Comments by "John Burns" (@johnburns4017) on "Why didn't Hitler go through Turkey to get the Caucasus Oil?" video.

  1. The Turkish ambassador to the UK stated that the UK can raise 45 million troops from its empire so will win. This point was given credence when an army of 2.6 million was assembled in India to fight the Japanese. Turkey stayed cool towards Germany, except when they were in the southern USSR - in case of German invasion. Through 1942 British Commonwealth troops were fighting, or seriously expecting to be attacked, in: ♦ French North Africa; ♦ Libya; ♦ Egypt; ♦ Cyprus; ♦ Syria, where an airborne assault was expected, with preparations to reinforce Turkey if they were attacked; ♦ Madagascar. Fighting the Vichy French to prevent them from inviting the Japanese in as they had done in Indochina; ♦ Iraq; ♦ Iran. A potential German invasion from the north entailed expanded British troop deployment until the Germans were defeated at Stalingrad; Those troops were more in numbers than were facing Japan and Rommel combined.
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  2.  @brianlong2334  "In theory only," No. In practice Re-read what I wrote.
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  3.  @brianlong2334  Americans were Johnny-come-late in WW2. Apart from the US Philippino forces that surrendered in early 1942, the US had a couple of divisions in Gaudalcanal after August 1942 and one in New Guinea by November 1942. In 1943 the US managed to get up to six divisions in the Pacific, but still not matching the British or British Indian armies respectively. Until late 1943 the Australian Army alone deployed more ground fighting troops against the Japanese than the USA. The Americans never put more ground troops into combat against the Japanese at any point than just the British Indian Army alone, which was 2.6 million strong. The US had nowhere near 2.6 million men on the ground against the Japanese. The Soviets fielded over one million against the Japanese. Most Japanese troops were put out of action by the British and Soviets, not the USA - FACT. At the battles of Khohima and Imphal the Japanese suffered their worst defeat in their history up to that point. Then the British set the Eastern and Pacific fleets against the Japanese, not far off in numbers than the US fleet. The British Pacific Fleet assisted US troops protecting the western coast of Okinawa with its armoured carriers - they could operate way nearer to the coast than wooden decked US carriers. The Australian navy assisted the US navy all through the Japanese war. It was less than 10 months before the Japanese surrender before the US actually fielded an entire army against the Japanese. That was in the Philippines. Before that it was just divisions fighting on scattered islands for a month or so at a time. The British Commonwealth fielded over 100 divisions in 1942 alone, compared to the US total of 88 by the end of the war. In 1944/45 the British kept back 110,000 troops in the UK, while allowing the US to build up forces in Europe. The only nation that could raise massive armies that could fight on any front. The biggest agents in the defeat of the Nazis and Japanese were the British. Stop getting your history from Hollywood and poor History Channel documentaries.
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  4.  @brianlong2334  I am giving the big picture. The British from its Empire/Commonwealth could raise massive armies - and did. It could have raised more as the manpower pool was massive. You only raise an army large enough to for its needs. Armies are horrendously resource hungry and expensive to maintain. In WW2 for the British it was a matter of equipping armies. There was not enough equipment being made to go around. Also, equipment was being outdated in a matter of months. In 1941 the USSR was 200 million in population, with Germany in 1939 at 80 million. In 1941 the USA was 133 million in 1941. The USA's military numbers was quite small to its population, yet myth has it that they contributed more than anyone in materials and men.
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  5.  @brianlong2334  Yes, the British did have a massive manpower pool. Obvious isn't it. The Turkish ambassador to the UK stated that the UK can raise 45 million troops from its empire so will win. He stated this to Franco, who kept out of the war fearing the British occupying Spanish islands and territory. Franco did emphasis to to Hitler that the British would probably win. Hitler did not like Franco because of his attitude. Franco was being realistic.
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  6.  @konosmgr  In 1941 the British were concurrently fighting in all theatres of war, in all corners of the globe and against better prepared forces of greater numbers. Germany’s war was regional, extending from their borders - all logistics went directly over land back to Germany, apart from North Africa where the Italians provided the sea transport back to nearby Italy. Italy and Vichy France too. Japan’s war was confined to a radius around Japan. Taking on all these countries and securing wins for the free World was pure brilliance. As well as achieving the first three victories against the ‘unstoppable’ German military war machine, Britain achieved that which no other nation in the world could even possibly dream of accomplishing in the early 1940s. Britain fought a global war in the: ♦ Middle East; ♦ Far East; ♦ Indian subcontinent; ♦ Pacific; ♦ North Africa; ♦ West Africa; ♦ East Africa; ♦ North Atlantic; ♦ South Atlantic; ♦ North Sea; ♦ Barents Sea; ♦ Arctic Sea; ♦ Mediterranean; ♦ Adriatic; ♦ Mainland Western Europe; ♦ Eastern Europe; ♦ Scandinavia. The British were the only military power in human history to fight in such globally spread theatres of conflict. For the third year running, Britain was propping up an ally - France 1940, USSR 1941, then the USA in 1942. The incompetence of the US Navy to provide convoy protection on its east coast almost lost the allies the Battle of the Atlantic. Six hundred ships off the US eastern seaboard were lost in the first six months of 1942. Shipping losses climbed to a level that undermined British ability to supply themselves, keep the Soviets in the war, and keep reinforcements flowing to the Middle East and Asia. The British quickly deployed 60 escort vessels to cover the US coast. In 1942 the USA was a liability. For most of 1942 the British Commonwealth held the line, kept back the combined efforts of Germany, Italy and Japan, with minimal input from the USA compared to her potential power, keeping the Atlantic and Indian oceans open with supplies flowing to the vital armies in the Middle East and Asia, and to the USSR. No other empire in the history of the world has been capable of such a sustained multi-continent and multi-ocean operation. In 1942 the British Commonwealth was fighting a three continent, four ocean campaign, against three major powers and keeping the USSR supplied. The thousands of tanks and aircraft sent to the USSR would have saved Singapore. The total British losses of territory and people in the early war were: ♦ One third of the territory the Soviets lost; ♦ Half of the people the Americans lost - mainly Philippines; Yet those nations were fighting only on one front and only against one of the three powers. The British Commonwealth had far more ground troops in action against the Japanese than the Americans. Also the British were maintaining sea control over the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Mediterranean and Indian Ocean. And then provided aircraft carriers and cruisers to help in the Pacific - while the USA concentrated mainly on just one of those theatres.
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  7.  @konosmgr  You are very confused. Probably been looking at Hollywood movies.
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