Was the Soviet Union preparing to attack Germany?

Discussions on WW2 in Eastern Europe.
Locked
sandeepmukherjee196
Member
Posts: 1524
Joined: 07 Aug 2014, 06:34

Re: Was Soviet Union preparing to attack the Germany?

#1516

Post by sandeepmukherjee196 » 15 Mar 2017, 15:41

Thanks a lot Michael.

Cheers
Sandeep

Omeganian
Member
Posts: 234
Joined: 02 Jan 2012, 17:53

Re: Was Soviet Union preparing to attack the Germany?

#1517

Post by Omeganian » 15 Mar 2017, 17:51

michael mills wrote:
I think what is being sought to be established here is that in 1941 the USSR had no stomach for a fight for the foreseeable future...as things stood then.
Presumably Timoshenko and Zhukov did have such a stomach, since in May 1941 they prepared the first draft of a plan for launching a pre-emptive strike against the German forces massing on the Soviet western frontier.
It's not the first draft. There are at least four such plans, starting with summer 1940.


michael mills
Member
Posts: 8999
Joined: 11 Mar 2002, 13:42
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Was Soviet Union preparing to attack the Germany?

#1518

Post by michael mills » 16 Mar 2017, 03:26

Here are some extracts from the book by Coutouvidis about Stalin's attempt in the middle of 1940 to create a Polish army on Soviet territory for use in a future war with Germany.

Page 41:
On that morning of 19 June the two premiers [Churchill and Sikorski, in London] discussed the Russian problem. The Polish leader stated that he was "not advocating a policy which might provoke Russia", but warned against "cherishing any illusions regarding the Soviets and their policy towards the Allies". Churchill denied having such illusions and ventured that "Hitler might be tempted to strike against Russia". According to Raczynski [the Polish ambassador in London], Sikorski then "touched on the idea of getting the Russians to agree to the formation of a Polish Army in the territory under their control", and enlarged upon this with Halifax in the afternoon. Halifax asked for a note in writing. On Sikorski's instructions, Raczynski drew up the following memorandum.

The Polish Government, considering the defeat of Germany as the principal object of the war, does not intend to create difficulties which might prejudice the discussions between the British and Soviet Governments, in connection with the appointment of Sir Stafford Cripps to Moscow. On the other hand, the Polish Government is determined to spare no effort to improve the tragic situation of the Polish population in Soviet-occupied territory and in the Soviet Union itself (prisoners of war detained there) in order to create, with the agreement of the Soviet authorities, a Polish army of some 300,000 men for service against Germany.

In the present circumstances, the Polish Government ventures to suggest the attachment to the staff of the British Embassy in Moscow, on a confidential and unofficial basis, of a Polish official.........to study the Soviet attitudes, and the possibilities of carrying out the plan suggested above........it goes without saying that the suggestion in the present aide-memoire cannot in any way be interpreted as signifying any waiver of the indefeasible rights of the Polish State which have been violated by the aggression of the Soviet Union.
Page 43:
The circumstances that surrounded the drafting of the memorandum and its original form also raised misgivings in Raczynski's mind. He states that a few days before Sikorski arrived in London, the TASS representative there, Andrew Rothstein, suggested to Stafan Litauer of the POlish news agency (PAT) that semi-official contacts be made between the Polish and Soviet governments. Litauer recorded the suggestions in a memorandum he gave to Sikorski on his arrival in London. Prior to his meeting with Churchill of 19 June Sikorski asked Raczynski to examine, and to comment on, the points contained in Litauer's paper. This envisaged the creation of a Polish army in Russia, the appointment of an unofficial Polish observer to the staff of the British Embassy in Moscow and touched on "the possibility of some concession in regard tour frontier with the Soviet Union, and on the question (of course purely theoretical) of our consent to the passage of Soviet troops through Poland". On Raczynski's insistence this portion of the memorandum was crossed out and did not feature in its final form as submitted to Halifax. Raczynski concludes that the main reason for Sikorski's "feverish interest" in Litauer's memorandum was his determination to create a sizeable Polish army, even if it required "the help of the devil himself".
Raczynski's memoirs thus confirm that the initiative for creating a Polish army in the Soviet Union out of POWs held there came from the Soviet side. That can only mean that in June 1940 Stalin was already thinking about a future war with Germany, and was seeking allies.

