Welcome to the third and final part of What If's look at how Max Schmeling and Joe Louis would have fared against the backdrop of a completely changed World War II. Parts 1 and 2 are here and here. As the summer of 1941 began, things finally came to a head between the Germans and the Soviets, as an invasion along a broad front signaled the beginning of active hostilities … [Read more...]
What If Special: Louis-Schmeling Part 2: Operation Mousetrap!
Welcome to Part Two of What If's look at how Max Schmeling and Joe Louis would have fared against the backdrop of a completely changed World War II. Part 1 is here. When last we left our scene, Max Schmeling owned two wins over Joe Louis, and at Hitler's behest had kept the title as an exhibition through Germany over the course of 1939. Meanwhile, Poland allied with the … [Read more...]
What If Special: Louis-Schmeling (Part I): The Gathering Storm
Welcome to another edition of What If? This week, the first part of a trilogy set against the backdrop of an alt-history World War II: When Joe Louis and Max Schmeling met at Yankee Stadium on June 19, 1936, the world was only beginning to get familiar with the ambitions of Adolf Hitler in Germany. Mussolini's Fascist Italy had just avenged its humiliation by Ethiopia 40 … [Read more...]