History Literature / ThirdReichVictorious

* StrategyVersusTactics: poorly understood by the authors, who fall into the trap of treating Operations and Strategy as if they were simply 'big Tactics'. This conceptual problem plagued the actual German military officers of the time too.

* AlternateHistory: Ten of them.

* TranquilFury: In "Rommel versus Zhukov," after his victory at Normandy and the deaths of Hitler and much of his inner circle, Field Marshal Rommel is persuaded by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg to take a quick detour to the town of Dachau. Witnessing the horrors of the Nazi concentration camp firsthand, Rommel vomits before regaining his composure and shooting the SS Commandant on the spot.

* FourStarBadass: Many of the German generals, but in particular, Creator/ErwinRommel. The stories include him accepting the surrender of the BEF, plowing through the USSR, securing the Middle East, and, in the last story, becoming the leader of Germany and defeating the Soviets.

* FrontlineGeneral: Erwin Rommel, though Tsouras does not appreciate that greater distance from headquarters actually ''reduced'' a commander's ability to command in this period (given his greatly reduced ability to receive, process, and transmit information and orders). After becoming Chancellor in "Rommel versus Zhukov," he personally flies out to the Eastern Front to get a report from Field Marshal Model. His Ju52 transport plane is shot at by Soviet fighters and makes a forced landing. However, Rommel is completely unharmed and immediately asks to know from a subordinate where the nearest Soviets are. He then spends the rest of the day organizing delaying actions while the bulk of German forces retreat to more defensible positions.

UsefulNotes/NaziGermany wins UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. That's how ''Third Reich Victorious'', edited by Peter G. Tsouras, begins. In it are ten self-contained scenarios of highly variable 'hardness' (possibility) in which Germany ends up winning against the Allies. A book focusing on Japan's fortunes, called ''Literature/RisingSunVictorious'', was also published.

# "The Little Admiral": What if Hitler had joined the High Seas Fleet during World War I? As a result of naval training and discipline, Hitler becomes a well-versed naval tactician who puts a heavy emphasis on the Kriegsmarine once he comes to power. (Hard)
# "Disaster at Dunkirk": What if the Wehrmacht had pressed the attack on the British Expeditionary Force? Instead of halting, the Germans surround and assault the BEF, draining the British of their armies. (Hard)
# "The Battle of Britain": What if the Luftwaffe didn't switch targets during their bombing campaign? German fighters focus on hitting the RAF, thereby winning against the last stand of the British. (Medium - higher British production)
# "The Storm and the Whirlwind": What if the Soviets attacked first? Stalin's generals convince him to strike against the Wehrmacht in Eastern Europe, only to be subject to a devastating German counterattack. (Soft - inability to influence Stalin)
# "The Hinge": What if Rommel had won at the Battle of El Alamein? The brilliant maneuvers of Erwin Rommel and his Afrika Korps manage to outflank the British, leaving the road open for Cairo and the Middle East. (Soft - physical and logistical constraints)

# "Luftwaffe Triumphant": What if the Luftwaffe placed greater emphasis on home defense? With increased concentrations of flak guns and higher production of fighters, the Luftwaffe manages to wrestle away air superiority over Germany. (Medium - production capabilities)
# "Hitler's Bomb": What if German scientists built the atomic bomb first? With the war going poorly, Hitler uses the atomic bomb on London and Moscow in a last-ditch effort to win the war. (Very soft - lack of personnel)
# "Rommel versus Zhukov": What if the plan to kill Hitler succeeded? Coupled with a stunning victory at Normandy, Rommel becomes chancellor of Germany, dismantles the Nazi war apparatus, makes peace with the West, and throws everything into a final battle against the Soviets. (Extremely soft - utterly hopeless odds[[note]] Destruction of Normandy beachhead generally considered impossible due to sheer volume of Allied naval artillery and airpower: attempted destruction of beachhead would result in devastating German losses. German logistical strength (trucks and fuel) now known to be too weak to allow counter-offensive action involving more than 500 000 troops given truck losses and loss of Romania (provided 2/3 of oil production) - 'Watch on the Rhine', 'Konrad', and 'Spring Awakening' offensives all used fewer. Total German combat strength (1.5 million troops, 8000 artillery pieces, 2000 tanks) too low to counter total Soviet combat strength (3.5 million troops, 50 000 artillery, 9000 tanks). German industrial production also only half of Soviet, also reliant on non-Soviet slaves for 1/6 of all industrial production (who would presumably have to be freed) [[/note]])

* FrontlineGeneral: Erwin Rommel, as anyone familiar with history can attest. After becoming Chancellor in "Rommel versus Zhukov," he personally flies out to the Eastern Front to get a report from Field Marshal Model. His Ju52 transport plane is shot at by Soviet fighters and makes a forced landing. However, Rommel is completely unharmed and immediately asks to know from a subordinate where the nearest Soviets are. He then spends the rest of the day organizing delaying actions while the bulk of German forces retreat to more defensible positions.

