A Long and Hard Fought Game

[PionUrpo]

I don't think it would have been physically possible to construct bomb-proof underground sites (as they did for a lot of the V-2 production) for a German Manhattan Project. The isotope-separation (for uranium) and massive atomic piles (for plutonim production) facilities built at Oak Ridge and in Eastern Washington state were comparable to small cities. I just cannot imagine the Germans building and maintaining those kinds of facilities--facilities which were notoriously cranky and apt to clog/break down--while hordes of B-17's were pummeling them with bombs.

I'm inclined to agree, getting a working device to use would require great deal of luck along with everything else. Central Europe simply isn't as safe as North America for this particular project. As soon as Allied intelligence has a whiff (and intel was an area where Allies had almost as huge an advantage as in overall production or manpower) of a true, so to speak, German A-Project they'll start devising ways to derail it. Nothing like a 1000-bomber raid to do just that even if the facilities wouldn't be quite as huge as those of Manhattan Project's. Actually, considering what kind of conclusions can be readily drawn from Manhattan, I wouldn't be surprised if there'd be a whole 'Electricity Plan' (a'la Transport Plan) to snuff the required power.

[Kragdob]

I don't think it would have been physically possible to construct bomb-proof underground sites (as they did for a lot of the V-2 production) for a German Manhattan Project. The isotope-separation (for uranium) and massive atomic piles (for plutonim production) facilities built at Oak Ridge and in Eastern Washington state were comparable to small cities. I just cannot imagine the Germans building and maintaining those kinds of facilities--facilities which were notoriously cranky and apt to clog/break down--while hordes of B-17's were pummeling them with bombs.

B-17 didn't reach Silesia and Carpathia mountains (Western Poland now) which have couple of such large underground complexes nobody knows what were there. Not to mention that in Bolesławiec there were uranium mine used by Soviets long after war ended.

I still don't believe Germans had capabilities and resources for building their own A-bomb.