Half of Brits think UK did the most to defeat Hitler - but other countries disagree (legal, weapon)

[Brave New World]

It should be noted that Stalin's non-aggression pact with Hitler, which lasted until the middle of 1941 was hardly popular in places such as Britain.

It also should be noted that 47% of Americans believe their country saved the day, and I am sure most Russians think they were the decisive force.

Britain held out from 1939, the Royal Navy, was the largest Navy in the world at the time and Britain a naval power had control of the seas, whilst the Battle of Britain saw the Luftwaffe defeated and put an end to any German plans of invasion.

The fact the Britain held out and fought from 1939, is no small feat and by holding out Britain allowed the allies to reinvade Europe via D-Day as well as supply the Russians via the Arctic Convoys.

The fact Russia suffered so much, and much of the land battles related to Russia is well documented, as is the fact that Hitler was a poor tactician, he need only have looked at the lessons from Napoleon whose troops also persished in the Russian winter long before.

The British Commonwealth did more than most nations, indeed the turning point of the war for Britain and the Commonwealth was the Battle of Alamein in Egypt, as Churchill saw the area as Germany's soft under belly and knew that control of the region and Mediterranean would make life much more difficult for Hitler.

"Before Alamein we never had a victory. After Alamein we never had a defeat." - Winston Churchill

I wouldn't say Britain won the war but we had a hand in it, and we took on Germany from 1939 when other countries like Russia signed non-aggression pacts with Hitler which they would later regret.

As for Stalin, he was never really liked on the global stage, indeed he killed as many if not more people than Hitler, and there are no great statues in Britain to Stalin or Uncle Joe as Churchill used to refer to him.

FDR on the other hand was one of the greatest leaders ever alongside Chuchill and is warmy remembered, indeed there is a giant memorial to Roosevelt in Grosvenor Square and a statue of Roosevelt and Churchill together on Bond Street in London.

[Northman83]

1. British
2. Russia
3. US

1. It bankrupted the largest empire in the world
2. It bleed and killed more then anybody
3. Produced more things then anybody else.

1. It kept the Axis at bay and controlled their expansion.
2. It ground up the Axis war machine.
3. It fought the Wehrmacht reserves and Island hopped through the Pacific.


The US manufacturing base where untouched after the war, and it also controlled the narrative after the war through Hollywood..

[Tall Traveler]

It took all 3 to properly defeat Germany....the USA defeated Japan.

[Compression]

Reading thru the responses it comes clear.......

The UK could not have won without the US intervening on their behalf. Just as in the first war a couple decades earlier.

The. UK gradually ceased to be the great world power they were at the beginning of the 20th century, due in greatest part to Germany's two efforts in the first half of the century. That role shifted to the US. The sun is setting on the US now.

By the end of the 21st century, China, or possibly India will fill our role.




CN

[Ferd]

Originally Posted by Toyman at Jewel Lake

The Soviets did more to win, and sacrificed far more, than any other nation against the Nazis. Not even close. Now...nearly as many Chinese were killed by the Japanese as Soviets by the Nazis.

I would agree on the Soviets sacrificing more... Even beyond that they paid the highest price... certainly in blood.


not sure I agree they "did more to win".

[ottomobeale]

Originally Posted by Weichert

I would say Russia. The battle of Stalingrad is considered the most brutal and bloodiest battles ever fought.

But the British certainly did their share, especially the RAF.

True. The Germans should have bypassed and gone for the oilfields near the Caspian. Even if not able to hold them, knocking them out would have hindered the Soviets. German scout units came within visual of the Caspian Sea (from a highland like 80 miles away)

Originally Posted by zzzSnorlax

Honestly, specifically I'd say the Russian winter did more than any human army. Don't try to invade Russia in the winter time. Bad idea.

Germany invaded in June 41 thinking they would win by fall. They almost made Moscow. Whether that would have knocked them out is a guess.

Originally Posted by workingclasshero

uhm... England was in the battles back in39.... England DID DO a lot..... rearming Poland...all while the US sat on their arse

and England remained highly involved all the way through 45

England. The US's best and most scenic aircraft carrier. #runslikehell

Originally Posted by Dane_in_LA

Someone must have forgotten to inform Rommel. Man, what a lot of trouble he could have saved.

And the IJA in Burma, too...

The old cliche about the Brits buying the Allies time, the Americans supplying the money and the Russians buying their share with blood is not entirely off.

True

Originally Posted by Roboteer

If the UK hadn't won the Battle of Britain, driving back the much larger Luftwaffe and causing Hitler to postpone and then cancel his plans to invade and take over England, the U.S. wouldn't have had airfields within range of most of Germany to carry out most of its (and England's) aerial bombing campaign.

And if they hadn't sunk large numbers of U-boats, and the battleships Bismarck and Tirpitz, the Germans might have sunk enough convoy ships to starve the English and force them to surrender.

And there wouldn't have been a staging area just off the coast of Europe, to build up the huge supplies, equipment, and troops to prepare for the D-Day invasion of occupied France, and then to launch that invasion and keep it supplied.

