I suspect the sentiment of being afraid of someone had less to do with their warfighting capability and more to do with the perceived barbarity of the opponent.
Just as the Germans would have rather fought the Americans than the Russians, the Americans would have rather fought the Germans than the Japanese.
In general, Americans were not beheading their German captives, slicing off their genitals and stuffing them in their mouths, or vice versa.
In General. So yes, I am glad that the Soviets threw their citizenry at the Germans...after all, there was a treaty that was broken and there was an invasion. We have always been fortunate in the USA...we have two oceans insulating us, and we don't have to worry about invaders coming into our country, flattening villages and the enemy lining everyone up against the wall and shooting them. We have a lot to be thankful for as Americans. Would my country have fought with the same degree of barbarity if Germany had invaded the USA and used the same tactics they did on the Soviets or the Soviets on the Germans? Unfortunately, probably yes. The fighting in the Pacific took place outside of urban areas for the most part, and it was barbaric. No quarter was given out there. American soldiers killed Japanese with no more compulsion than if it had been killing rats in many cases.
When Americans came into town, the people in Germany didn't go running out the other side of the town towards the Soviet lines to try and make it across to them, and there was a reason for that.
Just curious though...if Germany's good fighter pilots were gone by 1944, where did they go and when?
As far as I know, they were there in 1939 through 1942 still adding to their scores. Did the Russians killed them all off? Or was it the American bomber raids? Or was it the British? 1943 must have been a really bad year if they all disappeared in 1943.
Of course, for the Japanese, all THEIR really good pilots DID disappear in 1943, with few exceptions.
Just curious though...if Germany's good fighter pilots were gone by 1944, where did they go and when? As far as I know, they were there in 1939 through 1942 still adding to their scores. Did the Russians killed them all off? Or was it the American bomber raids? Or was it the British? 1943 must have been a really bad year if they all disappeared in 1943.
Naturally a mixture of everything. 5 years of war made the situation of 1944 Germany quite difficult. I am not speaking about aces like Hartmann or Rudel but I spaek about the usual fighter pilot in Germany. If you fight for some years the chance to die is quite high. I.e. my Granddad was a Luftwaffe-pilot since 1934 and he was used as a flight-instructor without any combat missions until 1944 since he was involved into a fistfight with his disciplinarian because of my grandmother :-) in 1939. It saved probably his life that he was not "promoted" and send to the front like his comrades. Most of them died. Those flight instructors were kept completely out of the fighting because they were important multiplicators to the Luftwaffe. Then the war situation became that precarious and the shortage of pilots was that eminent that they started to use even this important basement against the allies since most of the other experienced pilots were dust. This is why he fought against American and British opponents with some "success" although the war was already lost for Germany since 1943. Unlike the majority of the German late-war pilots he belonged to this small well trained elite due to his long time experience. He told me that his commanders started to send 17-year old boys into fights with Mustangs after they recieved a 12-hour training knowing exactly that they will not have any chance to survive. Fighting to the very end can turn out quite crazy sometimes.