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Originally Posted by MontyB As far as armoured requirements for the war with Russia I seriously doubt that Japan had any intention to go to war with the Russians in fact everything I read tells me that by mid-1945 the Japanese were hoping to use the Russians to negotiate a peace with the allies therefore from their point of view a larger tank was impractical. |
The Japanese wanted no part of the Red Army because they knew they did not have the armour or AT capability to deal with them on anything like an equal basis. Had they been given this equipment by Germany it may had instilled them with a greater sense of ambition and also may have made Stalin more uneasy about pulling away Siberian Divisions to the Moscow area in October 1941. This could have had a crucial impact on the Battle for Moscow and the war as a whole.
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Originally Posted by MontyB But this was the problem they couldn't leave the Italians well alone because it would have given the allies a direct path into Germany, my opinion is that the best thing the Germans could have done was send a couple of boy scouts and a heavily armoured bicycle to invade when they annexed Austria and just taken them out of the game altogether. Besides this would have given them a much larger navy as well. |
I don't mean just abandon Italy as clearly the country had to be brought on board. I am suggesting that Hitler and Germany might have had a more 'hands-on' role in Italian affairs that would prevent Il Duce running off and invading small countries, only for the Germans to have to bail them out. A bit like your suggestion but more, behind the scenes.
