I have never posted on this message board before, but am posting today to say that I will likely not purchase this game without some form of player driven peace engine.
WW II was not an ideological battle to the finish; it was a political war, the same as every other war in history. Politicians then trump up ideological differences to first motivate their citizens to fight and win the war, then to help historians write accounts that are favorable to them.
Case and point, US Standard Oil provided fuel for the German Air Force, and although Americans don't realize it they once invaded Canada and also committed what numerically is a far worse genocide on the Native Americans (no, I'm not European or Canadian, I'm an American who loves his country but also knows the score).
As far as the game goes, to echo what has already been said, this features absence takes away a lot of re playability. I would have never played HOI 2 had this feature been absent-- In fact, I have never once played a game as Britain, Germany, Japan, USSR, or the USA. Thus, I have needed this engine to end all of my games conflicts.
Best,
Mike