How different would WW2 be if the U.S. somehow recived all 282 of it's current A-10 Thunderbolts just in time for D-day?

[Navarro]

As I understand it, the Nazis already did have better alloys, but due to material shortages they couldn't produce those in sufficient amounts. The metallurgy problems that led to the comically short engine lives of the early German jets were problems of, "Make a good-enough alloy that can be mass produced with the resources at hand."

They didn't have enough fuel to fly the jets in sufficient quantities to make a major difference anyway.

 

[ATP]

They didn't have enough fuel to fly the jets in sufficient quantities to make a major difference anyway.

That was germans problem for entire war.After 1939 their soviet allies delivered fuel,but after Hitler backstabbed them it become problem again.
If He attacked South from the start and take Baku....nah he would lost anyway,only later.And since Turks would help him,they would become another soviet puppet state after WW2.
Less problems now for Europe,Turkey after 45 years of communism would have no strenght to play superpower.

 

[PsihoKekec]

If He attacked South from the start and take Baku

Dafuq? There is no way Germans could reach Baku in 1941, even if they threw all four of their Panzer groups at it, it was simply too far for their logistic capabilities. They would also have to abandon either drive towards Leningrad or Smolensk, which would be problematic and the long, poorly protected flank of the advance towards Baku, would be an excellent target in the Soviet winter counterattack.

 

[ATP]

Dafuq? There is no way Germans could reach Baku in 1941, even if they threw all four of their Panzer groups at it, it was simply too far for their logistic capabilities. They would also have to abandon either drive towards Leningrad or Smolensk, which would be problematic and the long, poorly protected flank of the advance towards Baku, would be an excellent target in the Soviet winter counterattack.

Sorry,in 1942.If he do not try take Stalingrad,Baku would be his.And Turkey would join war on his side.Considering their obsolate army and air forces,it would be another allies needing german saving.Althought at least anatolian troops would not surrender easily.

 

[PsihoKekec]

If he do not try take Stalingrad,Baku would be his

Still too far away for their logistics, they simply wouldn't be able to supply the drive towards Baku, even Grozny and Astrakhan would be hard to pull off. Not to mention that their flanks would be much more exposed during their winter offensive.

 

[ATP]

Still too far away for their logistics, they simply wouldn't be able to supply the drive towards Baku, even Grozny and Astrakhan would be hard to pull off. Not to mention that their flanks would be much more exposed during their winter offensive.

They take 90% of Stalingrad before winter come.If forces send to take Stalingrad was send for Baku,they would get it.Muslims there waited for germans as liberators,that would help,too.
Which meant,that Stalin after WW2 would genocide mainly muslims.Bad for them,but it mean more christian surviving,becouse NKWD thugs would kill mainly muslims.

 

[PsihoKekec]

They take 90% of Stalingrad before winter come.If forces send to take Stalingrad was send for Baku,they would get it.

We are talking about real world here, where fighting forces need to be supplied, supply situation was already bad enough at Stalingrad (6th army lost something like 20% of their draft animals reaching), going the extra distance to reach the Baku would break their logistics.

 

[ATP]

We are talking about real world here, where fighting forces need to be supplied, supply situation was already bad enough at Stalingrad (6th army lost something like 20% of their draft animals reaching), going the extra distance to reach the Baku would break their logistics.

Yes.That is why i am taking about situation where germans do not even try to take Stalingrad,but go for Baku after destroing soviets armies on steppe.

 

[PsihoKekec]

If you look at the maps you will see that Baku is much further away from Rostov on Don than Stalingrad. German logistics were struggling to carry supplies the distance from Rostov to Stalingrad, so even if they ignored the Stalingrad how would their logistics be able to cope with much greater distance from Rostov to Baku?

 

[ATP]

If you look at the maps you will see that Baku is much further away from Rostov on Don than Stalingrad. German logistics were struggling to carry supplies the distance from Rostov to Stalingrad, so even if they ignored the Stalingrad how would their logistics be able to cope with much greater distance from Rostov to Baku?

They would be schielded by mountains from soviet counter-attack,so they they could just follow Black Sea shore.And considering how shitty both soviet navy and air force were,they could use ships and Ju52 to help.

 

[PsihoKekec]

A: Black sea ports were ruined and Germans didn't have the wartime capabilities to repair them, even Americans found it problematic in France 1944 and they had much greater resources avaible than Germans, this is why it was so important to them that Marseilles and Rotterdam were captured intact. No usable ports means no supplies flowing from the sea. And it still wouldn't help that much, because the only ports of note after Rostov are Novorossiysk, Poti and Batumi whose land connections are rather interdicted.

