Choose your pick, what country should be given the most credit in Defeating Axis forces in WWII?

Question

ok..ok..it was a team effort, but it's always a good debate as to who played the biggest role. My argument typically funnels down to the US vs. Soviets. The Soviets were physically attractive but the US used its millitary intelligence to deceive and destory with 00 agents and a-bombs.

Answer 1

The Allies contributed different roles in defeating the Axis in WWII. I will state the different contributions on the major campaigns during WWII.

- Africa Campaign (German defeat in Africa) - British
- Landing in Sicily (Italian Defeat) - American, British
- Landing in Normandy (France Liberated) - American, British, Canadian
- Eastern Front (Russian Campaign) - Russia
- Pacific Campaign (Defeat of Japan) - American

But overall, I would say Russia contributed the most. They've got the heaviest casualties (about 8 million), and fought against two-thirds of the German forces (2/3 of the German forces were facing the Russians in the Eastern Front, 1/3 of the German Forces were facing the Anglo-Americans in the Western Front). As soon as the Germans realized their failure in Russia in 1943-1944, they knew that they already lost the entire war (the Germans were already retreating from Russia even before the Allied Invasion of Normandy took place). It was to the pure tenacity and fighting spirit of the Germans that the war continue to drag on up to their final defeat in 1945.

Answer 2

This is a difficult question, because the war would have certainly been lost without the contribution of any of the allied powers.

The cost of the war to the Soviets is beyond comprehension, and they certainly earned their victory. Had Germany not invaded, they would have almost certainly won the war.

The British were involved from the beginning, and defended themselves at tremendous cost. Had they lost, the war would have been essentially over since it would have been logistically impossible to take back Europe.

Without the eventual help of he United States, neither could win the war.

Nonetheless, I think it would be a close call between the British and the Soviets. If the answer is measured in blood, then the Soviets win hands down. From a strategic standpoint, however, I think the British deserve the credit. Had they not defended themselves successfully, the United States would not have had the necessary support needed to enter into the war. Thus, the British are responsible for both their own military victories and also facilitating the U.S. military involvement in the war.

Answer 3

Not sure I understand at all what you mean by "The Soviets were physically attractive", unless you're narrowing discussing certain intelligence and counter-intelligence strategies using female agents. If that's what you're talking about, you're not really attributing victory where it belongs.

Certainly the Soviet rejection of the Nazi invasion was a key point in the War. But when you mention the Axis that includes the Pacific front as well, in which clearly the US was the key Allied opponent, not the Soviets.

By that criteria, I say it was the US since we were a primary, if not dominant Allied power on both fronts.

Best to you.

Answer 4

physically attractive? 00 agents? I'm not sure I agree with your historiography... Britain has a longer and more established intelligence service..the U.S. (with the O.S.S.) was still in its infancy also England probably had more people who could speak German. Plus all of the defectors/or lets say refugees who fled their occupied countries (Poland, France) went to England to carry on the fight and were very helpful to the war effort. Considering that it was England that was fighting the war the longest, for a while single handedly while Russian was neutral and busy secretly invading Poland... I would have to give more credit to the Brits (after all they also had troops all around the world at their disposal from north africa to India and Asia)..The US was not fighting in the war very long, (less time in fact than we have been involved in occupying Iraq already) rather they were supplying economic and military aid to Britain and China..

As for the soviets..they did most of the fighting and dying its true but essientially Stalin was another adversary (to Churchill and Patton)- I think of the eastern front as a second war between two mad dictators

Answer 5

The Russians.... They just threw troops at the Germans over and over, like a never ending avalanche throwing the German's back. Plus the Russians were so harsh to German's they captured, most German's fled or committed suicide if they were loosing a battle towards the end of the war. Check history about German's taken prisoner by the Russian's Vs America, and how many "survived" till the end of the war.

Answer 6

The US definitely took a more aggressive position in the war the Russians backed up and used the enormity of their country to stretch the German supply lines too thin. But had the Germans only been involved in a war with Russia they more than likely would have won. So I would have to say America was the decisive factor in winning WWII.

Answer 7

I'll say the Russians, they took the brunt of the German Army, they lost the most soldiers, the most civilians. They fought some fierce battles, Stalingrad, Kursk and they were the first into Berlin. Invading Russia was Hitler's biggest mistake.Germany was defeated in Stalingrad, not Paris.

Answer 8

Consider how the war would have been if the USA had not been shipping hundred of tons of bullets and food to Britian and Russia from the start of the war. Technically we were fighting the Nazi long before 1941 rolled around.

Answer 9

i believe that the uninted states played the largest role in ww2 because they were the only country to fight on three fronts( asia, africa, and europe) in addition america took on japan almost by its self since china was almost completely over run.
america provided weapons to all the allied powers. over all the usa had the biggest contrubution in the war.
besides blood should not be considered in this argument. just because you lose people dosen't mean you had an effect.
the romans found this out when the killed a few hundred people and lost thousands themselves.

Answer 10

i think mostly us i mean look at what happend...the soviets managed to drive the germans out of russia during winter but if they couldnt have,they would get clobberde during the spring and summer and japan would come at them from the one end and the germans at the other end.and we ended up saving france and england and almost all the western half of europe,it just depends on the circumstances from what major impact russia had in saving other countries