Q&A · 17:21-20:02

Britain, empire, and a long war of attrition

A claim that only the United States or Soviet Union could defeat Germany prompts an argument about British industry, sea power, and imperial resources.

Question

Could Britain defeat Germany without the United States or Soviet Union doing the decisive work?

Short answer

Yes, over a long war, by combining industrial and naval superiority with the resources of the empire and sustained economic pressure.

Notes

Britain was not a small isolated state waiting for a larger ally to win the war. It had a substantial industrial base, heavy bombers, a mechanized army, and a fleet far larger than Germany's. A land campaign without an ally would be difficult, but the traditional British method combined naval and economic pressure with financing and supplying continental armies. Canada, Australia, South Africa, India, and other imperial resources expanded the available personnel, production, and raw materials. A Britain-Germany war would be long, but German economic exhaustion still made eventual British victory plausible.