The Eight Worst Mistakes Made by the Allies in WWII

Blackleaf

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They actually started in 1936 at which time Hitler already had a 3 year jump on them.


Why would the British have started preparing for war as early as 1933?

And no matter when Britain started preparing for war with Hitler, Britain's "appeasment" of him ended long before America's did.
 

Blackleaf

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To enhance their chances of defeating the enemy?

But there was nothing during 1933 to suggest that we needed to prepare for war with Germany, was there?

And to say that "Germany had a three year head start on Britain in 1936" is again showing what little research you've done. The Germans didn't start rearming until 1935 (helped by American industrialists). Or, at least, any rearmament before that was undertaken in secret so, unless the British Government were psychic, they couldn't have known about it.

The British, as well, were just recovering from the Depression in the early 1930s which had crippled their economy and couldn't afford a war.
 

JLM

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But there was nothing during 1933 to suggest that we needed to prepare for war with Germany, was there?

And to say that "Germany had a three year head start on Britain in 1936" is again showing what little research you've done. The Germans didn't start rearming until 1935 (helped by American industrialists). Or, at least, any rearmament before that was undertaken in secret so, unless the British Government were psychic, they couldn't have known about it.

The British, as well, were just recovering from the Depression in the early 1930s which had crippled their economy and couldn't afford a war.


Perhaps my information is wrong but we learned in school that Hitler was busy arming in 1933.
 

Blackleaf

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Perhaps my information is wrong but we learned in school that Hitler was busy arming in 1933.

Do you not read what I post?

Plus, judging by my experience here, the chances are that what your North American teacher told you was a load of cobblers.
 

lone wolf

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But there was nothing during 1933 to suggest that we needed to prepare for war with Germany, was there?

And to say that "Germany had a three year head start on Britain in 1936" is again showing what little research you've done. The Germans didn't start rearming until 1935 (helped by American industrialists). Or, at least, any rearmament before that was undertaken in secret so, unless the British Government were psychic, they couldn't have known about it.

The British, as well, were just recovering from the Depression in the early 1930s which had crippled their economy and couldn't afford a war.
A German airforce might have been a good clue - so would German troops marching into the Rhineland. Face it. You slept
 

The Old Medic

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t's bones, you REALLY need to stop smoking that inferior stuff!

Had Germany won in Europe, they would have been in a great position to take on the USA.

The mistake the US made was NOT declaring war in September 1939. That would have ended the Great Depression in the USA, and would have allowed for the defeat of Germany much sooner.

There was no way that the USA could have avoided being drawn into that war.

Had they been able to do that, Germany WOULD have defeated all of their European foes, would have dominated the entire world with their control of Europe and the technology of that entire area. They WOULD have turned on the USA eventually, with overwhelming force.

By YOUR stated beliefs, the USA should never have any allies, and should not live up to any agreements that they have made with other nations.

Hate to tell you, but in December, 1941, the USA was a 2nd rate military power. Our fleets were mostly old, our aircraft were primarily obsolete, our tanks were laughable, etc., etc. Had we sat on our ***, and done nothing, we would not have developed the manufacturing, and the many innovations, that we did because we were at war.
 

