What defines an Axis nation?

[krimsonglass51]

I believe that it is any independent nation that signed the tripartite pact and spent most of the war on the side of the Axis. Nations like Yugoslavia do not count since they were invaded by Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria months after signing the Tripartite Pact. Slovakia and Croatia were puppet states created by Germany. Also, Finland, Thailand, and Iraq never signed the Tripartite Pact.

In short, Germany, Italy, Japan, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria can be listed as true Axis nations.

[kgbudge]

Can you give me some good sources on the fact that Thailand never signed the Tripartite Pact? There's an editor at Wikipedia that keeps adding statement that Thailand was part of the pact, based on a single unreliable source. I'd like to nail it down there.

Or not. I am not fond of Wikipedia and wonder if it's really worth correcting its most egregious errors.

[NilsTh]

Sweden could hardly be considered as an "axis nation", although we did help Germany a lot.
More than half of of the iron ore for the German weapons industry came from Sweden.
It was a very lucrative business for Sweden.
This business continued until the fall of 1944.
It only stopped when the insurances for the ships became too expensive at the end when Germany was practically defenceless. Some ships were sunk by british torpedo boats and aircraft.
About three fully loaded ships went from Sweden to Germany every day.

[Rob - wssob2]

Can you give me some good sources on the fact that Thailand never signed the Tripartite Pact? There's an editor at Wikipedia that keeps adding statement that Thailand was part of the pact, based on a single unreliable source. I'd like to nail it down there.

This is a quote from p.390 of Robert B. Asprey's War in the Shadows: The Guerrilla in History (William & Morrow, 1994):

"...The Kingdom of Siam (Thailand) posed a unique problem to British and American planners in India and China. An independent country, it had slipped into Japanese orbit and had even declared war on America and England, a bellicose posture that seemingly denied a tradition of diplomatic dexterity, the work of Prime Minister Pibul Songgram.