WI Moscow instead of Stalingrad

Elisia

Banned
What if the Germans decided to attack Moscow in the summer of 1942 instead of Stalingrad? The front line was only some 200 km away from Moscow and allthough Stalin anticipated the attack there the Germans would have made it to Moscow. How would this have affected the war in the east?
 
Well, Stalin refused to leave Moscow in '41 when things looked pretty grim, so I can see him staying put in '42 as well. If he's stuck there under siege and isolated from communication with his field commanders in the Caucasus could have some implications for the strategy pursued by them.
 
Stalingrad wasn't the target...

Stalingrad wasn't the target of the 1942 offensives (the Caucuses were), and only became a target after things had already begun.

In many ways, however, Moscow was not nearly as important by 1942, as most of the critical industry had been moved from that region (optics in particular, though lots of electrical manufacture as well), and some alternative rail lines were under construction. It's seizure by the Germans would have been a morale blow, and certainly not to be hoped for, but ultimately it wouldn't have made an enormous difference by 1942.

More to the point, it was also too close and too limited a goal for the Germans in 1942. They still thought that they had a chance to knock the Russians out of the war, and the ambitious (i.e. insanely overreaching) nature of their plans for Case Blue bore this out. Moscow was more along the lines of a 'small solution', and wouldn't have contributed to an overall Russian collapse, which is what the Germans were aiming at.
 
First they have to grind through all the accumulated defenses Red Army had brought up in front of Moscow. Stalin was quite insistent that it was to be the German offensive goal for '42 thus much of the army (I'm sure someone can provide accurate percentage) was on the approaches/vicinity in prepared positions. No doubt eventually Germans can break in to a manouver battle but it will end shortly when they get on with their attempt to encircle Moscow, then it's back to grind again. Not to mention the countryside isn't exactly the tank country that Donets-Don-Volga is.

After encirclement the Germans are still faced with a huge urban battlefield (larger than Stalingrad) that'll take a fair amount more of divisions than Stalingrad to clear. Obviously defenders can't be replenished a'la Stalingrad but I believe completing the encirclement would take long enough that Germans will still be fighting for the city come winter. Then it'll be Stalingrad again.

Assuming they take the city, impact isn't going to be the same it would've been in '41. Industry is well out as are the main govermental fuctions. The Red Army has taken a beating, however it's not after a several month long series of defeats of epic proportions as in '41, but after a slugfest where both sides have been bled harshly. Instead of capitulating they are more likely to be out for blood by wintertime. The only reason for Soviets tossing the towel would be Stalin being dumb enough to get caught in the city and even after that it'd be very unlikely.

Also as f1b0nacc1 mentioned Hitler might even insist on another target since Moscow is so close and 'easy'. Say Leningrad?:eek: Birthplace of the Judeo-Bolshevik regime and their capital taken in one campaign season. That is bound to break their will!!! Two urban battlefields, yey... that can only end well.
 
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The main German offensive was against Moscow; the supply lines and troop movements were set up for it. Stalingrad was a target of opportunity, basically.
 
The main German offensive was against Moscow; the supply lines and troop movements were set up for it. Stalingrad was a target of opportunity, basically.

The main German offensive was against the Kaukasus, to conquer the oilfields.
 
If the Germans managed to get into the city (which is doubtful), it would be an even greater disaster than Stalingrad. Army Group Centre might potentially be lost, something which nearly happened in 1941. There's no way they would have occupied as much of Moscow as Stalingrad before winter however.
 
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