CCIP wrote:
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I agree also, actually, as a Russian. Although the invasion of Greece was just one of the many larger-or-smaller factors surrounding the failure of Barbarossa, it really did buy time. Although I don't really agree with the theory that the Russian weather beat Hitler - it was a factor; and time is never NOT a factor. The Balkans, generally speaking, are a forgotten area of the war that likely had much bigger consequences than people give it credit for.
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The question about the russian weather is one of the biggest in WWII history.I really don't know what would be the conseguences of a swifter attack.For sure,i don't beleive that the Germans could occupy all Russia.Also,the Russian reserves from the asiatic part of Russia were much more accustomed to harsh climate than the German troops.I do think that the Germans MAYBE could have taken Moscow (they arrived to Tula if i m not mistaken,about 20km outside Moscow).It is known that the Germans had terrible problems with their heavy equipment,which was the heart of their war machine and success.Maybe the war would have lasted longer,maybe Russia would sign a truce,who knows.
Anyway,it seems that the Germans had much confidence on themselves in case of better weather.I encountered this by luck:
Italy's entry into the war has been nothing but a disaster for us. If the Italians hadn't attacked Greece and needed our help, the war would have taken a different course. We could have anticipated the Russian cold by weeks and conquered Leningrad and Moscow. There would have then been no Stalingrad.
Leni Riefenstahl in conversation with Adolf Hitler, 30 March 1944
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articl...0/ai_n15957576
For those who don't know,Riefenstahl was the mediatic mastermind behind Hitler's film propaganda,staging the party rallies etc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leni_Riefenstahl