Moscow is Stalingrad

WI uncle Joe named the capital for himself. Would it be a still higher priority for the Nazis. Might there have been a longer attempt to take it in 1942
 
Yeah, probably. Having Stalingrad as a propaganda victory as well as the capital may make the Germans focus more on it, but they're probably still going to attack the Caucasus and therefore Volgograd (or whatever you want to call it) and there's still going to be a tough fight if the Soviets figure out why. But I don't think Moscow being renamed Stalingrad will win the war for Germany.
 
No I don't think so. By 1942, Hitler was totally convinced that capturing the oil fields of the Caucasus was the way to go as it promised to reduce Soviet war production potential and would set Germany up to face the growing Anglo-American threat in the West.
 

Deleted member 1487

No I don't think so. By 1942, Hitler was totally convinced that capturing the oil fields of the Caucasus was the way to go as it promised to reduce Soviet war production potential and would set Germany up to face the growing Anglo-American threat in the West.

Agreed. It was much much more about the oil and the resources like Manganese than a name of the city. Though Hitler joked about that being the reason in some speeches, it really was incidental to launching Case Blue, but became a focal point once the Caucasus campaign bogged down.

If the OP is really curious check out the "Germany and the Second World War" series by the German military's historical research office. It goes into intense detail about the planning for campaigns and their conduct...among many things. And its in English and available through interlibrary loan pretty easily. Just be prepared to read a monster volume.
 
Though a second attempt at Moscow in 1942 intrigues me. It would fit exactly within Soviet strategic designs, but at the same time would allow the Germans to concentrate on the most important Soviet target, Moscow (With it taken the Red Army would be cut off rom supply and communication). Their initial attacks would likely begin with Operation Wirbelwind to reduce the Kirov Salient and possibly another one to reduce the Toropets-Kholm salient. Following that a drive on Moscow is likely. That will almost certainly fail against stiff Soviet resistance, combined with Soviet attacks elsewhere along the front.
 
Stalin wouldn't have done that. Tsaritsyn was renamed after him because it was a relatively new city in terms of importance and his role in the RCW. Renaming Moscow wasn't the kind of thing the Soviets did, they renamed St. Petersburg after the Tsars had already redubbed it. In many more ways than not Bolshevism was a very conservative permutation of Russia, so......
 
WI uncle Joe named the capital for himself. Would it be a still higher priority for the Nazis. Might there have been a longer attempt to take it in 1942

No. The Germans went into the Caucasus for the damn good reason that if they were going to defeat the Soviets, they both needed a lot more oil than they had and to deny the USSR their own oil. Blue was the proper strategic option.
 
No. The Germans went into the Caucasus for the damn good reason that if they were going to defeat the Soviets, they both needed a lot more oil than they had and to deny the USSR their own oil. Blue was the proper strategic option.

Not really, since it vastly overestimated German logistic capabilities. A Moscow option made the most sense since infrastructure already existed to be built on over time.
 
Not really, since it vastly overestimated German logistic capabilities. A Moscow option made the most sense since infrastructure already existed to be built on over time.

I just said it was the proper option. I said nothing about its chances of actual success. ;)
 
Top