Didn't the Germans have refineries in Germany too? Wesseling near cologne ought to have had one. It's certainly a pretty ww2 petro industrial site and today one.of the bigger ones we have.
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ok, I have a continuation for the TL here:
But I doubt Germany would bother restarting Baku without at least rebuilding the pipelines.
Refineries can't work without oil.
But I doubt Germany would bother restarting Baku without at least rebuilding the pipelines.
The word you are looking for is building pipelines. Oil from Baku was moved by tanker across the Caspian sea, the up the rivers of the USSR to Stalingrad and points north of there. If the Germans want a pipeline from Baku back to the western part of the continent of Europe that can't be easily interdicted by allied sea power they will have to start from scratch on that project.
Since you are the person to ask, how long would it take to build such a pipeline if the Reich really wants it. ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Inch
The US built this project in just under a year of total construction time to convert it's flow of crude oil from Texas to the East coast of the US from tankers, to pipeline. It was ~ 1,400 miles (2,250 km) from Longview TX, to Norristown Il, then on to Pheonixville Pa where it more or less terminated to tie in to the existing east coast pipeline infrastructure. Baku to Ploesti is just under 3,000 km (1,800 miles) and not very useful. To go from Baku to Berlin would be 3,600 km (2,250 miles). At the time of the start of the project, the US already had the worlds largest and best developed pipeline industry (about 70% of world installed capacity) a as well as plenty of surplus labor, steel production capacity, the route was entirely internal, with no potential for sabotage, air raids or other disruptions, and most of it was through flat level soil.
Counting planning time, the project started in May of 1941, although you could say March of 1942 is a fairer start, since that's when it became obvious what was going to have to happen. First oil flowed in August 1943 so 17 months from March of 1942. The concurrent project to ship refined products along a similar but slightly longer route (little inch) from Texas coastal oil refineries to the same destination started at the same time and completed in March of 1944, so exactly two years.
So, basically, the earliest that the Baku oil could reach the German refineries would be about the same time as the Allies reach Berlin.
I still have my doubts the Allies could or even should fight their way to Berlin. I have however no doubt that there would be no Berlin anymore to fight to.
I have a question myself if the Germans are doing badly enough in the west would there be any chance of Russia re-entering the war (assuming there is an army left to do anything)
Well whats left in the Urals siberia Im sure the Germans would have had to keep forces there to counter any attempts by the red army to recapture territory again assuming it wasnt completely destroyed.
This comment piqued my interest. The Germans did have a more mechanised rather than motorised concept of infantry in their panzer divisions. However, the British had a lot of armoured cars and the Bren Gun Carrier, which was the most produced APC of all time (albeit out to the 1960s). Now, these tended to be either full wheeled or full tracked vehicles .
Now, I don't disagree that the 'numbers' themselves offer the full story. But, I am also not convinced that Germany was anywhere near as motorized as it should have been for a first rate military power. While the Panzer corps won the day in France, the vast majority of the German army was still confined to horse drawn carriage. This did not change with Barbarossa in 1941.
I remember reading that the operational planning of the Wehrmacht prior to Barbarossa, was 500km, after which a rest and recoup was needed. Not because of the fuel or supply situation, but due to an inability to repair and refit forces on the move (i.e. the workshops).
Some interesting areas to research ... Do you have any tips on sources?
This https://history.army.mil/html/books/104/104-7/cmhPub_104-7.pdf
https://history.army.mil/html/books/104/104-7/cmhPub_104-7.pdf
Also a book From Burkhardt Müller (or so) In German tho.
Its mostly about tanks but adresses the general problems.
Yes indeed, Germany was a dwarf compared to the other Great powers regarding car manufacture. It was world leading in motorcycles and they put that into good use but it isnt a proper substitute for trucks of course.
That is specifically the argument behind the American's prosecution of the war. Simplify the design, multiple variations of the same platform. Dirt simple maintainence combined with well educated farm boys for whom working on a tractor was a good day.
And American's great hidden asset were the sheer plethora of machine tools they could deploy whereever and whenever they wanted. Upgrades and modifications made in the field were tested and the best made it back home and were incorporated into the next variant of the same design.
And American's great hidden asset were the sheer plethora of machine tools they could deploy whereever and whenever they wanted. Upgrades and modifications made in the field were tested and the best made it back home and were incorporated into the next variant of the same design.
Interesting side note, in the First World War, Italy outproduced Germany in motor vehicles. In fact, Italy outproduced pretty much everyone save Britain, a nation several orders higher in economic development, and about 1/5th larger in population.
Oh how times have changed
More seriously, I would like to understand how this was the case .There is no doubt that Germany was highly productive regarding military fighting vehicle production ... I wonder if it has something to do with the reallocation of Steel from the civilian to the military sectors?
Germany didn't have much of a domestic car production in the interwar years. Trucks yes, some, but private automobile ownership was much lower than in France or UK.Oh how times have changed
More seriously, I would like to understand how this was the case .There is no doubt that Germany was highly productive regarding military fighting vehicle production ... I wonder if it has something to do with the reallocation of Steel from the civilian to the military sectors?