Axis Comrade said:
It was also the fact that at the onset of Barbarossa, the Soviets had the same ideals which Hitler had during the German defeat at Stalingrad. They didn't beleive in pulling back, hence large pockets of Soviet army groups were completely destroyed. I think the statistics were something along the lines of 330 German divisions were massed against 360 Soviet divisions at the start of the invasion. The Germans naturally were better equipped and trained, plus they were also ready and prepared for the coming task at hand, the Soviets however weren't. In regards to Stalin offering peace I beleive that is correct, but it is the fact that the Germans were stopped short of Moscow and Leningrad, plus the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour which brought the Americans into the war changed his mind. So evidently, like most of our games. Historically the fate and eventual outcome of the war was decided on the Russian front. SE.
Check these clips out from the Russian front.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=otTB1M4sLWI&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=d90AeLZbQ3o&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Cnq7_1KYcvg&feature=related
Enjoy. SE.
On the Russian front Germany had only 180 divisions including minor allies for the start of the invasion. German inteligence said Russia had only 200 divisions. However after there early victories up till December 1941 over 360 divisions worth of soviet men and equipement had been captured or destroyed. This is why the German generals were so worried as it seemed Russia had unlimited manpower, it didnt and nearly exhausted all its manpower to point it fielded many women units to make up the numbers. While Germany sat back running a peace time economy and the Soviets were using everything they had.
In 1941 and 1942 with German forces attacking with there well trained troops and brillent commanders at every level and close co-ordination with the luftwaffe the Germans were unstopable in nearly every battle. However it was Hitlers decision to go after economic targets rather then secure moscow first.
Hitler was worried about the large armies around kiev. He switched 1500 tanks from the drive on moscow to drive a combined 2000 miles south and back north and a delay of over two months from the advance on moscow. Giving Russia time to build defences and bring up reserves from siberia for the winter counter punch. Had the Germans pushed on and secured moscow of which I am 100% would have been completed by end of october at the latest. This shock, loss of communications and transportation hub which would have prevent much of the movement of troops east to west from siberia and south to north as most train lines went through moscow. With out moscow the soviets would have to use mud roads or rebuild there rail network for which they had no resources to do so.
The soviet leadership also stayed in moscow and would likely have died or been captured such was stalin's stuburness.
It was also stalins fault for not allowing his armies to retreat to hold ground and die to the last man. It may appear in hind sight what flawed strategy and waste of human life. But I think Stalin grasped what was happening a war of ahilination. Every soviet soldier that stood his gorund made it hard for German troops to advance, the more that fought to the death put more and more doubt into Germans troops and commanders minds.
It was in the end this strategy which lead to the soviet victory at stalingrad which bleed the german southern armies dry. Despite Germanies brillence at war the soviets matched it in pure numbers and ruthlessness in pouring in numbers for battles. In 1942 the soviets switched from defending open lines in the open country which suited german to basing there defence around cities and turning them into death traps to force the germans to fight close range and hence negate there luftwaffe and superior panzer forces.
It is amazing when you read the latters of soliders of that peroid how there perception of the war changed. For the Germans fighting the soviets was easy to win battles, but it was the soviets never say die attitude and there continued resistance to the last man nearly everywhere the germans went besides the initial month or so. Comapred to france Poland, France, Norway, Greece and so on the soviets did not give up and this worried the German soldiers who were not use to being fought so hard by a desperate enemy.
For soviet soldiers it was either be killed in battle, killed by soviet forces for retreating for showing cowardice being caught by the Germans and off to concentration camps or simply shot. If I was a soviet soldier I would fight as well, what choice was there.
Its to bad hitler was so bent on exterminating the peoples of the soviet union, most would have fought for the German cause giving Germany nearly double the manpower it already had.
Did you know that over 50,000 Ukrainian men fought in the 6th Army at Stalingrad. Imagine the difference a liberating policy would have had to the USSR, it would have disintegrated for sure and the red army desserted in masse.
Very interesting.
