General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Would Hitler have won World War II if he had left Russia alone? [View all]amandabeech
(9,893 posts)he might have done a lot better. As it was, he would not allow his generals to consolidate lines or stage strategic retreats. It was hold your position no matter what and move forward. Any general who did not do as Hitler said, no matter how wise or experienced, was out of there.
Holding Leningrad, Moscow and Stalingrad might have been difficult, but he may have been able to chop off a whole lot of "lebensraum" east of Poland, Hungary and Romania. Whether he would have been able to hold a line to the Caspian oil fields is something again.
An interesting question would be how far Hitler could have gone in the East if he had continued the Sitzkrieg in the West. It is not clear whether the Western Allies would have attacked or whether they would have made common cause with Stalin if Hitler had moved East only.