>>The Japanese were principally defeated by the Americans...<<
I think the japanese were closer to being starved out than most people realize. Behind the scenes there were peace overtures, prior to the first bomb. Also, as it was the Japanese had about 4 or 5 days between bombs... was that long enough for us to wait for a surrender plea before dropping the 2nd? Anyway, if you get around to it, check out the book called "Total War" by Wint and Peter Cav-something. It discusses Japan's looking for a way out prior to the bombs being dropped.
>>As for the European theater, if Stalin had not made his pact with Hitler, it is possible that Hitler would have accomplished little more than a minor revision of borders. Stalin's perfidy emboldened him to plunge the Continent into war, and the Soviet peoples suffered for it. They also suffered for his decimation of the officer ranks in the course of his purges.<<
Did you know that Stalin's great military opponent, Tukhachevskiy almost conquered Poland in 1920? It was Stalin's meddling which cost him the battle. Behind "Tuk's" back, Stalin convinced a couple of the other generals to attack Lvov instead of Warsaw, giving the Poles a free shot at Tuk's flank. I'm sure that was the beginning of the bitter rivalry, and it showed very early on what a numbskull Stalin could be.
>>A lot of the casualties were sustained because of ineptitude and lack of provision for the looming conflict. Without the Russian winter, it may be that Hitler would have conquered the Soviets...<<
The Russians got lucky a couple or three times after that first winter as well.
Of Hitler: "Of kings G-d would dethrone he first drives them mad." or so the quote sort of goes...
FWIW
Andy |
