[henkster]

I have been devoting a lot of my limited available time on these threads to the battles in Normandy. And thanks to Homer for hosting these daily posts, it has given me new insight into the Normandy campaign.

But it has been at the cost of not doing as much reading on the Soviet offensives that are unfolding in the East, and that has always been one of my favorite areas of study in World War 2. Yes, D-Day and it’s aftermath haven been pivotal points in World War 2, but what the Soviets have been doing to the Germans on the Eastern Front since June 22 is mind-boggling. Tax-chick (I still can’t get used to using that handle. Sorry) put it best by calling the Red Army “unstoppable.” At this point, they are. The Germans had prepared their defenses in the East as best they could for this onslaught, although they guessed wrong where it would be. And against those prepared defenses, the Soviets have destroyed the Wehrmacht at will. German divisions and corps that have stood for years as bulwarks have simply vanished. Even if the “butcher’s bill” has exacted a high price.

Oh, and we’re not done yet. There is still some unfinished business in Romania.

[EternalVigilance]

Not that Stalin cared much about the butcher’s bill.

[colorado tanker]

The Russians are so close to the pre-War German borders this is now an existential threat to Germany. The only course is to withdraw from the Baltics and use those troops to try to stop the Russians from crushing Warsaw and going straight to Berlin.

So, of course, that's not what Hitler will do.