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WI: Schoonebeek is discovered in 1933 or 1934?

Discussion in 'What If - Other' started by DerGiLLster, Dec 27, 2016.

  1. DerGiLLster

    DerGiLLster Member

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    What if in this scenario the Schoonebeek oil field, the largest oil field in Western Europe is discovered in this time period? How would the Germans react? The Allies? Would Germany set forth a claim to the oil field? If so, by how much percent? If Netherlands rebuked their offer? How would the Germans react? Would this mean no Rhineland? No Anschluss? No Munich pact? The oil field was a couple miles from the border IIRC, link here:

    https://www.google.com/maps/place/Schoonebeek,+Netherlands/@52.6667654,6.908928,14148m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x47b7f0196877f00b:0x7b752da16ce216f!8m2!3d52.6626006!4d6.8838388?hl=en

    I'm asking this, as I am really seeing a chance for an interesting discussion as to how the politics of Europe might play out. If Anschluss and the Czech crisis occur, might this butterfly away the Invasion of Poland? Might Germany be able to then become a stronger force than OTL, as Schoonebeek even a quarter of receiving production, would still constitute a significant part of Germany's oil need, and allow them to import more metals to make more plane, tanks and possibly factories?
     
  2. DerGiLLster

    DerGiLLster Member

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    A year and a half and no interest for how more oil could help Germany? Bummer.
     
  3. lwd

    lwd Ace

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    If it's discovered in 33 or 34 at what point will it become operational? Not a lot of excess cash floating around at that time. Likely be late 30's before development starts. I don't see any pretense for a German claim on the field. It's possible they might offer help developing it for some of the production. Would the Dutch sabotage the fields when Germany attacks?
     
  4. Carronade

    Carronade Ace

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    According to this article

    https://assets.geoexpro.com/legacy-... Redevelop an Abandoned European Oilfield.pdf

    part of it is in Germany, and would have been useful if it was known. Apparently it's also fairly difficult to extract the oil, and of course techniques were less advanced in the 1930s. We'd need figures of potential production and Germany's needs and other sources to estimate how much it would help their economy and war effort.

    I don't see how Germany could advance a legal claim to the portion of the oilfield in the Netherlands, unless there was some ancient border dispute they could resurrect. Although there were Dutch Nazis and sympathizers, they were still Dutch; Hitler would not have the excuse of "liberating" ethnic Germans that he used for the Anschluss or the Sudenland. In peacetime Germany would just have to buy Dutch oil at market price.

    It is interesting that people were exploring for oil in 1943 - was this a German initiative?

    If war came and Germany occupied the Netherlands as historically, Schoonebeek would likely become a primary target for the RAF. Alternatively if they left the Netherlands alone as in WWI, the Dutch might feel intimidated into supplying oil just as the Swedes did with iron ore - as long as Germany looked like a likely winner.

    Of course Hitler, while claiming that he knew more about the economic aspects of war than his generals, didn't let such mundane factors interfere with his goals of creating a Greater Germany or expanding to the east.
     
  5. Takao

    Takao Ace

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    How much help do you think an oil field within range of almost every British aircraft that can carry a bomb will be? Also, IIRC, this type of oil that was brought up, given the level of technology, could not be pumped, but had to be shipped by rail to the refineries. All of this makes it a very easy target to destroy once the Germans captured it. So much so, that I don't think Germany would see drop one.
     
  6. Kai-Petri

    Kai-Petri Kenraali

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    I always think how Many trains and men were Used to racial cleansing all through the war instead of warfare. Hitler was a looney and the drugs took away the last drop of cleverness if there was much left.
     
  7. Carronade

    Carronade Ace

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    Not to mention all this effort was to dispose of people who would otherwise have contributed to the German-controlled economy. Evil and foolish.
     
  8. lwd

    lwd Ace

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    In WWI both the German and Austrian governments thought that the Jews were shirking their duty so launched studies to prove it. In both cases the studies showed that Jews were actually over represented in the armed forces. Form what I recall reading the studies were quietly shelved ....
     
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