Except the Nazis were completely overwhelming the Soviet Army as they had achieved complete surprise. With the population of Ukraine, in particular, getting behind the Nazis as a liberating force rather than an invading one (until the Nazis started doing their whole Nazi thing), they could’ve had a chance.
Not sure what the logistics situation would’ve looked like if Nazis hadn’t relied on Soviet rail or had been free of the Ukrainian sabotage in the rear. There’s also the question of what the war would have looked like if Hitler had ceded Stalingrad and focused on more important strategic matters.
(until the Nazis started doing their whole Nazi thing)
Very true, and very humorously said!
Yes, they beat the Soviet’s brains out at first….but the sheer size of the Soviet Union geographically, plus its immense population, meant that eventually they would turn Germany back. It was invevitable. Germany simply could not have ruled the captured territories and never been able to sustain supply lines all the way to Vladivostok.
If Hitler had set up a “Vichy” Russia and allowed the Russians at least autonomy on paper, instead of trying to wipe them all out, if he could have defeated the Red Army that much quicker.