05.08.2009, 04:52
Interesting comments guys. Operation Unthinkable was in effect a repeat of World War Two but with the Soviet Union as the bad guy. Churchills planners clearly thought the plan was unlikely to succeed and indeed the bulk of opinion here says the same.
The important point is that the plan was offensive in nature. It wasn't forseen that Russia would actually attack the British Isles (air raids excepted). To make this plan workable as a campaign in IL2 it would make sense to find allies. The USA wasn't likely to take part. Henry Truman didn't have the same relationship with Churchill that Roosevelt did, and the US at that stage didn't see the Soviet Union as an enemy (although they would have done had the Soviets crossed the European border and attacked their own troops - but that's a different and more common scenario in what-if situations). America would have provided arms and supplies - at a cost. With the British Empire suffering economically as a result of the war, it was going to struggle anyway.
The scenario revolves around Russia being on the defensive. Typically, the Russian forces do not respond aggressively to be begin with. This isn't just something observed about large scale campaigns like Napoleons march on Moscow or the German Operation Barbarossa, but the same phenomenon was observed tactically. In ambush situations, Warsaw Pact troops tended to take cover whilst NATO forces were trained to counterattack. Therefore, largely out of suprise and the need to regroup, there would be a period (how short is up to you) when the Russians would withdraw and force the British to advance over long distances to no great advantage. Think of what happened in the Western Desert. The front swung back and forth because there was nothing to capture and because supply lines were over-extended. Russia of course has always taken advantage of its large area and climate.
I think the idea of simply flying from Britain or western Europe is a little limiting in scope. Personally, I would have Churchill seeking allies. The planners of Operation Unthinkable weren't stupid, even if the concept may have been, and the need to strike at the heart of Russia would require forward jumping off places. Two spring to mind. Finlamd, whose emnity with the Soviet Union was well in place having fought two wars and lost territory. Turkey is the other. Although neutral in WW2 (and despite German attempts to swing them to their side) Turkey remained amenable to Great Britain and in the latter half of the war sent all its air force pilots to Britain for training. Turkey and Russia were uncomfortable neighbours to begin with.
The important point is that the plan was offensive in nature. It wasn't forseen that Russia would actually attack the British Isles (air raids excepted). To make this plan workable as a campaign in IL2 it would make sense to find allies. The USA wasn't likely to take part. Henry Truman didn't have the same relationship with Churchill that Roosevelt did, and the US at that stage didn't see the Soviet Union as an enemy (although they would have done had the Soviets crossed the European border and attacked their own troops - but that's a different and more common scenario in what-if situations). America would have provided arms and supplies - at a cost. With the British Empire suffering economically as a result of the war, it was going to struggle anyway.
The scenario revolves around Russia being on the defensive. Typically, the Russian forces do not respond aggressively to be begin with. This isn't just something observed about large scale campaigns like Napoleons march on Moscow or the German Operation Barbarossa, but the same phenomenon was observed tactically. In ambush situations, Warsaw Pact troops tended to take cover whilst NATO forces were trained to counterattack. Therefore, largely out of suprise and the need to regroup, there would be a period (how short is up to you) when the Russians would withdraw and force the British to advance over long distances to no great advantage. Think of what happened in the Western Desert. The front swung back and forth because there was nothing to capture and because supply lines were over-extended. Russia of course has always taken advantage of its large area and climate.
I think the idea of simply flying from Britain or western Europe is a little limiting in scope. Personally, I would have Churchill seeking allies. The planners of Operation Unthinkable weren't stupid, even if the concept may have been, and the need to strike at the heart of Russia would require forward jumping off places. Two spring to mind. Finlamd, whose emnity with the Soviet Union was well in place having fought two wars and lost territory. Turkey is the other. Although neutral in WW2 (and despite German attempts to swing them to their side) Turkey remained amenable to Great Britain and in the latter half of the war sent all its air force pilots to Britain for training. Turkey and Russia were uncomfortable neighbours to begin with.