[Given our apparent intelligence capabilities in other areas]

Why was Anglo American tank design so far behind that of Germany and Russia?

I've read a few military history books and none have ever explained why Britain and America never came up with a main battle tank to touch the T34, Panther, Tiger or even the later PzKwIV's.

[Could the Allies have defeated Germany in 1944?]

Originally posted by YankeeDog:

Well, it's very easy to armchair general, but that's what wargaming is all about.

2. Italy: IMHO, biggest grand tactical mistake was probably failing to take full advantage of the landings at Anzio. In hindsight, this operation did catch the Germans completely by surprise, and if the Allies had been more aggressive about expanding the bridgehead in the first hours, they would have put much more pressure on the Germans, and possibly even threatened to cut German forces to the south off completely. Especially if Hitler had gone into one of his 'no retreat' fits, it's quite possible there could have been another mass German surrender in Southern Italy in 1943 -- The Germans certainly weren't going to get out by water given Allied naval dominance!

5. Market Garden: Perhaps the biggest missed opportunity. IMHO, while the plan for Market Garden was a bit optimistic in terms of the strength of German resistance and the ability of the Allies to actually execute such a bold plan, it could have succeeded, and ironically would have been more likely to succeed with a more aggressive commander at it's helm like Monty's rival Patton. Whatever the case, there were enough planning and execution failures here that I think the Allies genuinely could have been in Amsterdam on the East bank of the Rhine in the Fall of '44.

But surely the plan for Italy was to cut of the German forces?, and Clarke decided to ignore orders and go for the glory of liberating Rome instead.

On Market Garden, I'm not clear what difference Patton commanding would've made to the weather and the completely unplanned for presence of an SS Panzer corps?, which surely are the major reasons for the failure to seize the Arnhem bridge, I'd be interested to read why you think he would have made a difference.

[Could the Allies have defeated Germany in 1944?]

It's unlikely that much time could have been knocked off the length of the war, although it is conceivable that either the Anglo Americans or the Russians could have brought it to an end in late '44 or early '45

A successful Market Garden would almost certainly have ended the war a few months earlier, as it would have given a route to Germany and more specifically the Ruhr that bypassed the Siegfried Line.

The Russians almost certainly could and would have beaten Germany earlier had they only realised the state they were in at the time, instead an unfounded fear that a bloody nose was just round the corner led them to be almost over cautious as they swept through Germany. Although in fairness there is a school of thought that had Guderian got his way and the hapless Himmler not been put in charge of Army Group Vistula, the Germans might have managed to hold up the Russian advance long enough to reinforce the front.