Big thumbs up for the US

[Easy Drifter]

No one knows but there is a good chance the Soviet Union would have taken all or almost all of Europe.
Of course once Germany pulled, as they would have, almost all troops out of France and the low countries to defend Germany, Britain might have been able to attack the continent without US aid.
Almost certainly have been a different world.

[Hondo]

We would have continued with sanction upon sanction while Japan absorbed as much of China and other Asian nations as it could until it was forced to stop by the lack of troops to occupy any more territories. By then, the sanctions would have little effect due to all the raw materials Japan would have acquired with her "new" lands.

There is a lot of documentation that Hitler never wanted war with England. He liked, respected, and had a certain kinsman-ship feeling towards them. I have seen speculations about Hitler NOT stopping his troops outside of Dunkirk and putting the British forces in the bag before the evacuation could start. If Hitler had gone public, again stating he did not desire war with England along with an offer to send their troops home as proof of his word, Churchill's government might have fallen and the whole thing would have stopped there.

The USA was already playing fast and loose with all kinds of laws by supplying England with all manner of war material and attacking German warships on the high seas so I think we would have come into it openly if England were invaded.

[Tazio]

No one knows but there is a good chance the Soviet Union would have taken all or almost all of Europe.
Of course once Germany pulled, as they would have, almost all troops out of France and the low countries to defend Germany, Britain might have been able to attack the continent without US aid.
Almost certainly have been a different world.

There is as much, if not better chance Russia would have taken a serious "Beat-Down" from Germay and Japan without The US being involved in the war with Japan than there would be of it occupying continental Europe! IMO ailor:

[Eki]

There is as much, if not better chance Russia would have taken a serious "Beat-Down" from Germay and Japan without The US being involved in the war with Japan than there would be of it occupying continental Europe! IMO ailor:

That's what I think too. Especially if Britain had made peace with Germany or even allied with them against the Soviets.

[Camelopard]

As I expect Fiero will agree the most effective way to deal with guerilla/terrorists is small special forces units like the SAS, Delta Force and Canada's J2T2. Especially ones who can live off of the country and remain mostly out of sight and cooperating with locals.

It didn't work for the Soviet special forces (Spetsnaz) in Afghanistan, so why do you think it would work now? You also seem to forget that the afghanis have been defeating foreign 'invaders' going back to what was called 'the big game' in the 1800's.

Something else you have forgotten is that in your list of countries in an earlier post (quote "The countries who actually are fighting the Taliban terrorists being the US, UK, Holland and Canada" unquote), you seemed to have forgotten that Australia and New Zealand also have troops in Afghanistan including SAS units, I suppose that the talkback radio stations where I presume you get most of your knowlege from does not mention that!

[Camelopard]

'the big game' in the 1800's.

bugger, that of course should be "The Great Game......"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Game


Whilst I'm at it you mention these special forces "cooperating" with the locals!

Have you ever stopped to consider that the "locals" may not want to cooperate with these special forces?

[Easy Drifter]

I do not listen to talk radio or any radio.
I do read extensively.
The 4 countries I mention are the ones doing most of the heavy lifting and suffering the most casulties in their regular troops.
Special Forces are a totally different matter and game.
Special Forces, especially the SAS including the Aussies, have had the most success against terrorists and literally operating without major support in hostile territory.
Maybe it won't work in Afghanistan but it sure has elsewhere.
I know exactly how they operate.
Nobody has ever really subdued the Afghanis.

[Hondo]

Except for special forces checking an area out for a week and the odd "shoot n' scoot", I wouldn't be on the ground at all in Afghanistan. The special forces could be inserted for missions lasting from a week to ten days or less. They would be under orders to avoid contact unless, at the very end, they were to snatch a bad guy VIP. They might be used to laser paint distant targets. On a shoot n' scoot, 20-30 troopers would airlift in, kill every thing they could and grab whatever documents they could find within 10 minutes, and then get out of there. Surrender would not be requested or accepted. I would not have any troops stationed on the ground.

[Tazio]

Except for special forces checking an area out for a week and the odd "shoot n' scoot", I wouldn't be on the ground at all in Afghanistan. The special forces could be inserted for missions lasting from a week to ten days or less. They would be under orders to avoid contact unless, at the very end, they were to snatch a bad guy VIP. They might be used to laser paint distant targets. On a shoot n' scoot, 20-30 troopers would airlift in, kill every thing they could and grab whatever documents they could find within 10 minutes, and then get out of there. Surrender would not be requested or accepted. I would not have any troops stationed on the ground.

And then after they extract/kill the VIP (making a BFD on the news about it) another one is created.
ailor: Let's just get everyone the feck out period!

[Eki]

And then after they extract/kill the VIP (making a BFD on the news about it) another one is created.
ailor: Let's just get everyone the feck out period!

Exactly. The Muslim fighters don't have a living central figure like Hitler, Emperor Hirohito or the Pope. The only ones who really matter to them are Allah and Mohammed. You can't kill Allah and Mohammed is already dead, so what do you do.