The wrong side won WW2.

submitted by radicalcentristNational Centrism from self.debatealtright

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[–]casparvoneverecBig tiddy respecter 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Germans had several shots at victory but they missed them. First was not fully mobilizing the economy from 1940 or 41 onwards utilizing the immense industrial resources of Germany and occupied Europe.

Another chance was to knock Britain out of the war by concentrating on bombing British ports particularly London, Liverpool, Southhampton and Kent. Mass destruction of ports would've starved Britain of food and oil. The Luftwaffe was instead devoted to ineffectual attacks against the RAF and then terror bombing British cities.

The other chance was after the battle of Kiev and before the battle of Stalingrad. If the Germans didn't divert towards Moscow and Stalingrad and instead took Kuban, Krasnodar and the areas in the Donetsk and Don river basins, the Soviets would've faced mass starvation and would've been on their knees.

[–]Bullet-Jesus 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Another chance was to knock Britain out of the war by concentrating on bombing British ports particularly London, Liverpool, Southhampton and Kent. Mass destruction of ports would've starved Britain of food and oil. The Luftwaffe was instead devoted to ineffectual attacks against the RAF and then terror bombing British cities.

There was a good reason the Luftwaffe targeted the RAF; it was to create an air dominance to enable an invasion. Once the possibility of air dominance was lost the Luftwaffe resorted to night raids, which prevented them from targeting anything as small as a port with any efficacy.

Besides it was unfeasible to fly a bomber across the UK to attack Liverpool, a formation would be intercepted long before then.

If the Germans didn't divert towards Moscow and Stalingrad and instead took Kuban, Krasnodar and the areas in the Donetsk and Don river basins, the Soviets would've faced mass starvation and would've been on their knees.

The Germans didn't divert towards Moscow throughout August and September Army Group Center divisions were redirected to consolidate their flanks and and were instrumental in allowing Army Group South to breakthrough and encircle Keiv.

As for Stalingrad it was a key logistical and communications hub for the Soviet South. An offensive into Kuban that didn't neutralize Stalingrad was vulnerable to a counter attack. As we've seen when the 6th army was destroyed, it forced the Germans to abandon the caucuses.