July 18, 1941
It had been only 26 days since the start of the operation and German forces were shredding Marshal of the Soviet Union Semyon Timosheko’s armies to pieces. The last Soviet reserves between Army Group Centre and Moscow were crushed in Smolensk. With the fall of Smolensk, Moscow is now only 200 miles away, and the road lay open. It seems certain it will fall by the end of the summer, as planned. But elsewhere, the German advance was finding the going more difficult. The Red Army is counterattacking more effectively and Army Group South was still more than 50 miles from Kiev.
When the Führer arrives to survey the city, he is informed by his general staff on their current situation. (Utilizing an excerpt from one of Cem Arslan’s answers)
“Mein Führer, at the conclusion of the Battle of Smolensk in the end of July, Army Group Center will have destroyed the bulk of the Soviet forces between it and the vital railway and industrial hub of Moscow, which along with the pummeling of the Soviet Southern Front earlier on, renders the Soviets incapable of stopping an Unternehmen Taifun launched no later than the end of August, the success of which would allow a southern turn and the seizure of Kiev before the end of the campaigning season.”
Making the connection, the Führer wishes to capitalize on his victory at Smolensk and allows Army Group Centre to continue its advance towards Moscow. Within a matter of weeks, after heavy fighting, German forces surround and storm Moscow crushing yet another significant portion of the Red Army in the process.
With the fall of Moscow, the Soviet Union has lost its most vital railway and industrial hub. To the north, Army Group North receives orders to storm the city of Leningrad. However, having heard of the fall of the Soviet capital, and with no possibility of relief, the cities defenders begin to surrender. With Leningrad now in German hands, the Soviet Baltic Fleet, left with no major port from which to refuel and resupply, scuttle their naval vessels and surrenders to German forces. With Leningrad and Moscow now in German hands, the Führer now orders Army Group Centre to turn south to crush the Soviet Southern Front led by Marshal of the Soviet Union Semyon Budyonny at Kiev. German panzer divisions led by Generaloberst Heinz Guderian rapidly swing southwards in a massive pincer movement pushing through weak Soviet defenses. By early-October 1941, Army Group Centre successfully links up with Army Group South. The German armies capture an astonishing 665,000 Soviet troops in one fell swoop. It is considered one of the largest encirclements of all time. Just in time for the infamous rasputitsa season.
The remnants of the Soviet government in Kuybyshev realize that their remaining industries and remaining forces have been either captured or destroyed, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics has been effectively crippled. Knowing that there is little to no way of continuing the war, the Soviet administration in Kuybyshev surrenders to the Axis Powers.
Operation Barbarossa concludes with a resounding German/Axis victory with the A-A Line (Arkhangelsk-Astrakhan) being established and the Germans securing their gains. Following their success, the German government once again offers peace proposals to the British government, calling to end the war and prevent further loss of life.
This could go one of two ways…
One option is that despite Moscow having fallen as expected along with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the British decide they have nothing to lose and continue the fight against Germany while continuing to pressure the United States to join the war. With no alternative, the OKH prepares plans to continue the war against Great Britain. In the east, many German divisions are stationed in Russia to act as garrisons and security units. Rail lines are quickly established and the Germans begin using the resources of the Soviet Union (particularly the oil from the Caucasus) as well as using the population that is left in the occupied territories for compulsory labor.
German industries now begin to refocus on the production of grand ships, submarines and planes in order to force Great Britain out of the war. Following Barbarossa, the German Reich now shares a border with Turkey and Iran. The Germans having undone the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran, restore Reza Shah Pahlavi as ruler of the Imperial State of Iran.
German troops are stationed in Iran in order to prevent any British attempt to reoccupy the country. By mid-1942 rail lines are established and troops are reorganized and refitted. The Germans then open a second front in Africa through Iran. By this time, the island of Malta has also fallen to the Axis in Operation Herkules (Lets assume the Führer is persuaded to give the go for this operation.)
Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps are then reinforced by battle-hardened Panzer formations and are in good supply after the fall of Malta. The Afrika Korps together with German troops entering Iraq from the east secure North Africa, after a costly campaign. With the Suez canal under German control, British trade routes have to go through the Cape of Good Hope in Africa meaning it will take them much longer to reach Great Britain.
The Italians with the help of the Germans secure their gains in North Africa. Gibraltar also falls into Axis hands (Its strategic importance diminishes if the Suez Canal is no longer in British hands). The Axis Powers now have full control of the Mediterranean. Meanwhile the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe continue attacking British convoys, while the Luftwaffe also continues its attacks on British soil putting pressure on the British government to enter peace talks. German troops in Iran are seen as a threat towards the British crown jewel India. The Commonwealth increases the number of troops stationed in India to protect it. By 1943, with attrition being heavily felt and after the military disasters of 1941 and 1942, the British Empire is forced to enter peace talks with National Socialist Germany and the United States follows suit. Peace is restored in Europe.
Or…
With the fall of Moscow and the elimination of the Soviet Union, the British government realizes that with no other country left to call an ally and America in no position to intervene, decides to cut its losses and signs an armistice with the Axis Powers. In the peace treaty, Britain is allowed to maintain its empire in exchange for territorial concessions, recognition of all new European governments and German dominance over the continent.
With peace restored in western Europe, the German government sends Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop to Washington D.C. in order to negotiate a separate peace treaty with the United States in order to restore diplomatic and trade agreements between German and America. At first, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his government reject any/all talks of peace. But left with no allies and surrounded by two world powers, anti-war sentiment at an all-time high with millions of citizens calling for peace, eventually the U.S. government is forced to concede and agrees to negotiate with the Greater German Reich.
In either scenario, with the fall of Moscow and the defeat of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Axis Powers would have access to the plentiful natural resources of Eastern Europe, greatly strengthening their economies and giving them the ability to outproduce Great Britain and the United States even with their access to the resources of Africa and South America. Once peace is with the allies, the German Reich is tasked with rebuilding a war-torn Europe from the ground up. With near limitless resources at their disposal, Europe is spectacularly rebuilt within a matter of months to years, and steps are taken to distribute resources in order to build and sustain a new Europe now united behind the banners of National Socialism/Fascism.
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