Quote:
Originally posted by Hands:
Maintaining an army requires much less resources than fighting.
If the SU had to fight against the Japanese in the east, supplies have to be diverted from the West. And what about the condition of the Soviet forces in the east? Morale ? Combat readiness ? Willingness to fight ? With the Germans advancing towards Moscow, I would say a Japanese invasion of the SU would have a huge effect on the war.
One of the most important is that Zhukov may never be allowed to return to Moscow for it's defence.
Also not forgetting the oil embargo will only seriously hurt the Japanese Navy in the short term. Collapse of the SU will connect the 2 axis partners together.
|
Wishful thinking without substanciating merit. There is no material evidence that the Soviet morale would collapse with a Japanese declaration of war. With the almost certain early defeats of Japanese thrusts along with a counter invasion of Manchuria it is likely the Japanese who would suffer such a shock.
Zhukov's presence or absence will make little difference. His reputation is largely undeserved (see
Zhukov's Greatest Defeat by David Glantz for example).
The Soviet forces in the Far East were maintained and had sufficent stocks of ammunition to fight from without harming the effort in European Russia. As I pointed out, it is the Japanese who will be far from their supply points and unable to maintain forces in the field. They lack both the motorized transport and rail services necessary. They also lack the engineers needed to provide roads or railroads in a timely manner.
An oil embargo is hardly a certainty.