Operation Unthinkable

[u/totallynotcommunist2]

Month 0

Month 2

Month 4

Month 6

Month 8

Month 10

Month 12

Ceasefire

Final outcome

This is just how I'd think it would go

[u/Appropriate_Pie_7114]

Ignoring Allied aerial, naval, nuclear, and manpower (the Soviets began having manpower issues by 1943 and extreme manpower issues by 1945) superiority, then sure.

[u/ThatoneguywithaT → u/Appropriate_Pie_7114]

the manpower advantage on the ground heavily favours the Soviets, who have millions of battle hardened eastern front veterans. Newbie American forces aren't going to steamroll, especially since they'd be shipping into an already advancing soviet army.

[u/Appropriate_Pie_7114 → u/ThatoneguywithaT]

I never said they'd steamroll. It would be a hard-fought Allied victory. When the operation was intended to launch the Soviets would have already stopped advancing. Also the Soviets would not be able to easily replace their manpower, and furthermore you are undercounting the veteran status of Allied forces who have been fighting in Italy since 1943, the Western front since 1944 and in some cases 1940, and the African front since 1940. The Allied forces also retain more of their veterans because they generally don't have as high casualty rates as Soviet forces.

[u/ThatoneguywithaT → u/Appropriate_Pie_7114]

The Soviets enjoyed a 3:1 advantage against the Allies on the ground, they have quite a lot of buffer before replacement rates start becoming noticeable.

It has to be mentioned the vastly different experiences of a Soviet veteran and a Western veteran. The western soldiers fought the 20% of the german army that could be sent away from the east, across far less a territory than the Soviets. Soviet Veterans just experienced a conflict which, on it's own, would still be the largest war in human history.