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  1. Were there any real war-winning weapons in WWII?

    It may be a silly one, but we often talk about the emergence of a ‘wonder weapon’ that could change the course of the war. Having looked around it is hard to see anything that would be that fantastic. A lot of it seems to be developments but not into the area of totally new. There is really...

  2. Artic convoys vs German surface ships

    The German surface ships were not greatly active in attacking the convoys. I have found (thanks Wiki) that the destroyer forces were the active part. Looking at PQ 12 – PQ 17, it looks (to me) that the German ships were there after all. According to Bekker, the forces were Tirpitz, Hipper...

  3. Malta or Egypt in 1942: The right strategy

    All, Here is another little ‘right strategy’ question. I have always wondered if it has been too easy to conclude that of course Malty should have been invaded in April/May 1942. That it could have been done much earlier is besides the point in this discussion – a missed opportunity if any...

  4. BoB - the right strategy?

    All, It is the long-held belief that the BoB could not be won by Germany due to a lot of factors, among them three very significant. Lack of a heavy (4-engined) bomber Shift to bomb London Not understanding the organization behind the radar coverage I rely on Cajus Bekker’s Luftwaffe...

  5. Better educated US generals - WWII

    Brooke was not overly impressed by the top US generals. Neither was Monty, etc. Eisenhower was rather pedestrian, Bradly not having any major strategic outlook, Patton a maverick, Marshal lacking any sense of strategy, etc -> according to at least Brooke. Despite Monty being a bit biased, his...

  6. WWII ending in 1944 - German partitions?

    All, This is aimed at how a German partition and greater world reconfiguration could happen if Germany collapses in 1944. Let us imagine that Monty's thrust directly at the Ruhr and then heading straight at Berlin in September 1944 is successful. Monty of course would have to have the lion's...

  7. Operation Unthinkable in Mid-April 1945 - Germany/US/UK coming together

    All, Please don’t condemn this one to the ABS section – although it might be slightly ‘left field’. Hitler and his close entourage in the last days hoped for a fall-out between US/UK and USSR, saving nazi-Germany. In the light of reality, it was far-fetched and not aligned with much military...

  8. Peace in our time - 1941 or 1943?

    All, I am busy reading ‘Hitler’s spy chief’ by Richard Bassett. I think there is plenty of evidence that Canaris tried his level best in establishing peace feelers towards the UK. As he was an ardent anti-communist probably also helped. It has some interesting aspects: Did ‘C’ (Menzies) meet...

  9. Scandinavian countries 'sanity' options - 1935-1940

    It is a bit more tricky than just looking at materiel. Denmark: Flat and easy tank-country. Airforce with Gloster Gladiators, etc. But more importantly: The political will to defend and take serious casualties were not there Norway: Very much different. Country not so easy. Political will to...

  10. Alternative Supreme Commanders instead of Eisenhower

    All, We may have been here before. I had to look up something in Brooke's book (By Trent). The agreement was that a US general would be Supreme Commander in the Med and the Overlord would be a UK general. Churchill had to renege on his promise to Brooke. Brooke did not have a high...

  11. Sea Lion vs. Overlord

    No, we are not discussing if Sea Lion could have succeeded. And, admittedly, this thread might be considered more in a ‘chat’ session. Anyway, here goes. Having read about the planning for Sea Lion and later the actual implementation of Overlord, there are some amazing differences. Amount of...

  12. Hitler attacking in the West in November 1939

    All, We have been alluding to this one before, but maybe we could further ‘ponder’ this. Hitler had wanted to turn on the West immediately after the fall of Poland. Hitler was drafting his memo to the generals, while Brooke was was fearing how it would go if Germany attacked (Arthur Bryant)...

  13. Marshall instead of Eisenhower

    Have we had this one before? Probably. Roosevelt had initially wanted Marshall to be Supreme Commander for Overlord. It would mean that the US COS committee would have been headed by someone else (who?). Brooke was not too impressed with Marshall's capabilities in terms of strategic...

  14. Italy going with Germany and AH in WWI

    Busy reading 'The White War' by Mark Thompson. It is about the Italian front and has a rather interesting introduction. It seems Italy tried to 'sell' its neutrality/participation to the highest bidder. According to the book, Italy really wanted two things: Trieste and Trentino. It was also...

  15. Titanic does not hit anything and docks in NY

    Probably something we have discussed at least 1 million times before. However, let us try to look at it differently: Titanic is slowing down and doing a slightly more southerly route. She is docking in NY after a splendid maiden voyage although no records set. So far so good. Here comes my...

  16. Warwick gets Henry VI assassinated

    All, Busy reading Conn Iggulden's Wars of the Roses. Very great stuff. As also Mr. Iggulden points out: it is historic fiction, so there are indeed some 'interpretations' allowed. HOWEVER: Looking at when Warwick changed sides, should he have had killed of Henry VI? The Act of Accord...

  17. How long could the phoney war have been dragged out?

    I have been reading up on the Phoney War. It is an interesting interlude in many ways. True enough, the immense hatred etc was not prevalent in 1939. US was not committed, USSR was still out in the cold, etc. Was the French attitude to war more relaxed? In essence: would France fight at all...

  18. WI - Rommel instead of Mackensen at Anzio

    I am re-reading 'Anzio' of Lloyd Clark. It is really a litany of lost opportunities on both sides. Lucas was told by Clarke to 'go easy'. Quote: "Don't stick your neck out, Jonny, I did at Salerno and got a bloody nose'. So it is clear that Lucas was not to be 'brave' but rather consolidate...

  19. Phoney war evolves into a fizzle

    All, This one is a bit speculative. The Phoney War, basically from September 1939 until April 1940, saw very little land-based action. There were raids and naval action, but again, limited in time and space. If we look at the UK alone, could we have seen a ‘fizzle’? with life going on as...

  20. Salerno - revisited

    All, we have probably also been here, but .... The landing at Salerno could easily have ended up with US/UK forces been thrown off the continent. Only Rommel's advise that nothing South of Rome was important 'saved' the landings. What if: Salerno a total disaster. Will it impact on Anzio...
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