Post Two!
Next up: Kingdom of Italy
Land Forces: Not the best tech wise. Italian tanks were kinda weak, their guns were not too special either. The individual soldiers weren’t too incompetent or badly trained, and when defending their home after 1943 they had some success, but the Italian land military just wasn’t the best. Still, it had a little bit of success, especially in Ethiopia (using chemical weapons though…) so it gets 2.5 Tanks.
Air and Naval Forces: Alright, their planes and ships were pretty good. Not as good as the other major powers, though. Western allied ships and planes were simply better is most ways. Still, the Regia Marina wasn’t that bad, having a bit of success in the war. I’ll give It 3 tanks.
Economy and Industry: Similar to France. Mussolini didn’t even want to join the war until he believed the Italian economy would be ready, which was around 1943. He simply believed that war was won and decided to jump in on Hitler’s success. Italian Factories were smaller and couldn’t build as much, the country was more poor, and overall just not comparable to other major powers. It built much, much less in the war. Logistics were also bad, and Italian ports, especially in Libya not being enough to supply their army in Africa was one of the main reasons for Rommel’s defeat. 2 Tanks.
Leadership and Organization: You thought France was bad? You’ve seen nothing! The army was very corrupt, with less competent people and more Mussolini’s friends in power. Systemic corruption led to many defeats, and a weak leadership allowed Mussolini to easily be toppled by the king and Grand Council of Fascism. Unlike France there really wasn’t anything good ever leading Italy, though their soldiers were pretty brave. 1 Tank.
We move on to the USSR!
Land Forces: Although bad leadership kinda messed things up, especially in the early war; I’d still give that late war USSR a top notch position. Soviet Soldiers were fighting for the literal existence of their people, and were very brave. Although early on the army was conscripted, years of fighting created millions of battle hardened veterans. Soviet tanks, artillery and guns ranged from good enough to excellent, with the most used of these such as the T-34 being some of the best in the war. The sheer numbers as well, with the Red Army being the largest in all of human history to date should also be considered. All this forces me to barely give the USSR 5 tanks.
Naval and Air forces: Navy was trash and barely existed. It only really mattered after this war, and did very little. The Air Force is more interesting, and while it wasn’t quite as large or effective as the US, it become very large and powerful, gaining air superiority over the Germans. Some Soviet Planes were especially advanced, and top of the line. Still, the navy weighs things down. 3 tanks.
Economy and Industry: Even with all the land, population and resources that the USSR lost to the Germans, the Soviet Union managed to be the second largest producer in the war. Hordes of tanks, guns, artillery and more came out of Soviet Factories, with all possible needed resources to boot. Lend Lease only provided around 7% of Soviet war expenses, and took place basically entirely after 1942, when the war was already practically won in 1943. Money didn’t really hamper the communist county too much, while some more specialized fuels and resources were received from allies, none of this was required to win the war. Because it was able to be self sufficient and produce a huge array of
materiel, the USSR gets 4.5 tanks here.
Leadership and Organization: At first it was terrible. Political commissar can execute you, Stalin micromanaged and pulled idiotic moves killing hordes of people, and a top down system led by incompetent post-purge commanders caused even more failures. However as the war went on, Stalin became less of a complete stupid garbage idiot, reducing his hold on the military, freeing commanders from the gulags, allowing competent people to take charge, and leading to a very effective military. Generals like Zhukov and Rokossovsky were some of the best in the war, turning a shattered Red Army into an effective military. Officers later in the war were experienced and battle hardened, with full confidence in the comrades they had fought for years with. Although Stalin weighed it down, the USSR still gets a good 4 Tanks.
Next up is the United States.
Land Army: Kinda Complicated. The US was not ready for a war when attacked. While it was expanded and somewhat in the process of preparing, the Great Depression and isolationism meant that the US did not really care about its military, only keeping a good navy. So when the war started, the US rushed to scrape together and throw some things at their enemy. As the war dragged on the US had a decent land force. Their tanks, mainly the Sherman were ok, getting the job done and being easy to repair and mass produce. Their guns were all somewhat heavy and complicated at times, but effective and famous. American soldiers were well trained and fought well. However that late entry and unprepared nature of the army leaves the US with 4 Tanks here.
Naval and Air Forces. This is where the US can shine. The US was large and became huge, with tribes and experienced sailors at helm that crushed Japan once the initial defeat streak had ended. US carriers were phenomenal and the planes they held were not shabby either. The US Airforce was easily the best in the war. Their planes were great and flown by well trained pilots, and combined with gargantuan numbers. The US gets 5 tanks.
Economy and Industry: Humongous. Gargantuan. Godzilla sized. Just kidding. It dwarfed Godzilla land about 10 to 1. The US had so many resources as factories that it could supply its other allies as well as fight a two front war. The sheer scale is maddening. They were supplying millions of soldiers things like chocolate and cake miles away. A German commander commented about this and how hopeless that made him feel. I remember hearing of a Japanese commander who saw more US vehicles in Tokyo after the war than he had seen in his entire life. The sheer scale of the US economy is not to be understated. An easy 5 Tanks.
Leadership and Organization: The US had quite a few good generals, and was commanded rather well. While German propaganda and Rhetoric may lead some to think that they don’t compare to generals like Manstein or Rommel, US commanders were still competent men who often times led even better than them. Still, the US really had to spawn an army out of thin air and trial and error, so it’s officer core and training wasn’t as good at first, it did improve to a good level. 4 Tanks.
