What If Germany Had Won the War Against the Soviet Union
Domination and Destruction: The Nazi Vision for Moscow
If Germany had managed to defeat the Soviet Union, the consequences would have been catastrophic. The Nazis would have deported and murdered millions of Slavs in concentration camps, dismantling the collective farms to establish control over the land. This scenario raises questions about the feasibility of such an occupation and the practical challenges associated with governing such a vast and diverse territory.Given the sheer size and complexity of the Soviet Union, it is arguable whether the Nazis would have found it easy to exert control over such a large country. The logistics and resources required to manage and subjugate a population this vast would have been monumental, and resistance from local populations would have been expected.
The Strategic Importance of Moscow
Moscow, however, was of immense strategic value as a rail hub for the Soviet Union. With the division of German forces, Stalin chose to abandon the capital, making the city a valuable prize. The proximity of the s?ng Moscow in the region presented an intriguing question: could Moscow have been flooded as a means of disrupting German operations or as a form of revenge?South of the river, flooding the low-lying parts of Moscow would have been relatively easy. However, the Kremlin and the railroad yards, situated on higher ground, would have been much more difficult to inundate. Nonetheless, the strategic importance of Moscow as a transportation and communication hub would have motivated the Nazis to retain it.
The Insufficient Reasons for Attacking Moscow
Even in the summer of 1941, attacking Moscow was a waste of resources. By focusing on multiple fronts simultaneously, the Germans divided their forces, achieving none of their objectives. The northern theaters of war, such as Leningrad, saw a prolonged siege, while in the central regions, the Wehrmacht only reached the outskirts of Moscow and faced fierce resistance during house-to-house battles in Stalingrad. Stalingrad itself was merely a staging ground to the Caucasus Mountains, holding oil fields that were crucial for Germany.A more strategic approach would have been to block the Volga River south of Stalingrad and continue the campaign toward the Caucasus oilfields. Germany’s petroleum reserves were limited, and their failure to capture new oil reserves during the summer of 1941 critically weakened their position. Without the oil to sustain their war effort, the Nazi regime would have lost the conflict.
The German army's offensive into the Soviet Union was based on a strategic misstep, revealing the Nazis' lack of foresight and planning. The failure to capture key resources and the subsequent demands to subjugate a vast territory highlight the impracticality of their campaign. Had they focused more on securing resources and fewer on grandiose and unrealistic goals, the outcome of the war might have been very different.