20th April 2010, 11:26 AM
Weltall Wrote:I never knew anyone to consider Hitler a tactical genius, considering that it was his biggest shortcoming as Nazi Overlord. By about three hundred miles.
I think Germany could have beaten the Soviets if three conditions were met:
1: Contain Britain as opposed to attempting an invasion. Britain could never invade the mainland by itself and was effectively neutered by mid-1940.
2: Concentrate forces more efficiently during Barbarossa and strike fast and hard directly at Moscow. A bureaucratic monstrosity such as Soviet Russia would be wrecked by the loss of its government (as much of it stuck around even when the Germans actually got within sight of the city). That would give the unified German forces time enough to secure much of western Russia, where most of the industry and population centers were.
3: Don't declare war on the United Fucking States of America just because Japan wanted to scrap with them. This was probably the worst mistake Hitler made, because it suddenly opened up worlds of possibility for a badly-beleaguered Allied force. The alternative was alienating an ally half a world away and of practically zero tactical importance.
It's a new thing lately to agree with the long-held Russian conceit that they could have handled Hitler by themselves, but the fact is that they only barely managed to do that even with the much-smaller German forces divided ultimately into three parts. They had the U.S.A. not only supplying the majority of two extra fronts, but the Soviets also relied heavily on American-subsidized equipment and matériel, as the Germans had effectively wrecked much of the Soviet's native manufacturing capacity.
The world tends to get upset when America reminds everyone that we won that war, but it's true. America turned the tide in Europe. While fighting a major war against Japan in the Pacific. By themselves. And all that without total mobilization and from a great geographical distance on both ends.
Maybe some people get tired of hearing it, but I don't. When it came to the second world war, America was totally fucking bad ass. :FuckYou:
Starting the war in 1939 was also a big mistake, If they had waited longer their scientists would have completed research projects that would have given them a bigger edge much less a A-bomb. Also Hitler broke his agreement with Mussolini by starting the war in 1939 when they had previously agreed secretly to wait till 1943 so the Italians could have the time needed to build up its industry and war factories, The reason Italy performed so abysmally in battle was because it was so ill equipped and lacking in hardware.
Many inside the soviet union would have sided with the invaders and welcomed the Germans as liberators especially in the Ukraine, But Hitlers plan to wipe out the Russians and make more "living space" forced many to side with Stalin for the sake of survival.
Running Extermination factories to annihilate the Jews diverted a great deal of desperately needed resources away from the German war effort.
As for America winning the war, There is no question that America tilted the odds in the allies favor and made victory attainable .
Unfortunately many Americans get so boastful and smug about it that it annoys the hell out of everyone, Winning the war was a team effort after all.