WWII. A quicker end?

Folks,

I've generally restricted my posts to aero engineering topics (tho I see fellow contributors here). I believe the war in Western Europe could have been concluded by mid November 1944 if Eisenhower had not, for whatever reason, halted the Allied virtual blitzkrieg across France in late August, giving German forces a desperately needed respite to reconstitute their forces and insuring that the slow moving (late summer thru winter 1944) Soviet advance would meet the Western allies at the Elbe River, well West of Berlin, rather than at the Oder, far to the East. All that was required was not halting Patton, Bradley and Montgomery.

I realize that what I've written requires substantiation, and this is provided with names, dates and locations by historian-novelist Caleb Carr in his chapter in a huge book that every serious Alt History enthusiast should have: "The Collected What IF", edited by Robert Cowley, Published by Putnam, ISBN: 978-0-399-15696-0 and Barnes and Noble ISBN: 978-1-4351-1825-6.

Carr's ten pages 733-743 cover everything but the long rumored direct order from the Roosevelt administration to Eisenhower.

Dynasoar
 
I believe the war in Western Europe could have been concluded by mid November 1944 if Eisenhower had not, for whatever reason, halted the Allied virtual blitzkrieg across France in late August, giving German forces a desperately needed respite to reconstitute their forces
You're right.

It wasn't, however, done just on Ike's whim. It was done, AIUI, because the fuel coming across the beach (as it still was) was inadequate to support all the advances in progress.

That was a product of the state of collapse of Heer & of the WAllies' rapid advance, which nobody had anticipated.

There were measures that could've been taken to mitigate it (in particular bringing over more 10-tonner trauck tractors & organizing their operation better), but in the main, it was halt somebody or stall everybody.:rolleyes:

Ike was not helped by Monty's bad decision to have First Canadian clear all the Channel ports & inability to recognize the importance of Antwerp, & both of those can be explained (if not entirely excused, IMO).

Ike played the hand he was dealt. He avoided losing his shirt, which was really all the CCS demanded.

Had he done some few things differently, yeah, the war could've ended sooner. This one, in isolation, seems to have been out of his hands.
 
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