More on Soviet aggression -
Interesting question...I actually thought about doing a TL where Stalin doesn't invade Finland but, instead, invades Turkey...very similar to what you are proposing.
My take is that Stalin could probably take Turkey eventually, but at a very heavy cost. Any power who invades Turkey, during this time, is in for a hard fight. Turkey's terrain is rough, especially on it's eastern borders. The transportation infrastructure is also pretty crappy all over. The Turks would no doubt resort to hit-and-run tactics, blocking key roads and passes, making slow going for the Red Army.
If they Soviets invade in June 1940, I don't see much support from Germany or the west.
Agreed -
If the Soviets invade in March 1941, the Germans could potentially divert some of their Barbarossa forces to support Turkey (in a clandestine fashion) until they are ready for the main invasion of the USSR, and then Turkey becomes a battleground for both sides (with the Turks in the middle).
Maybe some of that clandestine support would come in the form of providing the Turks captured British (and maybe French) gear.
Since a Soviet conquest campaign could take several months to complete, Hitler and Mussolini could also come in as Stalin's *ally* to seize Thrace (if the Sovs are not there) and a bridgehead in western Turkey that will give them some defensive depth for when Barb starts.
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#19 Report Post June 21st, 2011, 04:13 AM
Wendell
Creator of many dead threads Join Date: Jun 2005
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How exactly do the Soviets plan to knock over so mountainous and strategically located a country?
Land, sea and air invasion, with the main line of ground advance going through northeastern Turkey from the Transcaucasus. Not easy, but the Soviets can bring alot of force to bear. Even Tsarist Russia made considerable gains in northeast Anatolia in WWI. Less mobility for armor, more plodding, infantry artillery penetrations until a bridgehead on to the Anatolian plateau is established.
The trickiest part is securing European Turkey, because of the lack of a land corridor, and the probability the Turks would have some respectable beach defenses, mass their navy in the Dardanelles, and urban terrain of Istanbul would be a bitch to take.