This "what if" diverges before the final bombing raids against the infrastructure and misses JCS 1067 as well. This leaves german industrie in a decend state.

With the war over engineers WILL set out to correct the "well known problems" of their vehicles. So for me a "Panther II" with a fixed final drive (The one from the Tiger I was proposed), the Panther-F turret (fixing the observation problem) and likely "live" tracks (increasing track life) will make an appearance. Either "HL234" engine with fuel injection or the Maybach diesel as well to increase range.

Reason:

+ The basic plattform is sound and rugged
+ It is optimized for mass production
+ It is fast and agile while not too heavy
+ It has a complete familie either in production (Berge) or designed (Coelian AA, an Self propelled howitzer)
+ It can take guns up to 105mm

We will also see "Katzchen" APC/IFV. Simply because germans had good experience with mechanised infantrie and bad ones with lack of overhead cover.

As for Jagdpanzers based on PIV and 38t: Those where stopgap vehicles with serious problems. And with a "fixed" Panther building more Jagdpanther may be a better solution.

Post WWII the Bundeswehr tried to have "two platforms only" (Leopard I and Marder) for all their jobs. Did not work out but mainly due to time delays (KaJaPa and Jaguar tankhunters diverged from Marder before the final set of prototypes) or project termination (SpH on Leopard I chassis). So something along that lines is not too unrealistic here either.

Please tell me if I'm annoying you, but I love what-ifs
Another interesting option worth digging into is that of early guided anti-tank missiles, like an enhanced Rotkäppchen and the like: http://www.wehrmacht-history.com/luftwaffe/missiles/x7-rotkaeppchen-anti-tank-missile.htm

Another question:

The French generally liked the Panther despite it's shortcomings and used (sometimes due to misunderstandings) quite a few concepts in early post-WWII designs. Will they buy (or licence produce) "Panther II" in this timeline? Similar to "MBT 60" that produced Leo I and AMX-30, both tanks heavily influenced by the Panther.

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This "what if" diverges before the final bombing raids against the infrastructure and misses JCS 1067 as well. This leaves german industrie in a decend state.

With the war over engineers WILL set out to correct the "well known problems" of their vehicles. So for me a "Panther II" with a fixed final drive (The one from the Tiger I was proposed), the Panther-F turret (fixing the observation problem) and likely "live" tracks (increasing track life) will make an appearance. Either "HL234" engine with fuel injection or the Maybach diesel as well to increase range.

Reason:

+ The basic plattform is sound and rugged
+ It is optimized for mass production
+ It is fast and agile while not too heavy
+ It has a complete familie either in production (Berge) or designed (Coelian AA, an Self propelled howitzer)
+ It can take guns up to 105mm

We will also see "Katzchen" APC/IFV. Simply because germans had good experience with mechanised infantrie and bad ones with lack of overhead cover.

As for Jagdpanzers based on PIV and 38t: Those where stopgap vehicles with serious problems. And with a "fixed" Panther building more Jagdpanther may be a better solution.

Post WWII the Bundeswehr tried to have "two platforms only" (Leopard I and Marder) for all their jobs. Did not work out but mainly due to time delays (KaJaPa and Jaguar tankhunters diverged from Marder before the final set of prototypes) or project termination (SpH on Leopard I chassis). So something along that lines is not too unrealistic here either.

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+1, a sound analysis & "prognosis" IMO. Maybe with a little twist regarding war time production: tank production significantly declined only very late in the war, in spring 1945. The industry recovered very well from the bombings, even in war time. production reached a record high in 1944, when the bombing campaigns were well underway. Even in 1945, roughly 5000 tanks/ tank destroyers were built, a 10 % share of the overall wartime production of 50.000 (numbers based on wikipedia). Thus the assumption that Germany would have been in no state for mass production after the war is unfounded. If it happened in reality, than for political reasons and the dismantlement of facilities as part of "war bounty".

The French liked a lot of the design concepts incorporated into the panther, but I think they were not impressed at all with the practical execution once they had some experience operating captured panthers.

In this scenario, it seems likely the French would study the panther with great interest. However, I doubt the French would forgo an opportunity to keep their own design team up to date by simply licensing the German design. They would likely require their own team to incorporate all the design aspects they like, but put them into an indigenous design that would be clearly superior to their way of thinking.

Considering that the Canadians were re-equipped when they arrived in Korea any Germans coming might have too. So you would have seen Germans in Shermans. Considering how far the German equipment would have to go would it have been worth while to send any heavy equipment? Maybe a contingent of armor for national pride?

Funny how we keep mentioning France forgetting that the policy in the early 1950s was to get France to rearm against the Soviets and contain Communism in Indochina and specifically not to involve them in Korea. See especially the book Approaching Vietnam

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Another question:

The French generally liked the Panther despite it's shortcomings and used (sometimes due to misunderstandings) quite a few concepts in early post-WWII designs. Will they buy (or licence produce) "Panther II" in this timeline? Similar to "MBT 60" that produced Leo I and AMX-30, both tanks heavily influenced by the Panther.

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AS has been mentioned before, France would likely have had a "grudge" against Germany. Licencing could have been a means of reparation, along with other things. UNderstandable national pride and strategic concerns might still have prevented the French from just relyiing on a foreign (former enemy's) design.

Considering that the Canadians were re-equipped when they arrived in Korea any Germans coming might have too. So you would have seen Germans in Shermans. Considering how far the German equipment would have to go would it have been worth while to send any heavy equipment? Maybe a contingent of armor for national pride?

My personal point of view is that every single available German unit would be dedicated to face the soviets in ETO.
But this is just my humble opinion, and we all know that politicians don't necessary act according to what reason suggests...
Another .002 to this "figment"

Now to the technical side....assuming that Germany was allied to the Western Allies, German designs and research would not have suffered from the same shortages of rare raw materials like what actually occured during the war.

Another consideration, since historically many of the soldiers in French Indochina were in fact Germans, to the point of whole units being recruited from POWS, would the French have pushed for German troops there rather than Korea? Also would the Pentagon have desired Germany to stay out of what was basically their show for similar reasons that the French were willingly excluded?

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Another consideration, since historically many of the soldiers in French Indochina were in fact Germans, to the point of whole units being recruited from POWS, would the French have pushed for German troops there rather than Korea? Also would the Pentagon have desired Germany to stay out of what was basically their show for similar reasons that the French were willingly excluded?

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1. Where would the French have gotten their POWs from? If this what if really kicks in in July 1944, there basically were no German POWs in French hands...

2. If their had been any number of German POWs in French custody, don't you think they would have been released by the time the two countries joined forces? AFAIK, the Germans fighting in Indochina did so for the foreign legion (read "mercernary unit under French state control"). ALl those German and former foreign (SS) vets who only knew fighting and thus enrolled with the French in Indochina probably would have kept fighting for the Germans, if they could.

I was referencing the actual history not the counterfactual scenario. Since the French Foreign Legion recruited so many German veterans historically because the French were reluctant to send their own troops, in our counterfactual scenario the French might have wanted the German army with them in Indochina and not wasted in Korea. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?

And I always wanted to do a jungle German tank.

Additionally, the Pentagon might have gone with this to appease the French and to keep Korea an all-American show (no DeGaulle, no Krauts) Since the war in Europe ended so early does that mean Patton is still alive?