What if Germany had reached the Ural Mountains ?

[hypern]

What id the Invasion of the Soviet union in WW2 has reached the Ural Mountains. How would the germans breach the mountains ?

[Max Sinister]

Huh? AFAIK Hitler had planned to stop along the line Archangelsk-Astrachan, from where he could bomb the Ural area. Of course, if he really managed to achieve this, he could decide to go on further: "It's just a stroll to Vladivostok..."

[ninebucks]

The mountains themselves aren't as big as their geographic importance would imply. Really, they are little more than hills, and wouldn't make an adequate natural defence. Of course, Hitler never intended to cross the Urals, they were to form the eastern border of his Reich.

[JEDCJT]

The Urals were to be the planned eastern boundaries of Hitler's Reich, in what was to be called "Reichskommissariat Moskau (Moscow)". From there, all Hitler needed to do was to utilize the Luftwaffe to bomb any remaining Soviet industries near the Urals into oblivion, like Max Sinister said. The vast size of the Reichskommissariat Moskau, stretching approximately 2,000 miles (I may be mistaken. But if I am, please inform me) from the Reichskommissariat Ostland (the Baltic states) to the Urals may be enough to deter any German expansion beyond the "projected boundaries". But then, I don't know.

[Prinz Richard Eugen]

The Ural mountians are the traditional border between Europe and Asia. They are a line on the map. That's why Hitler picked them as hes defense line between the civilization of Europe and the hoards of Asia.

They are old and short (none over 2000 feet). There is a large break around Perm where the Trans-Siberian RR heads east. There is poor communication in the 1940's but even some height could help a defence. It's a better place for a line than Archangel-Astrakhan.

[Dutchie]

If they had managed to get to the Ural sand secure thier holdings in European Russia, I don't think there'd be a need to 'breach' the mountains... the remaining Rump Soviet would be effectively finished, and could be picked off at leisure.

[M79]

The Soviets are not going to quit unless they're dead or utterly beaten. Germany must keep driving to defeat them and in doing so threatens its own supply lines. Look for very partisan warfare and an eventual Iron Curtain *at the RSFSR border*, perhaps with Ukraine falling into a NATO camp. It will extend the war into 1946 and things get very bloody once Russia gets back on its feet.

[Michael B]

Originally Posted by ninebucks

Of course, Hitler never intended to cross the Urals, they were to form the eastern border of his Reich.

Alexandria the Great never planned to march to India when he launched his invasion of the Persian Empire. If the Germans had reached the Urals, he would have ordered a push onwards with any troops that he could spare from the drive into the Middle East and fighting off the Anglo-American landing in the west.

[Grey Wolf]

Originally Posted by M79

The Soviets are not going to quit unless they're dead or utterly beaten. Germany must keep driving to defeat them and in doing so threatens its own supply lines. Look for very partisan warfare and an eventual Iron Curtain *at the RSFSR border*, perhaps with Ukraine falling into a NATO camp. It will extend the war into 1946 and things get very bloody once Russia gets back on its feet.

Well, the Soviets would quit if they stopped BEING Soviet. I would think that the result of a German victory on this scale woud have been a collapse of what remained of the USSR akin to the regionalisation and nationalism that was loosed in the aftermath of the 1917 revolutions. That saw power in the provinces end up in hands other than the Bolshevik and many confused moves, aborted agreements, attempted congresses etc which only ended when the Red Army was able to move in and back the winning party.

In a Soviet collapse scenario, the Red Army is not going to be able to do this, and the power and prestige of the Communist party has been annihilated. Its in the same position as Tsarist/White forces in 1918+, trying to hold onto power and respond to all the pressures pulling what remains of the edifice apart

It seems most likely that some areas would splinter off and become self-governing, others would retain a loose allegiance but have full autonomy, and a junta, focused on the twin aims of defending what's left of the frontier and restoring order in what's left of the country would displace the Communist Party

This outcome is not going to upset Britain and the USA either, and I would see them making moves to try to support them, even if that means an Aleutian offensive to open up supply lines to Petropavlosk.

Best Regards
Grey Wolf

[dmz23]

Not sure about this,but I seem to recall the Ural mountains having Uranium[or some form of radiation] quite near the Earths surface. Could be useful for the Nazi A-bomb project.