What role did Russia play during this second World War?

Question by The Thinker: Russia and World War II?
What role did Russia play during this second World War? Why did Russia ally with Germany at first, but then later on they became enemies such with the battle of stalingrad. Why did Russia turn on Germany? And is it true that without Russia, the U.S. would have lost the War?

Answers and Views:

Answer by Lalana
Russia was never on the side of Germany; both sides wanted to expand and pretended to be each other’s friends.

Answer by casimir2121
Russia played a critical role in WW2.

Indeed Russia and Germany were never really Allies. They signed a non-agression pact in Sep 39, in order to divide Poland between themselves. Stalin bought himself time to modernize his forces to eventually attack Hitler, and Hitler bought himself time to take care of the western threats to Germany before focusing on Russia.

After the fall of France and the unwillingness to fully emphasize on beating the British, Germany turned to their main ideological enemy, the Soviets. Hitler was scared Russia would attack within a year or two and wanted to seize the initiative first, which he did by declaring war on Russia in Summer of 41.

Finally, it is true that without Russian manpower, the US and the rest of the Allies could not have defeated Germany. The war in the east between those 2 powers was the pinwheel on which the victor would emerge. Had Germany beaten the Soviets out of the war, it would have been relatively impossible for the Allies to even liberate France, let alone invade Germany.

The war was won by the surplus of American materials/supplies and Russian manpower. The US would not have lost persay, but Europe would certainly have had to accept German hegemony over the continent. It would have been an entirely different status quo with America dominating the western hemisphere, Germany the Eurasian mainland, and the Japanese the far east.

Answer by brainstorm
Russia signed a non-aggression pact with Germany before WW2 and in September 1939 both countries attacked Poland with Germany occupying the western part and Russia occupying the eastern part.
Both countries carried out major atrocities in Poland with Russia shooting 30,000 captured Polish officers in the Katyn Forest.
Hitler’s intentions had always been to invade Russia but when France and Britain declared war on Germany on September 3 1939 he felt he had to deal with them first
In May 1941 Germany invaded Russia and crushed all opposition until December when they failed to take Moscow.
By February 1943 the Russians had seized the initiative after the German defeat at Stalingrad and most of the best of the German army was destroyed by the Russians up to the end in May 1945.
Without Russia or Britain the USA would not have defeated Germany.

Answer by Tim D
Germany turned on the Soviet Union.

It is evident that without Russian manpower and British naval- and air- power German intentions of expansion could not have been prevented.

Answer by Bigredan
Russia won the war – ok with a lot of Allied help – but 35 million dead, the battles of Stalingrad, Kursk, Leningrad & Berlin say they won it.

Read all the answers in the comments.

What do you think?