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Originally Posted by predavolk
It most certainly was a soft underbelly, and your answer avoids the central solution I proposed (by the way, I appreciate the debate!). If Normandy couldn't have happened, they could have pushed through Italy.
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Normandy or a cross channel invasion somewhere, was going to happen. Even a cursory review of the many inter-Allied conferences before 12/43 demonstrate that the American's would settle for nothing less and sooner rather than later. It might grate on some to admit it but for all intents and purposes America drove the strategic planning in the European theatre after January 1942. With some fairly minor exceptions of course...
One cannot construct a plausable scenario where the Allies could have advanced up the Italian penninsula faster than they did historically. 19-months after Salerno they had not yet reached the Brenner Pass (seperating Italy from Austria) by May 1945. Even after all of the blood and treasure expended in the Italian campaign. The Allies landed on the Mainland between September 3rd and 9th 1943. Given the lack of landing craft and prepared American forces available in any theatre prior to that date it's difficult to advance that time line (Pearl Harbor +22 months) by too much even without any fighting in North Africa. That assumes that the Americans would be prepared to back Churchill's pie-in-the-sky projects. The overwhelming body of evidence is that they (in the guise of George Marshall) would not bite and Britian would never have launched a unilateral invasion. So the question is answered, the soft underbelly proved very tough.
By the way the Brenner Pass was captured by Allied troops pushing down from the North after German resistance collapsed. The defenders in Italy surrendered on May 2nd 1945, they never routed in that theatre.
North Africa provided the Western Allies with valuable combat experiance (that the Wehrmacht already has institutionalized) but that they could not get without serious ground action. Imagine Normandy or Salerno
with entirely green officers, soldiers and combat support. Fighting in the desert worked to the Allies advantage, not to the Germans.
By the way, I too appreciate the discussion, the civil tone here in a hotly debated subject says much (in my opinion) for the Subsim Forum members in general, I think.
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Knock Britain completely out of the continent, and reduce them to a purely Atlantic opponent. Delay the attack on the Soviets for a couple of years, reduce Britain
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After 1940 Britain was already off the continent that mattered- Europe. They were not coming back alone, even with the Empire/Commonwealth behind them. Ignore the Med and they have nowhere to bite. For the Nazi's, lose North Africa and you have lost nothing. Secure it and you have gained even less.
Good Hunting