Well. "want to go to" was years past, when the A-bomb finally was ready with a combined effort of UK & USA.
As for carrying it, the Brits had tha capacity already in 1942 or so.... if not before.
Anyway, back to the USSR...
I was working with one particular thought, - what if the British had decided to take Hitler's "Appeal to reason" with a "yes, allright" rather than replying "stuff it into your foul mouth"
My whole thought on this is what the British impact was on the Nazi-Train. Our Russian friends seem to look at it as nothing, or at best light-weighted.
When I started digging deep and deeper into history, I was first baffled about how unsuccessful the UK was, then it started to dawn on me that they had one thick neck, and the influence for the Nazi war machine, simply being at war (standstill war or whatever) tied down enormous resources. Hence, that influenced in a big way how the Axis could tackle the USSR.
So, if the subject is 1941, I'd go with Viking's theory, that the Axis would have grabbed, held, and defended Moscow, then defeated the USSR.
That one is even thought without a Black Sea front, which I think that would have been an enormously interesting scenario, and our Russian partners on this BB could perhaps fill in some gaps about the geographical parameters. Boroda has already posted something.
Now, if we go on to the prolonged war on the eastern front, which was basically a result of the Axis primary objective failing, - no Moscow, no business-break before winter, etc, - it was still dicey, as well as taking years beforebeing absolutely clear. And as this state went on, there was one new front, before Normandy. The bombing campaign.
Now, the Bombing campaign failed it's objective. It was supposed to cripple German production capacity, and/or even force the nation to surrender.
Incredible damage was done, but the Germans soldiered on.
Now, one would have tobe a fool to claim that it didn't affect their production capability. But the world of totaliarism, with a shield of conquered nations will not buckle so easily. However, just defending from the allied air-raids as well as bringing new weapons of revenge demanded enormous, ENORMOUS resources.
I have found some numbers.
1943, - more than 2.000 flak Batteries just in the Reich. (I got to know and work for a guy who was pulled from school to serve in a Flak battery in 1943 together with his whole class. He was 15. Most of them died, he got out with bad health and one eye)
At the end of '43 the Gerries had 500.000 gunner-crew with 10.000 heavy guns firing enormous amounts of ammo into the air.
The eastern front was indeed big. But I will tend to think that double power would have secured the Axis Both in Moscow and Stalingrad. And then there would have been no Kursk. But with double power there, victory would have gone to the Axis as well anyway.
30 Miles to grab Moscow.....
2 miles to grab Stalingrad....(?)
IMHO, it was very close, as it went...
