|
|
#71
07-04-2006, 03:12 PM
|
|||
|
|||
Re: What was the biggest mistake made during WWII?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] The allies not invading and whiping Russia off the face of the map after the fall of Berlin like Patton wanted to. [/ QUOTE ] Are you kidding? There was no way we were going to lose millions of lives to attack the Russians. You do know we lost like 300,000 people and the Russians lost approx 20 million? The Western world underestimated the strength of Russia. So did Hitler. [/ QUOTE ] The Americans had the atomic bomb by the end of the war, they did not need to lose millions of lives in attacking Russia. Patton was right! No country was as devastated by the war as Russia. It is true that without US supplies it could not survive. It is incredible how many lives were lost by the Russians. There was simply no regard for casualties in Soviet thinking. It was a total fight to the finish. The Soviet Union would have crumbled and the cold war avoided if the US either had not intervened during the war, or went on to fight the USSR after the Nazis were destroyed. We are sitting here because the Cuban missle crisis was resolved. Imagine if it had not been? The whole thing could have been avoided if men with guts did their duty 15 years previous. 
|
|
#72
07-04-2006, 03:12 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: What was the biggest mistake made during WWII?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] I haven't read the other replies in depth yet (skimmed; lot of interesting stuff I'll get to), but the biggest mistake of WWII was not made during WWII. It was the Versailles Treaty. Or possibly the American entry into WWI in the first place. One or the other. The next biggest mistake was also not made during WWII, but after, at Yalta. After that would be Roosevelt maneuvering the United States into war, foolishly believing it would finally alleviate his Fabulous Depression. [/ QUOTE ] What decisions do you think made at Yalta were mistakes? [/ QUOTE ] The ones that plunged tens of millions of Eastern Europeans into barbarous communist rule for half a century. Way to save them from the Germans! [ QUOTE ] What other options were there? [/ QUOTE ] Not doing the above. The best option would of course have been to not get involved in a foreign war in the first place. [ QUOTE ] Someone before said we should have attacked Russia. That is just an absurd and ignorant suggestion. [/ QUOTE ] If Roosevelt had not died, you can bet your ass that is exactly what would have happened. Except he would have arranged it so that it appeared that Stalin had attacked us. One thing that you should keep in mind when looking at world history during and before WWII is that Mussolini, Hitler, Stalin, and Roosevelt were essentially the same man, very similar personality types and approaches to rule. They were all megalomaniacal socialist dictators who blamed everyone else for their disasters and were pretty much willing to do whatever they thought necessary to extend their power. They only differed in degree. I consider it pretty much a historical accident that the winners and losers turned out the way they did, and I doubt the world would be qualitatively very different nowadays if a completely different set of victors would have come out of the war.
|
|
#73
07-04-2006, 03:24 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: What was the biggest mistake made during WWII?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] The Germans made numerous mistakes as well. Engaging in battle with Russians, although it can be viewed as a mistake now, was inevitable. The clash of ideology between Totalitarian Hitler and Communist Stalin was enough to cause that altercation. Furthermore, the German population held a deep resentment towards Russians, as evidenced by their gruesome battle and treatment of POWs. [/ QUOTE ] Yes their ideologies were much different but Stalin had signed a non agression pact with Hitler. Stalin did not want to fight Germany. Stalin didn't even believe Germany had invaded because he took Hitler's word. Once Germany was like 500 miles in he realized he was getting attacked. [/ QUOTE ] As you've pointed out, the Germans initial attack on the Soviet Union (Barbarossa) was a huge success. If Hitler didn't have a man crush on obliterating Stalingrad and Leningrad, the German army would've been in Moscow before the first winter and the invasion would have undoubtedly been a success. Fighting the Soviet Union was inevitable. The fact that Barbarossa had a huge surprise effect even shows that it was a well-timed decision.
|
|
#74
07-04-2006, 03:30 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: What was the biggest mistake made during WWII?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] Hi Andrew: I slightly disagree. My candidate would be Germany declaring war on the United States the day after Pearl Harbor. This meant that the US would immediately start supplying Russia which would give it a chance to survive. If that didn't happen, Germany might have won on both fronts. best wishes, Mason [/ QUOTE ] I wasn't aware that United States supplied Russia. We supported morally against Hitler. But did we really transport supplies over there? They weren't using our oil or weapons... so I'm not sure what your talking about. You might be correct though. [/ QUOTE ] wpr101, After Germany declared war on the United States, we extended the Lend-Lease shipments to Russia. We donated tanks (they didn't need these; the Soviet Union manufactured more tanks than Germany) and aircrafts (they did need these). United States also sent over 400,000 motor vehicles (Dodge trucks), over 10 million winter boots (HUGE advantage here over Germany), 5 million tons of food, and locomotives and train supplies.
|
|
#75
07-04-2006, 03:55 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: What was the biggest mistake made during WWII?
