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[–]JasonCarswell 3 insightful - 5 fun3 insightful - 4 fun4 insightful - 5 fun -  (4 children)

" Eh, not really. "

Actually, this supply line railroad gauge issue was very very real.

" German logistics were based on wishful thinking, not a realistic idea of what the vastness of Russia was like. "

That is very true, but it doesn't negate the real issue, stay on track.

What would have happened had Hitler actually penetrated through to Moscow and taken Russian power? All he'd need is control over the leadership, not the masses and troops. Maybe he could have held it, or maybe it would have soon flipped back, or slowly lost grip, maybe through yet another revolution, or peacefully. We'll never know...

...he got derailed.

[–]Chipit 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (3 children)

The center of gravity for the USSR was not Moscow. It was the Red Army. Destroy the army and take Moscow at your leisure.

[–]beermeem 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (2 children)

I studied some Russian history in college but we mostly just touched on the Revolution and the Cold War and glossed over WWII. So I don't really remember a ton of my WWII history. But it seems to me that Hitler's plans of taking major cities (like Paris) was a relatively successful one. Why do you have the perspective that it wouldn't have worked in this case?

[–]Chipit 3 insightful - 2 fun3 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

Fuhrer directive No.21 lays out the plan for the invasion. The objective is clearly to destroy the Red Army in the field.

Paris wasn't even taken. It was evacuated and declared an open city. The French government had already left by then anyway. The Soviets had an evacuation plan to continue the war from an alternate capital. Stalin almost got on one of the trains.

[–]beermeem 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

One of the most based comments I've ever seen on this site.