A Blunted Sickle - Thread II
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Thinking about Universities...
The relationship postwar between the University of Koenigsburg (which I presume like the rest of the city will become Polish) and the Jagellonian University of Krakow is going to be an interesting one post-war. The Collegium Albertinum (which became the UofK) when founded in 1544 was considered immediately as the Protestant counterpart to the Catholic Krakow Academy (now the JUofK) which was founded almost 2 centuries earlier. Koenigsburg at that point was part of the Duchy of Prussia which was a fief of Poland.
I doubt the Poles will change the UofK quite to the degree that the Soviets did, but I'm not sure how much German will remain the language of instruction. Prior to the Partition (1791), it was always viewed as one of notable Universities in the Poland, though *always* listed behind Krakow. Ideally, the relationship will be restored to what it was in the PLC.
OTOH, it is entirely possible that the University will turn out to be a place where the Nazis make a stand and try to resist the British.
The relationship postwar between the University of Koenigsburg (which I presume like the rest of the city will become Polish) and the Jagellonian University of Krakow is going to be an interesting one post-war. The Collegium Albertinum (which became the UofK) when founded in 1544 was considered immediately as the Protestant counterpart to the Catholic Krakow Academy (now the JUofK) which was founded almost 2 centuries earlier. Koenigsburg at that point was part of the Duchy of Prussia which was a fief of Poland.
I doubt the Poles will change the UofK quite to the degree that the Soviets did, but I'm not sure how much German will remain the language of instruction. Prior to the Partition (1791), it was always viewed as one of notable Universities in the Poland, though *always* listed behind Krakow. Ideally, the relationship will be restored to what it was in the PLC.
OTOH, it is entirely possible that the University will turn out to be a place where the Nazis make a stand and try to resist the British.
Making my way slowly through original thread. While I like the idea... the execution is not best. Complete reliance on "its all that bumbling Hitler's fault" excuse. Germans being so dumb and incapable of learning and repeating the same mistake over and over like caricatures of Red Army in '41 and '42. Huge percentage of TL being dedicated to British military procurement
How did you get that conclusion? Take the failure of the spring offensive of 1941 by the Germans. What did Hitler do that cause that to fail?
The TL has only recently reached 1942 and we've only really seen two major German offensives. The 1940 Blitzkrieg and the spring 1941 offensive. The Blitzkrieg ITTL failed due to a combination of the French using a different defence plan and then the Germans advancing on a two narrow front at Paris inviting encirclement and a counter attack.
The 1941 offensive failed as the Entente war machine had kicked in resulting in the Germans going against better equipped and supplied opponent that has noticeably more manpower in reserve.
So I have to dramatically disagree with your conclusion again and question how you arrived at it.
I know that isn't everyone's cup of tea but considering the thread's deducted to different fighting vehicles, equipment etc I have to disagree this is a design fault with the author but a matter of your personal taste.
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Yep. There are things I've really hated writing about in this (e.g. Operation Reinhardt), but there just isn't any way to write this sort of story without including them.
I've not decided what to do with them yet - so far I've just handwaved it as being the same as happened during 1940-41 in OTL. Postwar I'll have to come up with something though.
My assumption is that we're going to see some hybrid of the 1814 Congress of Vienna and 1948 Hague Congress to thrash out what to do with e.g. the Hungarian annexations. They aren't going to be allowed to just stand, but at the same time the Entente trying to reverse them by main force isn't going to fly.
I don't think they even care about the fig leaf. Germany has been the cause of Poland losing vast amounts of territory and has murdered millions of Polish citizens, in the circumstances compensating Poland with formerly German territory will be seen as natural justice.
<shrugs> I'm a professional engineer (CEng FIMechE), not a professional writer - so I make no apologies for my areas of interest bleeding over into the writing. If you want an enormous WW2 timeline which focuses on something else, feel free to go and write it - I'd be interested to read it.
I would also note that while at a tactical level the Germans were pretty competent, at an operational level they were not (getting incredibly lucky on a number of occasions - something I haven't allowed them to be here) and at a strategic level they couldn't find their arse with both hands and a map. What happened here is essentially what the Generalstab was expecting as of early 1940 - they knew that the invasion of France was a massive gamble and also their only chance to win.
It's also a case of writing what you know. If I tried to write something else I suspect it would be far worse, and I'd certainly have far less interest in writing it.
The problem in dealing with the Soviet Union in the post war is that there is no good solutions but only less bad options.
With no Soviet participation and the British and French finding a lot of documents in Berlin about the extent of the cooperation between the Soviets and Germany the Soviet Union will be seen as enabling the Germans in starting the war in the first place and letting it continue as long as it did.
Unlike IOTL where the Soviet Union was part of the Allies this won't be rug swept ITTL.
The only thing I can think of for the Allies to do ITTL is for Soviet assets to be frozen all credit to be cut off as complete of an economic and trade embargo to be imposed until an agreement can be reached about restoring the pre 1939 borders as much as possible.
I don't remember if the current President of the US is a Republican but there are a lot of Polish descendents who vote and will want the maximum amount leverage that the United States can use to be used against the Soviet Union.
With no Soviet participation and the British and French finding a lot of documents in Berlin about the extent of the cooperation between the Soviets and Germany the Soviet Union will be seen as enabling the Germans in starting the war in the first place and letting it continue as long as it did.
Unlike IOTL where the Soviet Union was part of the Allies this won't be rug swept ITTL.
The only thing I can think of for the Allies to do ITTL is for Soviet assets to be frozen all credit to be cut off as complete of an economic and trade embargo to be imposed until an agreement can be reached about restoring the pre 1939 borders as much as possible.
I don't remember if the current President of the US is a Republican but there are a lot of Polish descendents who vote and will want the maximum amount leverage that the United States can use to be used against the Soviet Union.
Fourthded. This is one of the best researched and most plausible timelines I've ever read. (To the nitpickers: Yes, I know "fourthded" isn't a word.)
Cryhavoc101
Donor
Its English - its not only the bard who can invent words - so it is a word now.
Congratulations
IndeedIts English - its not only the bard who can invent words - so it is a word now.
Congratulations
For that matter, we don't know how many words were actually invented by Shakespeare himself and how many he picked up from contemporaries or were passed down from earlier. He may be just the first person recorded as using many of them.
Agreed, very plausible. Just as in OTL, the German war machine was like a bicycle: it had to keep moving or it would fall over. Here it just stopped and began to fall in the summer of 1940 instead of December 1941.
Sixthted. I'd go so far as saying this timeline feels more realistic than reality did.
Seventhed. This is one of the timelines that got me hooked on Alt History and WWII in general.
Eighthed. And ditto on the 'It's English' comment. Invent away! New words will stick or slide into obscurity.
English - the language which drags other languages into back alleys & mugs them for useful vocabularyIts English - its not only the bard who can invent words - so it is a word now.
Congratulations
I like that!English - the language which drags other languages into back alleys & mugs them for useful vocabulary
