What if the 20th of July 1944 Hitler has been "terminated"

[Sarmatian]

I wouldn't say Stalin was cynical. In fact, that would be more applicable to Churchill and Roosevelt. When Italy surrendered, Soviets argued for a joint occupation. Italy was one of the countries that attacked the Soviet Union and was in war with both allies and the Soviets. They were flatly refused, more than once. So, after bitching about it, they decided to act according to the precedent set by the Allies - whoever occupies a territory decides what happens to it.

Lets not forget that there was a strong communist movement in Italy at the time and given the 100% free elections, it is not unthinkable that communists would have been placed in power.

So basically, what Stalin did in Poland was not different to what Allies did in Italy, and according to Glantz, Red Army was indeed at the end of their logistical supply and was unable to mount a huge operation of capturing a huge city such as Warsaw at such short notice...

[Louis VI the Fat]

The things one finds in archives...

Franco gave Nazis list of Jews in Spain

El País publishes order signed by Spanish dictator in 1941 instructing provincial governors to provide names of Jews to be handed over to 'final solution' architect Heinrich Himmler Ynet Published: 06.21.10, 08:45 / Israel Jewish Scene

P{margin:0;} UL{margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;margin-right: 16; padding-right:0;} OL{margin-bottom:0;margin-top:0;margin-right: 32; padding-right:0;} H3.pHeader {margin-bottom:3px;COLOR: #192862;font-size: 16px;font-weight: bold;margin-top:0px;} P.pHeader {margin-bottom:3px;COLOR: #192862;font-size: 16px;font-weight: bold;} When former Prime Minister Golda Meir thanked Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco for his "humanitarian attitude" and for protecting the Jews in his country during the Holocaust, she was not aware that he had ordered his officials to draw up a list of thousands of Jews living in Spain to be handed over to the Nazis.

The list, which was published in the El País newspaper on Sunday, would have sent thousands more Jews to their deaths in the Nazi extermination camps.

Franco, whose apologists and supporters claim he gave protection to the Jews of Spain, ordered his officials during the Second World War to compose a list of some 6,000 Jews, both Spanish and foreign, living in his country.
The list was handed over to the Nazi architect of the "final solution", German SS chief Heinrich Himmler, at a time when the two countries were discussing Spain's possible incorporation into the axis powers that included Nazi Germany, Italy and Japan.
The Spanish newspaper published the original order, which was recently unearthed in the Spanish government's archives and instructed provincial governors to provide detailed lists of "all the national and foreign Jews living in the province… showing their personal and political leanings, means of living, commercial activities, degree of danger and security category."
The governors were ordered to keep a close eye on Sephardic Jews, as their language and appearance enabled them to blend in with Spanish society.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...908170,00.html

Another find to rewrite history.

Put here for its 'what if' value.

[Pannonian]

So basically, what Stalin did in Poland was not different to what Allies did in Italy, and according to Glantz, Red Army was indeed at the end of their logistical supply and was unable to mount a huge operation of capturing a huge city such as Warsaw at such short notice...

According to Montefiore, Stalin was worried about the reaction of his allies, and pressed his generals (ie. Rokossovsky) to make that extra push, but was told it wasn't possible. Stopping short of Warsaw was a military decision, not a politically-based one.