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One of the great points of contingency in military history took place 84 years ago today
Posted on 7/21/25 at 4:58 am
Posted on 7/21/25 at 4:58 am
July 21, 1941.
With Operation Barbarossa in full swing, Army Group North is well on its way to besieging Leningrad while Army Group Center is speeding toward Moscow after capturing the city of Smolensk. Army Group South, however, is meeting stiff resistance in Ukraine as this is where the Red Army has concentrated the bulk of its forces. In a move that met with thunderous protest from his generals, Hitler ordered Army Group Center to halt its drive on Moscow and divert its panzer divisions to Army Group South to assist in the capture of Kiev.
The city would fall in late-September, resulting in the loss of over 700,000 Red Army soldiers killed, wounded, or captured. Valuable time would be wasted in the drive on Moscow as a result, however, and Army Group Center would not resume its advance on the Soviet capital until October. By that time the Russian winter was fast approaching. By early-December, with the whole world watching, the German advance comes to a halt just miles from the Kremlin.
With Operation Barbarossa in full swing, Army Group North is well on its way to besieging Leningrad while Army Group Center is speeding toward Moscow after capturing the city of Smolensk. Army Group South, however, is meeting stiff resistance in Ukraine as this is where the Red Army has concentrated the bulk of its forces. In a move that met with thunderous protest from his generals, Hitler ordered Army Group Center to halt its drive on Moscow and divert its panzer divisions to Army Group South to assist in the capture of Kiev.
The city would fall in late-September, resulting in the loss of over 700,000 Red Army soldiers killed, wounded, or captured. Valuable time would be wasted in the drive on Moscow as a result, however, and Army Group Center would not resume its advance on the Soviet capital until October. By that time the Russian winter was fast approaching. By early-December, with the whole world watching, the German advance comes to a halt just miles from the Kremlin.
18
Posted on 7/21/25 at 5:14 am to RollTide1987
The drive on Moscow, Hitler let the successes of 38-40 get to his head.
Even bigger than this was Hitler bailing out Mussolini in Greece. This set the entire Barbarossa campaign back. Only general Winter stopped them.
The Italians were a HUGE liability on the Eastern front.
Even bigger than this was Hitler bailing out Mussolini in Greece. This set the entire Barbarossa campaign back. Only general Winter stopped them.
The Italians were a HUGE liability on the Eastern front.
This post was edited on 7/21/25 at 9:40 am
Posted on 7/21/25 at 5:20 am to RollTide1987
Had he taken out England first there would have been no stopping him.
Posted on 7/21/25 at 5:21 am to RollTide1987
Napoleon took Moscow and lost. Hitler knew that. He lost because he overestimated his army.
Posted on 7/21/25 at 5:58 am to RollTide1987
TYFYS Ukraine. Again.
Posted on 7/21/25 at 6:04 am to RollTide1987
The Russian winters killed them. It was over for the Germans after Stalingrad.
Posted on 7/21/25 at 6:10 am to RollTide1987
Germany was defeated before they launched Operation Barbarossa because they couldn’t knock Britain out of the war.
Posted on 7/21/25 at 6:20 am to Reagan80
Good thing he did attack the Soviets. If he hadn't, the war would have lasted much longer (till the nukes were built).
Posted on 7/21/25 at 6:24 am to Reagan80
For at least the last 1000 years, Europe as a whole has never been able to successfully invade either England or Russia. Napoleon tried Russia, drew up plans for England.....Hitler did the same. Results were the same.
Posted on 7/21/25 at 6:30 am to RollTide1987
Germany had to change out rail to the different gauge used in Russia, then it used horses for transport the final miles to the front. Russia used AMERICAN made trucks, over 400,000 of them. 4X the number used by the US and UK in Europe.
Posted on 7/21/25 at 6:41 am to RollTide1987
The Russian winter stopped Hitler.
Hitler's impatience was his downfall. Great Britain was wobbling when the USA joiined the fight. Had Hitler asked Japan to hold off until they fell, and attacked Russia at the end of winter, the whole of Europe would be speaking German.
The United States and Canada would have fought Germany and Japan alone, or accepted Hitler's 'peace' terms.
Hitler's impatience was his downfall. Great Britain was wobbling when the USA joiined the fight. Had Hitler asked Japan to hold off until they fell, and attacked Russia at the end of winter, the whole of Europe would be speaking German.
The United States and Canada would have fought Germany and Japan alone, or accepted Hitler's 'peace' terms.
Posted on 7/21/25 at 6:53 am to RollTide1987
If only Hitler had taken Moscow and slaughtered all the Marxists the world might be a better place today
Posted on 7/21/25 at 7:07 am to RollTide1987
Battle of Britain. Switched from taking out British airfields to bombing cities as revenge for bombing German cities. Didn’t achieve air superiority and Operation Sea Lion (invasion of England) was cancelled. England was at the brink. Another case of pride goeth before the fall.
This post was edited on 7/21/25 at 7:08 am
Posted on 7/21/25 at 7:22 am to KiwiHead
quote:
For at least the last 1000 years, Europe as a whole has never been able to successfully invade either England or Russia.
Britain is being conquered right before our eyes by a bunch of unarmed third worlders in small boats. Maybe Hitler should have tried that.
Posted on 7/21/25 at 7:23 am to RollTide1987
And still more recent than A&M’s last NC 
Posted on 7/21/25 at 7:39 am to KiwiHead
quote:
For at least the last 1000 years, Europe as a whole has never been able to successfully invade either England
1066 Norman invasion of England
Posted on 7/21/25 at 8:15 am to CitizenK
quote:
Germany had to change out rail to the different gauge used in Russia, then it used horses for transport the final miles to the front. Russia used AMERICAN made trucks, over 400,000 of them. 4X the number used by the US and UK in Europe.
By war's end, 2/3rds of all Red Army wheeled vehicles were American made. So were a good portion of their remaining locomotives and railcars.
The Wehrmacht advance on Moscow was a very close run thing, as Wellington might have said. 10% of the armor defending Moscow was Brit lend-lease. Had either that armor not been there, or if the Germans had one more train load of fuel, Moscow would have fallen, and Stalin might not have survived the political fallout.
This post was edited on 7/21/25 at 8:17 am
Posted on 7/21/25 at 8:23 am to Gemini Jim
quote:
attacked Russia at the end of winter
Many people don't know about the rasputitsa, also known as the "mud times". During the spring and fall the Russian roads became unusable due to the mud. This, more than anything else, stopped the Germans. They resumed the offensive in early Dec when the roads froze over and became usable again.
Posted on 7/21/25 at 8:28 am to TT9
quote:
It was over for the Germans after Stalingrad.
German should have encircled Stalingrad and kept rolling instead of getting bogged down.
Posted on 7/21/25 at 8:32 am to KiwiHead
quote:
For at least the last 1000 years, Europe as a whole has never been able to successfully invade either England
1066
William The Conqueror says HELLO.
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