Page 44:
The enlistment of Polish officers [interned in Lithuania since September 1939] in the Red Army, which Sikorski saw as an indication of the ameliorating attitude of the Soviet government towards his government and therefore to be taken advantage of, was a development which the Foreign Office had been following closely. On 7 June, Preston, the British minister at Kovno, sent the following information: "I am credibly informed that the Russians are forming at Stanislava a Polish Red Legion with Polish troops interned in Russia. Treatment is said to be good and all former rank restored. Polish Officers in Lithuania would be grateful to learn whether the Polish Government wishes them to join these legions". It was felt in London that this was "a very awkward question for the PG", paticulaly as it was reported that the "Russians wanted to have an officer corps in preparation for a 'Polish People's Army' and a 'Polish People's Republic' ". It was decided that Kennard [the British Ambassador to Poland, now in London] should obtain the Polish viewpoint. He replied, "Polish Minister for Foreign Affairs [Zaleski] would be grateful if HM Minister at Kovno could be instructed to inform Polish officers in Lithuania that, in the opinion of the Polish Government, Russian proposal is very suspect amd should certainly not be accepted". This reflected Kennard's own feelings on the question. He believed that if such legions were formed by Russia, the Germans would try to do likewise, and the result would be a similar situation to that in "the last war when Polish legions were to be found in Russia, Germany and Austria and many of the subsequent internal difficulties in Poland arose out of the quarrelling of the members of those different legions". Kennard felt furthermore that if the Poles had to make a choice between the two, they would be "more likely to work with the Germans than with the Russians since collaboration with the Russians implied the acceptance of a lower culture..........the negation of their strong catholic faith, and acceptance of Communism with all that implied". This was a fairly accurate presentation of the Polish attitude to Russia but most Poles would surely have seen the assumption of their preference for Germany as showing extraordinary ignorance of their feelings.

While Kennard thought the Poles would turn towards the Germans, Lewis Namier believed they should be directed towards the Russians. He suggested that it was in Britain's interest to support Sikorski in creating a Polish legion. "Poland could only exist in the long run if assured of either German or Russian support........and it was clearly much safer for us if she turned to Russia than to Germany. If such a move encouraged the Germans to start German legions then this could hardly be concealed from the Russians and would also react favourably on British interests".

The opinion of British Military Intelligence was that

it certainly seems that as the Polish troops are interned in Russia they must be completely subject to any proposal........which the Soviets might make...........if they are formed into Polish Red Legions the result would probably be no worse from the political aspect and might be better; that is to say, the Polish Officers might be able to restrain extremists, and the men would at least retain a certain amount of self-respect and discipline. We know that Col Mitkiewicz, the head of the Polish Mission here, is inclined to agree in principle. Germany being the main enemy, he thought it would be an advantage to form a nucleus of Polish troops on the Soviet-German frontier.........Since dictating the above I have seen Col Mitkiewicz who quite definitely agrees. Any Polish formation is a future asset.

Omeganian
Member
Posts: 234
Joined: 02 Jan 2012, 17:53

Re: Was Soviet Union preparing to attack the Germany?

#1519

Post by Omeganian » 16 Mar 2017, 05:33

In June the 4th 1941, there was an official decision by the Politburo to "create a division staffed with people of Polish nationality and knowing Polish language" (РГАСПИ. ф. 17, оп. 162, д.35, л.13.) Just like what they did right before the Winter War...

sandeepmukherjee196
Member
Posts: 1524
Joined: 07 Aug 2014, 06:34

Re: Was Soviet Union preparing to attack the Germany?

#1520

Post by sandeepmukherjee196 » 16 Mar 2017, 11:12

Hi Everybody..

We know that Goering, the arch exponent of the Mediterranean option in 1940-41, staunchly defended barbarossa in the Nuremberg IMT trials. He said :

"We learned very quickly, through our close relations with Yugoslavia, the background of General Simovic's coup [in Belgrade on March 27, 1941]. Shortly afterwards it was confirmed that the information from Yugoslavia was correct, namely, that a strong Russian political influence existed, as well as extensive financial assistance for the undertaking on the part of England, of which we later found proof. It was clear that this venture was directed against the friendly policy of the previous Yugoslav government toward Germany ...

"The new Yugoslav government, quite obviously and beyond doubt, clearly stood in closest relationship with the enemies we had at that time, that is to say, England and, in this connection, with the enemy to be, Russia.

"The Simovic affair was definitely the final and decisive factor that dispelled the Führer's very last scruples about Russia's attitude, and prompted him to take preventive measures in that direction under all circumstances."

