Quote:
Originally Posted by Matt Wiser
None at all; the main objections are given in the thread that was from the previous board. While the Soviets may have had plans for an Alaska invasion, it's highly unlikely that those plans could've been implemented. Even if Stalin told his planners to draw up a plan for an invasion of Alaska, I'll bet they came up with one just to please the dictator and keep their asses out of a Gulag, even if the planners knew that any Soviet invasion of Alaska was practically impossible. Lack of basing infrastructure in the Soviet Far East (and those bases can be hit by carrier air), dependence on sea and air supply (which can be interdicted), few roads in Alaska, and U.S. Air and Naval power that would make the entire adventure a very bloody mess, and result in Soviet defeat. Even if some airborne and amphibious forces do get into Alaska successfully, without resupply of ammo and fuel, they're not going anywhere, and U.S. forces would eventually mop them up.
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I have no real way to prove what I'm saying here (it would need extensive research and access to highly classify materials). But I think that the soviets had plans for military actions in remote Siberia since the early 1920's (all their major units were training there from time to time). In fact, the reason doesn't lay in a will to invade Alaska but it was motivated by a will to defend that access. Russia never invaded Alaska but US invaded Russia through Siberia. Operation were taking place in that region between 1919-1920 and the US and the Japanese progressed far in Russian territory. Ever after that, the soviets never neglected that area.
In addition, the West always underestimated the soviets supply capability there which is IMO insane. Just as a reminder, a large part of the Russian factories were transfered to Siberia in 1941 after the Nazi attack. That transfer took place in the worse of time and these factories were fully back in line only in a matter of month. Whatever your opinion on the USSR, this is outstanding and remain outstanding.
The Northern Sea Route was also always important. During WW2 it was very active and instrumental in soviet victory.