luv2run wrote:
The English fought valiantly. The French army, like most of western Europe, was over run quickly, not prepared for the German speed or force. But the French resistance was an important part of winning the war.
Spain was neutral to preserve itself.
The Soviets had the manpower to handle the Germans. The US had the industrial might (and pretty good manpower itself).
You might want to check out the casualty count
http://www.nationalww2museum.org/learn/education/for-students/ww2-history/ww2-by-the-numbers/world-wide-deaths.html
Spain was neutral because they'd just fought a 3 year civil war, and the government and generals were split between which army to join. It's rumored that Churchill bribed Spanish generals not to join the Axis powers.
Key turning points in Europe included
- Hitler's military incompetence, such as his decision to stop the advance on the British Expeditionary force at Arras, against his Generals' advice, when they could have destroyed the British and French armies and prevented the evacuation of 1/2 million Allied troops, and his decision to divert some of his Eastern forces to the Ukraine;
- The Battle of Britain;
- The decision not to invade Britain, perhaps because Goering overestimated the strength of British miltary forces but also the fact that Germany naively thought they could form an alliance with Britain to fight the Soviets (hence Rudolf Hess's flight to Scotland;
- the Allied victory in the Battle of Tobruk, securing North African fuel supplies.
- Stalingrad
- American and British bombing raids
Many experts conclude that the Allies had won the war before the Americans joined and Germany would have been crushed by the Russians anyway. Plus Britain would have faced a greater struggle without American supplies.
The Russians would have made much more extensive inroads, perhaps capturing the whole of Germany and Austria.
American involvement made a huge difference in ending the War in 1945 and the bravery and sacrifices of US soldiers was amazing. By shortening the war the US also prevented the further advance of Soviet forces, which may have led to an all out War between the US and the Soviet Union.