Part 1 - Europe
1939:
Sept.: Germany invades Poland and achieves a resounding success with their Blitzkrieg-tactics. Everything as usual.
1940:
April: Germany invades Norway while preparing its invasion of France
Mai-June: Germany succesfully overrolls France and a collaborational Government is established Italy joins the war and opens an offensive against Egypt.
July: After Karl von Dönitz sucessfully convinced Hitler that an Invasion of England would be desastrous even in case of total air superiority - as the Kriegsmarine could not challenge the Royal Navy in any means - Germany prepared its Invasion of the Soviet Union, while the U-Boat-Warfare in the Atlantik started to intensify with new Bases along the French coast.
August-November: Germany starts Operation Barbarossa (with troops that are in fact equipped for Winter-warfare as there is no realistic chance to reach Moscow before Winter when attacking in August) and crushes the weak Red Army before sweeping the plains of Russia. Furthermore, the Luftwaffe fares much better in destroying the Red Airforce due to higher strength of their own units. After having secured Air-superiority, they were able to divert their capacities into ground-support that significantly sped up the German advance into the Ukraine and Byelorussia.
At the end of November Germany had advanced up to Novgorod, Smolensk, Bryansk, Kiev and Dnepropetrovsk.
December: Several Soviet Counter-attacks fail badly and further deplete the morale of the Soviet troops while Germany completes their resupplying effort in the east.
1941
January-March: British resistance in Northern Africa grows stronger, Italy and supporting german Afrika-Corps are able to advance deep into Egypt before they are pushed back by British forces.
April-November: With the end of the mud-season the German Wehrmacht continues its fierce attacks into Soviet territory and is once again able to crush the defense of the Soviets, piercing deep into the eastern parts of the Ukraine. Still weakened by their winter-offensives the Red Army tries to resist as fiercly as possible but fails against the well-organized and after the winter well-supplied Germans. Until the Summer the Germans are able to disintegrate the Red Army once again and pushes forward to the Don and capturing Tula in in August.
In the North an Operation to push forward to Rzhev is initially repelled by the Soviets until the Southern Campaign relieves the front as Soviet reserves had to be redeployed to the South.
Nevertheless Germany is able to cross the Don. At the same time Hitler appoints Albert Speer as new Minister of Armament who starts an efficient program to boost the output of the German war-machine.
At the suggestion of his General-Staff Hitler decides to go for the oil-fields of Baku before attacking Stalingrad. Along the Volga Wehrmacht-contingents advance to the Caspian Sea to straighten the frontline before swinging to the south. With the major railroads from the North cut of from the South, the defenders are only insufficiently supplied by the sea-transports in the Caspian Sea for the next few weeks and suffer from this circumstance.
December-February ´42: After the sucessfull advance into the Caucasus German forces are again forced to hold, resupplying and preparing for the upcoming spring-offensives. In North Africa, Axis forces suffer a substential defeat in Egypt and are slowly pushed back towards Libya.
1942
March-June: Already in early springtime German offensives in the Caucasus continue. The aim is to acquire control of Baku before the beginning of August. Suffering heavy casualties in the mountain-areas where the enemy stays hidden most of the time, the Germans are able to capture strategic points very quickly, but not to control the entire area. Supply-situation worsenes.
July-August: In Africa, Axis troops are put under pressure at a second Front as the USA (entered the war at historical date) launches its Operation Torch and occupies Marocco.
In the East, despite the bad supply-situation, German troops are able to capture Baku without too much latency, only a week after the schedule. With the Southern area secured German troops are reorganized and sent back to the Northern parts of the Front. Meanwhile Soviet defenders have entrenched in Stalingrad and are eagerly awaiting the German attack. To their surprise, Hitler decides to capture Moscow first and orders an all-out offensive in the North. Within several weeks the Wehrmacht advances to Kalinn and secures the Lake Ladoga which still supplies the sieged city of Leningrad. Facing significant problems during this offensive and shortcuts on military material, Germany proclaims its Total War and focusses all industry on the war-effort.
September-December: The offensive continues into the early winter-months, establishing a frontline 50km in front of Moscow and defends that position against increasing Soviet counter-assaults.
In Africa, Axis troops are pushed back to Tunisia.
Bombing campaigns in Europe begin, but the Allies are suffering heavy casualties thanks to a potent Luftwaffe.
1943
January-April: Allied troops establish control over Tunisia, remaining Axis forces retreat to Italian Homeland. After a harsh winter without any influx of Supplies, Leningrad surrenders and Germany takes the city. The sieging troops are redeployed towards Moscow and Stalingrad where the next major offensives are being planned.
Allied Bombings of Europe continue to increase, as well as their casualties. In northern France, where the aerial defence-plan for this case had led to intelligent preparations, the Allied Airforces are not able to achieve and sustain air-superiority for longer than a few days. The struggle is intense and casualties on both sides are high, yet the allies lose significantly more skilled pilots - crashing in enemy territory - than the germans.
