What contribution would British Forces make and where?

merlin

With a non-Nazi Germany (maybe the Weimar Republic survived) - Western Europe faces an aggressive Russia. Its simmering dispute with Poland has led to concerns in the corridors of power in Paris and London, while nothing official has been announced, Germany is given the 'nod' to quietly rearm. The process begins elsewhere - spec's are issued, plans made, if events unfold that makes peace impossible.

It's hard to know where the flash-point was - Finland, the Polish border or Rumania.

So, with the scene set in very general terms - assume late 30s or early 40s - what use would British Forces be best suited to in any West v East conflict - with no racial dogma?
 

Reggieperrin

Based on British policy prior to being unexpectedly Hitlered their initial plans would likely be - the Royal Navy smushes anything soviet that floats, the Royal Air Force does the same to anything that flies (or sits very still, is brightly illuminated and clearly marked in all the maps) the British Army consists of a smallish expeditionary force all with different cap badges trying to pretend their (very shiny) boots don’t hurt.
Once reality sets in the Brits would likely have to expand into a continental type army - the obvious place to use them would be in Iran, and possibly in the Russian pacific provinces if the fighting somehow got established there (which would be logistically daunting). But it’s not unlikely the Japanese would throw in with a Berlin/London/Paris alliance so….
 

merlin

With the Iran option, I can see that happening as an air-power base, but trying to fight through the mountains would be more trouble than its worth.

More likely, is the Baltic as per 1919, either to help secure the area - if they haven't been taken prior to the war, or as a way of seizing an area to assist with logistics.
Any British army contribution is likely to be small especially compared to that of France, German, Poland and the Czechs, but apart from Iran/Iraq can well imagine RAF squadrons based in Poland and eastern Germany e.g. Halifaxs.
With no Hitler/Nazis = no Goring in charge of the Luftwaffe, no Goring = no Udet. Wever & Milch instead? Does the Ju-87 still happen - probably not, more likely Me-110 heavy fighter/light-attack bomber (ironically more akin to the Potez 630 series - but better.
 

BrockSampson

I imagine the British would be sending air sorties out against the Caucasus as well as what others have posted. Hitler wanted the oil fields intact, the Brits would want them unusable.
 

Cryhavoc101

My take is that Britain would supply the hoofing great navy, air force and back it all up with its ownership of the financial system and effective control of the worlds merchant fleet and Britain's industrial base.

France, Germany and Poland and any other European nation that jumps in would provide the continental army's with the Imperial army in the first 12 months being sufficient to provide security to the Empire against any threats

At least initially
 

AdA

Admiral Bloonbeard said:
The Soviet fleet buildup that happened OTL until Barbarossa interrupted it was not just aimed at Germany but also Britain
Click to expand...
Stalin's naval plans were not really aimed at anyone. They were just grandiose ( and not very pratical) plans to build a fleet "second to none" with little practical consideration to its deployment. What really got build was mostly aimed at bastion defence.
Under Tukhachevsy there was an ambitious concept to use a combination of submarines, torpedo vessels and long range torpedo bombers to conduct an aggressive defence. The post purges plans including battleships and battlecruisers would not produce any large ships in service until at least 1943.
And the Soviet Union was very aware of how isolated it was. In a TL like this one, were it would be basically facing a 1939 version of NATO, it would surely opt for a defensive strategy.
 
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