combine both the above ideas across a wide universe of ships (for instance they converted approx. 100 large-ish commercial ships to Sperrbrecher mine-clearing ships/guard ships)
my prior speculation was for a fleet of tankers/supply ships of the Dithmarschen-class that could handle seaplanes...
it is an interesting subject, we would have to decide where Japan is in all this? if they are not in Manchuria (as suggested in the OP) or they have been dealt a major setback in the Second Sino-Japanese War (per my scenario.)
if China is not battling to reclaim parts of the country from Japan...
IDK @Carl Schwamberger it seems China-Japan would be in some sort of conflict, that would be nearly impossible to avoid? I had scribbled an alt.history for a successful KMT defense of Wuhan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wuhan, with a modest German air corps instead of the historical...
a realistic assessment shows the KM would have to fight a u-boat war and how can it best be supported? my speculation would be for a fleet of oil tankers, as Germany is both importing oil and chronically short of currency reserves, they could barter transportation for oil.
they could add...
do not want to offer speculation that this scenario is favorable or advantageous for Germany however it might have forced a more limited war on them, their later Panther-Wotan Line about as far as they get, with a capture of Leningrad replacing Stalingrad (in the timeline.)
that is a scenario...
it seems the Japanese regime (as it existed) could more plausibly improve relations with the USSR than with the US/UK?
we are way out in speculative territory here but the Allies would (likely) only embrace Japan if the USSR continued their collaboration with Germany? (I've always cited trade...
possibly this could happen if Nazi Germany had backed the Vichy regime over Indochina and revived their cooperation with KMT China, by Sept. 1940, Japan had remained out of the war with GB for a year. (not speculating Vichy France and/or KMT China are joining the Axis, just that the Nazis might...
IDK, I have the opposite unpopular opinion, that absent (at least some) purge pre-invasion, one could be launched after the invasion? maybe/likely not in 1941, but afterwards, harming the Soviet resurgence.
not the expert on the subject but a religious civil war or strife might be more realistic than a Communist led revolution? Subhash Chandra Bose did go first to the USSR but my understanding the Soviets were not receptive?
it seems they could reach a deal with France, Belgium, and the Netherlands (keeping the Maginot Line and other fortified positions) but doubtful they would leave Denmark and Norway?
this would all move out of the very speculative category if the USSR and/or Japan were making moves? (to settle...
what kind of hypothetical deal could be struck between Germany and the UK? it does not seem possible that the Nazi regime would (immediately at least) withdraw from all the occupied countries like the Low Countries and Norway?
my understanding Nazi Germany had zero interest in the return of any...