[Zhang Fei]

[Well I think more it was a case that Stalin and Hitler felt they would have the advantage over the other with the Pact, and both were gambling their side would be the beneficiary.

Stalin was hoping a war in the West would bleed the German, French and British armies dry, so the Red Army could easily swoop in and grab Europe.

Hitler was hoping the British and French would back down on their support of Poland, which would then free up Hitler for his inevitable war on Russia.

Stalin wasn’t counting on France falling in such a way that the German Army for the most part would remain intact, and able to invade Russia. And Britain and France still declared War on Germany. So things didn’t quite go the way either wanted. ]

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I don’t mean they were friends. I mean they were allies. An ally is a friend of convenience, or not a genuine friend at all. They were thieves dividing up the loot (Poland). The US understood that non-intervention would lead to a Europe controlled by either Germany or Russia, which would have the resources to expand towards the Americas.

[dfwgator]

But in most cases allies don’t plan on going to war with each other.

Hitler and Stalin both knew they would eventually clash.