World War II

[willemvanoranje]

I think it was me who said that the bomber didn't fly. I thought they didn't even get prototypes flying. I didn't read the link you gave, but I guess it says that the 'Amerika' did fly.

 

[willemvanoranje]

This is the one!:

 

[Esca]

Or this one actually airborn.

 

[Esca]

The Germans put a lot of thought into bombing America.
They had this idea for the 264 to tow a glider loaded with fuel.
Refuel from it just short of America then cut it adrift.

It would be like a giant flying drop tank.

With this method they could reach anywhere in North America.

They thought the 264 would be like the Mosquito, virtually impossible to intercept in the high level bombing role.

Doing a cruise climb all the way across the Atlantic, it had a ceiling of 40,000ft. A top speed of 396 MPH. A pressurized cabin and 20mm canon for defence.

A very impressive aircraft and that was only the prototype.

 

[joespaniel]

Originally posted by PinkyGen
At 1941, Hitler looked like a military genius. He invaded Poland, Norway, and France, and every time he overruled his own generals. When Guderian and others were breaking out, the High command tried to reign them in. Hitler countermanded that order and let the Blitzkrieg go to the sea.

Actualy, the invaision fo France, as it occured, was planned by Manstein, and Hitler took credit. Hitler ordered the fast-advance to halt in the middle of May, however Guderian sent out a "recon by force" (ignored the order, in other words) and ended up on the coast. Hitler again took credit for it.

Norway was planned by a field general, who's name I cant remember at this time. An old alpine soldier...

PS. in 1942, the Soviets would have had their defensive belt in Poland built, and more T-34's, and more training. Not to mention Pearl Harbor, so the divisions facing the Japanese could have been brought up earlier too.

A good point. However, the skill and tactics of the Wehrmacht would still have been too much for the static Red Army.

This is all arm-chair generaling anyway. Hitler was a fool, because only a fool would have started the war in the first place. Germany is fortunate to be the great nation it is today, in spite of what that Austrian paper-hanger did to them.

 

[knowltok]

As far as a what if goes, what if Germany adn't declared war on the U.S. after Pearl Harbor? What would the U.S. have been able to do and when would they have done it if they hadn't had that excuse. The American people didn't really want to go to war in Europe again and it would have been impossible for FDR to get a Europe First strategy if the US wasn't at war with Germany. As close run a thing as the European Theatre was, it is quite possible that Germany could have knocked out the USSR if they hadn't had all the American supplies and diversions.