Why the Allies Won World War II

Through the greater part of World War II, the Axis held significant advantages. Hitler’s rapid takeover and domination of the European continent early in the war made it difficult for the Allies to even get to the Germans. The often-used euphemism “Fortress Europe” was all too accurate; with France, Scandinavia, and the lowland countries defeated and fortified by the Germans, an Atlantic attack was made nearly impossible. Axis nations to the south and east, as well as the natural obstacle of the Alps similarly made Mediterranean entry into Europe unfeasible. How then did the war end in Allied victory?

Richard Overy in his book Why the Allies Won cites the war at sea as one decisive factor. Early in the war, Germany dominated in this arena, threatening Great Britain through submarine warfare. In 1939, England was in a position of dependence upon imports. Half of her food and nearly two-thirds of her raw materials came from overseas. Germany, perhaps in a lesson learned by the hardships caused by British blockades in WWI, saw this dependency as a weakness they could exploit to obtain the upper hand. If enough ships could be sunk, the British would not have the supplies to continue the war and would be forced to surrender. In 1939 Germany’s navy seemed rather insignificant with only three pocket battleships, eight cruisers and eighteen submarines. The advance of technology dramatically changed the face of naval warfare; it was no longer a matter of big ships and big guns. Instead of spectacular and decisive battles, naval war now meant a war of attrition. What really mattered now was aircraft, and in 1941 alone German aircraft destroyed one million tons of British shipping.