What page of Lopez's book is this discussion on? I have access to a copy of the book but, not knowing French, I'll have to laboriously Google translate the surrounding text to get more of the discussion.CNE503 wrote: ↑09 Apr 2020, 21:27In a very recent French book (2019) written by the leading French scholar about the topic (Jean Lopez), the following is stated (I translated from French to English):
"Initially, Halder had planned a huge encirclement of the Soviet forces located between Dniestr and Dniepr, with the two prongs using armored units. The first one was to attack from Lublin with two armies (6. and 17.), the second one from Romania with the 12. Armee.
The decision to assign the very powerful 12. Armee (17,5 divisions) to attack Greece compelled OKH to modify its deployment with two orders, dated April 2nd and 12th, 1941. 12. Armee was replaced, on the Romanian border, by the weak 11. Armee, without armor; the encirclement operation was cancelled and a simple one-pronged attack was to be launched by the forces from Lublin area".
It's here (in French though): https://books.google.fr/books?id=xHGrDw ... 22&f=false
From "Barbarossa 1941, the absolute war", Jean Lopez and Lasha Otkhmezuri, éditions Passés composés, 2019, 956 pages (https://www.amazon.fr/Barbarossa-guerre ... 289&sr=1-1).
I repeat my question: early 1941, apparently, before being tasked to crush Greece, 12. Armee was scheduled to attack from Romania into USSR to assist the encirclement of the Soviet forces of the military district of Odessa between Dniestr and Dniepr. This order was obviously cancelled, probably as early as March 2nd, 1941 (when 12. Armee entered Bulgaria), maybe before.
But what were the forces that were to be part of its attack in southern Ukraine according to the initial OKH planning?
CNE503
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Btw, there's another ATL by another member discussing the possibility of a Galician kessel via shifting Panzer Group 4 from Army Group North to South. viewtopic.php?f=11&t=245903
IMO this is the most feasible path to German victory in the war, though I'm less confident of that outcome absent slightly stronger forces and better logistical/industrial planning ahead of Barbarossa.