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	Archive through May 19, 2025	25		05/20 10:29am
	Archive through May 22, 2025	25		05/23 12:00am

1 is likely, 2 is less likely (undefeated, Britain would not allow occupation of its territory), 3 is a Hitlerian fantasy.

I don't see any of the scenarios giving Hitler an impetus to accelerate his very slow atomic bomb project. Even desperate, the program went very slowly, nothing like the US project.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, May 22, 2025 - 11:52 am: Edit

I did review British escort production and found that even in Nov 42 they were so short of escorts that the Torch landings cost heavy merchant losses in the North Atlantic, so I feel even more firmly that the idea of being spooked into building more escorts in 36-39 cannot be supported.

By Gregory S Flusche (Vandar) on Thursday, May 22, 2025 - 08:53 pm: Edit

If the increased U-boat production did win the war in the Atlantic. Cutting of supplies to Great Britan. Then forcing any kind of peace treaty with Great Britan.

That would release more men and material to fight the Soviets. With less pressure to outright destroy the Soviets. Hitler may have instead secured the oil fields. giving them desperately needed fuel. With out bases for long range bombers from England. The Germen Factores could build more planes and transports. To include the new Jet fighters.

Even if America did beat Japan and secure those areas. The world would be a much different place.

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Thursday, May 22, 2025 - 10:10 pm: Edit

In `43 and `44, some 70% or more of Luftwaffe strength was employed to counter US and British bomb raids from England. If instead sent to the Russian Front, how much of a difference would they have made...

By Douglas Saldana (Dsal) on Friday, May 23, 2025 - 12:00 am: Edit

I think the Germans would not need to do that much better than they did historically to reach a tipping point in Russia. Even if the Germans failed to "secure" the Caucasus oil fields it would have been enough to sever Russian access to them. I recall reading that Russia did not have a lot of oil in storage like other nations did and likely would have experienced severe shortages within 6-8 weeks if it lost access to the Caucasus oil fields (the source of 80% of their oil).

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Friday, May 23, 2025 - 07:04 am: Edit

With England out of the War, the convoys to Russia both thru the artic and Iran would not have happened.

Even with the historic losses, the tonnage of aid the Soviet Union received in Tanks, ammunition and aircraft was significant. At the very least, it bridged the gap in supplies to the front line troops while the factories around Moscow were moved east and away from the German invasion.

Without that aid, it would have been even more difficult to resist the German attack.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, May 23, 2025 - 03:54 pm: Edit

The Russians always said that the aid was "nice to have but not critical" and that they could have done without it. Of course, they never lie.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Friday, May 23, 2025 - 05:07 pm: Edit

The P-39s armed with a center line 37mm auto canon must have made a lovely lawn ornament on Stalins Beach front summer home… at least once the Germans retreated…

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, May 24, 2025 - 12:00 am: Edit

U-boat hulls were proof against .50 cal armor piercing bullets, but nobody knew that. If a P39 had the range, that 37mm could put a U-boat out of action after one pass.