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I would add as my favorite inexcusable blunder the failure of the axis (both Germans and Japanese were totally guilty) in protecting codes. The arrogance/ignorance/carelessness of the Germans in believing that the allies were incapable of cracking their codes has always been shocking to me. May have been a different war if the axis would not have laid out sub locations/fleet strategies for the allies. The tide of the Battle of the Atlantic would certainly not have changed for several more months and who knows what may have happened at Midway or for that matter Coral Sea.
I'm going to vote Operation Barbarossa as the worst blunder.
The now famous "halt" order, as I understand, was meant for the Panzers and not the infantry. Even when the "halt" order was rescinded, much of the evacuations were still to take place, and by that time, the perimeter and defenses of Dunkirk had been given time to be prepared, which by then was almost an entirely French affaire, and not forgetting the rearguards at Lille as well.
However, has anyone noticed that the British losses in North Africa far exceeded the number of British troops evacuated at Dunkirk? My question is, had the BEF not been able to escape at Dunkirk, as bad as it may have been, would it have crippled the UK?
Yes it would because the Dunkirk evacuee's were about 90% of the UK's 14 division regular army strength in Sept 1940. (There were also about 12 very green training divisions with very limited equiptment)
Even if the "halt" order had been given, and the BEF had escaped, had Hitler not invaded Russia, I think he could have dealt with England by commiting all the resources that otherwise were dumped into Operation Barbarossa. More U-Boats, more ships, more planes of all kind, certainly more troops, more of everything.
1941 would have been too late, as the British had time to re-build. The best time to invade would have been right after France surrendered, I have doubts that the British could have stopped an invasion from getting ashore.
As far as I am aware, I can see no indication that Stalin was going to breech the Non-Agression Pact signed with Germany ( on the very eve of WW 2 ).
Yes there was. Stalin planned to attack Germany in the spring of '42, according to Russian archives. If you look at the (Russian) order of battle for Barbarosa, the large build-up of tank forces west of Kiev under Timoshenko was preparing for the planned '42 Russian attack.
I also don't think that Stalin would have lifted a finger to help England in the event that Germany would have launched an invasion.
You sure got that right! He would have broken out the best vodka for the fall of the British Empire
For all we know, Stalin viewed Churhill as a staunch Western anti-communist who was a threat.
We do know that's EXACTLY what he thought of Churchill. (and entirely true, Churchill hated the communists ALMOST as much as the Nazis. - how do you think the term "Iron Curtain" came into the vocabulary?)
I think Stalin would have been only to pleased to let Hitler deal with England, thus eliminating a potential threat while he sat and read about it in the Kremlin.
Agree that USSR/German conflict was inevitable and that Babarossa had a chance to succeed were it not for a parade of bungles (delaying onset, failure to winterize, questionable changes in objectives, wasting of resources in other theaters, etc.). Perhaps Barbarossa might best fit on a poll titled "Worst Military Bungles of WW2," this thread might also include Op Market Garden, the Anzio beachhead flinch, Op Diadem (Clark's mad dash) = plans which woulda/coulda/shoulda, but were nixed by human flaws/bungling.
Supreme Commander to 6 Army, January 24, 1943
"Surrender is forbidden. 6 Army will hold their positions to the last man and the last round and by their heroic endurance will make an unforgettable contribution towards the establishment of a defensive front and the salvation of the Western world."
Some good points, F-14 but Stalingrad would never had happend if Barbarossa had never happened. The major battles were a result of the major decision to invade. Stalingrad, Kursk, Leningrad just proved how poor a decision it was.
Agree that USSR/German conflict was inevitable and that Babarossa had a chance to succeed were it not for a parade of bungles (delaying onset, failure to winterize, questionable changes in objectives, wasting of resources in other theaters, etc.). Perhaps Barbarossa might best fit on a poll titled "Worst Military Bungles of WW2.
And in my opinion, if adherence to oders wasn't so prevalent in the Wehrmacht, von Paulus just might have pulled a Rommel, ignored orders and gotten his men outta there.
Ok, I can see the point about Barbarossa but if it was necessary then how the blunder of not being actually prepared to take on such an endeavour? Just from the Luftwaffe standpoint, no long range bombers for the massive movements of factories out of range.
I don't believe the defeat of the Wehrmacht lay at Stalingrad; I don't believe there was a single blunder on the Eastern Front that turned the war against the German nation - it was a collection of blunders that became too large to overcome.
The first blunder on the Eastern Front was the movement against Moscow in the winter of 1941. Guderian should have been allowed to winter in Smolensk where defensive positions could have been erected which would have been capable of halting the Soviet counter-offensive that in reality forced the Wehrmacht away from Moscow as they tried to dig into open, frozen, ground.
Equipping the Wermacht with winter clothes would have helped too...
The second blunder was moving armoured forces away from the Moscow push to Kiev. This spread of forces gave Guderian no mobile punch and slowed the chase. With this armoured force at hand Guderian could well have taken Moscow in the winter of 1941, or at least held up against the Soviet offensive.
If, with the armour at hand, Guderian was allowed to move back to Smolensk then the Soviet counter-offensive would have failed and Moscow would have fallen in the spring of '42 - plunging the Soviet rail network into confusion and slowing Soviet reinforcement on all fronts.
Another one I heard wasquoted from a captured german officer in the desert. "Your men (British Aust.) fight like lions, too bad they are led by asses (donkeys).