The allied bombed Russian oil fields in 1940?

The allied had plans to destroy/bomb the Caucasus oil field area in 1940. As well troops were gathered ( Weygand ) for a possible attack from Syria, if things in Northern Europe would cause war between the Allied and Russia, and thus oil fields would have been taken.

Anyway, if the Allied had bombed Russia do you think it would have changed the end result for Barbarossa?

Here´s one opinion:

Osborn, Patrick R. Operation Pike: Britain versus the Soviet Union, 1939-1941. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2000.

"An Allied bomber offensive against the USSR in 1940 likely would have driven Hitler and Stalin into a de facto, perhaps even a de jure military alliance against Britain. In this case British resources would have been strained to the limit, perhaps beyond the capability to cope with the combined Nazi-Soviet threat. One can only imagine what would have transpired had Hitler been able first to enlist Stalin on his side against the Allies, only to turn against him later with the knowledge that the Soviet Union would not receive aid from the West. "

http://www.sonic.net/~bstone/archives/000902.shtml



[ 27. May 2003, 07:08 PM: Message edited by: Kai-Petri ]

 

If that happened, Hitler would be pleased and offer the british a more reasonable chance of surrendar. Assuming that the oil-fields were heavily damaged then it would affect the outcome. If the germans were stopped outside Moscow, an attack in the south would of been less appealing.

Simply point, it would of resulted in the end of the Soviets, if not that then the Soviets would of been most upset with the allies.

 

I remember reading somewhere that the allies (Britain and the US mainly) at the time of the winter war with Finland and before the war began were seriously considering fighting with the Germans against the soviets should it become necessary. Remember that the British were going to send troops to Finland to fight the russians during the winter war but were stopped by the Sweedish government who would not allow British troops through their terratories.

 

The Germans attack Russia together with the English - who are there because in the What If scenario they fought with the Finnish against the Russians. Impossible or not?

 

Well, I think it would have been useless and a very foolish thing to do. Neither France nor Great Britain had the air resources to strike the Russian oil fields in the Caucausus and achieve great results. Maybe with some hundred B-17s in 1943, but certainly not with Blenheims and Bréguets in 1939-1940... They just would have got the USSR into Hitler's side and Great Britain's resources wouldn't have been enough since the huge USSR had frontiers with British colonies and could menace many others. Even with the unefficient Red Army of 1940-1941, the USSR was an enemy to fear. Remember that the Red Army was the mightiest war machine on Earth in 1945...

What I see is that Great Britain would have been in severe problems, although I dare not to claim that there would have been a defeat. I just hesitate about the USSR-Germany alliance. Hitler would have stabbed Stalin in the back, but against an already at war, mobilised and ready Soviet Union it would have been impossible...

 

I do not think this is what you would call a serious plan, its one of those things you just plan for the sake of doing so, like many nations now have plans to invade almost all other, like Germany planned an invasion of...... well everywhere. It would not have happend inless if the 2 sides were at war, which would not have happend.

 

Brad T. is correct. The United States in the 1920's drew up plans for a possible war against an alliance of Japan and Great Britain, and how to build a navy to combat that. Obviously, The UK and USA had no chance of going to war, but they planned it all the same.

IF the UK went ahead and bombed those oil fields, then they would have been in a world of hurt. Germany and USSR would go nuts on the Western Allies then turn on each other...not a pleasant outcome for anyone.

 

Actually believe it or not the US even had war plans drawn up to invade Canada if need be.

Greg

 

Really? Do you have information of this?

 

On the History Channel WWII boards someone posted the whole war plan. I think it was called War Plan White. I know the US color coded its war plans and had one for the UK as well.

If I could find that post I could show everyone.

Greg

 

Everywhere has invsion planned and plans for about everywhere, its somthing for Generals to do.