U.S Plan Orange Battle

1939:

Germany invades Poland, overrunning it within weeks, followed by a declaration of war by France and Britain.

Despite the pleas of Donitz, however, instead of building U-boats, Hitler orders Raeder to continue on his massive surface fleet. Hitler decides the O-class battlecruisers will be continued.

All other surface ships (besides extra Panzerschiffle) of Plan Z will continue to be built:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_Z

How will the Western Allies adapt to a different Kreigsmarine? Will the Lion class battleships continue to be built? How will naval warfare in the Pacific fare, particularly with less development of anti submarine warfare? How many ships of Plan Z could have been built? Will the war have ended sooner? Could the Western Allies landed earlier, therefore allowing them to take over more of Europe?

What do you think?

Great points - this is not the version of history I was taught in school, but thankfully with access to the internet and the benefit of hindsight we are able to learn some of this untold history now.

@KurtGodel7:

The Type XXI U-Boat had a rubber coating, making it difficult to detect. Also, its streamlined design allowed it to move faster underwater than it could while surfaced. It had a sophisticated electronics system.

Also, if you’re giving Germany the Type XXI U-boat in 1943, then you should also give it the kinds of torpedoes it had available in 1945.

Hmm maybe the underwater launchable Do-Werfers as well, too?!
German had some successful underwater launchings with, I think 15 or 28cm Do-werfers ,in 1942 near the Penemünde area.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/world-war-2/9022566/For-rent-Hitlers-Wolfs-Lair.html

The defeat of Leningrad would have been easier than Stalingrad.

The loss of Moscow would have been much greater loss than Baku and resulted in a shortening of the front of which a latter southern drive could succeed without fear of getting cut off because at that point all logistical support for Soviets would be coming entirely east of the Don and this country is not too developed. The last Soviet Factories would be in range of Axis bombers and the front would have rolled up more easily, than committing the 6th to Stalingrad with all other Soviet logistical and political objectives are intact allowing easy reinforcement from rail heads running south from Moscow.

And it is a big difference if those German ships are new (build in 1939, or something), because a lot of British ships were older then that.

Imperious Leader nailed the last comment.

Japan entered the War with the West with 51 Army Divisions; however 27 where already in use in China. Thirteen of the remaining divisions were facing the Red Army. Japan was willing to head to war with the Allies with ten to eleven availiable divisions!

Japan would quickly start recruiting from it’s 73 million population, but Japan kept the same habit of attacking the Allies with smaller forces.

I learned that lesson the hard way.  :-P