Suppose Hitler[being a mad dictator] had decided against Von mansteins plan to trap and pin the S.wing of the Red army against the sea of Azov in early 1943. We know that Hitler wanted to wait until the summer,when the new panther and Tiger tanks would be available to combat the growing masses of soviet armour. However,in a rare moment of rational thought Hitler decided to listen to his Generals and approved Mansteins audacious plan. The soviets over-confident after Stalingrad were easily tricked into attacking the rapidly re-forming German 6th army in the Donets basin,E.Ukraine. The Wehrmacht proceeded to launch its own offensive into the over-extended Soviet lines and outflanked them into the sea of Azov. The Soviets suffered very heavy losses. The Germans were able to launch a further series of relatively small offensives pushing the Soviets back and restoring their positions on the S.Front to those they had held in early 1942. WI they had waited? The Tigers and Panthers may have given the Germans an extra edge in Hitlers plan,but the Soviets would have months to fortify their lines against a German thrust. The Russians had failed to hold against the Germans summer offensives in 41/42,but given time to prepare could the Soviets static defenses hold off the Panzers and perhaps provide themselves with an opportunity to launch a counter-attack in the autumn of 1943? If so,then would we see a Soviet advance into E.Europe? It seems likely that Stalin would have created a series of puppet/communist states in E.Europe. Could the soviets have invaded E.Europe instead of simply re-capturing Russian territory up to their 1939 border with Poland like OTL? If the Germans suffered a serious strategic defeat in Summer 1943 would it have shortened WW2 and prevented the Atomic bombing of German cities in late 1946 by the Allied airforces? Would the Allies Normandy campaign have been less of a meat-grinder? Any Thoughts? Note:Germans retreated in late 43 to Panther-Wotan line[similar to the Hindenburg line of WW1],which the Germans were given time to contruct as a result of Mansteins successful offensive. They bleed Stalins armies white against these defenses until mid-1946.