Operation Office
Set clearly in an ATL, the question arose as to what would have happened had the USA shyed away from controversy and not initiated Operation Office?
Operation Office was the concentrated air attack on the Attacoom Pass (made-up name, one assumes) between Turkey and Persia, to stop the German (Nazi) army in Persia from withdrawing into Turkey, and probably dragging them into the Axis, even at the eleventh hour. Britain and Russia were against the attack, fearing that it would cause the very consequence that they were trying to avoid - a Turkish declaration of war. But the US gambled that if the German army was destroyed, the Turks might be furious at the breach of their neutrality but would have clearly nothing to gain by declaring war.
Operation Office was in two parts, first to hit the head and rear (so to speak) of the pass, then to destroy both those parts of the German army trapped within it, and those parts trapped outside of it with nowhere to withdraw to. It was an expensive operation in terms of air hours, fuel and bombs, but it was a complete success.
Even today one can see the wrecked vehicles across the whole area, including 8 of the giant Panzer VIII tanks.
But what would have happened if the US had not bitten the bullet and initiated Operation Office?
Best Regards
Grey Wolf
Set clearly in an ATL, the question arose as to what would have happened had the USA shyed away from controversy and not initiated Operation Office?
Operation Office was the concentrated air attack on the Attacoom Pass (made-up name, one assumes) between Turkey and Persia, to stop the German (Nazi) army in Persia from withdrawing into Turkey, and probably dragging them into the Axis, even at the eleventh hour. Britain and Russia were against the attack, fearing that it would cause the very consequence that they were trying to avoid - a Turkish declaration of war. But the US gambled that if the German army was destroyed, the Turks might be furious at the breach of their neutrality but would have clearly nothing to gain by declaring war.
Operation Office was in two parts, first to hit the head and rear (so to speak) of the pass, then to destroy both those parts of the German army trapped within it, and those parts trapped outside of it with nowhere to withdraw to. It was an expensive operation in terms of air hours, fuel and bombs, but it was a complete success.
Even today one can see the wrecked vehicles across the whole area, including 8 of the giant Panzer VIII tanks.
But what would have happened if the US had not bitten the bullet and initiated Operation Office?
Best Regards
Grey Wolf