* HistoryRepeatsItself: "Rommel versus Zhukov," which has a repeat of the final months of World War I (as noted by a railroad operator). The victory at Normandy, and the simultaneous assassination of Hitler and much of his inner circle, allows Rommel to become the Chancellor of Germany. He secures peace with the Western Allies, agreeing to a withdrawal of all German troops from occupied territories, along with a cessation of the bombing campaign over Germany. This allows the Wehrmacht to redeploy all their forces along a single front: the Polish Front. With Rommel's tactical genius, the Wehrmacht pulls a spectacular Operational victory against the Soviets in Poland.
* InstantWinCondition: in "Rommel versus Zhukov" the Germans destroy half the Red Army's combat elements, temporarily restoring numerical parity. Rather than rebuilding the Red Army with Allied help and taking all of continental Europe for Communism, Stalin either panics or develops a humanitarian streak and sues for peace instead.
** Of course, it's noted that America and Britain are pushing for an end to the war in spring 1945, and say that the Soviets will receive nothing more in Lend-Lease (i.e. no more trucks or radios) if they continue.

* StupidJetpackHitler: Averted except in "The Little Admiral" and "Hitler's Bomb." All the other stories have Germany winning the war with the resources they had on hand, or with better production. In the former, Hitler puts greater emphasis on naval research and construction since the 1920s, resulting in multiple state-of-the-art aircraft carriers, battleships, and submarines that allow the Kriegsmarine to take on the Royal Navy in the North Sea with a fair chance of victory. The latter story has the Nazis completing the atomic bomb and using it on both London and Moscow. Unfortunately, the British and Soviets are not cowed into surrender and merely focus on recovery until the United States is able to complete its own weapon. Meanwhile, Heisenberg is able to delay further development of atomic weapons by having the obvious engineering problems of a V2 rocket with an atomic payload taking a lot of time to solve.

# "Into the Caucasus": What if Turkey joined the Axis? With a new ally on Russia's backdoor, the Germans advance and seize the oil rich fields of the Caucasus. (Soft - terrain, logistical, weather, strength problems [[note]] Caucasian mountain range easily defensible and very difficult to supply through given single light railway line (at least two or one heavy/double needed). Mountain passes rendered impassable by mud and snow in November-March. Over-extension of German forces would enable more successful Soviet Winter Counter-Offensive [[/note]])

* FourStarBadass: Many of the German generals, but in particular, Creator/ErwinRommel. The stories include him accepting the surrender of the BEF, plowing through Russia, securing the Middle East, and, in the last story, becoming the leader of Germany and winning against the Soviets.
* FrontlineGeneral: Erwin Rommel, as anyone familiar with history can attest. After becoming Chancellor in "Rommel versus Zhukov," he personally flies out to the Eastern Front to get a report from Field Marshal Model. His Ju52 transport plane is shot at by Russian fighters and makes a forced landing. However, Rommel is completely unharmed and immediately asks to know from a subordinate where the nearest Russians are. He then spends the rest of the day organizing delaying actions while the bulk of German forces retreat to more defensible positions.

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: Many. "The Little Admiral" features UsefulNotes/AlbertEinstein, who remains in Germany due to Hitler no longer being a raving anti-semite and works with Naval R&D into building an atomic weapon that eventually wins the war against Russia. It's noted that his niece is marrying the grandson of Erich Raeder, the Grand Admiral of the Kriegsmarine.

** Of course, it's noted that America and Britain are pushing for an end to the war in spring 1945, and say that Russia will receive nothing more in Lend-Lease if they continue.

** In "The Little Admiral," Albert Einstein, and presumably other German-Jewish scientists and physicists, remain in Germany and work towards developing nuclear weapons. Germany invades Russia in June 1943, against an enemy that is far more prepared, but eventually they drop an atomic bomb on Moscow which ultimately wins the war.

