Hi v.SVon Schadewald wrote:WI Bismarck is kept in the Baltic. Instead of being lost in June 1941, she is used to hammer Soviet forces around Leningrad. Although at risk from Russian submarines, her bombardment firepower could have broken the siege before the end of 1941.
With Leningrad captured, Bismarck & PE could then be sent skipping round North Cape to ensure that not one Allied Arctic convoy dared be sent to Murmansk and Archangel.
This could have knocked the Soviets out of the war by autumn 1942.
Though the loss of Leningrad would have helped free up valuable German/Finnish forces, and any resulting actions off the North Cape would have hampered the Russians. There is no possibility that unless these efforts were made in tandem with other larger and far reaching changes on the E.Front, that your prognosis would ever come to pass. In fact the 'other' changes would have been of such a magnitude that they would succeed or fail with or without your proposed changes
Regards
Andy H