Why did both Napoleon and Hitler fail to defeat Russia?

[TrailblazingScot]

FlakJacket...I stand by what I say concerrning the space of Russia allowing the Russian armies to avoid defeat.

1. The vast amount of soldiers that escaped from "encirclements" was largely due to how difficult it was to stop escape from encirclements that had such a vast perimeter. In addition the large distances made it difficult to quickly complete an encirclement and maintain it effectively.
2. A large number of Russian soldiers ultimately became partisans.
3. A major part of the Russian army was able to avoid contact with German forces as their position was deep in the interior.
4. The Russian forces did retreat and the space of the country allowed them to avoid contact.


Had the space of Russia been much smaller then the Germans could have confronted and destroyed the Russian army and seized the objectives. The space allowed the enemy to avoid contact, to have room for retreat and to escape in large numbers from encirclement or become partisans.


Much of the Russian army that attacked the Germans in early 1942 were armies that had been by-passed by the German thrusts having space to withdraw/driven to the flanks of the German attacks.

 

[Le Petit Prince]

Has anyone read Stalingrad by Antony Beevor?? It tells the story of the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, and is a great book!

Ive read it...best history book I ever read!
you should read "the Siege of Leningrad" second best .dont remember from who but let me say that if russian won in WWII it was also because of their unlimited force (working 20 hours a day with those socialist contests!!!) this book also describe the ingredient of the bread in the Low point of the siege just before the road of ice on the Ladoga Lake has opened: compose of 30% wheat only...the rest was glue, leather, industrial grease and the worst...dust!

Then instead of heading straight for Moscow he split his troops with some heading for Leningrad and St Petersburg in the North, and finally he launched an attack on Stalingrad which went badly from the start but he refused to pull out, this drained the Wehrmachts resources and well the rest is history...

First Leningrad = St-petersburg...Then =the first move hitler did was to remove forces from the North Force (Leningrad) when the Wermacht was in the "fauxbourg" of Leningrad...He send them to the Moskva force (middle)...Hitler wanted to destroy Leningrad completely and not capturing it because He didnt want to have to give food to 1 millions people (the rest evacuated..) He once said : one day the Neva (the river that crosses Leningrad) will be the border between Germany and Finland" So he removed forces to give some to Moskva but the middle group didnt succeed...But Stalingrad and Joukov did we all no the rest of the most beautiful story on earth

 

[mrp8196]

the reason they failed is really cold there and attacked in winter with lack of winter gear
they should of waited till like march or april

 

[Lone Wolf]

Hitler attacked in June
Also. close the thread, plz.

 

[Joecoolyo]

Should have waited a couple more months, would have nailed this thread on it's decade anniversary.

 

[Lord Baal]

Should have waited a couple more months, would have nailed this thread on it's decade anniversary.

Unfortunately, mrp8196 jumped the gun a bit. He posted in the thread too close to winter.

 

[History_Buff]

Epic necro. Absolutely epic.

 

[Plotinus]

Unfortunately, mrp8196 jumped the gun a bit. He posted in the thread too close to winter.

Very good.

Moderator Action: Thread put out of its misery.