damngrumpy

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To start with the British and the west believed their own propaganda with the
war to end all wars WWI They failed to maintain sufficient strength should it
be required. Thus when it came to Germany attacking Poland they were not
prepared appeasement was the order of the day. Yes they went to the French
Mainland but they allowed Hitler to build up in Military arms that the Allies no
longer had in sufficient supply. Even under threat of a German Invasion
Britain did not have enough weapons to hold them off.
The Blitz another matter the French always dig in with a line of defences they
can't defend. Louisbourg on Cape Breton Island is a testament to that. In fact
it was not an Allied problem so much as it was a French problem.
They did not underestimate the Japanese. Some say they knew they were
coming to Pearl Harbour about an hour before they arrived and before that
they knew because the moved the aircraft carrier s. America needed the attack
to declare war on Japan once that got started German declared on America
and the Americans responded with the main force in Europe.
Dieppe was a waste no matter how you look at it and the Germans knew the Allies
were coming. What is more informative is they continued in order to keep the secret
that the British cracked the code of the Enigma Machine the Four leaver one.
Unconditional Surrender was the only alternative Naiz power would not be tolerated
in Europe period. The people frustrated by war would not stand for conditional surrender
and the Russians wouldn't have gone for it either.
Remember Rome was never really taken, it was declared an open city and respected by
all sides. Anzio was a blood bath but then Artona on the Adriatic where the Canadians
were was considered the Western Fronts Stalingrad. My old man told me a lot of stories
about that place he fought there.
Yes there were blunders blunders are a part of history in the end the Germans made more
than the Allies. There is an old saying You learn more from a single mistake than you do
from all your successes.
 

WLDB

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The mistake the US made was NOT declaring war in September 1939. That would have ended the Great Depression in the USA, and would have allowed for the defeat of Germany much sooner.

If FDR had had his way that probably would have happened. Most of the US seemed to want to stay out of it at any cost until the threat was brought to them directly.

But there was nothing during 1933 to suggest that we needed to prepare for war with Germany, was there?

Mein Kampf came out in 1925. If anyone had bothered to read it they'd see Hitler laid out most of what he planned to do. Its so strange that everyone was surprised when he actually started to do it.
 

petros

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Mein Kampf came out in 1925. If anyone had bothered to read it they'd see Hitler laid out most of what he planned to do. Its so strange that everyone was surprised when he actually started to do it.
The same way people are denying the tyranny of the Patriot Act.
 

WLDB

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They actually started in 1936 at which time Hitler already had a 3 year jump on them.

Not really. Hitler took a big gamble at Munich. He admitted that had the French and the British been willing to go to war over that he would have had to withdraw from Czechoslovakia. They were in no way ready at that point. Unfortunately no one took advantage of that.



As I've already said - and I'm fed up with repeating myself, so hopefully it'll get through this time - the Germans had a Tripartite Agreement to abide by, and as long as the US was fighting the Japanese the Germans had to help their Japanese allies and fight the Americans.




You're just trying to get around the fact that I proved wrong the comment that the Allies did nothing for eight months.

And we all know that Germany under Hitler always lived up to the deals they made. Just ask the Czechs, the Polls, the Soviets. Declaring war on the US was a choice, not a requirement. The Japanese didnt declare war on the Soviet Union when Germany went to war with them. The Italians didnt declare war on France and Britain when Germany did. They waited til a few days before France surrendered.

And no, I wasnt trying to get around what you said. I acknowledged that what you said was correct and then pointed out that that victory meant very little in the grand scheme of things. Sure, it was great PR for the propaganda machine but it had no effect on the Germans ability to make war. An attack on Germany itself on land would have had a much larger effect. If they had caught Germany off guard with such an attack they might have ended the war relatively quickly. Instead they sat back and waited for months while Germany moved its forces from Poland to the western borders. That was a big mistake and one doesnt need hindsight to recognize that one.
 

Blackleaf

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.Declaring war on the US was a choice, not a requirement.

As I've already said, Germany's declaring of war on the United States was a requirement under the Tripartite Agreement:

From the BBC, 11th December 1941:

Adolf Hitler made his announcement (that he has declared war on the US) at the Reichstag in Berlin saying he had tried to avoid direct conflict with the US but, under the Tripartite Agreement signed on 27 September 1940, Germany was obliged to join with Italy to defend its ally Japan.

"After victory has been achieved," he said, "Germany, Italy and Japan will continue in closest co-operation with a view to establishing a new and just order."

He accused President Roosevelt of waging a campaign against Germany since 1937, blamed him for the outbreak of war in 1939 and said he was planning to invade Germany in 1943.

The Japanese didnt declare war on the Soviet Union when Germany went to war with them.

