Shocking Sizes Of Armies In World War II (Compared To Present Day)
World War II Armies By The Numbers
World War II was history’s bloodiest conflict. It consumed the world and led to millions of deaths. One of the reasons that the war was so horrible was due to the size of the militaries involved. World War II saw tens of millions of people serve in theaters around the world. Compared to military sizes today, the armies in World War II were absolutely massive. In fact, some of these numbers are shocking.
Here are the sizes of the armies involved in World War II compared to their modern counterparts.
Axis Armies
Compared to the Allied nations, the Axis nations were relatively small. They had smaller populations, smaller resource bases, and less territory overall. This was a major hindrance to their war effort in the long run. Despite the bottlenecks, the Axis nations managed to field some truly spectacular military forces. Germany’s armies in World War I and World War II were some of the largest and most formidable forces in history.
Nazi Germany
World War II: 13.6 million
Present Day: 182,000
At its peak, Nazi Germany had nearly 14 million people serving in the military. Germany’s army managed to bog down Allied armies in Normandy, Italy, and Russia for weeks despite being outmanned and outgunned in many situations. Germany deftly deployed troops to various theaters across Europe. Eventually, being outnumbered became too much for the Germans, who fell to a two-front war in 1945. By the end of the war, Germany lost 4.3 million soldiers, which accounted for roughly a third of all active duty personnel.
Today, Germany’s army only has 182,000 members. Europe has been queasy and uneasy about letting Germany’s army swell, and for good reason. Due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Germany has pledged to double its military spending and grow its army into a more formidable force.
Fascist Italy
World War II: 2.5 million
Present Day: 165,000
Italy had a large army during World War II, but it was seen as largely ineffective by both the Allies and the Germans. Italy fielded large forces within Italy and in North Africa, but they were often easily swept aside due to poor equipment and poor training. Large numbers of Italian forces surrendered during the war both to the Allies and to Germany. Italian units fought in Greece, Albania, and Russia during the war.
Today, Italy’s army contains just 165,000 members. Italy is no longer a military power and is on good terms with most of its neighbours. Italy is a founding member of NATO and enjoys protection from the military alliance.
Imperial Japan
World War II: 5.5 million
Present Day: 248,000
Japan had one of the smallest populations of all of the major powers during World War II. Japan had just 71 million people which lagged far behind Britain, the US, Germany, and Russia at the time. Despite that, Japan fielded a massive army containing 5.5 million people. These soldiers were scattered all around the Pacific, China, Burma, and Korea. At the end of the war, Japan threatened to conscript and train large swaths of the home population, which could have swelled their ranks to 30 million or more in case of an American invasion of the home islands. This is one of the reasons the US decided to drop the nuclear bombs on Japan instead of forcing an invasion.
Due to their aggression during World War II, Japan has a series of constitutional limits on their military which keeps it contained to a reasonable self defense force. Due to growing tensions with China and North Korea, Japan is building up its military in ways not seen since World War II. Still, today’s military is much smaller, and different, than it was during World War II.
Allied Armies
The Allies had a formidable task at the start of World War II. Facing a trio of expansive powers, the Allies were immediately put on their heels. Germany invaded France, Greece, and the USSR in rapid succession, leading to some of the worst retreats in history. Japan attacked the United States, Great Britain, and the Dutch nearly simultaneously in 1941. At first, it seemed like the Axis would keep the advantage throughout the war. Instead, the Allies managed to field some of the largest armies in world history and stem the Axis tide. The Allies had some truly massive armies that dwarfed their current militaries.
United States
World War II: 16 million
Present Day: 1.4 million
The United States roared to life during World War II. More than one person in Germany and Japan lamented the fact that the war woke the United States’ industrial engine. In 1939, the United States had just 300,000 active duty personnel in the Army and Navy combined. By 1945, the United States had 16 million men serving in uniform. The US fought in nearly every theater of World War II, from the Central Pacific to Australia, Africa, Italy, Germany, Belgium, and more.
Today, the US army is still formidable, but it is much smaller than it has been in the past. Since the US armed forces are a wholly volunteer unit today, membership fluctuates. The US spends more money on defense than any other nation on Earth to procure the latest weapons and armaments for its troops.
Great Britain
World War II: 2.9 million
Present Day: 76,000
Great Britain was a significant contributor to World War II. Drawing on a massive international empire, the British fielded 2.9 million people. Many of the British units were made up of colonial soldiers from places like South Africa, India, and Ireland. The British fought an expansive war from North Africa to Italy to Papa New Guinea and Burma. Eventually, the British pushed into Germany itself.
Today, the British Empire is gone, and Britain’s army stands at just 76,000. That is 39x smaller than it was during World War II. Britain enjoys strong protection due to geography, as well as a nuclear program and NATO membership.
France
World War II: 1.2 million
Present Day: 120,000
At the start of World War II, France had 900,000 active duty servicemembers defending the nation. That number was severely diminished after the Fall of France in 1940. France rebounded by 1945 and swelled its army to 1.2 million. Due to the fractured nature of France during World War II, this number was far lower than other major Allied powers, but they still managed to put ten divisions into Germany by 1945.
Today, France’s military is advanced and they enjoy a robust home industry for arms and armor. France’s army totals roughly 120,000 today, which is ten times smaller than its peak during World War II.
The Soviet Union
World War II: 34 million
Present Day (Russia): 1.1 million
The Soviet Union fielded one of the largest armies in history (if not the largest.) At its peak, the Red Army had an estimated 34 million people serving. This incredible amount of manpower is what propelled the USSR to ultimate victory. Without such a deep pool of men, the Russians would have struggled to make it to Berlin. Fielding such a massive army came with a massive cost. Over 6 million Soviets died in combat during World War II, which is a shocking number.
Today, Russia still has one of the largest armies in the world in terms of manpower, but the number is thirty times smaller than it was during the Second World War. Russia’s army has just 1.1 million active-duty members today. That number could fluctuate as Russia continues to fight a war in Ukraine.
Conclusion
One of the reasons World War II was so horrific was due to the incredible sizes of the armies involved. World War II was not just a global war; it was a total global war. Every nation involved was completely consumed. All in all, over 100 million people served during World War II. The size of the armies back then completely dwarfs the armies today. That is due in part to the relative peace being enjoyed right now, plus the deterrence of nuclear weapons that prevent large-scale conventional wars from breaking out.