Quote:
Originally Posted by elphenor
he said "without Stalin"
I read that as, if someone else controlled Russia it would have been a default loss
but I mean, the Axis was going to invade Russia either way, so it seems a totally pointless question even given the "what if"
Stalin didn't defeat Hitler, the cruel bitch of a Russian winter did
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I thought the whole point behind his post was sometimes you have allies you don't agree with
But to play devil's advocate on the Stalin thing... Hitler very nearly conquered Russia. There were a few variables that cost him the victory on the eastern front that are directly tied to stalin.
1) he moved the entire western population eastward. Burned crops, blew up bridges/dams.. total scorched earth warfare.
2) the 5 year plan which rapidly industrialized Russia and turned them into a nation wide arms factory.