Opinions on who won WW2?

Question

Why does every country think they single handedly won WW2? The truth is no country really won the war the Nazis lost it by their own incompetence in attacking Russia and squandering their army.

Answer 1

I have to agree that Hitler shot Germany in the foot when he attacked Russia.

Answer 2

WW2 was won by a combined effort of the British Empire, the United States, armies and partisans of occupied countries, and Hitler's own foolishness.

Because the Royal Air Force held off the Germans in the Battle of Britain, keeping that country free, the USA was able to use it as a base. It was the sheer number of men and armaments produced by the USA combined with the other allies that ultimately made the difference. Had Britain been invaded by the Nazis, the outcome of the war would probably have been very different.

When you add together the strength of many, you get far more power than when those strengths are used separately.

Answer 3

apparently only two nations were prepared or able to wage 'total war'- nazi germany and russia- ie the total dedication of civilian and military resources to the war effort. The war was lost on the Eastern front as a result of the Russians being able to sustain huge losses but continue the combat. I believe Clausewitz has something to say about victory passing to those prepared to suffer the most. (a lesson here for defeating global terrorism?). We all to an extent 'won' WWII, the germans and the japanese benefited from resurgent post-war economies and the allies gained stability and peace and freedom from oppression.
I should perhaps here mention the concept of 'absolute war' where the object is to totally annihilate the enemy and ruin and lay waste his country, where all natural constraints such as humanity, compassion and human dignity are abandoned, with serious and extreme political and economic consequences for the victors. Such a state of affairs has not occured since biblical times. Even Hannibal, at the gates of Rome with the city at his mercy, was loathe to destroy it as he knew this would cause the collapse of the empire and he would only inherit a barren wasteland of ashes with barbarian hordes swooping down on all sides. Winning the war is the easy bit.. you must know how to maintain the peace (lessons for Iraq?)

Answer 4

The only nation to win out of the second world war would be the USA as it firstly came out of its isolation, became a lot richer, controlled by debt all the industrialized countries of the world and had the Monopoly on Atomic Wepons.
However, when you consider the Marshall Relief plan and the astonishing rebuild of Wetern Germany and Japan, you wonder who was the vanquished.
The Nazis Party did not make a mistake in attacking the Soviets, that was going to happen anyway and it has been now proved that Stalin was planning an attack on Germany for 1942. One of the bigger reasons that Hitler failed to capitalise on was other theatres of conflict and co ordination of forces. Once Hitler took over OKW then his tactics where always the same, so easy to counter and use against him.

Answer 5

Everyone knows the UK was the main strength behind the victory but it is true NO ONE single handedly gave Hitler a good battering. Even the UK,US and Russia being the only states still left resisting right until the end I believe this is due to geographical position, Russia's size and UK, US being so far away. In the end it took everyone together to crush Hitler and it was a marginal win.

If Hitler was smart and attacked everyone later when he was ready and avoided the Russian winter we would all be speaking German now.

Answer 6

You have missed out two thirds of the war that is Italy and Japan.The accepted version is that it was lost by Hitlers invasion of Russia but it was lost by a series of blunders earlier as it typified by the story that Mussolini was offered the use of Japanese aircraft carriers in the mediterranean at the start of the war.The second point was that Italy was hopelessly unprepared for war when it came with the result that Germany had to divert troops to Greece and the Middle East.The Second World War was up until the end of 1942 a close run thing.Russia came within an inch of collapse.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Answer 7

Yep, Hitler was a nut, and the German generals wanted out LONG before Berlin was taken by the Russians, OH! did I say Russians, and not the British or the Americans?
LOL!
War has NO winners!
But look at Germany now, they do not look like the survivors of a world war!
So maybe they DID win after all.

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



Not even on the same scale....do the math....

Answer 9

The invasion of Europe overrun by the Nazis was overwhelmingly an Anglo Saxon endeavour .. English.. Americans .. Australians & New Zealanders.. Canadians .. Scots .. etc .. etc .. (the proud Irish however were of course 'neutral')

Answer 10

No one country won.
The war was won by the Allied Forces.