[ QUOTE ]
Axis: Getting the Americans actively involved in the war by bombing Pearl Harbor. Allies: Americans diddling around in Africa waiting for the Germans to exhaust their resources in Russia. [/ QUOTE ] i think pearl harbor was necessary for japan, they were running out of oil. what's more interesting about that was that, the impression i get is that... it was not clear at all we were also going to war with germany, germany declared war on us and decided it.
|
|
#76
07-04-2006, 04:02 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: What was the biggest mistake made during WWII?
I think the Axis grossly underestimated the power of US industry. Once all the manufacturing was switched to war mode, there's more ships, guns, tanks and aircraft than you'd ever need. Germany and Japan for that matter had virtually no way of touching the US mainland, so one way or another, the supply of troops and armour was never really going to end. Unless of course the Japanese finished off the US pacific fleet, good and proper.
I think also once the Allies started taking back territory after the D'Day invasion, Hitler was too stubborn to pull his troups back concentrate his forces. They were easily surrounded, and some of the old video's of burnt out vehicles and stuff. Lambs to the slaughter. I wonder if Germany didnt invade Eastern Europe, would Russia have initiated the eastern front, or would have they sat back and allowed Germany to roam free in Western Europe. I dont really know that much about it, but am really enjoying the thread.
|
|
#77
07-04-2006, 04:03 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: What was the biggest mistake made during WWII?
[ QUOTE ]
Hi shaundeeb: I think you can argue the opposite. Atomic bombs would have developed anyway and the prior usuage has alerted the world to their destructive power and horror making many countries reluctant to use them again. Best wishes, mason [/ QUOTE ] this is weak backward hopeful thinking. people knew at the time what the abomb would do and scientists petitioned to get rid of them and not use them right away. we didn't need to blow a couple up to learn from the mistaek.
|
|
#78
07-04-2006, 05:25 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: What was the biggest mistake made during WWII?
For those who say that Germany's biggest mistake was attacking the Soviet Union, consider this - the whole point of the war was for Germany to attack the Soviet Union. Everything before that was prelude, Barbarossa was the main show.
Mistake it might have been, but there was no way it wasn't going to happen.
|
|
#79
07-04-2006, 05:46 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: What was the biggest mistake made during WWII?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] The allies not invading and whiping Russia off the face of the map after the fall of Berlin like Patton wanted to. [/ QUOTE ] Are you kidding? There was no way we were going to lose millions of lives to attack the Russians. You do know we lost like 300,000 people and the Russians lost approx 20 million? The Western world underestimated the strength of Russia. So did Hitler. [/ QUOTE ] The Americans had the atomic bomb by the end of the war, they did not need to lose millions of lives in attacking Russia. Patton was right! No country was as devastated by the war as Russia. It is true that without US supplies it could not survive. It is incredible how many lives were lost by the Russians. There was simply no regard for casualties in Soviet thinking. It was a total fight to the finish. The Soviet Union would have crumbled and the cold war avoided if the US either had not intervened during the war, or went on to fight the USSR after the Nazis were destroyed. We are sitting here because the Cuban missle crisis was resolved. Imagine if it had not been? The whole thing could have been avoided if men with guts did their duty 15 years previous. [/ QUOTE ] This is just ludicrous, not only to assume that US would have a chance in defeatign USSR but in doing it promptly... You just lost any credibility you had.
|
|
#80
07-04-2006, 06:05 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: What was the biggest mistake made during WWII?
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] Axis: Getting the Americans actively involved in the war by bombing Pearl Harbor. Allies: Americans diddling around in Africa waiting for the Germans to exhaust their resources in Russia. [/ QUOTE ] i think pearl harbor was necessary for japan, they were running out of oil. what's more interesting about that was that, the impression i get is that... it was not clear at all we were also going to war with germany, germany declared war on us and decided it. [/ QUOTE ] Bruiser, Once America entered the war, we were solidly entrenched on the Allied side (not just against Japan). Yes, Germany declared war on the United States, but this was simply a formality (the Tri-Patriacte (sp?) Act between the Axis powers required each to declare war on mutual enemies). For further proof, the American policy upon entry to the war was "Europe First," and then the Pacific.
|
 |
|
|
Linear Mode