(Testimony on March 15, 1946, in IMT "blue series" (Nuremberg), vol. 9, pp. 333-334.)

Can someone throw light on the Yugoslav connection? Stalin moved against the Baltics to create a buffer. Why would he cause provocation by getting into a hostile skullduggery in Yugoslavia too?

Cheers
Sandeep

sandeepmukherjee196
Member
Posts: 1524
Joined: 07 Aug 2014, 06:34

Re: Was Soviet Union preparing to attack the Germany?

#1521

Post by sandeepmukherjee196 » 16 Mar 2017, 11:37

Further...irrespective of Stalin's intentions a la Yugoslavia, wasn't Hitler's mind already made up by that time..as evidenced by the troop movements and the original Barbarossa date in May which simply got pushed back due to the Balkans diversion?

Cheers
Sandeep
Last edited by sandeepmukherjee196 on 16 Mar 2017, 19:40, edited 1 time in total.

Omeganian
Member
Posts: 234
Joined: 02 Jan 2012, 17:53

Re: Was Soviet Union preparing to attack the Germany?

#1522

Post by Omeganian » 16 Mar 2017, 13:08

sandeepmukherjee196 wrote:Further...irrespective of Stalin's intentions a la Yugoslavia, wasn't Hitler's mind already made up by that time..as evidenced by the troops movements and the original Barbarossa date in May which simply got pushed back due to Balkans diversion?

Cheers
Sandeep
Hitler's mind was more or less made after the November 1940 negotiations (he consistently inquired whether the Soviets would mind redirecting their expansion in directions which would make him less nervous, and Molotov was consistently ignoring him)

User avatar
Attrition
Member
Posts: 4006
Joined: 29 Oct 2008, 23:53
Location: England

Re: Was Soviet Union preparing to attack the Germany?

#1523

Post by Attrition » 16 Mar 2017, 13:49

I'm sure that the USSR did as much as the USSA to prepare for war as a contingency and I think this process began in 1938 when confidence in French and British will and ability to contain nazi Germany waned considerably. Manoeuvres by both peripheral powers need to be seen in this context so I doubt that anyone who hankers after the view that Barbarossa was a defensive strategy to forestall a Soviet invasion, can convince anyone else. Can anyone remember when the US invasion of Iceland came into a discussion like this?
Last edited by Attrition on 16 Mar 2017, 18:47, edited 1 time in total.

sandeepmukherjee196
Member
Posts: 1524
Joined: 07 Aug 2014, 06:34

Re: Was Soviet Union preparing to attack the Germany?

#1524

Post by sandeepmukherjee196 » 16 Mar 2017, 16:07

Did Hitler wait till November 1940 to make up his mind ? Irrespective of what Molotov conceded ..wasn't Hitler's mind made up by 21st July '40? Remember that epoch making conference on July 21 whereby the Wehrmacht was committed to finding a military solution to the potential 2 front situation by taking the initiative in the east? In this conference (Hitler, Brauchitsch, Jeschonnek, Raeder , Keitel and Jodl) the die was cast..no?

I am not necessarily laying the responsibility entirely on the usual suspects (Hitler) though. True Raeder left midway .. isn't it also true that the perennial post war sob story peddler Brauchitsch fed the c**p about Soviet strength being limited to 50-75 "good divisions"..which would be licked by up to 100 German Divs? Thereby painting a rosy picture for Hitler. I am told that the OKH was even prepared to conduct their 8 weeks wonder war by autumn '40 (struck down by OKW)!

This doesn't sit well with what Hitler later claimed when Moscow (Typhoon) went sour in Dec 41..He then claimed that Europe had been saved from calamity by his pre-emptive Barbarossa : " ...I may say this today: If the wave of more than 20,000 tanks, hundreds of divisions, tens of thousands of artillery pieces, along with more than 10,000 airplanes, had not been kept from being set into motion against the Reich, Europe would have been lost ..."
( Reichstag: 11 Dec '41).


My sense always has been that there was a big dose of rationalisation by Hitler (maybe genuine) later..even trying to convince himself..that his war against Russia was based on pure military rationale whereas it was actually a gut level, visceral, feeling driven decision..coming out of his life's mission of Lebensraum in the east.

