No the weather condition in western russia were really bad in 1941.
Launching the barbarossa earlier only means that the invasion gets
stuck in the russian mud pretty fast.
What would happen if Hitler didn't invade Russia when he did
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Thunderfire
- Jedi Master
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On the matter of a Russian attack, one theory I read when studying Stalin for my A-Levels, was that Russia was planning to attack soon, which is why Germany launched a pre-emptive strike. The evidence for this theory was that Russia's air force was concentratrated near the front lines, in perfect places for a sudden strike on German positions. Also however was the German military's simple lack of winter clothing. If Hitler had been planning an attack then their should have been a massive rise in the price of German wool (or something) as the military bought it up.... there wasn't Germany was not getting anything to prepare it's troops for a Russian campaign.... So the attack was a sudden thing, definatly following an existing plan but was it launched too soon because of Hitler got hints of Russian plans?
Liddel Hart: "In the event, the delay [in conquering defiant little Yugoslavia and Greece] was only five weeks. But it was a factor in forfeiting his chance of victory over Russia ... and with the early coming of winter that year"Thunderfire wrote:No the weather condition in western russia were really bad in 1941.
Launching the barbarossa earlier only means that the invasion gets
stuck in the russian mud pretty fast.
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Thunderfire
- Jedi Master
- Posts: 1063
- Joined: 2002-08-13 04:52am
From soc.history.what-if
No, Barbarossa cannot take place earlier than June 22 give or take a
day or so.
It makes no difference whether Italy entered the war or not.
The problem, and the absolute limiting factor, was the WEATHER.
The Russian spring rains that year were much heavier than normal.
With virtually no paved roads in the whole of the western USSR in
those days (the main Moscow-Berlin 'highway' was a gravel road) just
imagine what trying to move thousands of mechanised, wheeled, and
horse drawn vehicles over them would have done!
All those pictures you've seen of vehicles stuck in the thick Russian
mud are a clue.
Now, imaging staging a Blitzkrieg style attack under those conditions.
You don't.
The Germans *HAD* to wait until the ground had firmed enough to allow
blitz style fast moving military operations.
Which was around the third week in June.
Attacking earlier was simply impossible (or possible, but suicidally
stupid).
This has been known since, well, 1941. Problem is it's logistics and,
well, logistics is not 'glamorous' and it doesn't always get in the
history books ... and this old chestnut that somehow the Germans could
have invaded earlier if only for those foolish Italians gets repeated.
In fact, the Greek campaign was over by the end of April, more or
less, and the Germans had seven weeks to move their forces back into
position with only a minimal amount of wear and tear. And no avoidable
delay.
No, Barbarossa cannot take place earlier than June 22 give or take a
day or so.
It makes no difference whether Italy entered the war or not.
The problem, and the absolute limiting factor, was the WEATHER.
The Russian spring rains that year were much heavier than normal.
With virtually no paved roads in the whole of the western USSR in
those days (the main Moscow-Berlin 'highway' was a gravel road) just
imagine what trying to move thousands of mechanised, wheeled, and
horse drawn vehicles over them would have done!
All those pictures you've seen of vehicles stuck in the thick Russian
mud are a clue.
Now, imaging staging a Blitzkrieg style attack under those conditions.
You don't.
The Germans *HAD* to wait until the ground had firmed enough to allow
blitz style fast moving military operations.
Which was around the third week in June.
Attacking earlier was simply impossible (or possible, but suicidally
stupid).
This has been known since, well, 1941. Problem is it's logistics and,
well, logistics is not 'glamorous' and it doesn't always get in the
history books ... and this old chestnut that somehow the Germans could
have invaded earlier if only for those foolish Italians gets repeated.
In fact, the Greek campaign was over by the end of April, more or
less, and the Germans had seven weeks to move their forces back into
position with only a minimal amount of wear and tear. And no avoidable
delay.