Who won WW2 and who was the winner?

 POLITICAL NARRATIVE CAUSES DIVISION, EVEN ABOUT WW2

WHILE SOME REMEMBER VICTORY, OTHERS HATE CONTINUES

President Trump created controversy when he stated that the U.S. won WW2, he did add that the U.S. manufacturing capacity was a big part of that victory. The reality is that it was a joint victory and with any one part being absent the outcome could have been different.

The battle of Britain, primarily an air war, was instrumental in maintaining a base for the distribution of supplies from America to the allies.

The United States was indeed the "Arsenal of Democracy" and without that aid, particularly early in the war, the Germans massive and most productive industry in Europe would have been hard to beat. Eventually Britain was able to produce large amounts of aircraft and the Russians industry produced massive amounts of tanks and equipment.

As for the actual fighting and dying, the Soviet Union accounted for 80% of the german military deaths, estimated at 5 million, while losing a combined 26 million military and civilian deaths. 10 Million military and the rest from bombing, starvation and disease deaths. The German deaths on the western front were estimated at around 600,000 military and near 500,000 civilian casualties from bombing. Uk deaths 385,000, U.S, deaths in Europe 250,000. Polish deaths over 5 million. The facts don't lie, without the fact that the majority of war was fought on the eastern front and in effect that fighting crippled the German military machine, which allowed the western allies to build and prepare for the retaking of western Europe. I would wager that if there was no eastern front, there would not have been a D-day.

Yesterday we saw Russia celebrate in Moscow the 80th anniversary of the end of WW2. Many in the west opposed the celebration, even boycotted and forbid the mention of Russia in western countries, a sad display indeed. If not for the Russian effort they would all be speaking German.

The west still cannot understand the concern of Russia for its security on its western border. Some may call it paranoia, but it has experienced a history of western invasion, by France under Napoleon, The British in Crimea, the basis for the famous "Charge of the Light Brigade" and then the devastating damage from the Germans. These invasion are etched deeply on the combined memory of Russians.

You can decide who won the war, but the big winner from the war was the United States. Most of the world was devastated, it industrial capacity destroyed and only the U.S. stood untouched with a massive industrial capacity and its Gold Reserves swelling by 400 % from the payments from lend lease transactions with the allies.

It took at east 20 years for Japan, Germany and even Britain to recover. That was helped by U.S. aid in investment and protection, enabling that recovery.

Most of present day Americans have benefited from the U.S. standing in the world and the U.S. has thrived for most of the 20th century. The reality is that the U.S. has squandered its good reputation and its industry and it financial power with mismanagement and hubris and a lack of moral standing in its relations with much of the world in the last 30 years. 

The first step in regaining that standing is admitting its failures and its errors, without that recognition it will continue to have far greater problems in the future.