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An interesting article that reinforces our discussions recently about Hitler's foray into Russia. Way too over-confident for anyones good, especially his troops. I wonder if his generals and planners were that over-confident too, or if they just had to do their best to perform to his unrealistic standards?

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PEOPLE SLEEP PEACEABLY IN THEIR BEDS AT NIGHT ONLY BECAUSE ROUGH MEN STAND READY TO DO VIOLENCE ON THEIR BEHALF. GEORGE ORWELL

i would think if he took more time with his invasions he could have gotten somewhere better with his career...

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"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." -Winston Churchill

625,000 horses and the sad thing is the army ended up eatting most of them so they would not starve. [img]graemlins/no.gif[/img]
Good lession but it is usually forgotten.

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Work Harder ! Millions on welfare are depending on you.

Thanks Za for the link that was one hell of a good read. Brilliant just goes to prove all along Barbarossa was doomed before it began. [img]graemlins/salute.gif[/img]

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Man of the Year 1942

Regards, Richard

There you go being deterministic again!

I can't help remarking on one thing, but I suppose you all will be entitled to pouce on me. I am a whole damn sight more experienced Feldherr than Hitler

Hitler did one Barbarossa once in his life, I did several!

As a wargamer I have a lot more experienced acummulated than Hitler or any other general, so I had the opportunity of learning by my mistakes. Of course this does not make me a Great General and if I did have the opportunity to command any troops in the field it would certainly be an unspeakable disaster.

The advantage of wargames is that even if you lose the game you never lose anything, you only put your thingies back in the box and come back next week to do the same but with a different plan. In real life you only get one shot.

I have played (played!) Barbarossa several times from each side and I can't remember loosing. Why? I never ever repeat Hitler's mistakes. I would only do that if I wanted to lose!

When I play with the Soviets I manage to win, but in the long run and after surrendering an enoirmous mount of ground... Surefire winning strategy for the Germans? Weaken AG South, move all its PzDivs to AG Centre and go for Moscow and grab the Transsiberian terminal! From there you can then fan southwards. If the game system is ok, then you have to go for Gorkii too, but then you are going to seriously stretch your communications, I never got there!

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Since it seems that the Soviet structure does not fall, meaning Stalin would campaign from Siberia if necessary, reaching the Leningrad-Moscow-Rostov line by Dec 1941 would have to do and the attack would continue in the summer of 1942.

I suggest the Finns are pressed to attack Leningrad in Sept 1941, and after taking it the whole AGN could be sent towards Moscow and hopefully the pressure of two Army groups would smash the defence line. By having two political major victories ( Leningrad, Moscow ) things might look a bit different.

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Who? Career?

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Very interesting article.

Reminds us the Wermarcht was at this time a semi motorized army.

But in Russian autumn, with the 1941 roads, you do better with a horse than with a 2 driving wheels truck.

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Join the C-cube now !

It was only one third motorized, unlike the Einsatzgruppen who were fully motorised just goes to show the real war was against the Jews.

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Man of the Year 1942

Regards, Richard

And not just the Jews but all "lower human beings" as well as the teachers,doctors etc who were capable of starting underground action against them!!!!!

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A little off subject one here Steel, Coal and the German War Economy

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Man of the Year 1942

Regards, Richard

I am coming late to this, but thank you for a very interesting war economy site!

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I could have been certain that there were far more than 625,000 horses taken into Russia by Germany at the start of the campaign. 625,000 horses accompanying 3 million men sounds a bit disproportional considering only a third of the army was motorized. Does anyone have a different figure for the total number of horses?

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Cheers,
Daniel

I recall a figure of 650,000 from a book.

Do believe the horses were only meant for pulling food rations,guns and equipmen etc, not carrying men really. March, boys,march!

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I am coming late to this, but thank you for a very interesting war economy site! </font>[/quote]Thank you Za.

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Man of the Year 1942

Regards, Richard