Prelude to Operation Barbarossa: Field Marshall Kesselring's Opinion

Time after time we get a handfull of rogues that try to somehow prove to the rest that had German intervention in Greece not taken place that the war in the east would have turned out different, all have been proven wrong time and time again.

Once again, had German invaded Russia a month earlier, instead of winter they would have gotten stuck in the mud. Von Bock had to halt his advance during the late august and september because his panzers and mechanized infantry were stuck. Launching Barbarossa in may instead of june would have prevented German advance not by winter but by rasputista.

If Von Bocks men were (in many cases) at half their strenght when they reached Moscow, how on earth were they goin to surround it and protect their flanks?

As for Crete. Im afraid that 15,000 paratroopers and a few hundred gliders would not have been the deciding factor in a front consisting of millions of men.

All here know that Stalin stayed behind but he would have never been captured. He had a train just in case.

 

if the Germans had used airborne in the east,the result would have been a German Market Garden

 

I think you need to look at the bigger picture here.

Greece also tied down a german occupational force, they had to refit and repair vehicles, move equipment back to the eastern front. To say Greece had no impact on Barbarossa is foolhardy.

Efestos...great map link! Wouldn't it had been interesting if Guderian had been given permission to move on Moscow in July 1941

 

number of German divisions in the Balkan and in the East
1941:
july,august and september :7
october :9
november :8
december :9
1942:
January :7
february :6
march,april,mayjune,july :5
august till december:6

 

Militaria Rarities,

The total of number of German division in Greece and the Balkans were not enough to win the war in the east (8 or 9 divisions). You also seem to be ignoring weather! You can add an additional 20 divisions if you want, but if they are stuck in the mud they are worthless.

Had Guderian pushed on to Moscow and not helped out with Ukraine, then the 4 Soviet Armies destroyed there, would have escaped.

Glantz, Erickson and others hold the same view.

 

Thanks Lou. I'll read the links with some interest. Sloniksp, LJAd, Efestos, I've enjoyed the posts and your opinions.

I think Barbarossa will always be an enigma and a great talking point.

 

I would question the concept of being stuck in the mud, Barbarossa began on June 22, if it would have begun in the beginning of May it would not have been mired in mud like you imply, the southern Russian fronts certainly would not have had this problem and if there was any mud left in May it would have only been temporary.