[W01f]

You people have a very strange understanding of war.

Tell us of your experiences.

[MB.]

Tell us of your experiences

I can tell you straight up that the Nazis would have won WW2 if they had conscripted an equal proportion of women as men into the Wehrmacht before Operation Barbarossa.

Inversely, without the conscription of women, the USSR may very well have lost WW2.

[W01f]

I can tell you straight up that the Nazis would have won WW2 if they had conscripted an equal proportion of women as men into the Wehrmacht before Operation Barbarossa.

I've heard a lot of theories on why Hitlers invasion failed, but a lack of female soldiers is definitely a new one for me.

Operation Barbarossa was lost because of the ineffectiveness of their strategy and their underestimation of the Soviets, not a lack of manpower. Everything else is moot if the strategy fails. Though having some women on the front lines knitting wool gloves and hats definitely would have helped, I'll give you that.

[MB.]

not a lack of manpower

So you think the Soviets still would have won, even if they had been outnumbered 2 to 1 (Axis strength at the border ~7 million vs total red army strength of 5.7 million spread over the entire USSR), and were facing over 200 axis divisions at the point of conflict?

[W01f]

So you think the Soviets still would have won, even if they had been outnumbered 2 to 1 (Axis strength at the border ~7 million vs total red army strength of 5.7 million spread over the entire USSR), and were facing over 200 axis divisions at the point of conflict?

They could have outnumbered the Soviets 2-1 with just male conscripts if they had prepared for it beforehand. They didn't do that though because they underestimated the Soviets. Hence the failed preparations and strategy.

[MB.]

They could have outnumbered the Soviets 2-1 with just male conscripts

Then they would have outnumbered the Soviets by 4-1 with the equal ratio of female soldiers...

[Smilin' Dave]

I'm guessing this is a split off something else...

MB, you are assuming the Axis could support a larger army in the Soviet Union. Those conscripted women might have been better off working in the factories, as a variation of the "90 division gamble". Instead of adding to the logistic strain, they could have been reducing it by increasing production (preferably in key areas, like trucks).

[W01f]

Then they would have outnumbered the Soviets by 4-1 with the equal ratio of female soldiers...

The only way gender could play into it is if all the healthy men sitting at home in Germany had been killed, in which case they still would have lost. Their strategy only called for 3.5 million soldiers.

[MB.]

Those conscripted women might have been better off working in the factories, as a variation of the "90 division gamble". Instead of adding to the logistic strain, they could have been reducing it by increasing production (preferably in key areas, like trucks).

Let's just pretend logistics and strategy are not the issue (this entire counter factual is ridiculous anyway since its based on the absurd supposition that the Nazi would conscript female soldiers).

But of course I see your point. To get more to the fundamentals of the question, let's suppose 'what would have happened' (lol) 'had the Barbarossa invasion force been twice its historical size?'

Dave is of the opinion that the logistics strain would have been beyond the capability of the Nazi war machine and furthermore that these 'free soldiers' would not have been free at all (presumably being drawn from the German labour pool) and thus the scenario I describe would bring out foremost the crushing inadequacies of the entire Nazi military complex.

[Smilin' Dave]

Let's just pretend logistics and strategy are not the issue

I like playing pretend

Seriously though, if logistics and equipment were not an issue, more troops might very well have won the war for the Axis. There were a number of points in the Eastern front were more soldiers and equipment might have saved the day. Say for example if a properly equipped German division were to opposed the first stage of the Stalingrad encirclement. I suppose the caveat, and it's one that will appeal to W01f, is that strategic employment of those extra resources would still have been an issue.