# "We want a list of the most impressive feats accomplished in WWII" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 18, 2016, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-want-a-list-of-the-most-impressive-feats-accomplished-in-wwii/755069 "2016-05-18T06:59:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-want-a-list-of-the-most-impressive-feats-accomplished-in-wwii/755069/21 "2016-05-18T20:09:29Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > And that’s a shame. The Eastern Front is such a tragic portion of history. In my opinion the Eastern Front has ramifications today in how Russia views Europe and its borders. The amount of people the USSR lost during that war is not properly comprehended by the West. The Soviet Union would have lost a lot fewer people if it hadn’t been so willing to ally with Germany in the first two years of the war. Not killing its own people would have helped too. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-want-a-list-of-the-most-impressive-feats-accomplished-in-wwii/755069/22 "2016-05-18T21:00:44Z")
Are you just including combat related stuff like sniper kills? Or are you also including feats of logistics like building over 2,700 Liberty ships between 1941 and 1945 (largest number of ships produced of a single design). ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-want-a-list-of-the-most-impressive-feats-accomplished-in-wwii/755069/23 "2016-05-18T21:10:20Z")
I think it depends on how the term “impressive feats” is defined. Does “the first real development of the jet airplane” count? ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-want-a-list-of-the-most-impressive-feats-accomplished-in-wwii/755069/24 "2016-05-19T20:13:07Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > The Soviet Union would have lost a lot fewer people if it hadn’t been so willing to ally with Germany in the first two years of the war. > > Not killing its own people would have helped too. Those are both true. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-want-a-list-of-the-most-impressive-feats-accomplished-in-wwii/755069/25 "2016-05-19T20:22:31Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Are you just including combat related stuff like sniper kills? Or are you also including feats of logistics like building over 2,700 Liberty ships between 1941 and 1945 (largest number of ships produced of a single design). Or the fact that the state of Texas alone produced 5 times more oil for the Allies in WW2 than was used by the entire Axis war machine, both German and Japanese? > **[Military Expenditures, Strategic Raw Materials, Oil Production \> WW2 Weapons](https://www.ww2-weapons.com/military-expenditures-strategic-raw-materials-oil-production/)** > > Military Expenditures, Strategic Raw Materials, Oil Production \> for prices in 1944: $1 = c.£0.21 = c.RM 2.22): > **[Military production during World War II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_production_during_World_War_II#Resources)** > > Military production during World War II was the production or mobilization of arms, ammunition, personnel and financing by the belligerents of the war, from the occupation of Austria in early 1938 to the surrender and occupation of Japan in late 1945. > The mobilization of funds, people, natural resources and material for the production and supply of military equipment and military forces during World War II was a critical component of the war effort. During the conflict, the Allies outpaced the A... ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-want-a-list-of-the-most-impressive-feats-accomplished-in-wwii/755069/26 "2016-05-19T21:14:10Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Are you just including combat related stuff like sniper kills? Or are you also including feats of logistics like building over 2,700 Liberty ships between 1941 and 1945 (largest number of ships produced of a single design). [Pluto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Pluto)and [Mulberry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulberry_harbour) impress the heck out of me. "How will we supply our troops after they land? We’ll adapt cable laying technology so we can run pipelines under the ocean and construct two prefabricated harbours, tow them across the channel and land men and material straight onto the beaches - you’ve got 24 months so get cracking." And let’s not forget the Manhatten project. “We’ll develop a super weapon based on cutting edge physics. Because we’re not certain which is the best approach to follow we’ll pursue two entirely separate paths, one of which uses an element first isolated during the project itself. We’ll need over 100,000 workers, two billion dollars and factories across the USA. There’s no guarantee it’ll be physically possible, and certainly it’s unclear whether we’ll have a usable product before the war ends.” Okay, get it done." ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-want-a-list-of-the-most-impressive-feats-accomplished-in-wwii/755069/27 "2016-05-19T21:29:55Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > [Pluto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Pluto)and [Mulberry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulberry_harbour) impress the heck out of me. > > "How will we supply our troops after they land? > > We’ll adapt cable laying technology so we can run pipelines under the ocean and construct two prefabricated harbours, tow them across the channel and land men and material straight onto the beaches - you’ve got 24 months so get cracking." > > And let’s not forget the Manhatten project. > > “We’ll develop a super weapon based on cutting edge physics. Because we’re not certain which is the best approach to follow we’ll pursue two entirely separate paths, one of which uses an element first isolated during the project itself. We’ll need over 100,000 workers, two billion dollars and factories across the USA. There’s no guarantee it’ll be physically possible, and certainly it’s unclear whether we’ll have a usable product before the war ends.” > > Okay, get it done." “Oh, and _keep this quiet!_ There’s a war on, you know!” ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2016, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-want-a-list-of-the-most-impressive-feats-accomplished-in-wwii/755069/28 "2016-05-20T07:48:08Z")
