Quote:
Originally Posted by SilentSnake
I think the battle of britain had the biggest effect on german losing the war initially followed by their decision to invade russia. Their resources where so thin and they strongest ally was too far away and losing their war to the USA.
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The German's loss (or rather blunder) is certainly what kept them from ever being able to mount an amphibious invasion of England. When the Luftwaffe was still in charge the bombers were hiting airfields and other vital/strategic targets. One stupid pilots goes off course and unloads his bombs on the city, that mistake doomed Germany for the rest of the war. Had the Germans kept bombing the airfields and radar stations they would have ulitimately overpowered the RAF by brute force of numbers, and the depletion of usable planes. With air supremacy Germany invades England...
Instead Hitler steps in and decrees that civilian targets are more important and that the bombers must be diverted to "break the back of the enemy" rather than its ability to wage war. Once the airfields and planes were safe the RAF stepped up and the rest is history.
For the XXI to have made a real impact would have required increased airpower. By 1943 Germany had ME 262's that were tested and ready to be put into production. Hitler's "military genius" insisted that the 262 be turned into a all in one fighter/interceptor/reconnaisance/bomber aircraft. With the introduction of 262's flying to intercept incoming bombers instead of BF 109's the 8th air force would have been decimated, at the time they had nothing capable of defending against such a fast agile plane. The few that did get into service wrought havoc with just a squadron or two and would take down bombers like a Turkey shoot, by then even if they shot down 12 or 15 there were still 50 more left heading to the target.
Had both weapons been introduced earlier I don't think there's much question it would have had a major impact. It would have prolonged the war at the least and England may have been able to be successfully invaded, but...
Since Hitler kicked out all the best scientist's (or they fled knowing what would happen if they stayed) he handed us all the tools needed to complete the bomb. The Manhattan Project would have still probably proceeded on the same timetable so even if Germany was able to succeed in invading and occupying England and at least create a stalemate on the Eastern front they would have suffered the same fate as Japan, likely even worse since they were even more stubborn. With Japan the Emperor by that time wanted peace and to surrender, Hitler would never have allowed Germany to surrender; he never listened to his best General's/Field Marshall's anyways, the highly decorated Corporal was so much the military genius compared to Rommell or Galland that he didn't need their help or advice on how to use their superior technology