However it may be equally true that Stalin was indeed preparing for a war as per his own calendar as some members are claiming here..irrespective of what Hitler's intentions were. I am open to new authentic info to support this. There is a supposed 1994 research into Soviet archives which dug out a Politburo meeting-minutes of 19 August 1939, where Stalin is supposed to have said :

"The question of war or peace has entered a critical phase for us. If we conclude a mutual assistance pact with France and Great Britain, Germany will back off from Poland and seek a modus vivendi with the Western powers. War would be avoided, but down the road events could become dangerous for the USSR. If we accept Germany's proposal and conclude a non-aggression pact with her, she will of course invade Poland, and the intervention of France and England in that would be unavoidable. Western Europe would be subjected to serious upheavals and disorder. Under those conditions, we would have a great opportunity to stay out of the conflict, and we could plan the opportune time for us to enter the war.

"The experience of the last 20 years has shown that in peacetime the Communist movement is never strong enough to seize power. The dictatorship of such a party will only become possible as the result of a major war.

"Our choice is clear. We must accept the German proposal and politely send the Anglo-French mission home. Our immediate advantage will be to take Poland to the gates of Warsaw, as well as Ukrainian Galicia ...

"For the realization of these plans it is essential that the war continue for a long as possible, and all forces, with which we are actively involved, should be directed toward this goal ...

"Let us consider a second possibility, that is, a victory by Germany... It is obvious that Germany will be too occupied elsewhere to turn against us. In a conquered France, the French Communist Party will be very strong. The Communist revolution will break out unavoidably, and we will be able to fully exploit this situation to come to the aid of France and make it our ally. In addition, all the nations that fall under the "protection" of a victorious Germany will also become our allies. This presents for us a broad field of action in which to develop the world revolution.

"Comrades! It is in the interest of the USSR -- the workers' homeland -- that war breaks out between the Reich and the capitalist Anglo-French block. Everything should be done so that this drags out as long as possible with the goal of weakening both sides. For this reason, it is imperative that we agree to conclude the pact proposed by Germany, and then work that this war, which will one day be declared, is carried out after the greatest possible passage of time..."

(Carl O. Nordling, Did Stalin deliver his alleged speech of 19 August 1939? published by the Journal of Slavic Military Studies, 19:93-106, 2006 (Internet Archive).

Cheers
Sandeep

Omeganian
Member
Posts: 234
Joined: 02 Jan 2012, 17:53

Re: Was Soviet Union preparing to attack the Germany?

#1525

Post by Omeganian » 16 Mar 2017, 19:59

sandeepmukherjee196 wrote:Did Hitler wait till November 1940 to make up his mind ? Irrespective of what Molotov conceded ..wasn't Hitler's mind made up by 21st July '40? Remember that epoch making conference on July 21 whereby the Wehrmacht was committed to finding a military solution to the potential 2 front situation by taking the initiative in the east? In this conference (Hitler, Brauchitsch, Jeschonnek, Raeder , Keitel and Jodl) the die was cast..no?
Some vague plans existed, but the directive and start of actual development of the plans date to December.

sandeepmukherjee196 wrote:However it may be equally true that Stalin was indeed preparing for a war as per his own calendar as some members are claiming here..irrespective of what Hitler's intentions were. I am open to new authentic info to support this. There is a supposed 1994 research into Soviet archives which dug out a Politburo meeting-minutes of 19 August 1939, where Stalin is supposed to have said :

"The question of war or peace has entered a critical phase for us. If we conclude a mutual assistance pact with France and Great Britain, Germany will back off from Poland and seek a modus vivendi with the Western powers. War would be avoided, but down the road events could become dangerous for the USSR. If we accept Germany's proposal and conclude a non-aggression pact with her, she will of course invade Poland, and the intervention of France and England in that would be unavoidable. Western Europe would be subjected to serious upheavals and disorder. Under those conditions, we would have a great opportunity to stay out of the conflict, and we could plan the opportune time for us to enter the war.

"The experience of the last 20 years has shown that in peacetime the Communist movement is never strong enough to seize power. The dictatorship of such a party will only become possible as the result of a major war.

"Our choice is clear. We must accept the German proposal and politely send the Anglo-French mission home. Our immediate advantage will be to take Poland to the gates of Warsaw, as well as Ukrainian Galicia ...

"For the realization of these plans it is essential that the war continue for a long as possible, and all forces, with which we are actively involved, should be directed toward this goal ...

