LazarusBoard

Leonism wrote:

I say there are several people with much better factbooks! Mine lack in illustration, formatting could be better and several are unfinished or outdated.

I wouldn't think of myself as an outstanding example on how to do factbooks.

Since Cossack Peoples won't mention it himself, he also has some very good factbooks that go into extreme detail.

New vedan wrote:

You know I'm intrested to know, if you were in charge of your country during WW2 and the years leading up to it, what would you have done differently?

Two wasn't enough.

Hraban wrote:

I'm German so naturally there are quite a few things I would have done differently.

Like what exactly? Keep in mind this version of you would have not have the foresight that we do now several decades after the wars end. So you need to try and think of what you would do having grown up in the time period and having the social norms of the Germans of that time, as well as having no idea how catastrophic the war would be for Germany.

Hello.

New vedan wrote:

You know I'm intrested to know, if you were in charge of your country during WW2 and the years leading up to it, what would you have done differently?

I love grand strategy games such as Hearts of Iron, so I simulated this before. As leader of my RL country, Germany, I would have tried to maximise Industrial Capacity before the war and try to start the war as late as possible.

The Kriegsmarine in particular had an ambitious ship construction programme, Plan Z, which was scheduled to finish about 1944/1945, the year for which the war was originally supposed to start at the earliest. So as a German leader I would have tried to drag the beginning of the war until much later, then focus on the western front and only attack the Soviet Union once Great Britain was defeated. If the US could be kept out of the war until then, victory in Europe would have been in reach.

The attack on the USSR as it happened in RL was uncalled for at that moment, as the Soviets genuinely believed in the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact and would not have attacked by themselves until possibly much later.

WW2 Germany unnecessarily began a two-front war. That's the main mistake I would have wanted to avoid.

Free market buisnesses wrote:

No, you got to go Communist. USSR human waves + German blitz is unstoppable.

Ah, the Unholy Alliance! This was actually a possible scripted event in Hearts of Iron 2, under certain rare circumstances (Germany turning communist).

Apparently if I use the liberal theme I'm "Self-Congratulatory Merchant Bankers" and I'm "Freedom-Loving Libertarians" with the conservative theme. Which do you guys think is more accurate?

Northern Rosary Isles wrote:

Why not both?

Yeah, that's what I think.
BTW, since nobody's gonna notice, what do you think of my new classification?

Free market buisnesses wrote:

Yeah, that's what I think.
BTW, since nobody's gonna notice, what do you think of my new classification?

Depends. Is this the classification you are going for, or are you trying to go full AnCap?

New vedan wrote:

Like what exactly? Keep in mind this version of you would have not have the foresight that we do now several decades after the wars end. So you need to try and think of what you would do having grown up in the time period and having the social norms of the Germans of that time, as well as having no idea how catastrophic the war would be for Germany.

For example I wouldn't have purged millions of Jews. I also would have tried from the very beginning to find a common ground with the communists and not betray them once I had a pact with the soviets.

I would probably still be a dictator and be very authoritarian. Since I would have grown up under the Kaiser and likely would have fought in WW1 I would at least dislike most western Nations, namely the British and the French. I probably also wouldn't be very fond of democracy seeing first hand how Germanies first attempt at democracy would basically be a disaster from beginning to end and plagued by civil war, disease, hyper inflation and even starvation, not to mention the poorly managed system that democracy was running on.

The way I see it there really only was two possible outcomes for Germany after WW1 and that insult of a treaty, either communist/socialist or fascist.

That being said WW2 likely would still have happened with me. Simply because I wouldn't have accepted the Treaty of Versailles and large parts of the population also were pissed because of it, too many to ignore. Resolving and renegotiating the treaty peacefully and diplomatically would have been near impossible because of the long and historical rivalry between the French and the Germans (most other major powers in Europe also hating us wouldn't have helped either).

