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To: Homer_J_Simpson

Other than Pearl Harbor, this is the key move that helped bring down the Axis.


7 posted on 10/28/2010 4:51:03 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
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To: Chi-townChief

The necessity of dealing with the Greek resistance and subsequent British intervention (the necessity being to protect the all-important Ploesti oilfields), took vital time away from the Axis forces - slowing down the onset of Barbarossa and also mildly denuding the forces available for its success.

The failure of the invasion of Russia, which indeed could have been a success, was the deathknell for Nazism.

Another massive factor in its failure was - Pearl Harbor. If the Japs had attacked Russia, as their army faction were minded to do, then Kutuzov could never have brought his Siberian troops back in time to defend Moscow. The USSR would have collapsed and any eventual D-Day would have faced vastly more potent tank forces.

Instead the Japanese Navy launched the militarily brilliant, but strategically toxic attack on Pearl Harbor. Kutuzov was free to move his forces, and of course the sleeping giant awoke.

If Hitler had our hindsight, he would have cursed Yamamoto every bit as much as he cursed Mussolini.


9 posted on 10/28/2010 5:07:40 AM PDT by agere_contra (...what if we won't eat the dog food?)
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To: Chi-townChief
A neutral Italy in WWII would have been addition by subtraction for Germany.

Great Britain could not afford to be lax on that front for fear that Italy could flip to hostile at any time. Hitler would have been able to avoid having to rescue Mussolini from his own idiocy in Greece and North Africa keeping one his best tank generals (Rommel) on the eastern front.

10 posted on 10/28/2010 5:21:09 AM PDT by AU72
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To: Chi-townChief; patton

Funny that nobody knew it at the time though: The later failure in Crete, in Greece itself were all in the future. And nobody was seeing the long-range impact on the Russian invasion the next summer.


15 posted on 10/28/2010 6:31:35 AM PDT by Robert A Cook PE (I can only donate monthly, but socialists' ABBCNNBCBS continue to lie every day!)
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To: All

the Allies were lucky that Musso was such a pompous pig-headed blundering fool

no way were the Italian armed forces prepared to conquer Greece while heavily engaged in North Africa

this was an impulsive decision of ego and pride, predicated on wishful thinking for immediate collapse of Greek resistance

the Italian army was only given a handful of days to prepare for the invasion and did not have nearly the forces to conquer Greece if resistance was prolonged (as it was in fact)


20 posted on 10/28/2010 11:49:50 AM PDT by Enchante (De-fund the agitprop twits of NPR, PBS, and CPB now!!)
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