B: Black sea does not extend to Baku

C: Moving supplies through mountains is hard

D: Their Ju-52 fleet was already fully commited to supplying the forward units throughout the Fall Blau, so they had no wiggle room there.

The problem is that they don't have enough fuel and draft animals to make it all the distance to the Baku, it's as simple as that.

They would be schielded by mountains from soviet counter-attack

From the south. North and east are plains and since Stalingrad would be ignored, Soviets would be in perfect position to do operation Saturn as originally envisioned.

 

[Lanmandragon]

The Germans experience no significant change in their ability to resist with the allies having less than four hundred jet CAS aircraft that have a never-exceed speed in a dive 40 mph less than the normal top speed of the Me-262. It may happen like @PsihoKekec says it would. Conversely, the Germans use captured examples to improve the engines on the Me-262, so that by the end of the year they are effectively gaining the upper hand in the air war over Germany, and without the relentless continued allied bombing campaign being nearly so effective, hold on until September of 1945.

Ehh doubtful the reality is these wouldnt be fielded instead theyd be reversed engineered. Which might have a slight effect on WW2 but the real effect is going to be against Russia. You just gave 1945 America a modern aircraft this will supercharge damn near everything. So I'd say by 2020 assuming we dont kill ourselves were 30-40 years more advanced in most fields.

 

[Whiskey Golf]

Autocannon ammo is autocannon ammo. They might loose some performance, but they can easily manufacfture steel AP round that fit the gun.

Steel AP kinda defeats the point of the gun and BRRT though. Like, the Warthog can get guns kills on WW2 tanks because the DU ammo will be able to punch through tank armor, that's less of a sure thing with steel AP vs DU HVAP (which is what the 30mm API effectively is).

Having all of those Warthogs would pretty effectively paralyze the Germans more then they already were. Keeping the Panzer Divisions within the interior would mean they would be able to respond even less effectively to the Allied Amphibious assault. The guided munitions in the form of the Mavericks and other smart bombs would be nice (while they last) in taking out hardened emplacements on the coastline I imagine, or other important spots like headquarters or sensitive sites. But yes for once the big BRRRT cannon can earnestly be utilized properly now in brewing up scads of armored and less then well armored Nazi vehicles.

Amateur question but the Warthog could target enemy formations at night as well? The Germans often had to move at night to avoid the harassing of Allied airpower but if Warthogs are almost just as deadly at night that should put even more pressure on German mobility, especially since even defensive German AA would be less effective at night as well.

A-10Cs received wiring to use the Litening targeting pod, so yes, they can indeed target enemy formations at night. Also, you're going to see the A-10s repeating a Gulf War trick: using the IIR Maverick's camera as a ghetto FLIR (it was that good quality). It's going to be limited, there's only so much you can slave the Maverick's camera up, but it's better than nothing.

Ironically, in PGM shortage, Mavericks would thus end up being husbanded and used purely as ghetto FLIR, unless the A-10s had Litening pods with thm, in which case they don't need Mavericks.

Honestly the munitions that will come with the Warthogs will be far more useful than the brrrrrttt gun as much as it pains me even the supply is limited

Like I said, expect them to use IIR Mavericks as ghetto FLIRs in absence of targeting pods.

 

[Buba]

The Normandy breakout occurs sooner as Warthogs wreak havoc on German armor and artillery.

And the Normandy breakout will break down on OTL schedule, as logistical constraints remain unchanged.
Details of the Normandy battle may change due to judicious application of BRRRT, but otherwise the war runs unchanged.
Even without DU ammo, the 30mm can be a killer with steel or tungsten cored rounds.

Hmmm - the US Army and Army Air Corps both throw a gigantic tantrum over the Jarheads having nifty toys which they do not, and generally over WTF are the Squids doing in Europe? So - expect some interesting inter service battles in Washington DC.

EDIT:
I had a senior moment - please ignore mention of USMC

 

[PsihoKekec]

Hmmm - the US Army and Army Air Corps both throw a gigantic tantrum over the Jarheads having nifty toys which they do not, and generally over WTF are the Squids doing in Europe? So - expect some interesting inter service battles in Washington DC.

There is nothing in OP about marines getting them, so I reckon the US Army Air Force, as the predecessor to the USAF who operates Warthogs now, gets them

 

[Buba]

There is nothing in OP about marines getting them, so I reckon the US Army Air Force, as the predecessor to the USAF who operates Warthogs now, gets them

I had a senior moment - I thought I saw the A-10's mentioned as belonging to the USMC - thank you for pointing out my mistake.