Garnett said:
mrstickball said:
Garnett said:
The Russians were on the offensive since 1943, against Germany. USSR never attacked Japan, though they said they would they never did.
@themanwithnoname
Hitler invaded Russia because they were enemies, Hitler and Stalin never liked eachother but both agreed to be at peace. Funny thing is German troops were doing good until Stalingrad and Winter, their tanks never started in the cold harsh Russian winter, while the Russian tanks could start in -30 weather.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet%E2%80%93Japanese_War_%281945%29
USSR attacked manchuria in August 1945, and killed an estimated 80,000 Japanese troops. I'd consider that an attack.
@FinalFan - I was talking about the USSR's involvement in the Pacific theater, not Europe. The Soviets did nothing until 1945.
About the Stalin-Hitler comparisons - yes, Stalin was awful, but again, I believe that Hitler's guidance led to more tactical mistakes than Stalin. I'm not saying Stalin was great because, as you said, he jailed and killed a lot of dissenting soldiers and leaders. However, when it comes down to it, Hitler still made the major blunders that led to Germany's defeat.
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Oh, i never knew that. Well i take back my statement then.
Maybe Stalin had his hands full until 1945?
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No. Stalin agreed to hold of on striking out eastward until Hitler was finished. The Soviet Union and Japan had a neutrality pact until the USSR broke it in August 1945. These terms were established at the Tehran and Yalta conferences in 1943 and early 1945 between the 3 allied states (USSR, USA and GB). Stalin also wanted to make sure he didn't have to deal with a 2-front war until the real threat - the Germans - were dealt with.
Once Hitler was of no more concern, Stalin invaded Manchuria with ungodly force - 1.5 million men in a brilliant pincer attack. From my understanding, this major attack (which started shortly after us nuking the Japanese) helped coerce the Japanese into surrender along with the bombings, because the Japanese lost so severely to the Russians.
