Becket
Posts: 1269
Joined: 3/15/2004 Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: freeboy oni, Fortunately we will never know, but I agree, and I like to point out vast areas greeted the germans as liberators. It is true that the Kazahks and other ethnic minorities felt this way. To their everlasting sorrow, for the most part. The persecution by their "liberators" came quickly, and then the persecution by Stalin fell swiftly after the territory was retaken. To Oni -- the point about Moscow is really tied in to whether they get Stalin. If Stalin dies, IMO there would be a huge power vacuum, perhaps significant enough to cause the country to surrender. Maybe not, though. However, if they achieve Moscow and the Cacausus, then Russia's ability to make war would be gone, for at least a few years. The Soviets might wait patiently on the other side of the Urals, then come out years later to counterattack, but that's about all they could do. Remember, if Gamelin had positioned better forces at Sedan, or if he had abandoned the Dyle Plan and kept his forces in France, we might be talking about whether or not it was possible for the Germans to take France. OKW put the chances of success at 10%. Barbarrossa is similar, to me at least.
< Message edited by Becket -- 6/19/2004 1:16:42 PM >
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"The very word Moscow meant a lot to all of us....it meant all we had ever fought for" -Rokossovsky
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