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We all know that the german attempt to seize Moscow in 1941 resulted in their first major defeat of world war 2, a loss that significantly weakened the 3rd reich and its war effort. Even before operation typhoon was launched, there were indications that it was infeasible. When they started marching on Moscow in october of 1941, the germans had been on the offensive for five months. By that point in time, the wehrmacht was tired and bruised, and were already at the culminating point. Moscow itself was simply beyond their effective limit of resupply.

Lets devise a POD (point of divergence) for the war between nazi germany and soviet russia. Its october 22nd, 1941: The battles of bryansk and vyazma have ended in victory for the germans, and the red army has been badly weakened. Instead of continuing with operation typhoon, however, the OKW decides that the logistical and weather challenges facing them are simply too much. They bring a halt to all general offensives, and order the wehrmacht to go on the defensive. This change of plans enables them to consolidate their gains, salvage their motor pool, and stock up on winter supplys. They will simply wait until the spring of 1942 for things to improve.


Heres a couple of pertinent questions:

Short term: If the germans avoid the battle of Moscow, how much better do things go for them during the winter of 1941?

Long term: If they manage to endure the winter without getting mauled, how does the situation in the eastern front change? Are the soviets at greater risk of collapse in 1942?

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