The Second Best Army of World War II

[Grenzland]

I never said that Poland army was the best in the world and undefeated. They weren't, of course, but Polish army did have a good reputation back in the day.

Ah you mean 17th century!

Now I understand!

[Baluarte]

Was Poland-Lithuania strong (don't know much about it)?

For what I gather, before they were quasi-vassals of the Russian Empire, they were very influenced by France. Perhaps before that?

[Grenzland]

Was Poland-Lithuania strong (don't know much about it)?

What? You never heard of the Polish army? How can this be? They are very famous in Poland!

[Petros Houhoulis]

No. That's quite logical and the most secure way!

Polish army best army? Nice joke!

That's why they fought so long?

Same with the Greek army. Just the support of the British troops helped them to stand against the Wehrmacht so long.

Actually the Brits were totally useless because they couldn't even blow up the Tempi pass. They were so slow that the Wermacht caught up with them. On the other hand the Wermacht didn't really fight the Greek army because the latter was trapped in the Albanian front giving hell to the Italians. The Wermacht attacked an almost empty Metaxas line and while some paratroopers reached Thessaloniki within a week, many of the individual forts near the border were still standing and fighting. Some of them had to surrender because they had run out of ammunition like the Π8 gunnery where the commanding German officer called the Greek corporal who had finished his 38.000 bullets to surrender, and when he did he walked him out, showed him the dozens of Wermacht corpses lying around, congratulated him and executed him...

The casualties in the periphery of the Rupel fort were 14 dead and 38 wounded for Greece, with 555 dead, 2.134 wounded and 170 missing in action for Germany. Meanwhile the British troops refused to go to the Greek frontlines and kept guarding the Kaimakchaklan-Vermio-Olympus line, where they were totally ineffective...

...But the Brits indeed fought in Crete - Mostly their Maoris...

Red Army was bad equipped but they were many!

Americans were cowards but well equipped.

The best armies were the Wehrmacht + Waffen SS, Brits and Japanese.

[Petros Houhoulis]

They were not capable to attack so i can not place them among the best, soviets didnot have much greater numbers at begining, temperature made advanced soviet equipment worthless. If winter war happened on summer they would be defeated in a few weeks.
I do not wanna belittle finns. They had balls to fight in a war they could not win, unlike many others, but need to be realistic they were good only in their forest and around their lakes

i would put finns into same category with greeks. Finns got advertising, greeks not. So finns are more famous

We got advertising too:

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler#1941

For the sake of historical truth I must verify that only the Greeks, of all the adversaries who confronted us, fought with bold courage and highest disregard of death.

speech before the Reichstag, 4 May 1941

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bl.../2373531/posts

I am sorry because I am getting old and I shall not live long to thank the Greek people whose resistance decided WW2.

– Joseph Stalin (From speech broadcast over radio after victory of Stalingrad January 31 1943)

You fought unarmed and won, small against big. We owe you gratitude because you gave us time to defend ourselves. As Russians and as people we thank you.

- Joseph Stalin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzZPJqaVadY

Hence you will not say that Greeks fight like heroes but that heroes fight like Greeks?

Winston Churchill.

On the other hand, the Wermacht could not use their tanks in much of Greece, especially in the Metaxa line. Their only advantage was air support, against the few remaining Greek troops not chasing Italians...

[Petros Houhoulis]

they are

Ironically the Maoris who sent the Germans running in panic in Crete with their shouts were not much different...

[Petros Houhoulis]

German tanks were much better than russian tanks

nothing could't beat tiger

Both wrong. The T-34 was the best tank of WWII:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T-34

The T-34 was a Soviet medium tank produced from 1940 to 1958. When it first appeared on the battlefield in 1941, German tank generals von Kleist and Guderian called it "the deadliest tank in the world."[5][6] The T-34's 76.2 mm high-velocity gun was the best tank gun in the world at that time; its heavy, sloped hull armour was impenetrable by standard antitank weapons; and it was very agile. It has often been described as the most effective, efficient and influential design of World War II,[7] although its armour and armament were surpassed by later tanks of the era.

I wouldn't hire an Albanian for a military consultant. After all, you guys were owned by the Italians!!!

[glass]

We got advertising too:

if you ask random american, he/she will tell you, finns won winter war and kicked soviet asses. 100k finns killed 1 million soviet soldiers etc etc. If ask random american about greeks in ww2, what will that american tell you? nothing!

[Petros Houhoulis]

if you ask random american, he/she will tell you, finns won winter war and kicked soviet asses. 100k finns killed 1 million soviet soldiers etc etc. If ask random american about greeks in ww2, what will that american tell you? nothing!

Why ask random U.S.Americans anything?

[glass]

Why ask random U.S.Americans anything?

well that was metaphor example.
Even on this forum you can see how ignorant majority is, and im not only talking about albanians...