In Defense of the Red Army

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by kato13

The USSR had complete top down power. If they could have waved their hand and established even a partial wartime economy to improve their long term productivity problems, why didn't they?

You're right, Kato. They wouldn't have been able to sustain it during peace time (I think I mentioned this), just as our U.S. economy will not be able to sustain massive defecits built up, in large part, to wartime military budgets for very much longer. I'm just saying that the Soviets would have the means, and probably the will, to tighten the "People's" belts during wartime and forestall, at least, a total collapse of their economy. IRL, they couldn't expect their people to accept such measures when peace existed.

In order for the v1 timeline to work, one must suspend disbelief and accept that the Soviet peacetime economy was sustained until '95 or so before wartime economic measures were put in place. By '97, pretty much every power involved in the Twilight War has an effed-up economy. If one's not willing to accept this, then there's the v2 and T213 timelines to choose from.

Originally Posted by kato13

I agree with you is that patriotism (at least in the ethnically dominant Russian areas) could be used to offset the some of the hardships of war, but in the militarily suppressed areas, including the outer provinces and eastern Europe, I am not sure how well patriotism would counter the pain of an empty belly.

I agree that the more reluctant Soviet republics wouldn't readily accept the added privations of a wartime economy. In canon, the other shoe drops in 1999 or so when various Soviet republics break away. I'd have to research it more but it seems odd that the GDW folks had entire Soviet divisions made up of particular ethnic groups. In canon, many of these groups mutiny at the first opportunity. It was my understanding that, IRL, different ethnicities were separated and mixed in with majority Russian soldiers, partly in order to avoid such situations.

Originally Posted by kato13

You are also right in you assertion that what happens in the Atlantic would be the determining factor, as the US would not suffer anywhere near the disruption as Europe and the USSR would. Until you throw nukes into the equation US productivity (especially in agriculture) would be a tremendous long term strength. Again what we have learned about the weaknesses of the Soviet Navy don't help their long term prospects IMO.

I'm not saying interdiction of Atlantic supply routes would harm the U.S. economy or its industrial base, just that it would further hinder the flow of fighting men and material to Europe. This could have had dire consequences for the hard pressed NATO units fighting off the masses of the Soviet/WTO armies in Germany.