tss Posted January 28, 2000 Share Posted January 28, 2000 I'm quite certain that I should not be posting on this thread, but nevertheless... 1)What if the coup in Yugoslavia hadn't taken place?(this would have given the germans 3+ extra months for Barbarossa) Well, if the Germans really wanted to attack on 22 March 1941 the campaign would have been a really short one as thaw and mud would have stopped their advance immedietely. As a result, the Russian army survives more or less intact and the will Germans have a hell of a time in late Summer. On real world the Jugoslavian campaign delayed the attack only a couple of weeks, at most. There were two other important factors at work: 1. The Spring 41 came late and the ground took longer to dry than on an average year. It would not have been possible to attack before the beginning of June in any case. 2. As the preparations of frontal airfields were not complete, Luftwaffe could not have been deployed much earlier. (I don't have the exact dates available at hand right now). - Tommi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PanzerLeader Posted January 28, 2000 Share Posted January 28, 2000 According to many historians and German generals(including Guderian I think), Germany's only sensible option in the summer of 40 was not to directly attack Britain(SeaLion)nor Russia, but to threaten her Empire by attacking in the Mediterranean against Egypt, Malta, Gibraltar and then the Middle East. Such a move would also have given the Wehrmacht the possibility to attack, much later of course, Russia via the Caucasus. Sealion without Air and Naval Superiority was probably too risky, and Russia...well that's history An excellent book on this general topic(could Germany have won WW2?) is "Hitler's War" by Heinz Magenheimer. It analyses Germany's strategic options and decisions throughout the war, from the summmer of '40 all the way to 45. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mch Posted January 28, 2000 Share Posted January 28, 2000 All in all.... I really have to say that this has become a rather amusing thread.(perhaps a new feature: meandering thread of the day)Page 2,esp.should be preserved for posterity. (...being removed from stage... ?:what did i do wrong? !:You THANKED Hitler! ?: i DID? !:yes !) mch out(snowed in and bored Silly) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom Posted January 28, 2000 Share Posted January 28, 2000 Well, if the German's didn't wait until June 22 to launch their offensive they would have made it to Moscow. Wether or not Russia would have collapsed at the loss of Leningrad and Moscow it is up the the speculators. Sure, maybe not attacking in March, but, that still leaves May and most of June (6-7 extra weeks) of good dry summer in which to make an attack. The Germans were 90 km from Moscow when they had to fall back historically. Those extra weeks would have given more than enough time to traverse that vast distance before the rain and snowfall. mch, when 'he' wrote that I was in shock, my original message before I changed it was a little more blatantly abusive, but, I thought that it was just a fluke of stupidity. THEN he goes and digs himself even deeper. My God, was I ever in shock. Just because we are wargamers doesn't make us Neo-Nazis. [This message has been edited by Major Tom (edited 01-28-2000).] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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