What if the Western Allies launched Operation Unthinkable?

[yulzari1]

You would have to do it soon after WW2 ends, for Britain at least. By late 1945 all the Sherman’s had been sent back to the Americans and British armoured divisions only had enough Cromwells for a few regiments plus Comets. The French army full of Sherman’s was one of the major armoured forces in the west. The Royal Navy had thrown all of it’s US aeroplanes over the side by then.

 

[firemanwonka]

There's also the chance that entire American units mutiny. Fighting Ivan was never in the cards.

how do you figure that ?

 

[Machiavelli Jr]

Its too faster change of lanes for the wallies. Leaving aside the issues in supplying and mounting an attack that big even in late 1945 when the troops are theoretically there, having just spent time winding down Europe in favor of Japan, the public won't buy into it.

We've had four years of the narrative that Uncle Joe and the brave, hardy people of the USSR have been fighting on our side despite suffering terrible hardships and loses. And now we're fighting them out of the blue?! Barring extreme events public opinion takes time to change especially if it involves a significant about face like this.

I think if Churchill tries to do this, there will be a General Strike in the UK and much of the armed forces are likely to mutiny. As you say, Stalin has been an ally for four years, he's still popular, the Royal Artillery are marching along singing "Viva Joe Stalin", the war is over at long, long last, and we're going to go again, fighting alongside a load of ex-Nazis?

 

[Kalga]

Also, even under a Churchill government, the Cambridge Ring would provide Stalin with information from virtually the moment the decision was taken. Aided by other sources in the UK and US.

Two simultaneous plot twists: First Stalin once again ignores the warnings from his spies, believing (correctly) that the western democracies would be completely mad to fight an even bloodier war when their performance in the recent one proved that they can't stomach the levels of meat grinding that's the norm on the Eastern front. Second when Unthinkable finally goes off it promptly faceplants immediately as the majority of the units (both enlists the bulk of officers) simply refuse to follow the insane orders to kick off another war immediately.

Thus the Western democracies just sulks off and tries to pass off everything as "just a prank bro" and Stalin, while reaping the propaganda coup, mostly "let it go" as he uses the time and breathing space to shore up internal issue and tighten his hold on Eastern Europe.

 

[Pax_Nihil]

Two simultaneous plot twists: First Stalin once again ignores the warnings from his spies, believing (correctly) that the western democracies would be completely mad to fight an even bloodier war when their performance in the recent one proved that they can't stomach the levels of meat grinding that's the norm on the Eastern front. Second when Unthinkable finally goes off it promptly faceplants immediately as the majority of the units (both enlists the bulk of officers) simply refuse to follow the insane orders to kick off another war immediately.

Thus the Western democracies just sulks off and tries to pass off everything as "just a prank bro" and Stalin, while reaping the propaganda coup, mostly "let it go" as he uses the time and breathing space to shore up internal issue and tighten his hold on Eastern Europe.

I immediately escalated to the use of nukes when I was imagining this, units not fighting on the ground and then all of q sudden major cities behind Soviet lines are mushroom clouds but even more so than before the soldiers are just like "yo bruh I'm not fighting radioactive commies" and the shitshow of communication between the US/UK and Soviet Union I think would be rather difficult to speculate on. But it'd be a glorious (because it is fiction) mess