Hi Sid
Sid Guttridge wrote: Certainly the UK and France were allied. But they didn't have to be. They were separate states.
The fact remains that France and the UK chose to be allied before the war with Germany. They worked in step with each other.
Sid Guttridge wrote: Nor, even with a combined metropolitan population of 85 million were they significantly larger than Germany with 80 million (if one discounts its Slavic minorities).
Again, you conveniently ignore the French/British colonies (adding "metropolitan population" after my initial comment). With the colonies Germany is now significantly outnumbered. Add the British dominions and the balance is far worse for Germany. In Australia for example, there was absolutely no doubt that a war between Britain and Germany automatically meant Australia was going to war with Germany.
Sid Guttridge wrote: It should also be borne in mind that Germany was allied to Italy, yet Rome did not enter the war for nearly a year. Alliances tend not to be as reliable or deployable as unitary states.
It all depends on what the prior arrangements were. Britain and France for example declared war on Germany on the same day. Both countries obviously worked in co-operation. This alliance was quite robust. Hitler would have been a fool to assume France and Britain would not work in unison and behave like Italy (especially after the British treaty with Poland).
Sid Guttridge wrote: Certainly, in isolation, my point about Germany's size is simplistic. Any point in isolation will tend to be so. As I wrote earlier, "Of course there is much more to it than that, but size was a significant factor both in Nazi Germany's military rise and its decline."
Then why make such a simplistic statement (on its own) in the first place? Especially as it has little value.
In 1940 Germany's population was outnumbered by it's enemies in the British-French alliance.
Being the "single biggest combatant" label (based on population) can be argued of Germany prior to war with the USSR, but it is misleading and of little value. If you just look at Britain plus its empire (which acted in unison during the war) as an integrated bloc then that label for Germany will fail.
Regards
Dennis