We didn't. The Russians threw 20 million bodies at them before we really got into the fight.
In a straight up match, those Germans would have kicked our @$$e$ to hell and gone.
Try those lines at a VFW post.
Germans were scared to death of Patton, for one.
Then we basically defeated the Warsaw Pact countries without firing a shot.
Sure you don't want to revise and extend your remarks?
I have often thought the same thing. Unless there was sufficient time to build a War Machine before the war. Not likely.
It looks as though all of N Europe minus the ex-commies have developed the Death Instinct. Can you imagine Vikings accepting such behavior, they were used to dishing it out.
Italy was a pretty straight up match, and so was the Bulge. We didn’t run them from the field but things were pretty even. There was a line used by John Milius on some late night show, maybe Letterman, in the weeks following 9/11. Someone said to him that it would be a mistake to go after the Taliban. They were too tough on thrir turf. Milius said “We took Iwo Jima. Could the Taliban have taken Iwo Jima.” But then, they were Marines.
A lot of “ifs”.
If Japan hadn’t been a military on the march in Asia, and Germany had done something like sinking a big passenger ship full of civilians like they did in 1915, we likely could have done a full blown Patton/Puller on Germany without helping the soviets so they could help us.
The war in the Pacific was fought against soldiers that were suicidal in their attacks. The US had battles won and still lost men to those guys that refused to surrender.
IMO, without Japan Hitler wouldn’t have been as bold, or he would have been smashed much sooner.
Our Shermans were no match for the Panzers, but we could throw ten into the fight against every Panzer, so we eventually overwhelmed them with quantity.
This is not to disparage our GIs, who fought bravely and well. They should be a source of great pride for every American.