An alternate Ploesti scenario

Heres one from Adolf...YES...Adolf Hitler.

This is based on the meeting between Hitler and Marshal Mannerheim in June 1942. The info came from the documentary...The Hitler Tape where 11 minutes of the private meeting was recorded in secret...I wont go on any more about the documentry.

In the meeting Hitler feared Russia in 1940 would invade Romania. I don't think Hitler was saying a full scale invasion but a invasion that took control of the Ploesti oil fields. Hitler said his war would have been over if this happen.

What would have have been the result if the Russians had invaded and took control of the Ploesti oil fields?

 

Although It does not quite make the what if requirements I am interested in some of the answers that might be posted.

How ever could you add some more on your posting to make it meet the requirments.

 

Stalin was well aware of the importance of Ploesti to Hitler. If Stalin had done as you suggest it would have been a clear and deliberate provocation of Hitler. Remember in 1940 the Nazis were invincible in land warfare. And Hitler was liable to attack almost anybody in reach, on any flimsy pretext, or none at all - let alone a good solid one like this. Hitler would have ordered an immediate offensive, probably driven them out, and the war against Russia would have started that much sooner.

 

To start with: Hitler also said that he would have never went to war if he had known the Soviets had 20,000 tanks to start the war with, well whatever. Mostly the talk was more or less Hitler´s explanations and excuses why he started the war to Mannerheim...small talk by the dictator and Mannerheim listening...

If the Soviets had broken the "pact" and taken Ploesti this definitely would have meant an open aggressive move against Hitler. In this case they would have been ready to attack Germany as well, as they definitely knew Hitler would be in trouble without 1)Ploesti oil 2) Soviet fuel supplies according to Ribbentrop-Molotov pact. If this had happened in 1940, Hitler would not have had his troops towards the east, and the Red Army would have been attacking, instead of being trapped by the panzer columns. Looks like a good deal for the Red Army and Stalin.

However Stalin himself was still in the firm belief that the Red Army was not ready, and after 1940 blitzkrieg started huge renewals both in tactics and panzer division formation creation by Stalin. Stalin thus would have been able to attack by 1942 earliest with these changes and t-34 production numbers.

Just my two cents.

 

Isn't there already a thread on this?

 

Yes, without the what if factor.

Wasn't sure if this got the go ahead...thanks to Tomcat for allowing it.

 

What if it was a raid on Ploesti to blow it up without the full invasion by what ever method.

A bit of fleshing out...let us assume Stalin saw things were calling off between Russia & Germany and knowing attack to wards Hitler would be a error. Stalin sees one possible opening to knock Hitler's plans or to buy time by blowing up Ploesti.

To put it another way...not to take Hitler head on but to destroy his gas pumps.

 

Agreed! Totally! Let's not forget that Stalin bent over backwards for Hitler and did everything he possibly could to appease him so that Hitler would hold off a couple more years until his attack...or let it off all together.