Atomic Bomb against Nazi Germany?

[Kitsune]

This is meant as more or less serious and at semi plausible. Might be a short discussion but thought I would still post it.

Germany is able to extend the war slightly. Germany is able to get a little more fuel for its armies, a couple of additional convoys were wrecked, the Soviet armies get hurt slightly worse than they were historically (which was already pretty bad), storms prevented the Western Allies from landing in Normandy for a couple of months, etc. Lets say that in August 1945, Germany is still holding out at least at its borders and does not look like they going to collapse immediately. Hitler is also still in charge and not a drooling vegetable. He looked very ill at the end so don't know how a few extra months would effect his health.

Brings me up so thoughts
1. What would be the primary target? Would it be Berlin? Berlin by the time German fell was already pretty bombed out so don't know how much good it would do?
2. Assuming the bomb killed Hitler, what would be the reaction by Germany? Would generals try to seize power? Would the SS try to seize power? Who would win between them? Would Germany immediately surrender?
3. Assuming that Hitler's incredible luck holds and he survives and still has contact with the rest of Germany, same questions. Would generals try to seize power? Would the SS try to seize power? Who would win between them and/or with Hitler? Would Germany immediately surrender? Assuming that Mussolini was killed in a similar manner to history and Hitler not caring if the country down in flames if he is dead, he knows he is dead if the nation surrenders.

 

[Ironanvil1]

Likely target selection would be similar to that with Japan, going against a significant urban target, but not the capital, as you want to have some national leadership present to actually be able to surrender to you afterwards.
Perhaps somewhere like Hamburg or Munich.

 

[SSgtC]

My money would be on either Munich or Nuremberg. Both cities were especially important to the Nazis, so obliterating them with a single bomb would be high on the list of priorities. After that, assuming the mad corporal still refuses to surrender, nukes probably get deployed tactically to blast holes in German defenses. In addition to continued nuclear bombing of major German cities

 

[Eliar]

To be honest the circumstances of how Nazi Germany was holding strong in August 1945 is more interesting to me.

It would suggest a failure of both Normandy and Dragoon in the West and Bagrattion in the East.

Or at least a grinding retreat and not the disasters of summer 1944.

 

[Force Lord]

To be honest the circumstances of how Nazi Germany was holding strong in August 1945 is more interesting to me.

It would suggest a failure of both Normandy and Dragoon in the West and Bagrattion in the East.

Or at least a grinding retreat and not the disasters of summer 1944.

Click to shrink...

Mike Spick's Alt-Hist "Luftwaffe Victorious" ('victorious' in the sense that it does better than OTL but it doesn't lead to Germany winning outright) deals with this scenario by assuming that with Göring killed during the Battle of Britain in 1940, the 'Uralbomber' program coming to fruition (at the cost of less Stukas and some rearrangement in the production of medium bombers) and jets coming online earlier (thanks to Hitler securing Turkey's willingness to supply Chromium), along with related handwaving like the survival of the Sixth Army of Stalingrad infamy and the capture of the Caucasus oilfields (which helps out with Hitler's persuasion of Turkey), the Third Reich manages to hold off the USSR well into 1945 as well as slowing down (but not stopping) the Western Allies invading into France. Once the nukes come online the US decides first to nuke Nuremberg, then the Wolf's Lair itself to kill Hitler and most of OKW, leaving Himmler to sue for peace. Yes, it kinda falls apart when you look at it critically, but at least it doesn't have the Nazis winning, even if I find it hard to believe that Himmler would give up so quickly even with Hitler glowing in the dark.

 

[Eliar]

That sounds more like a Big One scenario where the US waits for the B-36 to come online and mass nuke Germany than anything relatively minor?

I doubt the US would risk trying to nuke Germany in 1945 with the Luftwaffe still alive and kicking and the German anti air network still operational.

 

[Force Lord]

That sounds more like a Big One scenario where the US waits for the B-36 to come online and mass nuke Germany than anything relatively minor?

I doubt the US would risk trying to nuke Germany in 1945 with the Luftwaffe still alive and kicking and the German anti air network still operational.

Click to shrink...

Spick handwaved this by having the Luftwaffe distracted by a massive 8th Air Force raid while the B-29s snuck into Germany from North Africa to drop their atomic load. Even then, they still get intercepted by a handful of jets, but the latter are too late to save Nuremberg.