[The Dowding system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dowding_system) was mightily impressive, as was the Dunkirk evacuation. But for sheer bravado and massive brass balls, the raid on [St. Nazaire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Nazaire_Raid) wins for me. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2016, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-want-a-list-of-the-most-impressive-feats-accomplished-in-wwii/755069/29 "2016-05-20T13:43:05Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > .406 was no small accomplishment, either. Both DiMaggio and Williams were American and did these things before Pearl Harbor so, sorry, they’re a year too early. 🙂 (The hitting streak was a more remarkable feat.) ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2016, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-want-a-list-of-the-most-impressive-feats-accomplished-in-wwii/755069/30 "2016-05-20T14:10:33Z")
When I first read the OP, I, too, assumed “feats” to be constrained to technological developments. Obviously, I would need clarification from the school or newspaper as to what angle they are looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Pantastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3bc359/32.png) [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2016, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-want-a-list-of-the-most-impressive-feats-accomplished-in-wwii/755069/31 "2016-05-20T14:15:45Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > “We’ll develop a super weapon based on cutting edge physics. Because we’re not certain which is the best approach to follow we’ll pursue two entirely separate paths, one of which uses an element first isolated during the project itself. We’ll need over 100,000 workers, two billion dollars and factories across the USA. There’s no guarantee it’ll be physically possible, and certainly it’s unclear whether we’ll have a usable product before the war ends.” One thing that puts the priority and scale of the Manhattan project in perspective is that they were having a hard time getting enough copper for wiring because of how much copper was being used for war production. Rather than try to pull copper from military use that would hinder other projects, they simply borrowed 15,000 tons of silver from Fort Knox for wiring. [Construction of Y-12](http://www.atomicarchive.com/History/mp/p4s4.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2016, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-want-a-list-of-the-most-impressive-feats-accomplished-in-wwii/755069/32 "2016-05-20T14:45:34Z")
Of course Axis, and other — unaligned such as the Chinese communists [both the Soviets and the Americans supported the KMT under their boy, the Chinese Washington Chiang Kai-Shek: so Mao’s chaps can’t be considered _Allies_, but were non-nazi ( still, it’s complicated since many Chinese, including communists, had been trained and armed by Germany before the war, when Germany preferred China to Japan )] — forces must count. However, the first half dozen at random off the top of my head, despite my being so totally bored with WWII and nazis it’s wasteful to spend time on this: Skorzeny’s Rescue of Mussolini. Siege of Cholm Pocket Kesselring’s glacially delayed retreat up the scenic mountain chains of Italy Battle of Midway ( admittedly I know nothing of the Pacific War nor naval affairs — but it was rather a killer ) The Battle of The Factory, Stalingrad ( both sides ) Taking of Crete by parachute And as a bon bouche: the first mass glider assault in history, the Fort of Eben-Emael. Actually these are starting to sound like **Thief** episodes: with Garret mixing it with the Hammerites and Pagans… Still, there were tens of 1000s of heroic deeds from each armed force of each nation. After a while the good and bad fades into the general background of ‘History’. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-want-a-list-of-the-most-impressive-feats-accomplished-in-wwii/755069/33 "2016-05-21T02:21:53Z")
Sorry everyone, I clarified poorly. The poll doesn’t reflect the thread OP. Do you \*think \*an American school or newspaper would want “Allied-only?” ---
**Author:** ![Commodore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Commodore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commodore)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2016, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-want-a-list-of-the-most-impressive-feats-accomplished-in-wwii/755069/34 "2016-05-21T04:45:37Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Sorry everyone, I clarified poorly. The poll doesn’t reflect the thread OP. > > Do you \*think \*an American school or newspaper would want “Allied-only?” Of cause it would only want Allied-only. At school we never had anything directed at the other side being anything of any worth at all, the Japs were all 5ft tall and half blind the Italians were all just idiots and all the Germans were all evil. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-want-a-list-of-the-most-impressive-feats-accomplished-in-wwii/755069.md?page=1)