* StupidJetpackHitler: Averted except in "The Little Admiral" and "Hitler's Bomb." All the other stories have Germany winning the war with the resources they had on hand, or with better production. In the former, Hitler puts greater emphasis on naval research and construction since the 1920s, resulting in multiple state-of-the-art aircraft carriers, battleships, and submarines that allow the Kriegsmarine to take on the Royal Navy in the North Sea with a fair chance of victory. The latter story has the Nazis completing the atomic bomb and using it on both London and Moscow. Unfortunately, England and Russia are not cowed into surrender and merely focus on recovery until the United States is able to complete its own weapon. Meanwhile, Heisenberg is able to delay further development of atomic weapons by having the obvious engineering problems of a V2 rocket with an atomic payload taking a lot of time to solve.

* NukeEm: In "Luftwaffe Triumphant," German efforts to retain air supremacy merely convinces the Allies to use the atomic bomb on Germany first. In 1946, the Allies end up dropping a maximum of ''twelve'' bombs on German cities, the entire complement that America had produced, before the Nazis finally surrender.

* EasyLogistics: Very. This is normal for experts in German military history, because German military thought of that era did not consider logistics important.

* CriticalResearchFailure: Students of German Military History are notorious for focusing almost exclusively on tactics and overlooking terrain, weather, logistics, and intelligence (including the capabilities and plans of the enemy). Not coincidentally, these were the fatal flaws of 19th and 20th Century German military thought. These oversights are prominent in the scenarios presented here, which attempt to apply [[StrategyVersusTactics Tactical principles to the Operational and even Grand-Strategic levels of war.]]

* HistoryRepeatsItself: "Rommel versus Zhukov," which has a repeat of the final months of World War I (as noted by a railroad operator). The victory at Normandy, and the simultaneous assassination of Hitler and much of his inner circle, allows Rommel to become the Chancellor of Germany. He secures peace with the Western Allies, agreeing to a withdrawal of all German troops from occupied territories, along with a cessation of the bombing campaign over Germany. This allows the Wehrmacht to redeploy all their forces along a single front: the Eastern Front. With Rommel's tactical genius, the Wehrmacht pulls a spectacular victory against the Russians in Poland.
* InstantWinCondition: in "Rommel versus Zhukov", the Germans destroy half the Red Army's combat elements. Rather than rebuilding it with Allied help and taking all of continental Europe for Communism, Stalin either panics or develops a humanitarian streak and sues for peace instead.

# "Rommel versus Zhukov": What if the plan to kill Hitler succeeded? Coupled with a stunning victory at Normandy, Rommel becomes chancellor of Germany, dismantles the Nazi war apparatus, makes peace with the West, and throws everything into a final battle against the Soviets. (Extremely soft - utterly hopeless odds[[note]] Destruction of Normandy beachhead generally considered impossible due to sheer volume of Allied naval artillery and airpower: attempted destruction of beachhead would result in devastating German losses. German logistical strength (trucks and fuel) now known to be too weak to allow counter-offensive action involving more than 500 000 troops given truck losses and loss of Romania (provided 2/3 of oil production) - 'Battle of the Bulge', 'Konrad', and 'Spring Awakening' offensives all used fewer. Total German combat strength (1.5 million troops, 8000 artillery pieces, 2000 tanks) too low to counter total Soviet combat strength (3.5 million troops, 50 000 artillery, 9000 tanks). German industrial production also only half of Soviet, also reliant on non-Soviet slaves for 1/6 of all industrial production (who would presumably have to be freed) [[/note]])

# "Into the Caucasus": What if Turkey joined the Axis? With a new ally on Russia's backdoor, the Germans advance and seize the oil rich fields of the Caucasus. (Soft - terrain, logistical, weather, strength problems [[note]] Caucasian mountain range easily defensible and very difficult to supply through given the single light railway line (at least two or one heavy/double needed). Mountain passes rendered impassable by mud and snow in November-March. Over-extension of German forces would also enable even more successful Soviet Winter Counter-Offensive [[/note]])
# "Known Allies and Forced Enemies": What if Hitler allowed operational freedom in the summer of 1943? The German generals counterattack in Sicily and defeat the Red Army at Kursk, despite the Allies' best attempts to turn the tide. (Very soft - grossly insufficient strength[[note]] Soviet:German strength ratio on the Kursk Front was actually more than 3:1, not the 2:1 the author's sources led him to believe. Total Soviet:German strength across all fronts at that time a mere 2:1, however. [[/note]])

# "Rommel versus Zhukov": What if the plan to kill Hitler succeeded? Coupled with a stunning victory at Normandy, Rommel becomes chancellor of Germany, dismantles the Nazi war apparatus, makes peace with the West, and throws everything into a final battle against the Soviets. (Extremely soft - utterly hopeless odds[[note]] Destruction of Normandy beachhead generally considered impossible due to sheer volume of Allied naval artillery and airpower. German logistical strength (trucks and fuel) now known to be too weak to allow counter-offensive action involving more than 500,000 troops given truck losses and loss of Romania (provided 2/3 of oil production). Total German combat strength (1.5 million, 8000 artillery pieces, 2000 tanks) too low to counter total Soviet combat strength (3.5 million, 50 000 artillery pieces, 9000 tanks). German industrial production also only half of Soviet [[/note]])