"Let us consider a second possibility, that is, a victory by Germany... It is obvious that Germany will be too occupied elsewhere to turn against us. In a conquered France, the French Communist Party will be very strong. The Communist revolution will break out unavoidably, and we will be able to fully exploit this situation to come to the aid of France and make it our ally. In addition, all the nations that fall under the "protection" of a victorious Germany will also become our allies. This presents for us a broad field of action in which to develop the world revolution.

"Comrades! It is in the interest of the USSR -- the workers' homeland -- that war breaks out between the Reich and the capitalist Anglo-French block. Everything should be done so that this drags out as long as possible with the goal of weakening both sides. For this reason, it is imperative that we agree to conclude the pact proposed by Germany, and then work that this war, which will one day be declared, is carried out after the greatest possible passage of time..."

(Carl O. Nordling, Did Stalin deliver his alleged speech of 19 August 1939? published by the Journal of Slavic Military Studies, 19:93-106, 2006 (Internet Archive).

Cheers
Sandeep
That's been discussed here quite a bit already.

User avatar
Attrition
Member
Posts: 4006
Joined: 29 Oct 2008, 23:53
Location: England

Re: Was Soviet Union preparing to attack the Germany?

#1526

Post by Attrition » 17 Mar 2017, 01:08

~~~~~However it may be equally true that Stalin was indeed preparing for a war as per his own calendar as some members are claiming here.~~~~~

The Germans started (in a small way) towards the end of the Weimar Republic and in a big way once the republic had been assassinated and Hitler installed, the British, French and Americans joining in during 1934, not needing anything so crude as a formally Bonapartist regime. It would be a mistake to treat USSR rearmament different.

Max Payload
Member
Posts: 574
Joined: 21 Jun 2008, 15:37

Re: Was Soviet Union preparing to attack the Germany?

#1527

Post by Max Payload » 17 Mar 2017, 03:54

Omeganian wrote:
sandeepmukherjee196 wrote:Did Hitler wait till November 1940 to make up his mind ? Irrespective of what Molotov conceded ..wasn't Hitler's mind made up by 21st July '40? Remember that epoch making conference on July 21 whereby the Wehrmacht was committed to finding a military solution to the potential 2 front situation by taking the initiative in the east? In this conference (Hitler, Brauchitsch, Jeschonnek, Raeder , Keitel and Jodl) the die was cast..no?
Some vague plans existed, but the directive and start of actual development of the plans date to December.
They were more than vague plans. Hitler set the process in motion in July 1940 when it became clear that the British had rejected his final and 'reasonable' peace offer. At the end of that month he stated that it was his intention to launch the offensive in May 1941. By then Marcks had already begun preliminary work on an invasion plan. In September a staff team under Paulus began to develop a strategic survey of the proposed campaign based on the Marcks Plan. Staff exercises on the plan were conducted in November and December, and the preliminary invasion proposals were put to Hitler for approval on 5 December. The next day Jodl began the preparation of a draft Directive, based on the preliminary invasion proposals, to be submitted for approval by Hitler. A two day OKH senior staff conference was held at the end of the second week of December to finalise the operational proposals. On the basis of all this, Jodl presented a draft of Directive 21 to Hitler on 17 December. Additional logistical planning and staff exercises were conducted in December and January. In January more detailed operational planning exercises, map manoeuvres and command post exercises were conducted at army group level. OKH's proposals for implementation of Directive 21 were signed off by Hitler on 3 February, after which more map and command post exercises were conducted.
Clearly, this was a continuous process of planning and preparation for invasion, initiated by Hitler in the second half of July. It did not begin with Directive 21, nor with Molotov's abortive visit to Berlin in November. During the entire process the Feldheer grew from 203 to 253 divisions. Even in its early stages this was not contingency planning. Theoretically the entire enterprise could have postponed or cancelled at any time up to the late spring of 1941 but the prospect of that happening, if there ever was such a prospect, diminished with each passing month. Raeder, for his own service reasons, was the only senior commander to try to dissuade Hitler from the Barbarossa enterprise. OKH had no fundamental objections other than to persuade Hitler to abandon his plan to attack Russia before the winter of 1940.

sandeepmukherjee196
Member
Posts: 1524
Joined: 07 Aug 2014, 06:34

Re: Was Soviet Union preparing to attack the Germany?

#1528

Post by sandeepmukherjee196 » 17 Mar 2017, 06:07

Goering too was in favour of the Mediterranean option. The land animals of the Heer cravenly and blindly refused to see any other options. None of the OKH folks had any strategic global vision....

michael mills
Member
Posts: 8999
