**Warnung**Avis**Caution** This is *not* a rewrite of *our* WW II. It's an alternate-history timeline in which Italy was *not* unified in 1870. So no il Duce as Hitler's pal. Sorry. But lots of other fovorites make the scene. And there's some smashing improved missile technology. This WW II starts on the basis of a different WW I which started late (March 1916) and ended late (Christmas Day 1919). WW I ended on a higher level of military technological development than in our own timeline. Some details are in the thread "Balkan wars 1912-1913". As in our timeline, there is a punitive peace against Germany, Herr Schickelgruber survives and does his thing--with some modifications-- and the Austo-Hungarian Empire disintegrates. Developments during the interwar period included much more rocket research in Germany. Thanks to everyone who commented by article or private e-mail on separate parts of this time line. It's been a lot of fun writing it. This long post deals with: **Balkan developments on the eve of the Russo-German war** **First four years of Russo-German war in an ununited Italy timeline** **Allied Strategy--choice of route for invasion of Festung Europa** **Changes in production capability and technology-I** **Allied invasion of Festung Europa** **Changes in production capability and technology-II** **Progress of the Allied invasion of France** **Changes in production capability and technology-III** **Five years after German invasion of Russia (our 1945)** **A third Front** **Winter of year five and six (our 1945-46)** **Allied invasion of Japan** **The Atomic Bomb** **Allied breakthrough crosses the Rhine** **Endgame** Enjoy!: **Balkan developments on the eve of the Russo-German war** In both ours and the ununited Italy timelines, the Soviet Union occupies Bessarabia as part of a real-politik deal between Germany and the Soviet Union which splits the buffer states created after WW I. Romania's loss of Bessarabia encourages Hungary and Bulgaria to help dismember Romania. This would continue the settling of accounts in the northern Balkans that began with an earlier action, in which Poland, Hungary and the Soviet Union helped Germany dismember Czechoslovakia. (The "Little Entente" collapses after Czechoslovakia is dismembered.) But, as in our timeline, the last thing Hungary and Poland want is German or Russian armies in the Balkans. In the ununited Italy timelines they will wait until there is war between Romania and the Soviet Union and see how the German-Russian conflict develops before they risk settling accounts. In our timeline there was also a southern Balkan war, which dismembered Yugoslavia. It was triggered by the Italian invasion of Greece. Without Italy in Albania, Greece and Yugoslavia would probably help Romania defend its territorial integrity vis a vis Bulgaria (which had territorial claims against each of them). This might happen *after* the German invasion of Russia was underway and Hitler would be unwilling to divert troops for sideshows. But its just as likely that they would sit it out until they thought the Nazi's were headed for defeat as they would not with word 'help' in message body netnews@sift.stanford.edu