Panzer upgrade for Russian Campaign 1941

In 1939 Germany had 14.4% of the worlds Total War Industrail Potentail, the Soviet Union had 14%. On the eve of Barbarossa Germany's industrial base was bigger again due to gains in France. On the eve of Pearl Harbour Germany had occupied 1/3 of the SU's 14% TWIP.___________ Germany was run by incompetants who couldn't organise sex in a brothel with a fistful of fiftys. That is why they lost the war, not because they lacked the industry.
 
However Soviet industry a one gigantic advantage over German industry.

Guess which cost more lost production? Lack of raw materials or the combination of sabotage, allied strategic bombing, strikes and every thing else.
It was lack of raw materials by a factor of 2. Over the course of the war key industrial facilities were inactive for literally weeks at a time because of a lack of very basic things, this in turn caused knock on effects all down the supply chain till you have tank factories standing idle because there aren't enough ball bearings.
Germany had more than enough industrial capacity it just couldn't use it. In comparison the Soviets with the bonanza of raw materials and the allies with the rest of the world to call upon suffered only occasional stoppages and that was mostly down to incompetence not a genuine lack.
The most damaging affect of the loss of France wasn't all the dead German soldiers or the loss of all the French factories it was that Germany could no longer smuggle in key materials through Spain, though by that point because so much industrial plant had either been overrun or destroyed it actually didn't have that big an effect.
 
Overy reports that Soviet steel industry pumped out 1/2 as much steel in 1942 than the germans did and yet they out produced them my lightyears. Stalin had erected mass production factories in the 1930s. OKW had examined mass production as an option back in 1934, but Hitler and some argued that germany could not match production with the rest of europe and had to go for quality over quantity. What they failed to grasp was the quality was in the doctrine, training and general ship and not the armaments. Mass production in armaments/munitions is only about ensuring the troops have enough resources/tools to do the job which was absolutly central to their concept of "Auftragstaktiks".

It doesn't matter what you have , it matters what you do with what you have.
 

Markus

Banned
It doesn't matter what you have , it matters what you do with what you have.

I concur with that, but as far as mass production was concerned only hindsight let´s us know Germany ought to have put it´s industry on a total war footing in 1941. After all –Blitzkrieg- worked! It defeated THE most powerful european Army in a matter of weeks and all contemporary observers agreed the Russians were clearly second rate at best. Just like all contemporary observers got the actual size of the Red Army totally and utterly wrong.
 
I concur with that, but as far as mass production was concerned only hindsight let´s us know Germany ought to have put it´s industry on a total war footing in 1941. After all –Blitzkrieg- worked! It defeated THE most powerful european Army in a matter of weeks

It would only be effective if it did win in weeks because it's supply tail was woefully inadequate. The doctrine of the Western Allies was ten men to support every fighting man.

This is still pretty much true today. Although the supply chain is far more efficient the rate of fire of modern weapon systems is higher by an equivalent amount.
 
I concur with that, but as far as mass production was concerned only hindsight let´s us know Germany ought to have put it´s industry on a total war footing in 1941. After all –Blitzkrieg- worked! It defeated THE most powerful european Army in a matter of weeks and all contemporary observers agreed the Russians were clearly second rate at best. Just like all contemporary observers got the actual size of the Red Army totally and utterly wrong.


There was a battle within the Wehrmacht high command over mass production through out the 1930s. Most acknolwedged it was needed and Von Blomberg as defense minister even tried to have it implimented in 1934. But with Hitler demanding more and more and constantly changing his mind on what to produce, it was all they could do to just keep up with his demands. They believed/hoped he would not lead them into a war , without having time to prepare.

When the war began they began a crash munitions/armaments mass production programe cancelling all major weapons not on the short list. That lasted something like 6 months before Hitlers demand's shot the plan all to bits.
 
It's alive!!:eek::eek::D:p

Any thoughts on using French industry to turn out more trucks? Or was this done anyhow?

They did - at least ready made trucks. They also had those oilfields. Initially, Germany attacked the West to knock out the French army that could threaten Germany's ass when she butchered Russia. But this later changed, of course.

Germany's occupied countries mobilization remained somewhat lax - Don't know whether because Hitler underestimated Russia and Western Europe generally, or because of genuine problems. I support the former; Check out what Albert Speer said : "endeavors to make an armaments industry out of
French industry will also be impossible." - since the French couldn't defend themselves with this industry.

Still, Germany managed to exploit 1/3rd of conquered Western Europe economy, but I think this was not maximal.
 

burmafrd

Banned
Germany could barely come up with enough fuel for the trucks and tanks they did have and by late 44 could no longer do that. More trucks earlier on would have done them little good- oil was the real weakness of Germany and in the end it was a key reason for its defeat.
 
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