WI: Nazi Germany attacks France instead of Poland

Zireael

As the title says. What would have happened? Would GB have helped France instead of having OTL 'bizarre war' (i.e. DoWing Germany but not taking any action at all for several months)
 

jmc247

Hitler believed that France and the UK were cowards who wouldn't fight a one front war after Munich and Stalin by agreeing to divide up Eastern Europe with Germany made certain that Poland would fall with ease to the Red Army and the German Army.

Even if they did as occurred in OTL Hitler was well aware of the public opinion aspect to all of this. Even being in a dictatorship didn't mean he could totally ignore the opinion of the German people and the Army at least at this point in time. He built up the German public using false flag operations into a frenzy against Poland and convinced the German generals that because of the pact with Stalin they would only have to fight a one front war at a time if the UK and France did declare war.

So this wasn't a situation like in 1938 where the generals were deeply afraid that they would be fighting a two front war that they couldn't win.

France and the UK declaring war on Germany made things easier for Hitler as he was able to defeat Poland with ease with the help of the Red Army and then focus on France without having to deal with the public opinion aspect of getting Germans ready for a second major European war.
 

Snaut

I can't imagine Britain not going to France's aid. If only because without it, the USSR would be the only possible ally against Germany on the continent.

mattep74 said:
Why would they attack France? France had nothing they wanted
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Well, pillaging it might certainly help with Barbarossa. And if Hitler is feeling paranoid, removing a potential Soviet ally may seem to be a good idea anyway.

jmc247 said:
Even if they did as occurred in OTL Hitler was well aware of the public opinion aspect to all of this. Even being in a dictatorship didn't mean he could totally ignore the opinion of the German people and the Army at least at this point in time. He built up the German public using false flag operations into a frenzy against Poland and convinced the German generals that because of the pact with Stalin they would only have to fight a one front war at a time.
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The intense anti-Polish propaganda only began in 1939, prior to that point Hitler still entertained the possibility of an alliance with Poland against the USSR. Presumably in this timeline he succeeds in making some sort of arrangement with it, otherwise attacking France would mean an unpleasant two-front war.
 

brokenman

Hitler have already given up of acquiring the Alsace-Lorraine as Germany got back the Sudetenland factories. The British-French refusal to peace out or to not to intervene with Poland made that happen.
 

Dathi THorfinnsson

He might very well lose. Germany got a lot stronger in the interim, and he could have not succeeded in 1940. Weaker and fewer tanks, for instance.
 

seraphim74

I do not believe Hitler would have attacked France first. A big part of his army was still unexperienced, the German tanks division didn't prove themselves in battle yet, neither did Luftwaffe. To send it all against the strongest enemy would have been too risky even for Hitler. Not to mention the fact that Poland would have immediately declared war on Germany, forcing Hitler to leave a significant part of his army on German eastern border, probably bigger than forces left at western border in September 1939. Why bigger? Because Polish-German border was longer and it wasn't so well fortified. And Poles would have been more active than the French were IOTL. Polish Army was weaker and most certainly wouldn't have gone for Berlin, but is still could make some painful blows, especially in Upper Silesia
 
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