Nazi Germany vs. Imperial Japan?

Question

I think Its clear these were the 2 most powerful Axis countries in WW2. So my question is which country was more powerful? Who would win an all out war with each other if the Allies were not involved?

Answer 1

I thought someone asked this question yesterday and I answered it then too, but I'll give you an abridged version.

Germany would've won hands down. They had a number of advantages:

--Germany was an industrial powerhouse, and without Allied bombing raids, it would've continued to produce a plethora of German-engineered war material that would've helped overrun the Japanese.
--German tanks and planes far outclassed their Japanese counterparts. Japanese tanks were easily disabled by jamming a kinfe blade in their turrets--they were pretty bad. German tanks, on the other hand, were first class, and the Soviets were the only ones that could come close.
--The German army was relatively well equipped, and grew more and more so as WWII progressed. Although both sides used bolt-action rifles and SMGs, Germany had developed an assault rifle before the end of the war. Germans were also a little bit better in the use of tactics and avoided suicidal moves unless absolutely necessary.
--Because it's located in the middle of Europe with only a small ocean border to the north, Germany would've been relatively impervious to attack.
--Japan's an island, and would've made for a very easy target to attack; just muster up some ships (of which the Germans had plenty), shell the daylights out of it, and land a few armored divisions and run through the entire country.
--Germany had R and D like none other, and had all kinds of experimental stuff. Me-262s, Me-163s, V-1s and V-2s, other jet fighters, and an atom bomb were all in the works. The Japanese got a lot of their experimental weapons from the Germans in WWII and improved on them, so Germany would've had the upper hand here as well.
--There were (and still are) plenty of natural resources in Germany, and Japan was hard pressed to find even the most basic ones. Germany would've had no trouble acquiring what it needed to succeed, whereas Japan may have had a harder time finding a country willing to get involved enough to give them what they needed.
--German U-boats could've easily destroyed the majority of the shipping bound for Japan, effectively starving it off from the resources it needed. They were quite successful when used against the Allies, and would've been equally successful, if not more so, when used against the Japanese.

The Japanese had a few advantages, but not enough to stop the German advance.

--The Japanese had plenty of fiercely devoted troops to sacrifice, and weren't afraid to do it either. Suicide charges were common, and regular citizens would've fought to the death if their homeland was invaded by the Germans.
--Aircraft carriers were the one thing that the Japanese had plenty of that the Germans lacked in. The Japanese navy was a pretty strong force, and the Germans would've had to deal with it and the aircraft carriers before it could carry out effective operations.

That's about it. Germany would've annihilated Japan, given time and the proper resources. No question about that one; case closed. The likelihood of such an occurrence would've been relatively small, though. Germany and Japan are seperated by 1,000s of miles, and with no nations allied with either to bridge the gap using land, all of the war would've had to have taken place on the seas or using ships to transport troops halfway across the globe. I'd still have to say Germany though.

Answer 2

Great Question.. At the start I would say the Japanese they had the better Navy and there was no match for the Japanese zero. However the Germans had the better scientists and were working on an Atomic bomb. If they had developed it the Japanese would have surrounded just like they did against the Americans.

Answer 3

It's kind of a moot point as the two were interested in very different realms. Neither was likely to invade the other and it is difficult to imagine a situation that would have brought them into open conflict. One on one, I'd take the Nazis.

Answer 4

Most likely Japan since they had a far superior navy.

Answer 5

The Japanese as they never give up, they have better weapons,good leaders,determined even if they have no support, and they are a lot more SMARTER

Answer 6

japan hands down

Answer 7

Why are you a racist?