AHC: Surviving Nazi Germany as a buffer state

[GauchoBadger]

A challenge: With a WW2 PoD anytime after the beginning of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, how can we craft a scenario whereas Nazi Germany fails in its grand strategic goals, but survives in Germany (perhaps with a few puppet states) after a successful defensive effort or negotiations with the Allies?

 

[Rufus Shinra]

A challenge: With a WW2 PoD anytime after the beginning of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, how can we craft a scenario whereas Nazi Germany fails in its grand strategic goals, but survives in Germany (perhaps with a few puppet states) after a successful defensive effort or negotiations with the Allies?

Almost immediate assassination of Dolfie by his general staff followed by negociations with the Soviets while the Red Army is still reeling.

 

[Arcavia]

Would a different, more successful Operation Valkyrie do the trick?

 

[thaddeus]

seems impossible without numerous PODs? various and some contradictory? (i.e. if they are more successful against the Soviets, in some regard, history would say they are not stopping?)

it would take nuclear breakthrough for a single POD, and that has been shown to be a weak effort on their part.

 

[Rufus Shinra]

Would a different, more successful Operation Valkyrie do the trick?

Not by the time it was done. Maybe, just maybe in the weeks after the beginning of Barbarossa, and if the German high command manages not only to secure control of power fast enough to prevent a collapse of the military but also offers so many guarantees that Stalin would agree. Both of which being highly unlikely.

 

[Colonel Zoidberg]

A fascist North Korea smack in the middle of goddamn Europe? Let’s just say the sale of brown pants goes through the roof, and when people find out about the Holocaust, assuming it gets anywhere close to underway, people are going to be really fucking nervous letting those guys stick around (I know the world grudgingly tolerates NK, but at least they only commit atrocities inside their own borders. A shit-ton of evidence of the Holocaust exists OTL outside Germany. It would be inside the Iron Curtain, so we would be counting on Uncle Joe Stalin to expose it, which I think he would, not to be kind but to make the Nazis look like huge assholes.)

Also, NK is on a peninsula on the edge of Asia. It’s surrounded by a bay, an ocean, a river and a fuckton of land mines. Good luck doing that in the middle of Europe with a LOT of nervous neighbors. Furthermore, I can’t imagine anyone sees this as a permanent solution. So mining the hell out of a massive border in Germany is a lot of work for what will end up being a fool’s endeavor.