World War II: Failed D-Day Invasion

World War II: Failed D-Day Invasion is an alternate history in which the point of divergence occurred on June 2, 1944, when Nazi intelligence learn of the impending D-Day invasion.

The Plan (Pre-June 1944)
After careful planning, the Allies prepare the infamous D-Day invasion, set for June 6, 1944. Eisenhower gives a speech the day before, also having a prepared speech in case of a failed invasion.

Interception and Nazi response (June 2, 1944)
Nazi intelligence return to Berlin with the Allies plans on June 2, 1944. After reviewing the plans for the impending attack, Hitler calls his generals to a meeting. The Nazi High Command realizes they only have 90 hours to act. Hitler foresees a powerful attack, and so he intends to risk it by moving German troops to Western Europe.

After taking advice from his generals, who warn Hitler that it was too risky to put so many troops in the west, Hitler ultimately goes with his gut. He orders three divisions of the army to proceed west. Division 1 is sent to Belgium, Division 2 is sent to Normandy, and Division 3 is used as back up in central France. Hitler's plan of attack is to wait for the enemy to strike first. He also plans on a massive bombing on the landing invaders.

Delayed Attack (June 2-10, 1944)
Allied Intelligence receive reports that massive movement of German troops are heading west towards France, right toward the intended landing zone. Eisenhower reviews the plans and the Allied commanders postpone the invasion to June 10, and change a few of the landing locations.

When June 6 comes, the German army awaits the Allies. Hitler anxiously awaits the battle in Berlin. Nothing happens throughout the entire day. Throughout June 7 and 8, nothing happens either. By June 9, Hitler realizes that the Allies have postponed the date of the invasion up after massive divisions of the German army are discovered moving west. Hitler remains calm and orders the army to wait for the attack.

The Attack (June 10-15, 1944)
At 06:00 hours on June 6, 1944, the world did not know that by the end of the day, the world would never be the same. The Allies immediately storm the beaches of Normandy and other landing beaches on D-Day. German commanders prepare for the surprise attack. Just as most of the Allied armies are landing on the beaches, the Luftwaffe goes in for the attack. 1,200 Luftwaffe fighters and bombers spread out over the western French coast and attack the invaders, who are unprepared for such a surprise attack. The Luftwaffe leaves to refuel and rearm, and continuously pounds the invading army. Some Allies flee, others move east. By nightfall, the Allies are exhausted. After the Nazi victory, a few of Hitler's generals try to persuade Hitler that he should let the ground troops finish off the surviving invaders. Anticipating fresh Allied troops, Hitler turns this request down. By 23:00 hours, Allied troops who made it, along with divisions of surviving Sherman tanks, begin to advance through the French countryside. When they reach Nazi camps, they attack. After several attacks through the night, German commanders attack and push any remaining allies toward the west, without receiving permission from Hitler. The mighty Tiger assault divisions quickly destroyed whatever they found ... tanks, soldiers and even anti-tank guns. By June 15, all allied strongholds are abandoned and the German Wehrmacht retake Western Europe.

Aftermath
After what became "The Battle of Normandy," the allies were torn. Over 78,000 allied troops were killed, 34,000 wounded and over 20,000 were missing. While only 7,000 German casualties were recorded, along with 27 aircraft and 11 Tiger II tanks. And which Eisenhower called "The greatest military disaster in history". Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minister of Propaganda, used this decisive victory to raise German civilian and military morale and to usher in the belief that the war was effectively won in one single battle.

German Response
Hitler was delighted at the Nazi victory, but at the same time he was fretful. Believing that the war would be over if England were to be defeated, Hitler planned a second attempt at invading Great Britain called "Fall Grau" (Case Grey) in the fall of 1944.

Second Battle of Britain (August-October 1944)
In August and September of 1944, German warplanes began bombing southern England, just as they did earlier in the war. This time, the Luftwaffe is able to clear a stretch of land on the British coastline to plan an invasion.

On October 1, 1944, German troops began storming the beaches of southern England; in retaliation, the Allies move toward the invading German forces. However, the Allies were unprepared for such an attack; they were held off and the Germans began moving toward London.

Siege of London
Throughout October 1944, the German army fought their way through southern England, and reached London late in the month. Seeing the attack was inevitable, the British seat of government was moved to Liverpool. London fell in November, and southern England became occupied Nazi German territory.

The Germans moved quickly through England, taking important strongholds and cities; the British government fled to the United States in December 1944. On December 15, 1944, Roosevelt met privately with Churchill, a few members of Parliament, as well as high ranking British and American military officers.

King George VI and some of the Royal Family fled to Canada.

Axis plans
By 1945, Nazi Germany had taken control over most of Europe; after the United Kingdom fell, Ireland fell to the Germans. Nazi Germany also took stronger control of Vichy France. On January 17, 1945, Axis Powers met in Berlin to discuss their future plans.

The first plan calls for the removal of Allied troops in Italy. At this point, the Allies had taken control over the southern half of Italy. The second plan called for plans on taking control of the oil fields in the Middle East.

Manhattan Project
During these German victories, the top secret Manhattan Project was underway. Initially, plans to bomb Japanese cities were the primary goal. However, additional nuclear weapons were to be created to bomb Nazi strongholds, Berlin being considered a last resort target. As the situation in Europe got worse, Soviet scientists got involved.