In April 1941 - eight months before Pearl Harbor - The Air Force called for the design of a bomber with a 10,000 mile range. The B-36 was the eventual result. The AF needed it because it looked for a while like England would surrender to Germany, and Germany would then begin a campaign against the U.S. If that happened, the Air Force would need a plane that could take off from the continental U.S., fly to Germany, drop a big bomb load, and fly all the way back (in-flight refueling was not well enough developed at the time).

Though Russia did the most fighting and dying in WWII, Britain did quite a lot, and held up long enough to keep Germany from delivering a knockout blow and then defeating Russia, winning the war.

Germany would have won the Battle of Britain had it stayed on course of destroying the RAF. After some tit for tat Germany switched to the London Blitz which bought the RAF time at the cost of their capital city being bombed. The RAF was great but had far fewer replacements than Germany.

Originally Posted by Tall Traveler

It took all 3 to properly defeat Germany....the USA defeated Japan.

Congrats. You win this thread.

I took my son the the Army Heritage Park in Carlisle PA. They have a Sherman and a German 88. I went to the Sherman. Patted the gun. ting ting ting. "son. This is what we were shooting at them" I then went to the 88. patted the gun thump thump thump. Son this is what they were shooting at us. Yes I realize they are different guns but most of the German 75s FAR FAR FAR outclassed our crappy 75s.

[Moth]

A lot of countries made massive contributions to the victory. Do you think Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia did nothing? India?

But limiting it to three largest Allies:

Yes the USA made the biggest contribution, but we began by holding on to our neutral/isolationist stance.

Yes the UK fought alone, but that is after they had done nothing when Hitler rearmed and moved into the Rheinland. They then sold the Czechs down the river at Munich.

Yes the USSR suffered the most. That is after they were joined Hitler in dismembering Poland. Stalin had also purged his army officers and the Red Army was a mess. Sure they were brave, but they would have lost a lot less men had they had proper training and armaments.

The USSR was also fighting on their own turf. The USA, UK and others were fighting in the Pacific and North Africa. The USSR did not have to project their military all over the world.

Conclusion:

Despite some blemishes, we all did a stellar job. There is a reason we use the word "Allies". How about we all start celebrating an imperfect, but ultimately great joint effort?

[Volobjectitarian]

The entities most responsible for Hitler's ultimate defeat, in descending order:

1. Hitler
2. Russia
3. England
4. United States

Understand der Fuhrer gets the lion's share of his own defeat because of so many drug addled, bizarre decisions that caused his defeat, and that WW I had already taught everyone were bad decisions.

Russia did kill the most Wermacht troops, but Hitler chose the two front war that doomed Germany in WW I and has doomed armies since the beginning of time. You cannot fight and win two front wars. Amphetamines and insanity told him he could, and he tried. He also moved too far, too fast. Most of Europe was fine with him taking and holding Czechoslovakia, and even though Poland caused grumbling, most of the world was OK with that too. But quick success of the blitzkrieg convinced him that everything was going to be as easy as reclaiming his Sudentenland and invading Poland, and he ended up pushing too far, too fast. It was also a huge mistake to attack England. Had he left England alone and had terms of trade, non-aggression, etc and just consolidated his gains in Western Europe, he might not have conquered the world, but he would held most of Western Europe, France included had he felt like it, and England, US and Russia would have been copacetic with that.

Hitler was by far his own own worst enemy. After himself, the order is Russia, England ad the United States.

[Gungnir]

Originally Posted by ottomobeale

Germany would have won the Battle of Britain had it stayed on course of destroying the RAF. After some tit for tat Germany switched to the London Blitz which bought the RAF time at the cost of their capital city being bombed. The RAF was great but had far fewer replacements than Germany.

Actually that's a myth.

At the time of the switch, the RAF had more airworthy fighter aircraft, and more trained pilots than they did at the start of the BoB, and precisely the same number of operating airfields. At the end of the BoB, they had increased fighter aircraft numbers, pilot numbers and had a couple of reserve airfields in full operation.

German bombing of British airfields did squat to the RAF's combat effectiveness, it just cost the Luftwaffe men and aircraft. Moving on to the London Blitz just allowed faster rates of pilots and aircraft to be amassed, and, gave the pilots much needed sleep.

I think the belief that this was the turning point, was propaganda to reduce the public distress of coming under German bombing. Which otherwise would have had no perceived benefits, but the stats don't lie that the RAF were increasing aircraft and aircrews all through the BoB, even in the face of operational losses.

[Chango]

It took all the Allies to end the Third Reich.

If England and France didn't throw a wrench into Hitler's plans by declaring war after the invasion of Poland, Germany might have avoided a 2 front war and defeated Russia. If America didn't send soldiers and keep supply trains going to England and Russia, either could have fallen. If Russia didn't put the Wehrmacht through the meat grinder while sustaining apocalyptic casualty levels, Germany wouldn't have been weakened severely enough to loose consistently along the Western Front as it was pushed back.

If the other Allies hadn't fought and suffered so hard, the American itself wouldn't have made it through the war unscathed.