Operation "Watch on the Rhine" is defensive rather than offensive

Discussions on alternate history, including events up to 20 years before today. Hosted by Terry Duncan.
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David1819
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Joined: 08 Jun 2014, 01:47

Operation "Watch on the Rhine" is defensive rather than offensive

#1

Post by David1819 » 28 Oct 2018, 23:02

What if the offensive that resulted in the Battle of the Bulge never took place. The military build up around the Rhine River is to establish a defensive line. (As the code name suggests)

maltesefalcon
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Location: Canada

Re: Operation "Watch on the Rhine" is defensive rather than offensive

#2

Post by maltesefalcon » 29 Oct 2018, 03:16

There are quite a few threads on this very premise already. Perhaps add your thoughts to one of those?


Carl Schwamberger
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Re: Operation "Watch on the Rhine" is defensive rather than offensive

#3

Post by Carl Schwamberger » 13 Nov 2018, 03:26

Have seen this one played out on the game board a number of times. The first result is the Allied winter attacks to close up to the Rhine continue, uninterrupted by any grand winter offensive. Theses attacks are more difficult that the later February/March attacks & progress slower in December/January tat those later of OTL. Second result is German losses continue at near the same rate, so that sometime in late February or March the actual strength defending in the west is about the same as OTL, or in some examples less. In each of these games the defense in the west collapsed at more or less the same time as OTL. Earlier in February in some cases, later in April in others. The difference seemed to have depended on player skill and a bit of luck with the dice.

In one case the German player succumbed to the opportunity to send a large portion of the 5th & 6th Pz Armies east to fight the Reds. In that case the Allied player crashed through the defense relatively early at then of January & beat the Red Army to Berlin in March.

How these game models relate to the reality of WWII I'll consider at the same level as discussions on the same subjects in these speculative forums.

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