February-March 1945: Southern Front
In February 1945, Axis powers began sending more troops into Italy to retake the peninsula. The Allies, now weakened from the Battle of Normandy, were unable to maintain Italy, and the peninsula fell back into Axis hands by March 1945, and Benito Mussolini returned as leader.

Roosevelt's death
U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945. On the same day, Vice President Harry S. Truman was sworn in as President. Truman immediately wanted to end the war as fast as he could.

Russian surrender
After being terribly weakened, and since the Normandy invasion failed, thus no Soviet advance on the eastern front, Joseph Stalin met with Hitler and Mussolini in Munich, where he signed an armistice on April 14, 1945. In the agreement, Nazi Germany took control over a vast part of Western Russia, at which the border sits nearly ten miles from Moscow.

War in the Pacific
After the failed Normandy invasion, and the loss of Italy, the United States put forth more efforts into the Pacific Theatre. By May 1945, they successfully won a series of battles on several islands. The Japanese surrendered to the United States on May 4, 1945, without the use of nuclear weapons.

Nuclear weapons
On July 1, 1945, President Truman received word from scientists involved in the Manhattan Project that the bombs were ready for use. After a briefing with his generals, Truman sends a telegram to Berlin, requesting that Hitler should surrender or else. When Hitler received the telegram, he refused to surrender.

Munich bombing
On July 9, 1945, the United States dropped a bomb on Munich. After seeing the devastation, Hitler immediately ordered a massive bombing campaign on American soil.

July Raids
Beginning on July 14, 1945, a series of bombing raids took place on American ports on the eastern seaboard, killing over 17,000 people and injuring over 39,000 more. Truman, now having a tough decision to make, ordered the bombings of Frankfurt and Hamburg.

Frankfurt and Hamburg
The USAAF dropped bombs on Frankfurt and Hamburg on July 20, 1945. After hearing about the bombings, the Nazi government fled to occupied Norway for protection. Hitler's response was another series of bombing raids on the eastern seaboard that resulted in the deaths of over 39,000 Americans with over 72,000 injured. This included the destruction of Philadelphia and Boston. Truman immediately realized that the war was going nowhere, so he sent a telegram to Hitler, requesting they meet to make peace negotiations. Hitler agreed, and they were set to meet in Ottawa, Canada for the meeting.

Treaty of Ottawa
Delegates from the warring countries and the German protectorate government in France met in Ottawa for deliberation and peace talks.

Delegates

 * Harry S. Truman (United States)
 * Sir Winston Churchill (United Kingdom)
 * Adolf Hitler (Germany)
 * Benito Mussolini (Italy)
 * King George VI (United Kingdom and The Commonwealth)
 * William MacKenzie King (Canada)
 * Philippe Pétain (Vichy France)

Terms
The terms of the Treaty were as follows:
 * Immediate withdrawal of all German military personnel on the British Isles.
 * Immediate withdrawal of all German occupation forces stationed in Europe.
 * Eastern border of the Third Reich splits Poland in half, with the eastern (Soviet occupied) side becoming the Republic of Poland.
 * Vichy France is recognized as an independent country by the League of Nations.
 * End of Holocaust and allow Jews to peacefully leave Germania without trouble.

Aftermath of World War II
After the Treaty of Ottawa, the world was relieved that the war was over, but numerous issues remained that would continue the tensions between the United States and the Third Reich.

Post-war Germania
Known as Germania, the Third Reich began recovering from the bombings. A new Berlin was planned for construction, which was then completed in 1947. The same year, Eva Hitler, First Lady of Germania, gave birth to a son, Heinrich Hitler. Nazi polices against the Jews remained the same; the government failed to keep those terms of the treaty. Regardless, in the chaos of the final months of the war, many Jews were able to seek refuge in the Soviet Union and the Republic of Poland, which were later freed from Nazi control in the Treaty of Ottawa.

Post-war United States
The United States was able to quickly recover from the bombing raids that left thousands of Americans dead. The way Truman handled the end of the war was extremely unpopular, and he resigned as a result on March 5, 1947. Since there was no Vice President in office, Secretary of State George C. Marshall succeeded Truman as the 34th President of the United States. He won a landslide election in 1948 and again in 1952.

As Germany continued to militarize, develop nuclear weapons, and prepare to launch a satellite into space, the United States did the same, stressing the importance of science and math education as well as keeping the military strong. The atmosphere of the United States was more patriotic than ever. General Eisenhower succeeded George C. Marshall to the Presidency in 1953, served two full terms.

Post-war Soviet Union
Following the war, the Soviet Union sought a strong alliance with the United States. Stalin made several trips to Washington, D.C. to meet with President Truman and later with President Marshall. A strong relationship between the two countries began. However, the Soviet Union was badly beaten during the war and had suffered numerous casualties.

World Leaders

 * Presidents of the United States
 * 32nd Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933 - April 12, 1945)
 * 33rd Harry S. Truman (April 12, 1945 - March 5, 1947)
 * 34th George C. Marshall (March 5, 1947 - January 20, 1953)
 * 35th Dwight D. Eisenhower (January 20, 1953 - January 20, 1961)


 * Germania
 * Adolf Hitler (1933 - )


 * United Kingdom
 * Winston Churchill