Ps: keep in mind I tried to put myself in that timeline as much as possible but one can never truly free himself from the shackles of current year perspective.

Fascists get into power when democracy fails people.

Hraban wrote:

For example I wouldn't have purged millions of Jews. I also would have tried from the very beginning to find a common ground with the communists and not betray them once I had a pact with the soviets.

I would probably still be a dictator and be very authoritarian. Since I would have grown up under the Kaiser and likely would have fought in WW1 I would at least dislike most western Nations, namely the British and the French. I probably also wouldn't be very fond of democracy seeing first hand how Germanies first attempt at democracy would basically be a disaster from beginning to end and plagued by civil war, disease, hyper inflation and even starvation, not to mention the poorly managed system that democracy was running on.

The way I see it there really only was two possible outcomes for Germany after WW1 and that insult of a treaty, either communist/socialist or fascist.

That being said WW2 likely would still have happened with me. Simply because I wouldn't have accepted the Treaty of Versailles and large parts of the population also were pissed because of it, too many to ignore. Resolving and renegotiating the treaty peacefully and diplomatically would have been near impossible because of the long and historical rivalry between the French and the Germans (most other major powers in Europe also hating us wouldn't have helped either).

Ps: keep in mind I tried to put myself in that timeline as much as possible but one can never truly free himself from the shackles of current year perspective.

That's a pretty fair assessment. Really from a German perspective ww2 was inevitable, as was a authoritarian Germany. WW1 was a mistake all around and the treaty that ended it never should have been signed.

Well since you guys have told me yours I'll tell you mine. If I was leader of the USA during FDRs term I would have tried my best to stay out of the war and focus of domestic issues. (Of which there were many at the time.) I would have still sold supplies, but I would sell to Allies and Axis alike for the same price with cash upfront. I probably would also try and sell the Philippines to the Japanese, as it was clear at the time they wanted control of all of Asia and I personally belive the Stars and stripes never had any buisness flying over the Philippines in the first place. So getting much needed cash for that far off money pit while avoiding any possible future hostilities with Japan, seems like it would be a good idea. I'd also keep selling them oil after the Nanking massacre. Partially because I want to keep America neutral for as long as possible and we need the money anyways. And partially because 40s Vedan is most likely as racist as Adolf Hitler and wouldn't really give a crap if the Asians are genocidal towards each other. So it's quite possible I'd manage to avoid pearl harbor entirely and never enter the war at all.

If by chance pear harbor still happend, then I would cease selling supplies to the Axis powers and focus all of Americas military might to the war in the pacific. I still wouldn't send troops to Europe tho, but I might begin lend lease to the British, as well as the soviets if they agree to declare war on Japan. Eventually I'd win the war with the Japanese as we did IRL, and then occupy them until my term ends, after which they would be my successors problem.

Theres also the slight possiblity that I would go ahead and declare war on the British if it became clear that the Germans were going to win the western front. (And pearl harbor hasn't happend) So that I could annex Canada and go down in history as the next president Polk. I'd most likely go ahead and take over all European owned possessions in the Americas while I'm at it, and frame it all as a Monroe doctrine thing. I'd go ahead and make a agreement with Germany to help them invade the British isles in exchange for recognition of American ownership of all European possessions in the Americas. Including Iceland, which I would claim is the first piece of the Americas to ever be discovered by Europeans. (Even tho it's been considerd part of Europe for the past thousand years or so.) I'd use my fresh navy to try and defeat the British at sea. (and just keep building ships until I do.) So that the Germans could land in southern England while my men land in Northern scotland and Ireland. Creating a two front war in there own homeland is bound to lower British moral, especially after losing Canada. So I imagine they would come to the negotiation table soon enough, at which time I would inform them that i simply want restitution for American losses in the war, and all there American colony's (including Bermuda.) If they refuse I'll just keep fighting until they agree, and then withdraw from Europe entirely and return to watching the soviets and the Nazis kill each other until my term limit expires.