Hitler certainly hoped to get Britain and even maybe France to help him fight the Soviet Union. No doubt of that. But it would not have been in anyone's interest except Hitler's if they had.

Churchill hated the Soviets, but I believe he hated the Nazis even more. Mind you, he hated the Japanese too, come to think of it...anyway, he was enough of a pragmatist to do everything possible to help Russia once Germany had attacked them.

I regard both the Nazi regime and the Stalinist regime as monstrosities.

The Final Solution? Hard to say what might have happened with that, given different circumstances. I'm not going to stick my neck out and hazard any guesses.

The citizens of all the involved countries did their utmost on the whole to support the war effort. In this they demonstrated the patriotism and courage which is typical of embattled populations everywhere. I feel sorry for those who lost their lives, their property, and their loved ones...in whichever country.

I would far rather live in a world where the USA, England, and Russia emerged triumphant, given the choice. The Russians eventually overthrew Stalinism, and moved on to better things.

Toadfrog pointed out that Germany declared war on the USA. Yes! What an act of madness on Hitler's part! By doing so he signed his own death warrant. I do not believe for a moment that the Japanese would have done him a similar favor. In fact, they gave him no assistance whatsoever in fighting Russia, which was a matter of life and death for Germany. They studiously avoided any conflict with Russia until the Russians finally attacked them in the last few days of the war (Stalin was hoping to gobble up some more territory while there was still time to).

The Japanese were pragmatists. Hitler was not. He was an idealogue of the most dangerous sort...and he no doubt believed that God was on his side. His decisions were based on emotion, not logic. Scary stuff. I pity the career officers and ordinary soldiers who served under him, and who were again and again asked to do the impossible.

- LH