Good points.

However not all of Ukraine was anti Russian. In fact the eastern half stayed loyal and did not welcome the Germans with open arms as (Western) Ukraine did. I guess this is what im basing the loyalties of men with, not to mention that many Russians were among the troops stationed in Ukraine as well.

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The war against Russia will be such that it cannot be conducted in a knightly fashion. This struggle is one of ideologies and racial differences and will have to be conducted with unprecedented, unmerciful and unrelenting harshness. -Adolf Hitler

Move South was correct. Move back to Moscow later was not, they should ve went for the oilfields there and then. During Barbarossa Ukraine and Caucasus should ve been main objective to begin with in my opinion.

If Hitler stayed on course for Moscow and took it, would this bring an end to the war? No, Stalin would fight on. Russia could draw on vast numbers of man power to replace there loses, true to say yes Kiev netted the Germans more prisoners. But in the end the planing and execution of Barbarossa was a plan for a short almighty knock out blow that failed. Blitzkrieg was over in 41 and Hitler faced a war that he just had no long term resources for.

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Regards, Richard

If Moscow were to have fallen I agree that the fight would not have stopped. I do think that many of the men in the army of the Ukraine district would have went home but then many would have fled to the east. With the government in disarray and the military in disarray the Germans would be able to consolidate the gains in the north.

A key part of this would have been to pacify the people in the occupied lands. If they did not do this, it would not work. If they had kept order and the peace behind the lines I am sure that St Pete would have capitulated. With this the Nazis could have looked to the south and possibly went as far a the oil fields and Stalingrad. This would have required the arming of auxilialries from the occupied lands. The Germans would need manpower.

This would not mean the end of the war, the Russians may have been pushed back beyond the Urals but I can only imagine what would come over those mountains a few years down the road.

I think the shifting was a mistake, it slowed down the whole deal. I don't think in the long run the result would have been any different though.

I have a book that discusses the invasion of the Ukraine in a little paragraph and there is said by a old Tsarist general told to Guderian that
"20 years ago you would have seen as liberators, but now since then we have set back and on our feet again only for you to destroy what we have re-created. We now fight for Russia as the same side for what we have to protect"
something on the lines of that, i'll edit it once i'll find the book!

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Time is only enemy you'll never get rid of.