Strategy

[Maximilian]

What do you think of different operations?

[Bittrich]

If that's the case, I'll have to put my two cents worth in on Market-Garden. Yes the Germans had a huge advantage against Paratroopers with the Second SS Panzer Korps being in the area. That aside I feel that Montgomery should have paid better attention to his intelligence reports and should not have an Armoured thrust use one main road. To think 30th Corps could have reached planned objectives on time shows how flawed Monty's thinking was. Of course Bittrich and his men fought well, but again had a decieded advantage. My hats off to those pesky Red Devil chaps for their brave stance on the northern end of Arnhem Bridge, but they should not have been used in such a careless way. If you want more details let me know. Thanks.

[Sam H.]

Maximillion, can you be a little more specific? Which operations are you interested in?

[brendan-moloney]

I read abook resentley about arnhem and allthough the germans did enjoy an armod supierority the parashoot reg and sas in the area were taking the battle to the germans and the lost heavily im not a montgomery fan at all and i beleive the plan a disaster in the making ignoring itel in the area and think the german army was all but children was a complete and utter act of over confidence witch good old monty was known for.
free from hitlers medeling the ss were able to win the day.
the lesson was lerned but at avery hi price to both german and allied troops the book was by peter harclerode and was foreword by general sir john hackett

three things the germans needed was longrange fighters stratigic bombers and the death of gering to at least exstend the war and and perhaps stalmate

[Maximilian]

Well Sam I think people understand the topic is under
What if/Strategy
to add a positive or negative point to different military operation,WW2.
Specially German forces

[Maximilian]

Thanks for your post Bittrich,interesting point.

[LiL_Puma]

Here's an interesting scenario just off the top of my head. Let's say that Montgomery isn't as incompetent was he was and actually did not to h
alf-assed planning for Market Garden. Firstly, assigning his paratroopers with more Anti-Tank weapons, and landing the British 1st Airborne closer to the Arnhem Bridge. The airborne landings succede, and the 30th Corps is across the Rhine by the end of September.

The Allies reach Berlin before the end of the year, and Hitler promptly commits suicide in his bunker. The Germans surrender to the Allies around December and the war ends with an Allied Victory, say on
January 1, 1945. Isn't that a nice day to end a war.

Here's where it gets interesting. In January 1945, the Soviets were stalled just across the border from Poland due to supply problems, and to the brilliant leadership of General Erich von Manstein. They launched their main thrust into Eastern Europe by late that month, after solving those issues. But with the German surrender a month before, the Allies already have troops occupying all the countries in Eastern Europe which Germany had taken over. The Yalta Conference which divided up Germany in occupational zones happened in Spring of 1945, so in this timeline it never happened, so the Allies are just grabbing everything they could, and indeed they did.

Communism in Eastern Europe and the Balkans as a possibility suddenly fades as Allied soldiers restore democratic order in those countries. This ticks off Stalin, who wants his share of the reward for fighting the war so hard. The Allies don't even let him have the territory Hitler signed over to him when they partitioned Poland in 1939.

So, we have a ticked off Stalin, whom is considering turning on his former Allies. The only things standing in his way, is friendly Franklin D. Rossevelt, but as we all know he's about to expire. Truman and Churchill in OTL were aware of the Soviet threat throughout the war and didn't want to give Stalin control over countries in Eastern Europe.

I smell a very ugly Cold War about to break out, and without any side having attained Nuclear Weapons, it sounds like the Soviets would have an advantage with their IS-2s and greater numbers.

- LiL_Puma