# "Into the Caucasus": What if Turkey joined the Axis? With a new ally on Russia's backdoor, the Germans advance and seize the oil rich fields of the Caucasus. (Soft - terrain, logistical, weather, strength problems)
# "Known Allies and Forced Enemies": What if Hitler allowed operational freedom in the summer of 1943? The German generals counterattack in Sicily and defeat the Red Army at Kursk, despite the Allies' best attempts to turn the tide. (Very soft - grossly insufficient strength)

# "Rommel versus Zhukov": What if the plan to kill Hitler succeeded? Coupled with a stunning victory at Normandy, Rommel becomes chancellor of Germany, dismantles the Nazi war apparatus, makes peace with the West, and throws everything into a final battle against the Soviets. (Extremely soft - utterly hopeless odds)

* FinalBattle: Operation Suvorov, executed in the spring of 1945, in "Rommel versus Zhukov." After making peace with the Western Allies, the Germans withdraw from all occupied territories, allowing them to nearly double the number of troops on the Eastern Front. This results in a final clash between the Wehrmacht and the Red Army over Poland, with the Wehrmacht using a Kursk-like defensive plan and emerging victorious.

UsefulNotes/NaziGermany wins UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. That's how ''Third Reich Victorious'', edited by Peter G. Tsouras, begins. In it are ten self-contained scenarios in which Germany ends up winning against the Allies. A book focusing on Japan's fortunes, called ''Literature/RisingSunVictorious'', was also published.

# "The Little Admiral": What if Hitler had joined the High Seas Fleet during World War I? As a result of naval training and discipline, Hitler becomes a well-versed naval tactician who puts a heavy emphasis on the Kriegsmarine once he comes to power.
# "Disaster at Dunkirk": What if the Wehrmacht had pressed the attack on the British Expeditionary Force? Instead of halting, the Germans surround and assault the BEF, draining the British of their armies.
# "The Battle of Britain": What if the Luftwaffe didn't switch targets during their bombing campaign? German fighters focus on hitting the RAF, thereby winning against the last stand of the British.
# "The Storm and the Whirlwind": What if the Soviets attacked first? Stalin's generals convince him to strike against the Wehrmacht in Eastern Europe, only to be subject to a devastating German counterattack.
# "The Hinge": What if Rommel had won at the Battle of El Alamein? The brilliant maneuvers of Erwin Rommel and his Afrika Korps manage to outflank the British, leaving the road open for Cairo and the Middle East.
# "Into the Caucasus": What if Turkey joined the Axis? With a new ally on Russia's backdoor, the Germans advance and seize the oil rich fields of the Caucasus.
# "Known Allies and Forced Enemies": What if Hitler allowed operational freedom in the summer of 1943? The German generals counterattack in Sicily and defeat the Red Army at Kursk, despite the Allies' best attempts to turn the tide.
# "Luftwaffe Triumphant": What if the Luftwaffe placed greater emphasis on home defense? With increased concentrations of flak guns and higher production of fighters, the Luftwaffe manages to wrestle away air superiority over Germany.
# "Hitler's Bomb": What if German scientists built the atomic bomb first? With the war going poorly, Hitler uses the atomic bomb on London and Moscow in a last-ditch effort to win the war.
# "Rommel versus Zhukov": What if the plan to kill Hitler succeeded? Coupled with a stunning victory at Normandy, Rommel becomes chancellor of Germany, dismantles the Nazi war apparatus, makes peace with the West, and throws everything into a final battle against the Soviets.

* NukeEm: In "Luftwaffe Triumphant," German efforts to retain air supremacy merely convinces the Allies to use the atomic bomb on Germany first. In 1946, the Allies end up dropping a maximum of ''twelve'' bombs on German cities, the entire complement that America had produced.

* FaceDeathWithDignity: Professor Werner Heisenberg in "Hitler's Bomb." After successfully building the atomic bomb, and witnessing its use on London and Moscow, he has a major crisis of conscience until the Allies launch their invasion of France. He realizes what's about to happen and arranges to meet with Himmler. In the middle of Berlin, Heisenberg tells the ''Reichsführer'' that the Allies have their own atomic bombs now. Before Himmler can inquire further, a single American bomber appears over Berlin and drops its payload...