Only because the Japs, with their light and medium tanks, had no intention of taking on Soviet tanks and aircraft until they could be certain that the Wehrmacht had smashed the Red Army to the brink of defeat.

The Italians didnt declare war on France and Britain when Germany did. .

That's because the Germans didn't declare war on France and Britain. France and Britain declared war on Germany, and did so a year before the the Tripartite Agreement was signed.

Britain declared war on Germany because Germany invaded Poland, and Britain therefore honoured a treaty it had with Poland, which was similar to the Tripartite Agreement, in which either Britain or Poland would come to the other's aid should it be invaded by Germany.

Germany declared war on the US, but it never declared war on France and Britain.

I acknowledged that what you said was correct and then pointed out that that victory meant very little in the grand scheme of things.

And I proved that the "fact" that the Allies (not including the US, which did nothing for two years) did nothing for eight months was wrong. The British were already battling and defeating Germany in battles in 1939.

Quote: Originally Posted by The Old Medic
The mistake the US made was NOT declaring war in September 1939. That would have ended the Great Depression in the USA, and would have allowed for the defeat of Germany much sooner.

That's debeateable. Some historians are of the impression that Roosevelt and the Americans did nothing during WWII except prolong it.

Roosevelt has also been criticised as an anti-Semite who did not act decisively enough to prevent the Holocaust. Critics have pointed out that the Americans knew that the Nazis were slaughtering Jews but did nothing to prevent it and cite instances such as the 1939 episode in which 936 Jewish refugees on the SS St. Louis were denied asylum and not allowed into the United States because of strict laws passed by Congress.

In fact, the anti-Semitic views of the American government during WWII echoed those of the Irish Government during WWII. The Irish Free State's president at the time, De Valera, was a raging anti-Semite, as were many in his government, and many Irish politicians wanted all the Jews to be kicked out of the Irish Free State and for Nazi Germany to win the war.

Compare the attitude of the Americans and the Irish to that of the British - Britain gave asylum to 80,000 Jews in 1939 alone.

After the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the white American athletes were invited to meet Roosevelt. No such invitation was made to the black athletes including even Jesse Owens, who had won four gold medals. A widely believed myth about the 1936 games was that Hitler had snubbed Owens, something that never happened. Owens said, "Hitler didn't snub me--it was [FDR] who snubbed me. The president didn't even send me a telegram." (Triumph, a book about the 1936 Olympics by Jeremy Schaap)
 
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chineseroman

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I said "staying out of the European war." If you don't understand "European," I can't help you.


Because I think the U.S. should have stayed out of Europe's troubles entirely, and let the continental Germans and the offshore Germans settle their family feud on their own.
I agreed with you. If the allied force are justice,why they supported USSR which was the most evil country?
 

Goober

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I agreed with you. If the allied force are justice,why they supported USSR which was the most evil country?
Lend-Lease - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the World War II program. For the company, see Lend Lease Group.
President Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease bill to give aid to Britain and China (1941)

Lend-Lease (Pub.L. 77–11, H.R. 1776, 55 Stat. 3034, enacted March 11, 1941)[1] was a program under which the United States supplied Great Britain, the USSR, Republic of China, Free France, and others Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and August 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of World War II in Europe in September 1939. This was nine months before the U.S. entered the war in December 1941. Formally titled An Act to Further Promote the Defense of the United States, the Act effectively ended the United States' pretense of neutrality.
 

chineseroman

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Lend-Lease - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the World War II program. For the company, see Lend Lease Group.
President Roosevelt signs the Lend-Lease bill to give aid to Britain and China (1941)

Lend-Lease (Pub.L. 77–11, H.R. 1776, 55 Stat. 3034, enacted March 11, 1941)[1] was a program under which the United States supplied Great Britain, the USSR, Republic of China, Free France, and others Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and August 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of World War II in Europe in September 1939. This was nine months before the U.S. entered the war in December 1941. Formally titled An Act to Further Promote the Defense of the United States, the Act effectively ended the United States' pretense of neutrality.
Why U.S. support USSR.