Herr Hitler release tanks held 4 Middle East Ops n sends them 4 Eastern Front Ops as

[kclcmdr]

Due to Herr Hitler's possible obsession to create new fighting Divisions for his planned ops in the Middle East..
Herr Hitler stockpiled a significant reserve of tanks n assault tanks for the potential Middle East ops once Ops Barbarossa was concluded,.

However, in OTL, his panzer generals n soldiers were crying for replacement tanks n engines in order to maintain the operational tempo in Aug n thur late Nov...

What if Herr Hitler had realized that his Panzer Divisions in the Eastern Front needed those extra tanks, munitions, engines, spares n manpower instead of building up new tank divisions in the rear for an operation that might had been earmark for early 42?

Below is the type n number of tanks that was kept in the rear to build up those reserve tank divs from jul 41 up to dec41

Panzer type....... Number ..... Armament
Pz Kpfw I. ....... 408 ........... 2 MGs
Pz Kpfw II. ....... 130. .......... 20mm cannon
Pz Kpfw III. ....... 059 .......... 37mm cannon
Pz Kpfw III. ....... 1095 ......... 50mm cannon
Pz Kpfw III Bef ... 075. ........ Command tanks w 37 or 50mm
Pz Kpfw IV. ......... 282. ........ 75mm short cannon
Pz Kpfw 38t ........ 441 ......... 20mm or 37mm cannon
Pz Kpfw 35r f ...... 093 ........ 47mm cannon refurbished French.
StuG III ................ 285 ........ 75mm assault cannon


What would these extra 2000 german tanks that were kept in reserve in Germany due to Herr Hitler's political decision to build more new tank divisions for the Middle East ops instead do for those three to four panzer army groups in the Eastern Front now that they get a steady supply of new n rebuilt tanks and gained the extra fuel, munitions, tank engines, supplies n menpower ?

 

[Carl Schwamberger]

Irrelevant. The railway capacity is still inadaquate for delivering the artillery ammunition, fuel, food, winter clothing, & other items required. There was also the problem of nearly 800,000 men lost to the Wehrmacht by late November 1941.

The Germans needed not a single extra tank, They needed 170,000 tons railway delivery daily at the front, and a extra half a million trained replacement soldiers

 

[Baconheimer]

At most they would have done a little better in the first offensive, but the result is still the same with the Soviets defeating them.

 

[Resurgam]

As previously stated, the problem wasn't the amount of tanks but resupply, resources, weather and catastrophic losses. Unless those are made good, there's little improvement for the invaders. Maybe the Germans get a little further, or hold a little better during the first Soviet counter-offensive, but you're still seeing the Hammer and Sickle over the Reichstag.

Besides, even if the Germans took Leningrad and/or Moscow, the Soviets would just keep retreating into the interior until their strength is rebuilt, and they can attack.

 

[King Augeas]

If you can use those forces to bounce Leningrad, then resupply via the Baltic may allow Army Group Central to get destroyed in Moscow in winter 1941-2?

 

[Johnrankins]

Irrelevant. The railway capacity is still inadaquate for delivering the artillery ammunition, fuel, food, winter clothing, & other items required. There was also the problem of nearly 800,000 men lost to the Wehrmacht by late November 1941.

The Germans needed not a single extra tank, They needed 170,000 tons railway delivery daily at the front, and a extra half a million trained replacement soldiers

A large percentage of which would be dead meat to T-34s anyways. They might do some good but not a whole lot.

 

[kclcmdr]

Which would be the better option in using the stock of 1000+ Pz Kpfw III. tanks that were just sitting in inside Germany's Military depots and factory parking lots?

Gradually send this stockpile of German tanks plus fuel and munitions that was earmark for the Middle East Option in 42 be sent to
Von Leeb's AGN's drive toward Leningrad with the tank reinforcements & POL delivered to Hoepner's Fourth Pz Army Group from Jul 41 up to Sept 41 before Hoepner was ordered in OTL to assist AGC's drive on Ops Typhoon?

Or would it be better to gradually send this stockpile of Tanks and POL toward Bock's AGC's for Operation Typhoon and assist Hoth's Third Pz Army Group and Guderian's Second Pz Army Group as they start their drive to lay siege to Moscow or at least try to pincer the Soviet Units defending Moscow like in Sept 41 or earlier on Aug 41?

And then still suffer a shocking strike by Stalin's Winter Counter-Offensive when launched and both offensives stall into an attritional , grinding blizzard whirlwind at the gates of Moscow...?

 

[ObssesedNuker]

Which would be the better option in using the stock of 1000+ Pz Kpfw III. tanks that were just sitting in inside Germany's Military depots and factory parking lots?

Keeping them there until fighting formations can be pulled back from the front lines to be refitted with them. Which won't be until the Spring 1942 Raputitsa.

In other words: doing pretty much precisely what was done IOTL.

Trying to send them to the front means they have to be driven from the rail heads to the panzer divisions, a distance of hundreds of kilometers, at which point they are already broken down and thus useless. Not only that, but the limitations in rolling stock and railspace means those replacement tanks have taken up room that was otherwise occupied by ammo, fuel, and spare parts IOTL that were already in chronically short supply. That means a breakthrough which was exploited IOTL isn't ITTL because of the lack of fuel or a vital position that was held IOTL isn't ITTL because the defenders ran out of ammo.

As for your additional fuel and supplies: they sit in warehouses gathering dust alongside the winter clothing because the Germans don't have the railways, trains, and trucks to get them to the front.

Oh, and since the amount of reinforcements and supplies to the Africa Corps has been reduced: the British win faster in North Africa, meaning Italy collapses faster and Germany's oil supplies get threatened.

In essence, your sixth option shouldn't be "Herr Hitler still screws up" it should be "The Heer still screws up".

 

[gaijin]

You mean to tell me that not all disasters that struck the German army are the fault of Hitler??? You don't say!!!

Next thing you are gonna say that the German generals weren't perfect.