Originally Posted by Rubicon
I still say the best opppurtunity [sic] for the Germans to take Leningrad would be in late July/early August -41.
I agree 100% that the best “opportunity” was near Aug 41, but the OP was what if 1943 limited attack not on Kursk but Leningrad. I played with the WI as per OP.
Originally Posted by Kerblo By mid-1943, however, an assault on Leningrad would be pointless. Industry had moved East, the Finns were all but depleted as a fighting force and fighting a city battle no longer appealed to the Germans.
The 1943 Kursk op in OTL was worse than pointless. This is a simple What If those panzers do NOT take the deathride and a limited 1943 attack is made to re-isolate the 2nd largest city in Soviet U, shorten the frontline and score political / diplomatic points for German vs minor Axis. Hitler, Keitel, Manstein all thought a assault must be made in 1943. M. for military, K according to Guderian for political, and WTF Hitler really was thinking is known only to the Devil and his nemesis.
Kerblo: IF we assume the Germans make a “forehand” attack and not Manstein’s other suggested “backhand”…. THEN Was there any attack that was not pointless?? [I think we ALL agree M’s “backhand” counter stroke would have been best.]
The question is: Would an attack on the Soviet Volkhov Front that re-isolated the Leningrad Front [and perhaps the 2nd Shock & Soviet8th of Volkh Front] have been a less “pointless” op than the OTL Kurck attempt to "cauldron" the Soviet 70A, 65A, 60A, 38A 40A ?
An operation against the Toropets bulge was not really a possible 43 choice after Demyansk and Rzhev Salients both abandoned to shorten the worst archipelago –ish of the frontline.
Again I am not an insane Germfan pining for Swaz over Leningrad. I merely played around with N’s OP that said What if Lgrad better than Kursk in 43?
Operationsbefehl Nr. 5, 13.3.43 suggests that after a successful Citadel [LOL] Leningrad was next. This What If reorders German One Two planned 43 punches. Discussion worthy even if the Germans fail worse than OTL Kursk.
Indeed even wiser for Germany [and feared by Ike et al for the next year] than M’s “backhand” was if on 15May43 Hitler actually authorized an abandonment of territory to a defensive "East Wall" rather than an OTL statement of only in extremis.
The OP point remains NOT the best German option but a viable WI for debate.