re: At full strength who was more powerful in ww2 Germany or US?

You forgot to take into consideration the US was fighting in the Pacific as well as Europe. Germany's navy was primarily U-Boats. Our navy was light years ahead in size as well as our air corps.

quote:

---

I'm curious if Germany never attacks Russia could the US have defeated Germany when they were at full strength?

---

Yes. Our industrial capability and population size were enough to supply and man a war on two fronts. We would have lost a shite load more solid overs, but we would have eventually won. Germany simply did not have the resources the allies did.

That’s not even a question. Our industrial might would have crushed Germany even without allies, it just might have taken longer. They had a very small blue water navy and we had the biggest. Once we figured out how to hunt down their u-boats the war was over. They made some damn quality tanks but for every one they could produce we sent 10 Shermans off the line with interchangeable parts and skilled crews that could fix their machines in the field. All that is not even calling the most important factor; air power. Germany had no heavy bombers and we had thousands along with long range fighters and skilled pilots that rotated to teach the new crop and replenish our numbers while German pilots had to “fly till they die”. By 1944 most German pilots had very little combat experience as the ones that did were already dead. Patton was right though. We should have used the German army to turn and go after the Soviets while we had the forces over there to do so and then maybe there is no 40 year Cold War.

quote:

---

Why did Japan attack US?

---

The most well-thought out act of national suicide in history. None of the rational men who planned and executed the attack on Pearl Harbor gave themselves a 1 in 10 chance of actually defeating the U.S. military outright.

They knew they had a huge initial advantage that would quickly evaporate in a prolonged war. They felt they could expand their borders, sue for peace and have a stronger position than status quo ante. They counted on America to be passive. They counted wrong.

Those that survived the war largely conceded that if they had known the U.S. would insist on a relatively total war outcome with no (little) negotiation, they wouldn't have signed off on it.

quote:

---

They signed a non-aggression pact but I don't think Hitler never intended to keep his word. Stalin

Neither did Stalin.

---

The only reason Germany invaded the USSR instead of the other way around was because Germany believed they had a sufficient advantage to make such an undertaking likely to be successful. Had the shoe been on the other foot, Stalin would have not hesitated.

The United States in 1945 has an argument for being the strongest country relative to its peers in the history of mankind.

Hitler's biggest mistake was when he bombed Pearl Harbor.

Similar figures for the British male fighting population between the early 20’s and mid 40’s.

NO ONE was full strength unless we fed them.

quote:

---

We fought a 2 front war also and beat Japan with the Pacific front getting way less material than the European Front plus we were arming our allies at the same time.

---

However, fighting Japan was different. A lot of it was island hopping where the jap held islands were left to wither and die. Yes, there were pitched battles like tarawa, Guam, etc, but those were usually done within a month’s time. The japs were masters of jungle fighting and it was as brutal as any, however, there weren’t long drawn out campaigns.