Who won WWII?

Question

That is, which country did most to defeat Hitler and why do you think so.

Answer 1

The Soviet Union bore the brunt of the fighting and sustained the most damage fighting the Nazis, so they could claim to have won WW2. However, the USA supplied them with so much kit that they couldn't have won it without their support.

The Western Allies (US, UK, Canada, with the Polish exiles, and er... the French) made a massive contribution from the West, that the Sovs couldn't have done with out, as well as the Bomber offensive.
The UK kept ourside in the fight alone after 1940.
The military victory was a team effort.

You could argue that the real winner was the USA. The UK lost power, money and prestige, Germany and much of France were in ruins and the Soviet people still had to live under the crushing supression of an evil dictator (Stalin). The US moved into an as yet unended period of power, prestige and wealth.

Answer 2

The USSR. I know some of us from the U.S. like to take all the credit but I don't think we could have fought the Soviets and Germans in the European theater while trying to wear down The Empire of Japan. Not to the point where we win. No outside country has captured the Russian Capital. It is just too hard. When Hitler turned on Stalin and went for Moscow he just pretty much sealed his fate. Actually the German troops were told by the new Furor to surrender to the Americans, when Hitler committed suicide, because they didn't want to be caught by the Soviets. He knew that the Americans would treat them much better then the Soviets.
It amazes me how little some know history when they comment here. The French held up hands and surrendered because the Germans took Paris and they had no choice. They had that great wall along the border that they THOUGHT would protect them. Problem was the Germans went around it to the other side and went through the forests, that the French thought the Germans would get lost in if they tried to use that route basically. They were in no postion to fight since WWI. Also the Germans did send Nazi spies here. Little known fact. Problem was the leaders of the two groups were "double agents" and turned it over right away. They got in alot of trouble as well but unlike the rest they got a life sentence as oppose to hanging. Later were "pardoned" and sent back to Germany where they were treated as traitors, as one would expect. Hitler never exactly respected America anyway. He understood their power, and that was the respect. So he never really recanted it.

Answer 3

The allies won WW2. They were made up of the following countries:
Following the German invasion of Poland
Poland: 1939, 1 September
United Kingdom: 1939, 3 September
France: 1939, 3 September
Australia: 1939, 3 September
New Zealand: 1939, 3 September
Nepal: 1939, 4 September
Newfoundland: 1939, 4 September
Tonga: 1939, 4 September
South Africa: 1939, 6 September
Canada: 1939, 10 September

After the end of the Phoney War
Denmark: 1940, 9 April
Norway: 1940, 9 April
Belgium: 1940, 10 May
Luxembourg: 1940, 10 May
Netherlands: 1940, 10 May
Free France: 1940, 18 June
Greece: 1940, 28 October
Kingdom of Yugoslavia: 1941, 6 April
Soviet Union: 1941, 22 June
Tannu Tuva: 1941, 25 June

After the attack on Pearl Harbour
Panama: 1941, 7 December
Philippines: 1941, 7 December
Costa Rica: 1941, 8 December
Dominican Republic: 1941, 8 December
El Salvador: 1941, 8 December
Haiti: 1941, 8 December
Honduras: 1941, 8 December
Nicaragua: 1941, 8 December
United States of America: 1941, 8 December
Republic of China: 1941, 9 December
Guatemala: 1941, 9 December
Cuba: 1941, 9 December
Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea (Govt. in exile): 1941, 9 December
Czechoslovakia (Govt. in exile): 1941, 16 December
Mexico: 1942, 22 May
Brazil: 1942, 22 August
Ethiopia: 1942, 14 December
Iraq: 1943, 17 January
Bolivia: 1943, 7 April
Iran: 1943, 9 September
Italy: 1943, 13 October (formerly a member of the Axis)
Colombia: 1943, 26 November
Liberia: 1944, 27 January

After D-Day
Romania: 1944, 25 August, (formerly a member of the Axis)
Bulgaria: 1944, 8 September, (formerly a member of the Axis)
San Marino: 1944, 21 September
Albania: 1944, 26 October
Hungary: 1945, 20 January, (formerly a member of the Axis)
Bahawalpur: 1945, 2 February
Ecuador: 1945, 2 February
Paraguay: 1945, 7 February
Peru: 1945, 12 February
Uruguay: 1945, 15 February
Venezuela: 1945, 15 February
Turkey: 1945, 23 February
Lebanon: 1945, 27 February
Saudi Arabia: 1945 March
Argentina: 1945, 27 March
Chile: 1945, 11 April
People's Republic of Mongolia: 1945, 9 August
The country that had the most impact on the final outcome of the war was America. Hitler did not want to attack America, because he very much respected them. In fact it wasn't the Germans that attack them, but the Japanese (the war in the pacific). Hitler knew that once America entered the war, he was in a lot of trouble; because they had a much stronger army then he did, as well as having a lot of fresh men to use, while Germany didn't have as many, after fighting for so long and taking over other countries before the start of World War 2. If America hadn't of joined in the war, I think that the allies would have won in the end, but it would have taken a lot longer.

