@haxorboy:
http://www.ambafrance-us.org/news/statmnts/2000/ww2/index.asp
That took two seconds to look up on google and I am sure there are many more, but since they are not noteworthy I guess you don’t recognize them.
Remember we landed forces in France as Germany had rolled all the way over to the coast? If we don’t get involved Germany has alot more reasources available to work on the Eastern front. The US was not the only force present but if D-Day never happened and we never secured a way to get aground for the rest of the countries with that many troops, Russia falls sweety. To re-enforce this, and I apologize for using liberal media source:
http://www.486th.org/Photos/Misc/stats.htm
You figure we had probably 40% of our total troop count on the ground in Europe, so that is like what, 6 and a half million troops. Plus without the Normandy landing ( and I am not discrediting any nation here ) I dont’ think the pooled resources of the rest of the allied nations could have secured that or any other coastal landing point to begin a staging area.
I’m not argueing that the US forces had no hand in stopping Hitler. I’m saying that they were not needed for a victory, only to speed up the victory already fated to occur.
For instance, if Russia had not been involved but had remained neutral, do you think the British and Americans would have won world war 2? Not a matter of delayed victory, I’m talking victory at all.
Also, at the time of D-Day, I believe you yankees and limeys already had a European beach head called Italy. You could have invaded up from there instead of adding another beach head in France. AKA you did’nt NEED normandy, you WANTED normandy and it cost you a lot more lives then many other engagements have cost you in past, present and possibly future engagements.