if Britain was part of mainland Europe, would WW2 have ended differently?

Question

i think britain were lucky to be an island during WW2.
the germans would have conqured them easily if they were conected to europe.

AM I WRONG?

Answer 1

no you are not wrong if Britain was part of main land Europe we would have had our arses kicked that little stretch of water saved our bacon, the British army was no match for the Germans at that time they were ready for war we weren't, the German blitzkrieg would have steam rolled straight through us, yes the Brits would have put up a fight (more than the french) but we were no match for them in terms of men and equipment and anyone who's says differently needs their head looking at.

EDIT. during the early days of WW2 no country was a match for germany

Answer 2

The question poses a query about one alternative history. However, that alternative history requires other questions to be asked which might make the original question irrelevant. Those questions are would Britain exist as a country had not the land bridge linking it with mainland Europe not disappeared? Is it not more likely that there would have been a different country, perhaps including the present Brittany - or indeed a much larger France?

But in answer to the original question, presupposing that Great Britain existed. Possibly it would not have made any difference. Hitler had a great respect for Britain - read what he says about it in Mein Kampf. He halted in June 1940 because he still hoped there was going to be a peace deal which would have enabled him to keep central and eastern Europe and Great Britain its Empire. During the Spring and Summer of that year there were something like 16 peace feelers put out on either side. The Brits wouldn't agree as they could not deal with a Germany led by Hitler and the Germans would not deal whilst Churchill led the UK. Churchill was happy to string along knowing that time gave us time to complete rearming. Read the relevant chapters in Richard Milton's 'The Best of Enemies'

Answer 3

I think you are wrong.

Britain is an island, as such, it concentrated on naval forces and the RAF for its defence. A larger land army was not seen as necessary.

If Britain had been part of mainland europe it would obviously have concentrated far more heavily on having a much larger standing army would it not?

Also, Britain would have seen it as more urgent to nip Nazi Germany in the bud if it was in mainland europe, so you could argue that WW2 may never have happened at all!

Answer 4

Agreed with vskane. On the one hand, it would've made it much easier for Germany to launch air raids, but then they probably wouldn't have relied too heavily on them, as they would have made a ground attack. At that stage, it's hard to say who would have had the advantage. For sure, the Wehrmacht was the superior ground force at the time, but the commands from the top were often insane -- Dunkirk, anyone? But to say the Germans would have conquered the Brits "easily" is going too far. I definitely think it would have prolonged the war, and almost certainly would have resulted in far higher casualties.

Would the British have caved in eventually? Who knows. I think the US would have entered the war before that would happen. Roosevelt was in talks with Churchill long before Pearl Harbor, and we were essentially in a state of undeclared war since we were escorting British merchant ships halfway across the Atlantic and shipping them arms and all that.

Besides that, let's say for argument's sake that Britain was a part of mainland Europe and was taken. It's a simple matter of overstretching -- I don't think Germany would have had the manpower to keep their control on the western front *and* launch that suicidal attack on Russia. It would have only been a matter of time before Germany pulled out enough troops from the west to supplement the eastern forces to allow the Brits (and by then the landed Americans) to take advantage and drive out German forces.

Answer 5

Yes, you are right. Not as easily as the others. They had better aircraft and equipment than the rest. And while I think that island status had a lot to do with their resolve. I think they had a born in sense of iron back bone that that compared favorably with Germany's "Miehne Heurt Ist True" and we will conquer with "bluud asnd Iorne". The German's just out estimated their opponents. Britain and us. Russia as well . Even if they had won, the would still be fighting a Guerrilla war on all three fronts. Others as well.

Answer 6

You are correct. I agree with Wotan's answer and your idea that as things were in 1940, Germany could have rolled up Britain with their novel use of the tank in attack and their far superior land army compared to relatively small British land forces at that time. Britain would have been knocked out early, and it would have been up to the USSR and America.
- - - - BUT - - - If Britain had not been surrounded by ocean, they would not have invested the vast majority of their military expenditures on a huge and powerful navy.

For you, and I, and Wotan to be correct, the British Isles would have had to be lassoed and snubbed up to the continent of Europe in a sudden swoop during May 1940.

' Could happen !

Answer 7

If Britain was part of mainland Europe, it is highly unlikely that history would have let to WW2 in the first place.

Answer 8

I do not agree with anyone here. Britain would have been armed to the teeth and so would the rest of Europe. One needs to look at what might have happened, and that is, Germany would not have dared to invade Poland; or for that matter, any other European State. Anyway, it is academic. They lost, the allies won, and that's the end of it.

Answer 9

You're maybe right.
It was a huge advantage for Britain to be an island but what (according to me) protected Britain was that Hitler decided to invade Russia.
If he hadn't, Germany would have probably won the war against Britain!

Answer 10

You're not wrong. I feel the biggest factor in Britain evading occupation was the fact that the Germans couldn't get across the English Channel.