Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:08:02-2:09:37

What if Japan joined the Allies and the Soviet Union joined the Axis?

An Allied Japan would release British power from the Pacific and expose the Soviet Union to eastern and Arctic pressure without crucial imported industrial inputs.

Arctic WarfareImperial Japanese NavyLend LeaseSoviet UnionWorld War II
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Question

How would World War II change if Japan joined the Allies and the Soviet Union joined the Axis?

Short answer

Britain would gain freedom in the Pacific, while the Soviet Union would face eastern pressure and major shortages without Allied industrial aid.

Notes

An Allied Japan would release Britain from defending against Japan in the Pacific, worsening the position of Italy and Germany. The Soviet Union could face invasion in the east by the Americans and possibly the Japanese, with Arctic warfare becoming more important. The war might last roughly as long, with the Soviet Union probably the last opponent still fighting. Soviet industry would face shortages of the imported materials and equipment it received historically. High-grade aluminium, machine plant, and factory inputs mattered alongside the better-known deliveries of tanks and trucks.