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PaperclipPerfector  10mo ago (text post)   2194 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for January 5, 2024

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Would Japanese forces have been capable of inflicting significant damage on Russia, or was nothing particularly useful coming out of the Russian far east anyway?

Well known the troops that won the battle of Moscow were experienced divisions from Siberia sent west. Japan's largest army was there, 700k men. Due to Richard Sorge's intelligence, Soviets were able to lower the troop strength there because Japan wasn't likely to attack unless Soviet army there was comparatively very weak.

Had Japan decided to attack Soviets there in late '41 or '42 it might have led to serious problems for Soviets, who did not have a comfortable superiority at the time..

Not sure how well Japanese industry would've been able to cope with the strain of supplying both the naval and the land theater though.

Well known the troops that won the battle of Moscow were experienced divisions from Siberia sent west. Japan's largest army was there, 700k men.

Not quite. The German offensive was ground to a halt by European troops and whatever local reserves everyone could scramble, Asian troops were used to reinforce the counteroffensive that pushed the Germans away from Moscow. Without them the battle would still have been won, but the USSR would've spent 1942 in deep defense, mobilizing additional divisions instead of planning any counteroffensives.

Without them the battle would still have been won,

You mean the war. Probably, but there's way more factors. USSR got a lot of supplies through Vladivostok. Japan could've cut that.

Germans weren't a spent force in 1942 yet. Maybe they'd have fared better had they not been forced to retreat in winter.. However, it doesn't seem that many divisions were transferred, only like ~22 or so in total.

https://www.operationbarbarossa.net/the-siberian-divisions-and-the-battle-for-moscow-in-1941-42/#top2

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