How much longer was WWII because of Stalin's major errors? He decimated his army officers by assassination

Question

before the Nazi invasion. He would not accept warnings from even his best spies that Hitler would invade, totally ignoring the warnings, thereby losing tens of thousands to death or capture, tanks, planes on the ground etc.

Answer 1

I guess the corollary to this is, "Would Hitler have been smart enough to refrain from attacking the Soviet Union if Stalin had been ready for him?"

Stalin's major error was in believing that Hitler was like himself and Mussolini, a cynic who rode the ideology of the day to power without actually believing in it. A rational Hitler would not have invaded the Soviet Union, and Stalin was expecting rational decisions from Hitler.

I don't think this is an answerable question. A fully prepared Stalin could have discouraged A German attack in its entirety, thus prolonging the war, not shortening it.

Answer 2

WWII was probably made somewhat longer, but it's difficult to know whether, had Stalin been able to achieve greater military success, it would have advanced the D-Day timetable or not. this is assuming that, even had Stalin not decimated his officer corps, that Stalin and Hitler would have fought to a stalemate on the Eastern front had not the Western front been opened up. Who knows - maybe the Red Army could have taken Berlin without U.S. assistance. But then the Cold War would have looked much, much different, with the Soviets more firmly entrenched in Europe absent U.S.' countervailing presence.

of course, when you are working on killing 20 million of your own citizens by famine, repression, or in the gulag, what difference does it make?

Answer 3

It is always easier to be the judge after the event. Do not forget the piece treaties of England and France before Germany ran over Czechoslovakia and Poland even though Hitler was openly stating his intentions..
No one believed in the outright declarations of the plans to take over Europe..

Answer 4

He was certainly caught by surprise and only saved by the courage of his army but it's difficult to say whether this affected the length of the war , there were too many other factors involved.

Answer 5

He probably added the same length to the war that the US added by hiding on the sidelines and not going to Europe when it should have in 1939. The US was dragged in, kicking and screaming.