Quote:
Originally Posted by von Rundstedt
Getting back to the topic.
Just to add that as my previous post, if Germany attacks the Soviets in 1941, then all those divisions that otherwise would have been sent to France, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway and Denmark are now situated on the Soviet/German-Axis frontier totaly intact, this would be the deployment of an additional 5 to 6 Armies either in the innitial offensive or held in reserve, also the Luftwaffe is totally intact this deployment would have at least 5 to 6 Luftflottes all told, then we would have the Kriegsmarine operating in the Baltic and North Sea, while the Italians without having to worry about Britain and France could send her navy into the Black Sea.
Then there other tangibles such as German and Italian industries being unmolested by allied bombing, also the Roumanian Oilfields running at full capacity. Another question is this would Britain and France be so willing to send arms to the Soviet Union after the Soviets had invaded Finland, considering the Britain did send equipment to Finland. But i would see in all this that Britain and France would not sit by and do nothing, they would make preperations to defend themselves.
Without any help what so ever, An intact Germany and her Axis Allies would eventually destroy the Soviets.
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I disagree the germans would be forced to leave many troops to guard there western flank from the French and British even if they didn't declare war there would still be the chance they would attempt to stop Germany, and Hitler coudn't afford to take such a chance. To let the Germans get hold off Soviet industries and Oil even if it would take time to get them up and running, the western 'allies' could not just sit and watch Germany rearm herself with more and more tanks they would be forced to declare war against germany.
Because of this threat it means less armies and air flottes as you stated above. Plus I still don't think that the soviets can be overrun, they just have too many men and too large a country, suppy lines get strecthed far to long and the winter weather would still make it to hard to launch any good offensive seeing that Germany was not properly equipped for a winter war against the Russians, just another stalingrad with men freezing to death and so on. One great advantage that the Russians posess is the ability to just keep being pushed back and back and it seeming like there is no end to there borders, the question is can the Germans not only keep pushing with there suppy lines getting longer and longer but do they have enough men to man the front lines, countinue attacking, man the borders of Turkey and the middle east plus have enough men on anti-partisan duties all throughout captured Russia? It isn't possible there man power just wouldn't allow it.