I'm keen to keep the US out of WW2 as their industrial strength makes it too easy to win .... I want the war to carry on with some to-and-froing.
1770's -- tea-drinking in the new colony of America plummeted in a fit of nationalism -- the Boston Tea Party & War of Independence were such humiliating defeats for Britain that it never got over its animosity. Britain had severed all contact with the USA, only deigning to buy US-made parts in the 2nd Great War under severe need.
Japan needs to find a supply of oil and due to America's indifference to their State, the people of Alaska decide to become an independent state of Canada, adopting the PolarBear in a red circle as their emblem -- Inuit lore proclaims the PolarBear as being at the center of the Circle of Life.
This fits neatly with Japan's need for oil & gold reserves, creating a good trade & diplomatic match.
How about having the FAA equiped with Bristol Hercules powered Aichi Val dive bombers for the Battle of Taranto?
This would be followed on by Yokosuka Judy dive bombers, also Hercules powered.
This would see the Fairey Swordfish replaced earlier and the Fairey Barracuda cancelled at the prototype stage in favour of the company license producing the two Japanese designs for the FAA.
good idea, upnorth -- the Herc was the only good British radial.
As a replacement of the Blenheim a slightly larger light-bomber is in development but the Bristol Taurus engines are causing worry so it's decided to replace them with Mitsubishi radials. By the time this "super-Blenheim" is ready it has become a torpedo-bomber for attacking the German Navy's heavy ships which make dash-runs through the English Channel to disrupt the Allied supply-line -- it is named "Beaufort" and put into limited production, then cancelled in favour of readily available Japanese designs.
Tank-destroyer North African theatre...
