WW2: What did the Axis Powers call the Allies?

[ekedolphin]

I’ve seen online that Mussolini made a speech in which he called the German/Italian alliance “the axis upon which the world will turn,” and the name stuck. But what did the Axis Powers call the Allies?

[Little_Nemo]

In this poster (warning: Nazism) they’re called den Feindmächten, which means the enemy powers. (The poster translate to “Behind the enemy powers: The Jew”)

[Little_Nemo]

Found some more uses of the term Feindmächten:

Der russisch’finnische Konflikt wurde von den Feindmächten zum Vorwand genommen, um gegen Deutschland Anklagen zu erheben, und nicht nur von den Feindmächten, sondern auch von der öffentlichen Meinung der nordischen Staaten.

The Russian-Finnish conflict was used as a pretext by the enemy powers to bring charges against Germany, and not only by the enemy powers, but also by the public opinion of the Nordic countries.

Wirth ebenfalls durch seine politische Betätigung Verbindung zu führenden Männern in England und Nordamerika haben würden, über die man mit den westlichen Feindmächten in Friedensgespräche kommen könne.

Through his political activities, Wirth would also have contact with leading men in England and North America, through whom one could enter into peace talks with the Western enemy powers.

Diese Duldung und Förderung der Betätigung von Emissären im Auslande hat bei den Feindmächten selbstverständlich den Eindruck entstehen lassen, daß die ungarische Regierung kriegsmüde und entschlossen sei, die erste Gelegenheit …

This tolerance and promotion of the activities of emissaries abroad naturally gave the enemy forces the impression that the Hungarian government was tired of war and determined to take the first opportunity …

wir ehemaligen Soldaten ohne Unterschied von unseren ehemaligen Feindmächten als Verbrecher bezeichnet worden. Nicht nur die ehemaligen SS-Verbände. Nun steht die Aufstellung einer neuen Streitmacht bevor. Obwohl keiner unserer …

we former soldiers without distinction have been called criminals by our former enemy powers. Not just the former SS associations. Now a new force is about to be formed. Although none of our …

[Leo_Bloom]

Nice work. But…cite(s)? Just in general, not cold biblio. (Historian nerd here.)

[Elmer_J.Fudd]

That begs the question; what did the non-German speaking Axis nations call the Allies?

[Elmer_J.Fudd]

Double post

[Mops]

I don‘t recollect reading a phrase other than die Feindmächte either (nitpick: it is die Feindmächte in the nominative case; den Feindmächten is the dative.)

[Skywatcher]

@Elmer_J.Fudd

That begs the question; what did the non-German speaking Axis nations call the Allies?

Oni was common in Japan.

[Corry_El]

@Skywatcher

Oni was common in Japan.

Means demon/devil. I think it was most common for the Allies as in the Anglo-Americans to be referred to by abbreviating the Chinese derived word for each country, Beiei, 米英, America-Britain, which you also see on propaganda posters but in a more hostile context also kichikubiei 鬼畜米英 Devil US/British. The first character is pronounced ‘oni’ when by itself.

It doesn’t seem the Japanese had a common term which included China as part of ‘the Allies’. I don’t think the literal terms for ‘allies’ or ‘allied countries’, dōmeikuni 同盟国 was used much in Pacific War context either.

[Little_Nemo]

@Leo_Bloom

Nice work. But…cite(s)? Just in general, not cold biblio. (Historian nerd here.)

I just did a search on Google books for works that used the term Feindmächten. I then checked which ones were referring to its use during World War II (the term seems to have also been used during World War I and I may have screwed up on the third one).

“Der russisch’finnische Konflikt wurde…” Deutschland im kampf, Issues 1-8 - Page 27

“Wirth ebenfalls durch seine…” Die Angeklagten des 20. Juli vor dem Volksgerichtshof - Bengt von Zur Mühlen, ‎Andreas von Klewitz - Page 324

“Diese Duldung und Förderung…” Ursachen und Folgen: Vom deutschen Zusammenbruch 1918 - Herbert Michaelis - Page 430

“wir ehemaligen Soldaten ohne…” Hochverehrter Herr Bundespräsident! - Theodor Heuss, ‎Wolfram Werner - Page 412

[Elmer_J.Fudd]

I had no luck finding an Italian term for the Allies, but did discover a slightly less fearsome term for the Axis: Roberto (ROme, BERlin, TOkyo)