Questions for our British friends

[Mal Hombre]

Originally Posted by seany65

I'd say the Russian retreat in 1812 was just trading space for time and the fact that they let the Russian winter do so much work was common sense as fewer Russian soldiers died than otherwise would have.

two lessons that other invaders would've done well to learn.

True enough,A sound strategy,My only aim was to correct palo's denigration of Britain's contribution to that war as well.

Originally Posted by bowlinggreen

They certainly would have taken Moscow, at any rate.
I rather doubt the Japanese would have joined up with Germany to attack the USSR at that point though - their interests were MUCH more focused elsewhere at that point in time.
If the Germans had got Moscow, they probably would have got Leningrad as well, leaving a much weaker remnant of the USSR in an arc east of the Urals down towards Stalingrad by 1942, and that could be mopped up in time. ASSUMING the USA hadn't gotten in on the act by then and convinced the UK to abrogate their peace treaty and reopen a second front in the west.

Had Britain withdrawn from the war,Japan might have reevaluated Their strategy ,By going west into Siberia,They could have acquired the raw materials They needed without going up against the US.

[rupertramjet]

Originally Posted by Meini Again

Perhaps I've read the wrong histories of WW11?

bowlinggreen

Nope you have not read the wrong Histories! The whole point of the exercise was a 'What if scenario'. It makes the assumption that Japan did not change her priorities after the 1939 Russian Japanese war, and concentrate on expanding her Empire in the East. Instead as mal says, getting her raw materials from Siberia and her new friends Germany in the rest of the Soviet Union.

The point of the exercise was simply to demonstrate two things, Firstly the lack of real cohesion in the German Japanese axis, both had their own priorities, as opposed to the cohesive and mutually supportive allied approach.

Whilst The Russian feel that we did very little in World War II, they tend to forget that the British and Americans were also fighting the Japanese, a war they did not join at all until it was all but over.

[bowlinggreen]

Originally Posted by Mal Hombre

Had Britain withdrawn from the war,Japan might have reevaluated Their strategy ,By going west into Siberia,They could have acquired the raw materials They needed without going up against the US.

The problem with that idea is that getting things in and out of Siberia is, well, difficult at the best of times. There is a reason why so much of that area is basically wilderness even today.

It made more sense to make a lightning grab for the oil down south of the Philippines, though once the US Navy started making inroads and our sub force was decimating their cargo liners coming out of that region they were doomed.

[Mal Hombre]

The Japanese Pacific campaign was doomed from the start,Yamamoto Himself calculated that they had six months at most before the US pushed them back.In Siberia there would be no one to hinder them.

[trailmaster]

Do people who live in the U.K. still use the term "fortnight" which in American English translates into "two weeks"? There is no term other than two weeks that Americans use.

[Mal Hombre]

Where do You think You got it from ? It's short for Fourteen Nights whereas a Sennight is Seven Nights, One week..

[SanteeFats]

Originally Posted by Mal Hombre

Where do You think You got it from ? It's short for Fourteen Nights whereas a Sennight is Seven Nights, One week..

I think you misspelled sennight Mal don't you mean sin night

[Dr Pepper]

Originally Posted by SanteeFats

I think you misspelled sennight Mal don't you mean sin night

Does that mean if he sins for ten nights in a row that's a sintury?

[Mal Hombre]

Ten nights of sin would make one weak..

[rupertramjet]

Originally Posted by SanteeFats

I think you misspelled sennight Mal don't you mean sin night

Stop boasting!