We (and everybody else) thought Hitler would quickly defeat the Soviet Union. Many specifics can be mentioned for the Soviet Union’s success in stopping Hitler and then going on the offense:
1.U.S. lend lease (and allied coordination in general)
2.Japan not threatening the Soviet Union (and lack of axis coordination in general)
3.Stalin’s ruthlessness with respect to his own people. I don’t think a democratic leader could have survived the losses suffered by the Soviet Union.
4.The Russian people. Their capacity to suffer. May God bless the Russian people for their noble sacrifice to save their country and entire the world.
5.The brilliant strategy (or was it a strategy) of appearing to disintegrate around Stalingrad, sucking the Germans into an army group-sized ambush.
Having said this, prior to Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union, we were preparing to fight the entire gang of dictators along with their lesser allies and subordinated states. And, Churchill anticipated such a possibility.
Many people recall Churchill’s line we will fight them on the beaches, etc. Few know of what he said following this: And if it should be that we or a large part of our island is occupied, then we shall continue the war from our overseas territories until the New World comes to the rescue and liberation of the Old.
Churchill was referring to us, boys and girls, back in the days we were great.
Zhukov kicked the Japs’ butt in 1939, from that point on, Japan had no interest in taking on The Soviet Union.