Answer 4

Russia by far did the most to determine the outcome of the war in Europe. Considering that 80% of ALL the German casualties were inflicted on the Eastern Front (that means that 80% of the German soldiers that died in the war war were a result of fighting in Russia) The loss of life on that front was horrific. The Russians took more casualties than all the other European nations combined at 8 million military deaths and 12 million civilian deaths. America certainly helped with there lend lease act, but the fact is, a majority of the fighting damage done to the third Reich was done through the blood of the Russians.
Just to shed some light on the horrific fighting on the Eastern front, During the battle of Stalingrad there was over 2 million Soviet casualties and over 500,000 German casualties. America only had about 300,000 combat deaths throughout the ENTIRE war.(this includes casualties from the Pacific too)
Don't get me wrong, America was a heavy contributor to the allied victory, but, It was the fierce resistance of the Russians that ensured that the Allies were able to stay in the fight long enough to REALLY get involved in the war in Europe. It is for this reason that the Russians to this day do not call this war WWII like the rest of the world, they call it the "Great Patriotic War" because they see it as an entirely different conflict.

To comment on carpau0...first of all he was not afraid of the American military because when the US finally entered the war they had one of the smallest and weakest armies of all the industrialized nations PERIOD. Hitler wrote in Mein Kamph that he did respect America....but in a later publication of his he reversed that sentiment. He wrote in this publication(I forget what it's called but you can go to the history channel website to check it out) that the key to world domination was to defeat America. He knew that he could not do anything with America because he had to have control of all of Europe first. He was counting on America remaining isolationist in order to build the strength needed to actually invade the US. He was envious of the US economic power. Hitler was in a weak position to win the war in Dec of 1941. I suppose that by him declaring war on the US he ensured his defeat. Had he not declared war on the US, the chances are very likely that the US would have focused on Japan first, and any war in Europe would have been put on the back burner. Remember, it was Churchill that convinced Roosevelt to comply with a Europe first policy...against the will of the majority of the American citizens. Without Hitler officially declaring war on the US, then Churchill would not have been in a position to make his argument, meaning, the war could have turned out MUCH different.

Answer 5

THE RUSSIANS!!!!!!!!!!!!1
HELLOOOOO
the russians during most of the war fought the largest conflict in human history that is known there as the great patriotic war, 27 million russians died and something like 10 million germans, if hitler had never invaded russia he would most likely have enough men to overrun the allies
there is no doubt that the eastern front of ww2 was the most important theatre of the war but that does not mean that the others were insignificant but just for comparison of casualties and brutality of combat:
US+Britain: 800,000 killed
Russia: 27,000,000 killed
Japan: 1,300,000 killed
Germany: 13,000,000 killed
Italy: 400,000 killed

Answer 6

It stuns me to find that there are actually people who espouse the view that 'war is terrible and because war is so terrible, humanity lost". Therefore, you must conclude that it would have been better for Hitler and Tojo to have simply wiped out half of the human race (remember the gassing, shooting, raping of millions in the concentration camps and the looting of all the countires conquered? remember the Rape of Nanking, the Bataan Death March, and the forced prostitution for Korean women by Japanese miltarists) than for any country (i.e. England, France, Russia, Poland, USA) to have said "NO! You will not do this!"? I ask you simply, if you believe this, let us know where you live so that people can come to your home and rob you, rape you, shoot you in the face without consequence. If your answer is No, then explain the difference to us!

Answer 7

History - if you study it - will show that the USA did the most to defeat Hitler. Not personal opinion at all - facts. The Allies won the war, otherwise we'd be speaking either German or Japanese.

Answer 8

Yeah it was a team effort, but in my humble opinion, the fate of the second world war was decided by the outcome of Operation Barbarossa.....

A decisive role was played by the USSR, USA, and Britain. THE decisive roll was played by the USSR, go ask its 20 million dead.....

Just to give you an idea of battle deaths on both sides check these out:
EASTERN FRONT:
Stalingrad: 1.8 million
Siege of Leningrad: 1.5 million
Moscow 1941-42: 700,000
Smolensk 1941: 500,000
Kiev 1941: 400,000
Vorenesh 1942: 370,000
Belarus 1941: 370,000
2nd Rzhev-Sychevka: 270,000
Caucasus 1942: 260,000
Kursk: 230,000
Lower Dnieper: 170,000
Kongsberg: 170,000
Rostov: 150,000
Budapest: 130,000
and others with less killed

Whereas on the Western Front
Battle of France 180,000
Normandy: 132,000
El Alamein: 70,000
Battle of the Bulge: 38,000

Answer 9

I think Hitler did the most to defeat himself. If he hadn't also declared war the day after Pearl Harbor, we might have still let him be for the time being. If he hadn't decided to invade Russia, whom he had a non-agression pact with, he wouldn't have had to divide his forces. I think he had the same problem Napoleon did with Russia--don't try to fight through a Russian winter. Even though we destroyed the German infrastructure with our raw materials and manpower, his own policies did a lot to ensure his own downfall.

Answer 10

i agree that USSR handled and held-down the cream of the German army, but the USA would have to take the lions share of the credit. armies need massive amounts of money, raw supplies, food, etc. these things were something that neither Britain or the USSR (they could not focus enough of their labor for anything more than the war effort) could produce on a massive war-time scale; the US could. the US did fight much later than the other two, but we were supplying both on a incredible scale long before we started fighting