http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Battle_of_Kharkov
WI this doesn't happen? Let's say soviets judge their and German capabilities more accuretly and decide not to press the offensive. say their winter offensives come of somewhat worse.
Slantz claims Soviets lost some 277.000 people (some 171.000 KIA, MIA, POW, rest WIA). This weakened the sector of the front on which Geman southern offensive would fall soon, with predictable results. If these troops are available to soviets what happens?
German offensive starts as epr OTL, likely a bit sooner. Germans advancefast but things get complicated later. While it's not likely soviets will be able to stop them before Stalingrad these troops will slow the advance even more than they did in OTL. Additional soviet forces still just bang on the flanks as epr OTL, but while they are driven off it takes time and casualties.
Option A. Germans realize they are to weak to seize both stalingrad and Cauccassus so they don't split their force. Cauccassus was priamry objective so that will ramain top priority. Some forces are left onthe flanks to deal with this,with less of a dismisive view they are German rather than allied. Soviets retain a core of better trained troops and those are used for counter offensive. Depending on when and where it happens it's likely resemblewhat happened post Uranus with german evacuation from the south. Gemansare bloodied but not as badly as OTL and there is no psychological shock of entire army being wiped out.
Option B. offensive develops as per OTL but keep adding time for each step. so the battle for stalingrad begins in September, not august with weakend Germans. German advance likely stalls by mid/late october simplydue to units bing burnedup. withadvancenot as threatening soviet'sdon't see the need for smallercounter offensivesclose to the city (Kutluban series) and start planning operations further back sooner. With heavier soviet resistance on approaches some thing like OTL bridgehead jumping points is likely to remain, though maybe not in exact same places. Uranus-like operation is launched either sooner or stronger, likely both. with Soviets relativelystronger vs Gemans they might actually cut off cuccassus force, but not neccessary.
thoughts'
WI this doesn't happen? Let's say soviets judge their and German capabilities more accuretly and decide not to press the offensive. say their winter offensives come of somewhat worse.
Slantz claims Soviets lost some 277.000 people (some 171.000 KIA, MIA, POW, rest WIA). This weakened the sector of the front on which Geman southern offensive would fall soon, with predictable results. If these troops are available to soviets what happens?
German offensive starts as epr OTL, likely a bit sooner. Germans advancefast but things get complicated later. While it's not likely soviets will be able to stop them before Stalingrad these troops will slow the advance even more than they did in OTL. Additional soviet forces still just bang on the flanks as epr OTL, but while they are driven off it takes time and casualties.
Option A. Germans realize they are to weak to seize both stalingrad and Cauccassus so they don't split their force. Cauccassus was priamry objective so that will ramain top priority. Some forces are left onthe flanks to deal with this,with less of a dismisive view they are German rather than allied. Soviets retain a core of better trained troops and those are used for counter offensive. Depending on when and where it happens it's likely resemblewhat happened post Uranus with german evacuation from the south. Gemansare bloodied but not as badly as OTL and there is no psychological shock of entire army being wiped out.
Option B. offensive develops as per OTL but keep adding time for each step. so the battle for stalingrad begins in September, not august with weakend Germans. German advance likely stalls by mid/late october simplydue to units bing burnedup. withadvancenot as threatening soviet'sdon't see the need for smallercounter offensivesclose to the city (Kutluban series) and start planning operations further back sooner. With heavier soviet resistance on approaches some thing like OTL bridgehead jumping points is likely to remain, though maybe not in exact same places. Uranus-like operation is launched either sooner or stronger, likely both. with Soviets relativelystronger vs Gemans they might actually cut off cuccassus force, but not neccessary.
thoughts'