Adolf Hitler is recorded to have served in the German army during WWI, he was present at many famous battles such as Ypres and the Somme. In OTL he survived the war and went on to join the radical political party, the National Socialist Party and lead them to victory in the 1933 elections, this eventually led to WWII, the Cold War, various conflicts connected to the Cold War, and eventually the rise of America to earths premier superpower. This ATL works under the premise that Hitler was gravely wounded at the first battle of Ypres and had to hospitalized, dying three days later in a small field hospital in Roulers.
This deals with the events directly after the Great War and several years after Adolf's death and how the death of Hitler was not for the better.
Timeline[]
There are two major differences between this ATL and OTL apart from the death of Hitler, firstly, is that the Irish politician Charles Stewart Parnell successfully campaigns for an Irish parliament resulting in the Dominion of Ireland being created, and secondly, Nikola Tesla, the underrated genius, does not move to America, instead he is contracted by the French military to work on several new projects such as the concept of electric vehicles and weapons, an improved aircraft (VTOLs) and his theory on a 'directed energy weapon', this last one receives both contempt and fascination from the military command, however it was denied funding due to the outbreak of the Great War when research and funding was directed towards U-Boats, VTOLs and Lancelot De Moles ' Trench-Attack-Vehicle' (OTL Tank)
1931 []
- Alfred Hartmann, Eastern Front veteran, German patriot and official Aryan poster boy for the National Socialist, quit the party under the grounds that he was being 'used' for publicity purposes and getting no actual credit. He and some of his supporters set up their own rival party, the German National Fascists Party, and quickly garner support thanks to their choice of scape-goat, communist, Russian immigrants.
1932[]
- In a secret meeting, President of France Albert Lebrun and British Prime minister Ramsay MacDonald, sign a treaty signifying a defensive union between the two great nations, with opposition for 'Global Top Dogs' being challenged by the USA and Japan, the leaders of the respective countries have decided to work together and support each other militarily and economically.
- With the parties popularity high for the moment, Hartmann decides to take a break and have lunch at the Café Kranzler with some of his friends and party members. Little does he know that the Kranzler had been chosen as the site for an assassination attempt by communist radicals. Fortunately for him however the bomb failed to detonate and he survived, unfortunately though a plan B had been conceived, a second bomb quickly attached to the boot of the taxi called for Hartmann. However the would-be assassins made one crucial mistake, they set of the bomb as Hartmann was leaving the café, not as he was getting into the car. The driver was killed in the explosion and several members of press were injured. Hartmann himself suffered an injury to his right knee and was forced to walk with a cane for the rest of his life. The assassins were caught and executed later in the month.
1933[]
- After years of political wrangling with his old party, the GNF finally win the German national elections with 78% of the seats and Hartmann being declared Chancellor by President Paul von Hindenburg. In his victory speech he talks about "Bringing the German people back to glory" and "avenging the injustices of the Versailles Treaty". This is met with joy by the German people and fear from Germany's neighbours, in Britain and France, all forces in Europe are but on the alert, and the two countries begin their first joint operation, 'Hermes' spying on all major GNF members currently in government.
- Meanwhile after a series of riots and bombings in Berlin (blamed on communists and the Nazi party), Chancellor Hartmann brings in the Sturmabteilung, or SA, his own personal army of loyal, militarily minded GNF members. For a while riots increase in ferocity as SA members use live ammunition on the rioters, but within a few months they have completely stopped. Using this popularity, Hartmann brings in several new policies such as banning all other parties, expulsion of communists out of major towns and cities and into 'Containment Camps' so that they can work for the new Reich, the ban of trade unions, eugenic sterilization of thee disabled and, perhaps his most famous move of his early career, the 'Enabling Act' effectively merging his own position of Chancellor with the soon to be vacant position of President.
- And in the USA, President Hoover leaves office and is replaced by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the former governor of New York won by a landslide, promising to bring America out of the recession if he had to drag it out himself, he also won considerable support from southerners, by promising to review Americas Isolationist foreign policy, particularly towards the "socialist" states of Latin-America.
1934[]
- After several months the British/French spy team finally come across some suspect information. Undercover members of the SA have been helping to gather support for the Polish Nationalist Union, this makes little sense to either the spies or their superiors as Germany seems to have little to gain apart from a friendly neighbour.
- As the election season begins to move into Poland, the obvious majority belongs to the PNU. With promises to protect the country from an aggressive Russia, Ignacy Ronikier wins with over half the votes, this is due to the SA and their spreading of anti-Russian sentiments to the population. Ronikier then sets about using similar tactics as GNF did after Hartmann's victory the previous year. However he does not set about sterilizing the disabled, instead he does sell large amounts of land to the German government, including the Prussian corridor (a strip of land between the German mainland and east Prussia) and several acres which will have 'labour factories' for German 'political dissidents' built on them, half the produce will be sold to the Polish market.
- A secret meeting is held in Milan between Hartmann, Benito Mussolini and Ronikier. The main subject, a pact in which the fascist countries of Europe will work together as allies in case of attack, the treaty is signed by the three leaders and is known as the 'Pact of Steel'
- Alfred Hartmann ask Johann Claus to grow his tiny bodyguard the Schuzstaffel to bigger organisation by the end of September it has 28,000 members.
- Plans begin for the creation for a tiger tank and a Leopard tank Porsche begins the design and it will be ready by 1938.
Open for edit.[]
Please put ideas under this line and I'll sort it later. Please note Germany invades Russia first and I don't want America to enter the war in Europe. Like the start of World War Two but in reverse.