DBWI: If Operation Citadel had been postponed?

There were those within the German Army High Command (OKH) that wanted to start Citadel later than May 1943 (when it started IOTL), arguing that the new heavy tanks Tiger I and Panther could be used in greater numbers while others argued that the offensive should go ahead as planned to maintain the element of surprise. As we all know, Hitler went with the former option.

Now, the Soviets knew of the offensive through British intelligence and were planning their defence, building a defence in depth that in a few months would have been several times as deep as the Maginot Line and IMHO would have blunted the German offensive, inflicting severe losses.

However, on May 4th at the start of the offensive they were far from complete and the Germans scored their last victory on the eastern front.

So what would have happened if Citadel had been postponed to, say, late June or early July? Would the Germans still have been able to stop the Sicily landings in their tracks or not? If not, what consequences would that have had?
 
I don't think they would have, whether the Germans win or not here, it was always going to be a bloodbath and if they strike later there aren't going to be many troops available to hold Sicily which probably means that we get quicker end than the bloody battle of Danzig in '46.
 
I don't think they would have, whether the Germans win or not here, it was always going to be a bloodbath and if they strike later there aren't going to be many troops available to hold Sicily which probably means that we get quicker end than the bloody battle of Danzig in '46.

I see. So would a successful landing in Sicily have encouraged a landing in northern France instead of OTL's peripheral strategy (which pissed Stalin off, thinking the Western Allies were letting him fight Germany alone on purpose). I always thought that if the Allies were to go through Italy, they'd get stuck in the Appennine mountains in central Italy.

Then again, the Atlantic Wall was ridiculously strong, so maybe not. Perhaps further landings in southern France and/or Croatia?
 

abc123

Banned
I see. So would a successful landing in Sicily have encouraged a landing in northern France instead of OTL's peripheral strategy (which pissed Stalin off, thinking the Western Allies were letting him fight Germany alone on purpose). I always thought that if the Allies were to go through Italy, they'd get stuck in the Appennine mountains in central Italy.

Then again, the Atlantic Wall was ridiculously strong, so maybe not. Perhaps further landings in southern France and/or Croatia?

Southern France was more likely because Churchill was for landing in Croatia, but Roosevelt knew that it will anger the Soviets ( Soviets didn't want that western allies mmeddle in his backyard, and partisans in Yugoslavia have even running talks with Germans about joint fight against US-UK forces if they land in Croatia ).



Offtopic: Onkel Willie, can you please give me some links with your Germany/Russia TLs?
 
Top