"On the topic of "What if"s..." Topic

So after reading an earlier post on this topic I was curious about what some of your favorite "what if" topics would be. First let me say that I have MANY to say the least, and I am sure most of you do also. So what is your favorite "what if" scenario to ponder? One of my favorites is "What if Emperor Romanus IV Diogenes would have defeated Alp Arslan at Manzikert in August of 1071?" What would your choice be?

What if Napoleon doesn't invade Russia

What if Hitler doesn't invade Russia

What if Quintius Varus had listened to Segestes about Arminius being a lying ass dog traitor and instead of losing three legions, routing the German rebels – maybe then extending the Empire to the Elbe

What is George Washington was killed or otherwise not leading the Continentals?

From a gaming point of view, Seelowe. To enable Germans v Brits in 1940 with a variety of scenarios,but ignore the historical improbability.
For historical discussion, and a high degree of possibility, William dies at Hastings, leading to English victory and the survival of Harold II.

What if Harold had spanked William the Bastard's mob.

What if Lee had not gone North twice. Losing thousands of battle hardened veterans and able officers and instead forced the union on the offensive again, with less able generals and additional losses. Keeping Grant in the west and prolonging the war for at least a year. Possibly allowing the North to become war weary and allowing Lincoln to lose the election.

With Rome, what if Caesar had lived, or Anthony had won.

What if the older brothers of Henry VIII and Charles I had lived long enough to be king?

Well Forrester, it for sure would have changed the life of my relative William Carey.

What if Alexander went west instead of east?

control the entire Mediterranean, then head east

What if the Kaiser listened to his inner doubts and cancelled the invasion through Belgium? The UK has no treaty requirement to declare war on Germany. Germany holds in the west and concentrates on Russia. The German High Seas fleet is more than a match for the French thus no blockade and no need for
provocative submarine warfare.

What if President Eisenhower hadn't stopped the UK and France from holding the Suez Canal in 1956.
Would Nasser have been toppled? – Would the subsequent Arab-Israeli wars have happened?

What if Bonnie Prince Charlie hadn't turned back at Derby?

What if Pemberton had brought up everyone for Champion's Hill?

What if Churchill had died when he was hit by a vehicle in New York 1931?
In 1940 many members of the Cabinet were willing to accept a truce with Hitler, but Winston was having none of it.
Some of the possible implications…
No battle of the Atlantic, no lend lease, no need for Hitler to declare war on USA in December ‘41
More troops/resources available to invade Russia, including the Luftwaffe not depleted by the Battle of Britain. No American aid to Stalin?

What if Japan had not attacked Pearl Harbour but instead attacked the Soviet Union.

What if England had entered the ACW in support of the Confederacy.
Didn't Perry's do some figures for just such a what if ?

Russ Dunaway

What if Stanley had not betrayed Ric;hard for the pretender Henry?

"What if Emperor Romanus IV Diogenes would have defeated Alp Arslan at Manzikert in August of 1071?" +1

What if the Vikings had stayed in the New World?

What if Adam didn't like girls?

What if WW3 had actually broken out in 1960/70/80 (take your pick). We game it so often I sometimes think it actually happened…

What if the French had won the French and Indian War?

What if there was no Monty Python? Not sure I could handle people without them.

"What if Trotsky had beaten Stalin?"

Richard Armor covered that years ago. "Things would have been very different--for Trotsky."

Is anyone else noticing how few of these produce a miniatures game?

…the US and Britain liberated Poland from Russia in 1945.

"Would Trotsky have purged all the generals and Marshals who knew what they were doing?"

Quite possibly, MiniGuy. After all the whole point of being a Communist is that you've already purged the economists, writers and politicians who know what they're doing, and the more competent a general is, the greater a threat he poses.

But if you'd like something you could actually wargame, remember that of the two, it was Trotsky who thought The Revolution could and should be exported to the rest of Europe immediately. A Russian invasion of Poland or the Balkans in the late 1920's or early 1930's might be a decent campaign game, with troops and equipment for the ensuing battles commercially available. Don't neglect the possibility of the West sponsoring a counter-Revolution.

What if Giovanni Giustiniani had not been just wounded on that final day of the siege of Constantinople, but either died right there, or only lightly wounded.

What if Charles the Bold had won at Neuss, or abandonded the siege to combine his army with the English in 1475 vs. France. A continued Burgundian kingdom and no Habsburg dynasty to speak of would be the immediate result.

What if Maximilian had abandoned the fight with Hungary in 1490 and hasted to marry Anne of Bretagne in person. A large Hungarian kingdom, possibly large enough to withstand the Ottomans, and a much diminished France vs. a pretty powerful Habsburg Burgund & Bretagne (though without Spanish ties) would have shuffled the cards.

What if Suleyman had advanced with his army upon Vienna in 1532, clashing with the Imperial and Spanish forces of Charles V and resulting in one of the largest battles between Christian and Muslim forces with both sides well in excess of 100.000 participants?

What if James IV had declined to assault the English army 1513 at Flodden, letting it out there to starve until it dissolves? At 40 he was in the process of transforming Scotland into a Renaissance kingdom.

What if Cortez had been among those killed in 1520?

So many what ifs…

Re: WWI – East only

The UK has no treaty requirement to declare war on Germany.

Afaik the British navy already had its order to defend the French coast from the German navy before the first German soldier had stepped upon Belgian soil.

It certainly would be an interesting scenario to play out the inner politics of Britain after that, without Germany delivering them a retroactive carde blanche.
The scenario would be even more interesting if the Germans sacrifice a small ship to be shot to pieces by the Royal Navy to make this public.