Airborne assault in Operation Barbarossa

Heavy casualties in the battle of Crete meant that large scale airborne assaults were no longer feasible. What if the airborne assault on Crete was cancelled for some reason and the Fallschirmjager were dropped into the USSR in the opening hours of Operation Barbarossa
 
Heavy casualties in the battle of Crete meant that large scale airborne assaults were no longer feasible. What if the airborne assault on Crete was cancelled for some reason and the Fallschirmjager were dropped into the USSR in the opening hours of Operation Barbarossa

Where in the USSR exactly?
 
It's not like they had massive problems breaking through defensive lines in either of those though. Could capturing Kronstadt Crete-style have led to Leningrad falling?
 
According to our beloved Wikipedia, the Axis advance was stalled by the Soviet 18th army between the Prut and Dniester Rivers. I assumed that the airborne assualt would prevent the advance from being stalled. So it might be possible for the Axis to be in an even better position.
 
The attempted amphibious landing is badly mauled and the Axis has to deal with Crete being in British hands, which depending on how much the British put into it, might result in significant issues late, as repeated attacks on Ploesti would mean moving fighters to block them. Come to think of it, a repulsed amphibious invasion would be good propaganda for the British.
 
For mine I wouldn't drop them in advance of any Panzers, I'd drop/land them at encirclement linkups and other strategic positions where panzers are present but have outrun much of their support. The airborne infantry can bulk out the mechanised forces and hold ground with them.
 
Step 1.
Add a naval component to the operation and go for the Baltic Islands on day 1.

Step 2.
Hope the Soviet Baltic Fleet sorties against this.

Step 3
Destroy said fleet. (if they don't sortie, or if you fail, stop here)

Step 4
Regroup your assault forces and land at Tallin and Narva in advance of the panzer spearheads

Step 5
If beachhead is established - direct the advance of AGN towards Narva
If landing fails - have AGN take the Pskov-Luga route as OTL

Step 6
Use naval dominance to land supplies and infantry close to the panzer spearheads

Step 7
Attack Leningrad before the Red Army has a chance to bring in enough forces to counter you.

Baltics.jpg

Baltics.jpg
 
IIRC, all those areas were heavily mined and/or fortified against the amphibious assault? Thus it would not be possible without a good deal more preparation, plus the Germans did not really have a good enough doctrine of amphi operations to try it?

Furthermore, the AG North proceeded to reach Pskov on July 2nd, barely two weeks into fighting. Seeing that Tallin managed to hold until September, it is hard to imagine any seaborne assault the Germans could have attempted. But maybe, as you say, it was worth a try?
 
IIRC, all those areas were heavily mined and/or fortified against the amphibious assault? Thus it would not be possible without a good deal more preparation, plus the Germans did not really have a good enough doctrine of amphi operations to try it?

Furthermore, the AG North proceeded to reach Pskov on July 2nd, barely two weeks into fighting. Seeing that Tallin managed to hold until September, it is hard to imagine any seaborne assault the Germans could have attempted. But maybe, as you say, it was worth a try?

IDK how mined they were (or were not). From the description of the evacuation of Tallin, it seems the Germans were the ones doing the mining.

Regarding their ability to carry out landings, these would be mostly re-runs of the ops they carried out against Norway, which went off pretty well, all things considered.

Also, Tallin fell as late as it did because the Germans were busy advancing elsewhere. Here, if it's taken in a coup-de-main, it can be used to ferry in supplies far closer to the front.

The beauty of all of this is that, if at any point it fails, the OTL plan for AGN can still be taken, and losses would amount to only the paras that were lost OTL anyway, a bunch of infantry used in the landings and some ships (which were useless as far as the campaign against Russia was concerned).

If it works, you will have taken Leningrad along with its port, which means all the trucks etc used OTL to supply AGN can now mostly go to AGC.
 

Saphroneth

Banned
Regarding their ability to carry out landings, these would be mostly re-runs of the ops they carried out against Norway, which went off pretty well, all things considered.

The operations carried out against Norway were against a country that mobilized secretly by post only when the invasion was actively taking place, and they still sunk a cruiser despite having torpedoes older than the Kitty Hawk.

...so are the Germans expecting to invade a country at peace?
 
The operations carried out against Norway were against a country that mobilized secretly by post only when the invasion was actively taking place, and they still sunk a cruiser despite having torpedoes older than the Kitty Hawk.

...so are the Germans expecting to invade a country at peace?

Well, yes.

The element of surprise and the total collapse of C&C by Soviet generals were crucial to other early successes of Barbarossa.
 
One of the most fortified naval bases in the area, if not all of Europe? I'd have to agree. Would Kronstadt fare any better?

I doubt the Germans could pull off another Eben-Emael again. The Soviets had a lot of AA available along with the Red Navy in the harbors.
 
I doubt the Germans could pull off another Eben-Emael again. The Soviets had a lot of AA available along with the Red Navy in the harbors.

What possible reason would they have to attack Kronstadt at all? The approaches to Leningrad are very narrow and very dangerous, meaning that even if you succeed with a coup-de-main against it, it will hardly be possible to keep you beachhead supplied.

Tallin and Narva are, I think, the absolute maximum that could be done.
 
If Luftwaffe and Fallschirmjager were used at start of Operation Barbarossa it would create an acctualy victory.Stalin didnt know about the Operation so they saw the Infantery they defended themselves easier than fighting in air.If some fighters and some B-17s came from sky hitting the most of Barracks and Military Checkpoints all Forces would retreat or moving back.Guderian tank force would support and attack the Anti Airforces in Ukraine,Belarus and Fallschirmjagers could really help the Finland.At Stalingrad invasion an airforce attack was perfect but the really hard time from there and the overpower of Infatery and the cold and the snow blocked every single invasion.Bombing the Moscow would make the invasion easier advancing the river and parachuting in enemy territory.Even it would be a terror suicide mission there are chances to get a victory if Goering's overpower Luftwaffe was there....
 

Saphroneth

Banned
If Luftwaffe and Fallschirmjager were used at start of Operation Barbarossa it would create an acctualy victory.Stalin didnt know about the Operation so they saw the Infantery they defended themselves easier than fighting in air.If some fighters and some B-17s came from sky hitting the most of Barracks and Military Checkpoints all Forces would retreat or moving back.Guderian tank force would support and attack the Anti Airforces in Ukraine,Belarus and Fallschirmjagers could really help the Finland.At Stalingrad invasion an airforce attack was perfect but the really hard time from there and the overpower of Infatery and the cold and the snow blocked every single invasion.Bombing the Moscow would make the invasion easier advancing the river and parachuting in enemy territory.Even it would be a terror suicide mission there are chances to get a victory if Goering's overpower Luftwaffe was there....

...I have no idea what this means.
I can't even tell if you think it would be a good or bad idea!
 
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