Could the Germans have lured the British onto the mainland?

Discussions on High Command, strategy and the Armed Forces (Wehrmacht) in general.
Post Reply
User avatar
AiBosq
Member
Posts: 19
Joined: 29 Mar 2021, 19:09
Location: USA

Could the Germans have lured the British onto the mainland?

#1

Post by AiBosq » 22 Jun 2021, 00:14

IIRC, the Germans invaded Yugoslavia and Greece because they didn't want to give the British a foothold on the continent? Would allowing them to build up their forces and then capturing and defeating British troops on the mainland have worked then? Would this be unrealistic as the British wouldn't be willingly to do this or just too dangerous a risk to take?

User avatar
TheMarcksPlan
Banned
Posts: 3255
Joined: 15 Jan 2019, 23:32
Location: USA

Re: Could the Germans have lured the British onto the mainland?

#2

Post by TheMarcksPlan » 22 Jun 2021, 10:02

I'm thinking a free class on cooking and driving on the correct side of the road would have worked.
https://twitter.com/themarcksplan
https://www.reddit.com/r/AxisHistoryForum/
https://medium.com/counterfactualww2
"The whole question of whether we win or lose the war depends on the Russians." - FDR, June 1942


User avatar
AiBosq
Member
Posts: 19
Joined: 29 Mar 2021, 19:09
Location: USA

Re: Could the Germans have lured the British onto the mainland?

#3

Post by AiBosq » 22 Jun 2021, 16:48

TheMarcksPlan wrote:
22 Jun 2021, 10:02
I'm thinking a free class on cooking and driving on the correct side of the road would have worked.
Serious answers only

User avatar
TheMarcksPlan
Banned
Posts: 3255
Joined: 15 Jan 2019, 23:32
Location: USA

Re: Could the Germans have lured the British onto the mainland?

#4

Post by TheMarcksPlan » 23 Jun 2021, 02:53

AiBosq wrote:
22 Jun 2021, 16:48
TheMarcksPlan wrote:
22 Jun 2021, 10:02
I'm thinking a free class on cooking and driving on the correct side of the road would have worked.
Serious answers only
I'm guessing you'll get few serious answers until/unless you propose a scenario.
https://twitter.com/themarcksplan
https://www.reddit.com/r/AxisHistoryForum/
https://medium.com/counterfactualww2
"The whole question of whether we win or lose the war depends on the Russians." - FDR, June 1942

User avatar
matt78
Member
Posts: 17
Joined: 23 Jun 2019, 12:47
Location: sydney

Re: Could the Germans have lured the British onto the mainland?

#5

Post by matt78 » 23 Jun 2021, 13:24

No

col kapa
Member
Posts: 14
Joined: 19 Apr 2017, 19:29
Location: Oxford

Re: Could the Germans have lured the British onto the mainland?

#6

Post by col kapa » 23 Jun 2021, 20:27

The Germans invaded Greece and Yugoslavia to secure their flank before the invasion of Russia and also to help the miserable Italian offensive against Greece.
The British did send approx 58000 troops (British, NewZealanders and some Australians) to Greece which when combined with naval and air support was a substantial commitment at the time. I believe circa 15000 were killed , wounded or captured. Most of the rest went to Crete and within a month the Germans invaded Crete and inflicted further losses.
so therefore the British did commit and got a bloody nose in the process

User avatar
Sheldrake
Member
Posts: 3726
Joined: 28 Apr 2013, 18:14
Location: London
Contact:

Re: Could the Germans have lured the British onto the mainland?

#7

Post by Sheldrake » 23 Jun 2021, 20:50

AiBosq wrote:
22 Jun 2021, 00:14
IIRC, the Germans invaded Yugoslavia and Greece because they didn't want to give the British a foothold on the continent? Would allowing them to build up their forces and then capturing and defeating British troops on the mainland have worked then? Would this be unrealistic as the British wouldn't be willingly to do this or just too dangerous a risk to take?
In 1943 the Allied COSSAC planning team looked at several scenarios beside the cross channel invasion launched as Op Overlord. One of these was for contingencies in the event that German resistance collapsed, say after a coup d'etat. This resulted in plans for occupation zones being established long before D Day. There was also the question of what to do if the Germans evacuated, or drastically reduced their garrisons in, say, Norway and Denmark. This would have caused problems as the allies would have been under huge political pressure to occupy these territories which would have been a drain on resources.

One guide to Allied reaction to a German evacuation of Greece and Yugoslavia is the kerfuffle that arose after the Italian Armistice, and the British occupation of Greece after the German withdrawal in 1944. . The British were keep to rush into the Deodecanese while the Americans saw this as a distraction.

A German partial withdrawal from France in 1943 might have encouraged the allies - driven by the US into a premature op Overlord.

Post Reply

Return to “German Strategy & General German Military Discussion”