The Allied Forces In World War 2 Won The War But Made A Lot Of...

Just a few observations -

20. We did not underestimate the Japanese. Read "War Plan Orange" and the other war plans. The Japanese acted exactly as we intended/wanted them to act. The only Pearl Harbor "shock" was that Germany went forward and declared war on us.

19. "Blitzkrieg" as a concept is not what did France in. France would have folded had Germany attacked the Maginot Line. All beligerents had fought successfully in WW1 and later in the Spanish Civil War. Tactics fielded then, worked. France's failure was a confusing, multi-faceted joint chief's of staff aparatus that prevented assets from being quickly marshalled to quell a threat.

18. The 1938-1939 period is many things to many people. England realizes it can't take on Germany on its own and can't count on France to take its side. Also, the British Empire has forces too far flung. Britain has to get forces back to the home islands, build more planes and get more tanks. Czech sell out is sadly needed to buy time. The ruse works. Britain is able to stave off early defeat with hidden air assets. Remember that Russia, Japan and Italy are German allies on September 1st, 1939. Had Chamberlain called Hitler's bluff over Prague, it's very possible that Britain would have been speaking German by January 1939. Also note that France's government at the time was neither pro German or anti German. So all things considered, Chamberlain made the right move.

16. Germany has many agencies (including the Post Office!) dipping into funding and carrying out research. Germany is following the wrong paths. Japan is closer but is starved of resources. Germany decides (too late) to send its resources to Japan but the submarine they ride in, is sunk by the British.

15. Dieppe was not a failure. Dieppe was a false flag to get the Germans to think France was being invaded. Had Hitler bought it, two SS divisions would have been re-routed from Russia to France which is what Stalin wanted. Churchill was under stress from Stalin to create a viable second front. Had Japan not attacked Pearl Harbor, Hong Kong and Singapore, the UK would have had three battleships and two carriers in the Dieppe task force. 15 inch guns would have crushed the Germans. As a result, the biggest ships Britain could muster were light cruisers. Their 127mm guns were no match for the 200+mm German guns.

9. The problem was US Navy torpedos. The amount of submarines was "enough". Indeed, early Japanese task forces were fired on by US subs in sufficient numbers to have ended the war had the torpedos actually worked.

4. Had Dunkirk "failed," Britain had large stocks of gas (that it had signed as having "destroyed" ha ha...). Germany knew this. So invasion - as such - would never have occurred. Additionally, the Royal Navy was the largest/most powerful in the world in 1940.

3. Pearl Harbor's "attack" had nothing to do with intel failures. The British shared their data with the USA on their stunning raid on the Italian fleet base at Taranto which was carried out in the same conditions. Additionally, the British attack was done at night, with biplanes and with less assets than Japan had. Also - politically - Japan is our tool in China from 1931 - 1939, so we do know "what they got" and "how much of it."

2. The plug was pulled on Market Garden by the Soviets (in return for joining the war in the Pacific). Market Garden's "nuts and bolts" was no more crazy than any commando raid type mission. Indeed, American air generals had to be in on it as well to provide the bulk of the lift and most of the pre-mission bombing. And as anti-British as most of Marshall's cadre were, they'd have pulled the plug if the plan was unworkable.

1. Cold War "error" not a WW2 "mistake."

This is a GREAT post. I think a lot of us think of WWII as being a great victory, forgetting that for a large part of it, we were getting our asses kicked. Despite my distant relation, I especially appreciate the perspectives shared regarding: Field Marshal Alan Brooke said at that time that Ike was a “Nice chap, no general.” I'm really glad our "nice chap" got his game on! In the photo, look at his hands vs his face. He's smiling, but his hands are in a death grip. War was taking a toll on him then, and the Presidency was nothing he ever wanted to do... all that added up to a very physically ill man who spent more time agonizing over hard choices than having a life. It makes me think of all of you folks -- and what being stateside was like for me during deployments. I just can't imagine then, Korea or Vietnam. War is so entirely different now. Thank you for the share!

We forgot the axiom of "know your enemy" and really had no clue about the Japanese. It cost us dearly in the long run.