Eastern Front

[andrew]

No other war in history has ever been on such a massive scale as the German/Russian front. Many look at the struggle as ending by the January of 1941. After this point looking back the Germans never had a chance of knocking the Giant out of the war with one fell swoop!

Most recognize that the Germans could not continue with the prospect of winning a drawn out conflict. However, lets take this opportunity to zoom in on the conflict isolate it and analyse it.

One of the biggest areas the Germans were deficient was the pool of infantry and other needed personnel was to small to match the Russian pool. Looking at the number of those called up by the Russians to fight the war was larger than the entire German population. Though this is significant, the Germans proved that they could weather being out numbered some times 20 to 1. This fact is obvious when looking at how much infantry or massive mechanized infantry division relied heavily on armored divisions. If the armored units could defeat the enemy’s protective armor than the infantry would deploy and be supported be the remaining protective armor.

The superiority of the German tanks is undeniable. In the beginning the Germans over came the few numbers and spread out KV-1 and KV-2s by artillery or swarming them with a rush of tanks. Later, after the Soviets began to deploy the T-34 in large numbers the Germans responded with Panzer IV's and Panthers, which if properly equipped could offset the Russian's numerical superiority. However, even with the Germans being able to hold their own for certain amounts of time the strain on their forces could not be hidden.

The first hypothetical question would have to be...

Had Albert Sphere been appointed munitions chief earlier on could he have influenced Hitler to push German War time production to the levels it handled towards the end of the war? Also, if those production numbers could have been met earlier could this have a significant impact on the Eastern Theatre?

Moving along...

With German production increased earlier we ask our next question.

Could Hitler have bagged Herman Goreing for a more effective air commander and call for a branch wide reorganization with the goal of regaining the air initiative?

Last but not least...
Even if the Germans were able to produce more munitions, tanks, and planes could they pull out a victory over the USSR?

IF not what if you consider all other theatres as completed, say that the British called for an armistice while Germany pounds the worlds Communist threat.

[Tardy]

ahhh, something interesting..........
Firstly, Hitler was an inherently lazy administrator, this added with the fact that his regime rested apon the assumption that everything was going Germany's way meant that changes of policy in reaction to something as fickle as "reality" was rare. Hitler was happy to move toy soldiers around a map and play the conquerer, but he couldn't give a stuff how they were equiped or how they were supplied, and his subordinates were way too scared to tell him if something was wrong. As for speers it wasn't so much that he made radical changes to German industries, it was that he finally mobilized them for war. Germany was unique in both world wars in that they didn't really gear their industries for large warfare until it was too late. I think it was seen as uneccesary as Germany was invincible anyway.
Having said that, sensible economic policies earlier would have had a drastic effect on the eastern front. After all, would Have wasted so much time at stalingrad if Moscow and Leningrad had been siezed and the bulk of Army Groups north and centre was available for action further south?

[andrew]

We can talk about Hitler’s Generalship till we're blue in the face and not cover any new ground. I think increased German production would not be any where near as influential as a reorganization of the Luftwaffe.

Could Germany re-seize the skies over Germany and maybe the main theatre in Russia?

Would it effect the Eastern War?

[Tardy]

"could he have influenced Hitler to........"
"Could Hitler have bagged Herman Goreing ....."

well your first two directly refer to Hitler and what he could have done, so his leadership and personality is possibly relevent.

As far as Germany retaining airpower, well German leaders after the war were quoted as saying that allied bombing had negligable effects on Germanies industrial output, the factories were still running and producing large ammounts of arms. The problem was that allied bombings destroyed transport hubs and meant the output could not be brought to where it was needed. So had Germany been able to reestablish airp superiority, I think it would have massively changed the overall strategic situation.

[andrew]

My questions were more so directed at what if Hitler agreed to these necessary measures. Debating Hitler's ability to do anything that made sense to his generals is redundant!

If Germany regained the air superiority the war in the East would have dragged on for a while longer. Tough to say if Germany could deliver the blow needed to beat the Russians. However, with air power back in their hands it would be more arguable for the Germans to pull back to a defensive front prepared in Poland and cut the Front Lines to 1/3 the former length!