Fate of European militaries in a Nazi victory

[maltesefalcon]

How is my statement that we are each free to imagine our own timelines too harsh?
Oh...unless my take does not agree with everyone else?

[hselassi]

How is my statement that we are each free to imagine our own timelines too harsh?
Oh...unless my take does not agree with everyone else?

Maltese,

Either you are being disengeneous or electronic snarkiness does not translate well, but it is the first part of your statement (see below) that is harsh, we are all free to imagine our own timelines since we only have a broad idea from AHardDaysNight and even if yours did not agree with anybody else's, it is still your answer and thus equally valid in a counterfactual.

Since (as is becoming the norm here) the What If was not completely thought out,

[Avalancheon]

It depends on how much the Nazis are willing to acknowledge and respect the sovereignty of these European countrys. Those who fought alongside them during the war would probably be allowed to keep whatever force they wanted. Those who fought against the Nazis (and were conquered by them) would be subject to more restrictions. But even there, the treatment wouldn't be equal. France, Belgium, and the Netherlands would probably have more leeway than Greece Yugoslavia and the Baltics, who in turn would have more leeway than the USSR remnants (Belorussia, Ukraine, Russia, etc).

Assume Germany truly won the war and got a treaty that would assure a lasting peace with current and potential belligerants.

In that case, the Reich could and should reduce the size of the Wehrmacht to a high-tech fully motorized security force. This could be done by retaining the Panzer and Panzer Grenadier divisions plus a few infantry divisions as fortress and occupation troops. The German economy needed the rest of its men back in the factories or fields and could not support a war time strength indefinitely.

This would be the most likely arrangement of German forces. The Heer would end up being demobilised to the extent that its not much bigger than the Waffen SS, which would create intert-service rivarlys between them. They would be fighting each other for a bigger slice of the budget.

Under those circumstances the only remaining threat would be the millions of POWs still in captivity. Even releasing them would be potentially dangerous. Re-arming the bulk of them as "converts" would invite a rebellion sooner or later. (In real life a similar situation occurred when the German states allied to Napoleon turned against him after the Battle of Leipzig.)

I think that the bulk of these troops would remain as hostages, to ensure good behavior in the short term from defeated nations. Many of them could be used as forced labour as well. This is not far from the IRL situation.

That wouldn't remain the case for long, though. Eventually, the foreign P.O.W.s would be allowed to return to their home country.