* StupidJetpackHitler: Averted except in "The Little Admiral" and "Hitler's Bomb." In the former, Hitler puts greater emphasis on naval research and construction since the 1920s, resulting in multiple state-of-the-art aircraft carriers, battleships, and submarines that allow the Kriegsmarine to take on the Royal Navy in the North Sea with a fair chance of victory. The latter story has the Nazis completing the atomic bomb and using it on both London and Moscow. Unfortunately, England and Russia are not cowed into surrender and merely focus on recovery until the United States is able to complete its own weapon. Meanwhile, Heisenberg is able to delay further development of atomic weapons by having the obvious engineering problems of a V2 rocket with an atomic payload taking a lot of time to solve.

Germany wins UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. That's how ''Third Reich Victorious'', edited by Peter G. Tsouras, begins. In it are ten self-contained scenarios in which Germany ends up winning against the Allies. A book focusing on Japan's fortunes, called ''Literature/RisingSunVictorious'', was also published.

# "The Little Admiral": What if Hitler had joined the Imperial Navy during World War I? As a result of naval training and discipline, Hitler becomes a well-versed naval tactician who puts a heavy emphasis on the Kriegsmarine once he comes to power.

* ForWantOfANail: Each story involves one decision being different, spiraling into a completely different chain of events. For example, in "The Little Admiral," while on a train ride to Germany, where he intends to join the German Army for the Great War, Hitler happens to share a compartment with a German naval NCO, who then inspires him to accompany him to Kiel and the High Seas Fleet. The NCO then becomes a stern but fair father figure who shakes out Hitler's antisemitic beliefs and instead causes him to believe in something greater than himself. Hitler ends the war as a well-respected and inspiring first officer aboard a U-boat.
* FourStarBadass: Many of the German generals, but in particular, Creator/ErwinRommel. The stories include him accepting the surrender of the BEF, plowing through Russia, securing the Middle East, and, in the last story, becoming the leader of Germany and winning against the Soviets.

* StupidJetpackHitler: Averted except in "The Little Admiral" and "Hitler's Bomb." In the former, Hitler puts greater emphasis on naval research and construction since the 1920s, resulting in multiple state-of-the-art aircraft carriers, battleships, and submarines that allow the Kriegsmarine to take on the Royal Navy in the North Sea with a fair chance of victory. The latter story has the Nazis completing the atomic bomb and using it on both London and Moscow. Unfortunately, England and Russia are not cowed into surrender and merely focus on recovery until the United States is able to complete its own weapon. Meanwhile, Heisenberg is able to delay further development of atomic weapons by having the obvious engineering problems of having a V2 rocket with an atomic payload taking a lot of time to solve.

* ForWantOfANail: Each story involves one decision being different, spiraling into a completely different chain of events. For example, in "The Little Admiral," while on a train ride to Germany, where he intends to join the German Army for the Great War, Hitler happens to share a compartment with a German naval NCO, who then inspires him to accompany him to Kiel and the High Seas Fleet.

# "Rommel versus Zhukov": What if the plan to kill Hitler succeeded? Coupled with a stunning victory at Normandy, Rommel becomes chancellor of Germany, dismantles the Nazi war apparatus, makes peace with the West, and throws everything in a final battle against the Soviets.

* HistoryRepeatsItself: "Rommel versus Zhukov," which has a repeat of the final months of World War I (as noted by a railroad operator). The victory at Normandy, and the simultaneous assassination of Hitler and much of his inner circle, allows Rommel to become the Chancellor of Germany. He secures peace with the Western Allies, agreeing to a withdrawal of all German troops from all occupied territories, along with a cessation of the bombing campaign over Germany. This allows the Wehrmacht to redeploy all their forces along a single front: the Eastern Front. With Rommel's tactical genius, the Wehrmacht pulls a spectacular victory against the Russians in Poland.

# "Known Allies and Forced Enemies": What if Hitler allowed operational freedom in the summer of 1943? The German generals counterattack in Sicily and defeat the Red Army at Kursk, despite their best attempts to turn the tide.

* CurbStompBattle: "The Little Admiral." Not only does World War II start with the invasion of Poland, it begins with the Kriegsmarine ''trouncing'' the Royal Navy. It begins with a Pearl Harbor-style attack on Scapa Flow, followed by U-boat wolf backs decimating shipping, and soon after the Battle of France, a successful launch of Operation Sea Lion.

* PyrrhicVictory: "Luftwaffe Triumphant" and "Hitler's Bomb." Both end with German efforts merely delaying the Allies long enough for the West to finish the atomic bomb and deciding to use it against Germany first.