How long you think WW2 will last if it started as a space battle?

originally posted by: that1lurker
The Nazis would have never won the space war. The Soviets genetically altered and trained chimpanzees to infiltrate space ships and tear everyone inside apart.

Yet, the Nazis and the Soviets were allied until June 1941 and both conspired in the invasion of Poland, Finland, the Baltic states and elsewhere, etc. Plus of course the US was neutral until December 1941. There is too much to consider when trying to move WW2 into space.

a reply to: 0zzymand0s

You need to keep in mind that the reality would be that the moon is German/Russian. In WW2, Germany caught Russia Demobilized. Russia actually had a larger army, it just wasn't organized, thats why Germany could push so far so fast. If they would have stayed friends, you would see Germany with the science tech, while russia had a larger army and resources. Granted, much of the equipment the Russians had was outdated, however Russia was great at throwing men into a meat grinder. Had they stayed friends, Russia who lost more than 21 million people in WW2, would have been stronger. Germany who lost all their manufacturing capacity, and 10 million people would have maintained dominance economically, as well as with science. Hitlers mistake was that he didn't take russia quickly, got bogged down and allowed russia time to mobilize. Additionally, Russia used their scorched earth policy to slow the german advanced. Had Germany won the Blitzkrieg, and taken Moscow, Russia very well could have capitulated, especially if Germany managed to take their industrial capacity, which the failed to do. Additionally Had Germany taken some of the russian locomotives, it could have advanced further and faster, given that German and Russian trains were incompatible, Russia managing to get all their trains back to safety further delayed the advance. Their are alot of what if's when you consider WW2. You could have seen a smaller russia, and a much larger Germany.

Camain

C’mon. I think we all would know who would win.

a reply to: camain

You aren't wrong at all, but there are just so many ways to skin that cat. For gen ships, I like replicator/brain ships with digital copies of tens of thousands of settlers and the tech to build/rebuild them on site. That's still a ways off, but who knows if it's easier or more difficult than defrosting a human popsicle? It's hard to tell from here.

The most important thing to remember, IMO, is that no one stops or slows down in space to refuel or stretch their legs on rando alien worlds. Almost half the fuel needed for the journey is used to accelerate the ship and the other half is used to slow it down. These rules might change if something really exotic/but still within the laws of physics becomes viable, but for now, acceleration and deceleration are the two primary drivers for fuel consumption.

The other important thing to remember is that all space ships are relativistic kill weapons. So a giant colony ship, from anyone, is a serious threat to any planetary system it approaches at speed. An aircraft carrier stroking the earth at 30-percent the speed of life is a continent killer.

a reply to: makemap

How would they even have gotten up there nevermind survived long enough to fight a battle in space?

V2 rockets were not space-based weapons, they were the precursor to the modern ICBM.

a reply to: andy06shake

True, but when Germany fell, The Russians and Americans stole all the scientists. America used them to form NASA. The Russians used them to form the Russian rocket program which split into the military and space. Had these guys stayed together, and had they stayed in German hands, the space race would look alot different then today. All this is hypothetical what if's, and all of it is dependent on Nazi Germany still existing in the 1950's and beyond.

Further, Germany was actually ahead in the Nuclear tech too, until British spies blew up the light water facilities in Scandanavia. That put a hold on the work. Had Germany taken out the UK, you could very well see a nuclear Nazi Germany by 1950, and they could well have lead the ICBM race as well. (Again hypothetical).

Camain

originally posted by: Krahzeef_Ukhar
a reply to: makemap
How much oxygen do they have?

With the level of advancement you are suggesting I think it would be poor planning to start in space.

Have you not seen Iron Sky the movie? You don't need electrical wires to power up oxygen tanks. Think of it as robust orbital space stations the only thing that needs powering are lights and doors. Plus countries will probably orbital drop armies from space.

Electric Generators were created in 1900's

Inventions of 1900-1990

What if those inventors decide copyright isn't a thing and united to spread the knowledge to humanity before WW2 started? Meaning all countries have access to technology before the "isms" started the war?