WI Wallies invade the Balkans

[Dr. Luny]

Rather than an invasion up a narrow mountainous peninsula with shitty infrastructure, the western allies opt for an invasion into a mountainous section of Southern Europe with nonexistant infrastructure? Could the allies get anywhere with such an attack?

[The Red]

Contrary to Churchills flirtations this would only be a bloody mess with little return.

[Markus]

Originally Posted by Dr. Luny

Rather than an invasion up a narrow mountainous peninsula with shitty infrastructure, the western allies opt for an invasion into a mountainous section of Southern Europe with nonexistant infrastructure? Could the allies get anywhere with such an attack?

What "nonexistant infrastrukture" are you talking about?






edit: map scans added

[Son of Songun]

All the problems of Italy, except with none of the advantages... Italy stays in the war, and you're even farther from Germany than you were.

[Hörnla]

Originally Posted by Markus

What "nonexistant infrastrukture" are you talking about?

OK, there are roads and railways. But so are the hills and mountains.

It might make sense to land on the Adriatic coast in 1944. There are some reasonable harbours and one could link up with Tito's partisans. But this is unimaginable unless Italy had been invaded beforehands.

Combined with Romania switching sides this could be quite spectacular.

[lothaw]

So after invading a narrow penninsula with terrible terrain, you invade an even more narrow penninsula with roughly the same terrain? Not exactly a stroke of brilliance on the allies part.

Not to mention this would almost have to pull resources away from D-Day. Air power, naval resources and men. Guess the only positive side of this would be(from the Allies non-hindsight point of view) is this would be somewhere to dump Patton off where he couldn't get himself into much trouble.

In hindsight, the only positive things this would have achieved are possibly bringing Romania and Hungary to our side of the Iron Curtain. Of course with a slower liberation of France that very well could push a bigger slice of Germany, if not all of it, behind it.

[The Kiat]

For a second I thought Wallies was refering to Wally World. Egads, Walmart invades Nazi-occupied Balkans!

[Jay]

Originally Posted by The Kiat

For a second I thought Wallies was refering to Wally World. Egads, Walmart invades Nazi-occupied Balkans!

I can believe it

[Dr. Luny]

Originally Posted by lothaw

So after invading a narrow penninsula with terrible terrain, you invade an even more narrow penninsula with roughly the same terrain? Not exactly a stroke of brilliance on the allies part.

Not to mention this would almost have to pull resources away from D-Day. Air power, naval resources and men. Guess the only positive side of this would be(from the Allies non-hindsight point of view) is this would be somewhere to dump Patton off where he couldn't get himself into much trouble.

In hindsight, the only positive things this would have achieved are possibly bringing Romania and Hungary to our side of the Iron Curtain. Of course with a slower liberation of France that very well could push a bigger slice of Germany, if not all of it, behind it.

That was kind of the prospect that made me think of this scenario. If the Allies occupied most of South-Eastern Europe(Rumanian oilfileds being a strategic target) they might cut off the Soviets from occupying much of Eastern Europe. On the other hand the reality is that once you are in the Balkans you have nowhere to go. To the north towards Germany is nothing but mountains. The Soviets could easily occupy Germany and Denmark by the time the Allies could fight their way north towards Austria.

[a Person]

Originally Posted by The Kiat

For a second I thought Wallies was refering to Wally World. Egads, Walmart invades Nazi-occupied Balkans!

I thought it was referring to Wallachia. It would have made sense.