May-August: Moscow is encircled and cut of from support while the Wehrmacht begins its assault into the city. The Soviet leaders flee the city and the fighting drags on for weeks. Finally, but under heavy casualties, Germany is able to secure the biggest parts of the city, reducing the rest to smoldering ruins.
In July the Allies launch their Invasion of Sicily to open a second front, further deepening the trouble for the Axis. Within A few weeks, Sicily is secured and preparations for an Invasion of the italian mainland begin.
September-December: The Soviets launch a major counter-attack to relief the last contingents holding Moscow. The Operation is bloody, but effective in the beginning. German troops retreat into the city-center and the front gets bogged down. Heavy fighting in the city neutralizes the german advantage of speed and maneuverability. German tank-corps are drawn in from the South and a last Blitz-offensive around the city reduces the pressure upon the defenders, though the city remains half in Soviet, half in German hands.
Meanwhile Army-Group South manages to advance into the north, where it is able to pocket some more Soviet troops and force an end to the offensives around Moscow to redeploy troops into the south.
In Italy, Allied troops land in the southern parts of the mainland and slowly force the Axis troops back towards Rome
1944
January-April: Heavy fighting in the area of Monte-Cassino occurs while the Allies keep pushing forward. In the east, the situation becomes more and more desperate for both sides. Soviet morale shrinks with every failed attack to reconquer Moscow, while Germanys reserves on manpower, supplies and material are catastrophically low and further declining.
May: Allied offensives in Italy pay off as German defence weakens. In the East, Blitzkrieg in the plains beyond the Don-river continues but gets more and more countered by efficient mobile defence of the Red Army. The allies make their preparations of opening a third front with their Invasion of Normandy...
June: Operation Overlord begins. During the first hours of the Invasion Germany seems paralyzed but this situation rapidly changes. While the Allies are still occupied with establishing a beachhead for their influx of supplies, the Wehrmacht starts a stunning counter-offensive against the stretched and exhausted allied troops. In contrary to allied estimations, the Luftwaffe shows its capability to sustain air-superiority at the key-points of the operation and ensures victory. By the mid of June the allied invasion-force is forced to surrender. As a result of this dramatic failure public opinion in the UK slowly turns against the continuation of the war.
July-October: The Wehrmacht finally stops the allied advance in Italy and is even able to push the demoralized troops somewhat back. The front in Italy gets bogged down, while the Allies try to get over the shock of their failed Operation Overlord.
In the East Germany manages to take full control over Moscow again and takes a defensive stance again to not further overstretch their lines. The only operations executed are those supposed to stretch the frontline, freeing some troops to be diverted to Italy.
November-December: All fronts were at standstill, while German industrial output reached never-known-heights, thanks to the program of Albert Speer. Another front had become war-deciding: Espionage. With both Germany and the USA engaged in nuclear programs, information became a key to victory or defeat in the nuclear race.
January-June: The first half of the year remained at a mere standstill at all fronts, some back-and-forth in Italy occured, apart from that the constant meatgrinder in the East continued its bloody work.
July: Germany drops a nuclear bomb on Stalingrad and eradicates the city-defence, leading to a mass-panic in the Red Army as well as in the government. The sudden shock results in a phase of political instability when the Officers secretly make contact with Germany to save their own future by replacing Stalin and making peace. In fact, Germany dictates heavy terms on the Soviet Union, but the officers accept. With a swift coup the Soviet Leadership is displaced and the Generals take over.
In UK, Churchill loses the election and is replaced by forces that clamoured for a peace with Germany and predicted a quick defeat in Italy if the Soviet Union crumbles.
August-November: Germany makes peace with the Soviets who are willing to accept the harsh terms, fearing complete destruction in a nuclear holocaust. With the Eastern front appeased Germany throws its troops against Allied defences in Italy and pushes the Allies to the southern edge of Italy. Meanwhile, US-Bomber-contingents with their own nuclear weapons are redeployed to bases in Britain. Germany threatens with retaliation against Britain in case of a nuclear strike on German soil. After long days and nights of negotiations the western allies come to an agreement with Germany to sign a cease-fire and to negotiate peace.
At the beginning of November, Allied troops are withdrawn from Italy and the peace talks begin
1946:
February: After several months a peace is signed between the Western Allies and Germany, Italy, Vichy-France and the remaining german Allies (Sidenote: Japan being defeated within 1945). It was agreed that Germany would release Norway in exchange for the return of occupied african holdings originally belonging to France and Italy
1947-1948:
Egypt is finally granted full souvereignty by the British, Germany, Italy and France conclude the re-organisation of North-African Holdings that forces Vichy into ceding Tunisia to Italy and the establishment of German bases in Marocco.