Joined: 11 Mar 2002, 13:42
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Was Soviet Union preparing to attack the Germany?

#1529

Post by michael mills » 17 Mar 2017, 07:40

Clearly, this was a continuous process of planning and preparation for invasion, initiated by Hitler in the second half of July.
That does not mean that Hitler had in July 1940 made a definite decision to invade the Soviet Union and never wavered from it, ie it was an unstoppable process.

For example, if Stalin had unconditionally accepted Ribbentrop's proposal that the Soviet Union join the Three-Power Pact, which would mean joining Germany in its war against Britain, then obviously there would have been no German invasion.

To be sure, Stalin did make an apparent acceptance of the offer, but with conditions that that he must have known Hitler could not accept. Any impartial analysis of the November 1940 discussions with Molotov in Berlin and the consequences flowing from them must come to the conclusion that it was Molotov's insistence on German agreement to further Soviet expansion in the Baltic region (renewed invasion of Finland) and in the Balkans (withdrawal of German guarantee to Romania, Soviet bases in Bulgaria and on the Straits) that convinced Hitler that Stalin would never join him against Britain, but would keep trying to expand westward, thereby increasing the threat to Germany (eg cutting off its supply of oil from Romania), and accordingly he (Hitler) needed to activate the contingency plans that had already been drawn up, in order to destroy Soviet military power as soon as possible, before it became too great.

Stalin's bogus acceptance of Ribbentrop's Eurasian proposal showed that his strategy was to keep open the option of joining Britain against Germany at some point in the future, preferably when Germany had been weakened through the ongoing struggle with Britain. It was clearly obvious to observers that Stalin had that option, since Britain was openly doing everything in its power to bring the Soviet Union in against Germany. something that Stalin was choosing to resist until it suited him to do so.

Thus, the aftermath of the Molotov visit must be seen as the point at which Hitler decided to activate the draft plans for an invasion of the Soviet Union, rather than the alternative plans for driving Britain out of the Mediterranean area.

It should be borne in mind that at the same time as the German military leadership was drafting plans for an invasion of the Soviet Union, the Red Army leadership was busily drafting plans for an offensive to the west, with the double objective of destroying the German forces in Poland and also cutting Germany off from its East European allies, in particular from its supply of oil in Romania. If the Red Army plans drawn up in 1940 were contingency plans, then so were the plans being drawn up by the OKH in the second half of that year.

The only reason why the Timoshenko-Zhukov first-strike plan can be called a contingency plan is that it was never implemented, because the German plan was implemented first.

The fact that the Feldheer grew from 203 to 253 divisions is not proof positive that a German invasion of the Soviet Union was inevitable, or that Hitler had made a firm decision in that regard. Germany was at war with Britain, and it had to force an end to that war somehow, and there were alternatives to Barbarossa. The problem for Hitler was that he could not be sure that if he committed all or most of his forces against Britain in the Mediterranean, Stalin would not take the opportunity to attack Germany from the rear.

sandeepmukherjee196
Member
Posts: 1524
Joined: 07 Aug 2014, 06:34

Re: Was Soviet Union preparing to attack the Germany?

#1530

Post by sandeepmukherjee196 » 17 Mar 2017, 09:57

Michael I respect your research and your views. Stalin was a potential threat to the Reich at all times. And without the benefit of hindsight available today, Hitler was in a dangerous guessing game.

However please do note that the Mediterranean option would not have impaired German defence capabilities in the east in any significant manner in the summer of 41.

All that was required of the Heer was the deployment of another korps including just 2 Pz divs! An invasion of Malta with the FJ and yes...substantial LW resources in Italy - Afrika.

The supplying of the added forces would not have been difficult without Russia gobbling up the Reich's resources and without the humongous losses in transit as in the real case. Because the control of Malta would have turned the Mediterranean into an Axis lake.

The canal route would be closed to Britain.

Turkey would have been under real pressure to join the Axis with Romel in Palestine and Syria. The middle east oil would be Hitler's and the southern route to the USSR would be open. Iraqi independence would be real and Britain would have had to block enormous shipping resources in the long route via the Cape.

Stalin would have further withdrawn into a shell in the face of this overwhelming Axis march. And the Russia option was there to be exercised at a future date if necessary. With greater safety and certainty.

Cheers
Sandeep
Last edited by sandeepmukherjee196 on 17 Mar 2017, 10:10, edited 1 time in total.

Locked

Return to “WW2 in Eastern Europe”