Was the Red Army thr biggest army in World War II?

Answer 1

As the Red Army had the highest number of military dead, 10,700,000 , with Germany in second place with 5,500,000 and China 3d with about 4 million, I guess it was the biggest army.

And I guessed right :

"The Red Army emerged from the war as the most powerful land army in history with five million soldiers, and more tanks and more artillery than all other countries taken together. Its name was changed to the Soviet Army."

"World War II" in "Military history of the Soviet Union", Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history_of_the_Soviet_Union#World_War_II

"At the time of the Nazi assault on the USSR in June 1941, the Red Army's ground forces had 303 divisions and 22 brigades (4.8 million troops), including 166 divisions and 9 brigades (2.9 million troops) stationed in the western military districts. Their Axis opponents deployed on the Eastern Front 181 divisions and 18 brigades (5.5 million troops)."

"After World War II the Soviet Army had the most powerful land army in history. It had more tanks or artillery than all other countries taken together, more soldiers, and large numbers of greatly experienced commanders and staffs. The British Chiefs of Staff Committee rejected as militarily unfeasible a British contingency plan, Operation Unthinkable, to destroy Stalin's government and drive the Red Army out of Europe."

"Red Army", Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Army

Not to forget the uncounted number of partisans.

Answer 2

Hello,
In terms of actual persons in uniform fighting in the war, the Russian army was numerically the largest. If you mean the most aggressive in terms of trying to win the war, I think it would be a close tie between the Axis powers and the Allies. Both sides were so entrenched in winning the war, that until the U.S. and allied forces landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, Germany was well on its way of winning the Western war, though being beaten back on the Eastern front by the Russians.

Answer 3

It depends how you look at it. Asuming your refuring to the Russians, yes they technically had the largest milatry. But, the Japanesse people were fanatical about protecting their country. Had they been invaded, every ablebody person, and some not so able, probably would have fought. The Japanesse in WWII would rather die than be captured. They would chain hemselves to weapons, crash there planes into ships ect. So, in a way, the Japanesse army could have been larger.

Answer 4

There's only one Red Army, and it wasn't the Big Red One. The Soviets army was massive. In the words of a German Wehrmact officer, "the German army was like an elephant attacking ants, they killed thousands, maybe millions, but in the end, there numbers told, and they were eaten to the bone...."

Answer 5

What are your referring to as "Red" the Russians, the Chinese, both, none. As far as I know no "Red" army fought in WWII

Answer 6

you mean the Big Red One...the 1st infantry ?????


1st Division started preparing for World War II by moving to Fort Benning on November 19, 1939, and ran its personnel through the Infantry School. It then moved to the Sabine, Louisiana area on May 11, 1940 to participate in the Louisiana Maneuvers. They then returned to Fort Hamilton on June 5, 1940. The headquarters was then transferred to Fort Devens at Ayer, Massachusetts February 4, 1941, and then participated in the October and November maneuvers in the Carolinas, with a garrison at Samarcand, North Carolina on October 16, 1941.

1st Division then returned to Fort Devens on December 6, 1941, which is where they were when Pearl Harbor was attacked. 1st Division then deployed to Camp Blanding at Starke, Florida on February 21, 1942, which is where they were when 1st Division was officially re-designated at Headquarters, 1st Infantry Division on August 1, 1942. At this time, 1st ID reorganized under the new Wartime TO&E, which increased the Authorized Strength to 15,514 Officers and Enlisted men. This TO&E resulted in the following Order of Battle:

Headquarters, 1st Infantry Division
Headquarters & Military Police Company
1st Cavalry Reconnaissance Company
1st Signal Company
16th Infantry Regiment
18th Infantry Regiment
26th Infantry Regiment
HHB, 1st Division Artillery
5th Field Artillery Battalion
7th Field Artillery Battalion
32nd Field Artillery Battalion
33rd Field Artillery Battalion
1st Infantry Division Artillery Band
1st Engineer Battalion
1st Medical Battalion
1st Quartermaster Battalion

[edit] Deployment to War

A Coast Guard-manned LCVP from the USS Samuel Chase disembarks Company E, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment assaulting Omaha Beach on the morning of June 6, 1944.
From newly-captured town, members of the 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, cross the Weser River in assault boats to take Furstenberg. 8 April 1945.In World War II, the division landed in Oran, Algeria as part of Operation Torch. Elements then took part in combat at Maktar, Medjez el Bab, Kasserine Pass, Gafsa, El Guettar, B̩ja, and Mateur, 21 January Р9 May 1943, helping secure Tunisia.

In July, 1943 it took part in Operation Husky in Sicily under the command of Major General Terry de la Mesa Allen. It was assigned to U.S. II Corps. On 7 August 1943, command was assumed by Major General Clarence R. Huebner.

When that campaign was over, the division returned to England to prepare for the Normandy invasion. It was the division that stormed Omaha Beach on D-Day, some units suffering 30 percent casualties in the first hour, and secured Formigny and Caumont in the beachhead. The division followed up the St. Lo break-through with an attack on Marigny, 27 July 1944, and then drove across France in a continuous offensive, reaching the German border at Aachen in September. The division laid siege to Aachen, taking the city after a direct assault, 21 October 1944. The First then attacked east of Aachen through Hurtgen Forest, driving to the Roer, and moved to a rest area 7 December for its first real rest in 6 months' combat, when the Wacht Am Rhein offensive (commonly called the Battle of the Bulge) suddenly broke loose, 16 December. The division raced to the Ardennes, and fighting continuously from 17 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, helped blunt and turn back the German offensive. Thereupon, the division attacked and again breached the Siegfried Line, fought across the Roer, 23 February 1945, and drove on to the Rhine, crossing at the Remagen bridgehead, 15–16 March 1945. The division broke out of the bridgehead, took part in the encirclement of the Ruhr Pocket, captured Paderborn, pushed through the Harz Mountains, and was in Czechoslovakia, at Kinsperk, Sangerberg, and Mnichov, when the war in Europe ended. Sixteen members of the division were awarded the Medal of Honor.

Casualties
3,616 Killed in Action
15,208 Wounded in Action
664 Died of Wounds

[edit] Assignments in the European Theater of Operations
1 November 1943: First Army.
6 November 1943: VII Corps.
2 February 1944: V Corps.
14 July 1944: First Army.
15 July 1944: VII Corps.
1 August 1944: VII Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group.
16 December 1944: V Corps.
20 December 1944: Attached, with the entire First Army, to the British 21st Army Group.
26 January 1945: XVIII (Abn) Corps, First Army, 12th Army Group.
12 February 1945: III Corps.
8 March 1945: VII Corps.
27 April 1945: VIII Corps.
30 April 1945: V Corps.
6 May 1945: Third Army, 12th Army Group.
In these tabulations, the army and higher headquarters to which the division is assigned or attached is not repeated when the division is assigned or attached to a different corps in the same army.
On 6 November 1943, for example, the 1st Infantry Division was assigned to the VII Corps which was itself assigned to First Army; on 1 August 1944, the 12th Army Group became operational; and on 6 May 1945, the 1st Infantry Division left First Army for the first time during the operations on the Continent for reassignment to the Third Army