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Originally posted by james t kirk
As usual, i disagree...
You are reading too many american written history books there friend lebell. America's "industrial might" helped in some regards but it certainly did not keep Britain in the war, nor did it have much if anything to do with the Battle of Britain. I think you would get a very strong debate on that one from some RAF and RCAF pilots who were there.
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Not only our industrial might, but our raw materials as well. Without the US, Britain would have starved to death.
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You see, the Battle of Britain was truly a turning point in WW2. Hitler outgunned the RAF in every way, but his luftwaffe was no match for the determination of the RAF and the planes that they flew.
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The Battle of Britain was not the decisive battle you make it out to be. Even if the Germans had destroyed British air power and radar rather than focusing instead on bombing cities (which ultimately lost them that fight), they could not have carried Sea Lion off. They lacked the logistical resources and tactical doctrine to attack a defended coastline. The true turning point of the war in Western Europe was the Battle of the Atlantic.
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With regard to the Russians...
The fact of the matter was that the Russians conquored Germany, and ultimatly Berlin itself. The Americans, British, and Canadians managed to barely enter Germany before it was over.
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And if the Russians had not had US trucks and US boots, they would not have been able to project force beyond their own border. Nevermind the food, ammunition, and fuel.
As for the the belated entry of the Western allies, you may remember a small campaign in the Ardennes...
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Stalin had been screaming for years for a second front, but only got one when he had things well in hand and the allies feared that Stalin would eventually take over the entire damn continent.
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No, he had one in Africa while he was still getting stomped. Operation Citadel occured in July of 1943, the fate of Russia was still up in the air until that point.
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With all due respect to those who fought D day, and i mean that most sincerely, the Battle of Kursk made D Day look like a tea party. Stalingrad was even more fun.
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There are three decisive battles in WW2. Midway, Atlantic, and Kursk. Kursk, however, could never have happened had we not defeated the German blockade of Europe and funneled aid to the Russians through Arkhangelsk.
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The Russian winter definitely hampered the Germans, but to say that it somehow defeated the Germans is an insult. The Russians fought longer and harder than any other country. They suffered over 20 million killed in battle. When the couldn't hold a position, they destroyed it and moved back. At Stalingrad, the combat was the fiercest of the entire war. If Russian soldiers retreated, they were shot by Russians behind them. There was no surrender.
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The winter did not defeat Germany, the spring Rasputitsa combined with idiotic strategy did. The idiocy was in the form of spliting German forces three ways rather than driving on and wintering in Moscow. The Rasputitsa did them in the next spring by halting their forward momentum and supply lines, and giiving the Russians just enough of a toe hold to hang on until US aid and organic manufacturing allowed them to take the offensive. It also helped that the Russians had the second best tank commander and the best tanks of the war.