What would be the effect of Germany winning the Battle of the Barents Sea December 31 1942????
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_barents_sea.htm
Lets assume the Hipper was more aggresive in attacking the convoy, this results in the escorting destroyers being overwhelmed and the convoy scattering. Some of the scattered merchants are found by the Lutzow group. The Sheffield and Jamaica still intervene as usual but later on since the Hipper is now further south.
The result is Hipper is shot up as usual along with 2 German destroyers sunk. 5 British destroyers are sunk as well as 8 british merchants ships (5 sunk in the battle, 3 later by u-boats, 7 survive to reach Murmansk.
I can think of some interesting immediate results:
1) Admiral Raeder is still in charge of the German Navy. The post Hitler sucession might not be Donitz.
2) Hitler's order scrapping the German surface fleet wouldn't happen. This means the Hipper would be repaired, some work would continue on aircraft carrier projects, etc.. Less u-boats would be buillt but the results of this won't be felt until the u-boats are already defeated in the middle of 43 anyway. Perhaps a repaired Hipper would be useful for shore bombardment in the Baltic in 1944-1945.
3) Artic convoys would be suspended for the rest of the winter at least. I don't see the Allies having the free ships to do anything about this for a while. Perhaps in late 43 through mid 44, the they might assign a couple of aircraft carriers to aggresively hunt the German surface ships still in Norway.
4) Some supplies wouldn't reach Russia. That particular convoy carried lots of aviation fuel which could mean a few less sorties by the Soviet air force during 43. Other convoys might have been cancelled compounding the supply problem.
6) Lutzow was to be used later on a raid to attack the allied whaling fleets. This might still happen (this sounds like a bad ending for the Lutzow to me to try this in early 43).
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More crazy stuff is that an embarassed Churchill insists on a nothern Norway invasion in 1943 sometime, diverting resources from the Pacific or Italy.
OR
Sweeden is impressed and takes a more German favorable stance on its neutrality than historically.
OR
Finland is impressed and continues with the Germans longer than historically.
OR
Lutzow manages to attack the allied whaling fleets, bringing home several prizes full of whale oil to Norway.
OR
Soviet - Allied relations are hurt by the cancellation of further Arctic convoys.
Steve
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/battle_of_barents_sea.htm
Lets assume the Hipper was more aggresive in attacking the convoy, this results in the escorting destroyers being overwhelmed and the convoy scattering. Some of the scattered merchants are found by the Lutzow group. The Sheffield and Jamaica still intervene as usual but later on since the Hipper is now further south.
The result is Hipper is shot up as usual along with 2 German destroyers sunk. 5 British destroyers are sunk as well as 8 british merchants ships (5 sunk in the battle, 3 later by u-boats, 7 survive to reach Murmansk.
I can think of some interesting immediate results:
1) Admiral Raeder is still in charge of the German Navy. The post Hitler sucession might not be Donitz.
2) Hitler's order scrapping the German surface fleet wouldn't happen. This means the Hipper would be repaired, some work would continue on aircraft carrier projects, etc.. Less u-boats would be buillt but the results of this won't be felt until the u-boats are already defeated in the middle of 43 anyway. Perhaps a repaired Hipper would be useful for shore bombardment in the Baltic in 1944-1945.
3) Artic convoys would be suspended for the rest of the winter at least. I don't see the Allies having the free ships to do anything about this for a while. Perhaps in late 43 through mid 44, the they might assign a couple of aircraft carriers to aggresively hunt the German surface ships still in Norway.
4) Some supplies wouldn't reach Russia. That particular convoy carried lots of aviation fuel which could mean a few less sorties by the Soviet air force during 43. Other convoys might have been cancelled compounding the supply problem.
6) Lutzow was to be used later on a raid to attack the allied whaling fleets. This might still happen (this sounds like a bad ending for the Lutzow to me to try this in early 43).
---------------------------------------------------------------
More crazy stuff is that an embarassed Churchill insists on a nothern Norway invasion in 1943 sometime, diverting resources from the Pacific or Italy.
OR
Sweeden is impressed and takes a more German favorable stance on its neutrality than historically.
OR
Finland is impressed and continues with the Germans longer than historically.
OR
Lutzow manages to attack the allied whaling fleets, bringing home several prizes full of whale oil to Norway.
OR
Soviet - Allied relations are hurt by the cancellation of further Arctic convoys.
Steve