What if Hitler pushed on Moscow instead of Stalingrad?

Deleted member 1487

The Soviet government had already been evacuated to Kuybyshev in October 1941.

Personal assessments may be useful if they are based on appropriate knowledge.
Elements of it, the head remained.
 

Deleted member 1487

Sure, the GKO wasn't evacuated, and the Stavka General Command also remained in Moscow - well underground and safe from bombing and bombardment.
And Stalin, the lynchpin of the system as of the early 1940s. By the 1950s they had evolved passed him, but post-Great Purges he was necessary to the system. Its why his team coaxed him out of his Dacha where he had holed up once Minsk fell.
http://www.historyinanhour.com/2011/07/01/stalins-breakdown/
If Moscow fell he probably wouldn't leave until too late.
 
The above commentators bring up good points, but one additional point to remember that this would be a huge battle. It would be the largest, in terms of troops and firepower engaged, in history to that point and possibly for centuries.

Both sides would know that this would be for all the marbles. Most of the German air force and nearly all the Soviet air force would be committed, it would take logistics priority, plus any army reserves it might have. If the Germans do this right, and their planning was always pretty good, they would be pulling the Luftwaffe from the Atlantic and Med and at least shutting Rommel down (denying him logistical support) to concentrate on taking Moscow, probably also nothing happening around Sevastopol and Stalingrad. The Soviets we know were planning to concentrate on defense.

That means 1943 would be quiet. Even the winner of such a battle would have little left to do anything else other than recuperate. If the USSR loses, they lose their major rail, industrial, and administrative center, their air force is pretty much gone, and they have lost their reserves. I think they capitulate in this scenario. If Germany loses, we actually get something close to the situation the British and American planners anticipated they might have to go back to France early, to get on the ground on the continent before the Axis collapse. No Battle of the Atlantic (because the Luftwaffe can't participate), not much to put into the Med, and on the Eastern Front they are trying to improvise a defense with whatever remains, like they did several times IOTL, though the Red Army would probably be too chewed up to throw them out of Russia entirely. Also, IOTL there was an assassination attempt on Hitler in 1943, in the case of a German defeat at Moscow such attempts would likely get more support and be done more urgently.

Btw, from the Axis perspective, I think it was in their interest to make the attempt. In 1942 they were in a "win now or go home" strategic situation.
 
So how would you define the skies over Soviet counterattacks in July and August 1941? Closer, BTW, to the German permanent airfields?



Which is surely helpful in general, but is neither here nor there as to the fact that the Soviets don't need to just remain stationary and wait the Germans in fortified lines. They can launch mobile counterattacks - as they always did, and unlike what you claimed.

Ehhmm. Claim they couldnt launch mobile counterattacks? Nope.
What I am referring to is that they were costly as they Will be in 1942. The luftwaffe situation is similar to early 1941 as the Germans Will be better settled than they were on the advance in late 1941.
Now, at kursk they could absorb the attack, if the kursk-lite defendes cant do that the Soviets need to slow the german attacks with costly counterattacks. The germans have the whole summer and autumn to get 2-300 km ahead. I Think the Soviets needs to prevent the attack from getting mobile- reserve armies notwithstanding.
 
Btw, from the Axis perspective, I think it was in their interest to make the attempt. In 1942 they were in a "win now or go home" strategic situation.
On this one I agree. The major parts of the Soviet army, rail, administration, Industry, etc. was at Moscow. Hence the biggest blow to the SU could be made here.
And if the SU reserves had been comitted, and IF the Germans were succesfull, then the AGN is redundant and they could always
strike South later on good roads and railways.
It was the potentially fastest Way to win the war and fast was the only Way to win for the Germans.
 
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