All,
Please don’t condemn this one to the ABS section – although it might be slightly ‘left field’.
Hitler and his close entourage in the last days hoped for a fall-out between US/UK and USSR, saving nazi-Germany.
In the light of reality, it was far-fetched and not aligned with much military consideration.
Eisenhower was not interested in advancing beyond the boundaries already set for the occupation zones. As supreme commander, that was the ‘law’ laid down.
Without getting into a deep discussion whether US/UK could have gotten to Berlin first, we can safely assume that it could have been possible.
The question or scenario here is a link-up with German forces to drive Russia back out of Germany (and presumable Poland as well).
The possibility will need a political decision more than any military decision. In essence: Eisenhower would have to over-ruled (or removed?).
When did Churchill et. al. start to consider ‘Unthinkable’? The sneak attack on Russia was supposed to go in by 1 July 1945 and had an element of 200,000 German POWs to be enrolled in this adventure.
Could Churchill have convinced Truman that mid-April would be a good time for linking up with Germany and hitting Russia? This would.be Unthinkable brought forward with only 2-3 months.
How much convincing would Truman require? Truman and Churchill would know that the nuclear bomb was by and large ready and if it all went ‘pear shaped’ there would be a trump card waiting.
Some German generals and the Hitler inner core might have envisaged they would be treated as equal partners in this Barbarossa v2.0, but that would be stretching it – perhaps?
Maybe not equal partners, but Steiner, Busse, Wenck, Heinrici, etc etc all had some experience in fighting the Russians that US/UK military leaders could use?
Combine Unthinkable (which in reality was a dead horse) with the desire that formed the creation of NATO and the re-arming of Germany it might not be far out that some (Churchill – that vile old fox) and others could have looked at the possibility of starting the attack on Russia in Mid-April (or late April together with nazi-Germany.
The premise might have been that Hitler would have to go and a purely military (if there were any purely military generals around) semi-government would be the counter-part to the US/UK forces.
It raises an interesting question in terms who US/UK would accept as representing a ‘new’ Germany. Doenitz in Flensburg might have been a candidate.
It also leaves one thing: would Waffen SS have been seen as ‘convenient’ in fighting the Russians? Unthinkable calculated with 200,000 Germn soldiers signing up again. It did not mention anything about Waffen SS, maybe because it was ‘embarrassing’ to mention that there would be SS units employed?
Comments?
Could it even have happened?
Please don’t condemn this one to the ABS section – although it might be slightly ‘left field’.
Hitler and his close entourage in the last days hoped for a fall-out between US/UK and USSR, saving nazi-Germany.
In the light of reality, it was far-fetched and not aligned with much military consideration.
Eisenhower was not interested in advancing beyond the boundaries already set for the occupation zones. As supreme commander, that was the ‘law’ laid down.
Without getting into a deep discussion whether US/UK could have gotten to Berlin first, we can safely assume that it could have been possible.
The question or scenario here is a link-up with German forces to drive Russia back out of Germany (and presumable Poland as well).
The possibility will need a political decision more than any military decision. In essence: Eisenhower would have to over-ruled (or removed?).
When did Churchill et. al. start to consider ‘Unthinkable’? The sneak attack on Russia was supposed to go in by 1 July 1945 and had an element of 200,000 German POWs to be enrolled in this adventure.
Could Churchill have convinced Truman that mid-April would be a good time for linking up with Germany and hitting Russia? This would.be Unthinkable brought forward with only 2-3 months.
How much convincing would Truman require? Truman and Churchill would know that the nuclear bomb was by and large ready and if it all went ‘pear shaped’ there would be a trump card waiting.
Some German generals and the Hitler inner core might have envisaged they would be treated as equal partners in this Barbarossa v2.0, but that would be stretching it – perhaps?
Maybe not equal partners, but Steiner, Busse, Wenck, Heinrici, etc etc all had some experience in fighting the Russians that US/UK military leaders could use?
Combine Unthinkable (which in reality was a dead horse) with the desire that formed the creation of NATO and the re-arming of Germany it might not be far out that some (Churchill – that vile old fox) and others could have looked at the possibility of starting the attack on Russia in Mid-April (or late April together with nazi-Germany.
The premise might have been that Hitler would have to go and a purely military (if there were any purely military generals around) semi-government would be the counter-part to the US/UK forces.
It raises an interesting question in terms who US/UK would accept as representing a ‘new’ Germany. Doenitz in Flensburg might have been a candidate.
It also leaves one thing: would Waffen SS have been seen as ‘convenient’ in fighting the Russians? Unthinkable calculated with 200,000 Germn soldiers signing up again. It did not mention anything about Waffen SS, maybe because it was ‘embarrassing’ to mention that there would be SS units employed?
Comments?
Could it even have happened?
