That said, why being “stand offish” should annoy, much less offend is a question. If they don’t want to associate with me, I don’t want to associate with them. So we look at the additional component of envy.

The Jews existed in a “stand-offish” ulture but were frequently weii educated and literate. The ruling classes and land owners in Russia and in Germany/Poland/etc used the Jews as managers, tax collectors, and vodka sellers. That did not help the reputation of the Jews.

Pre-WWII Germany was a mess. Hitler is reported to have struck a “deal” with Zionist organizations allowing emigration as long as those Jews left most of their wealth to the state (NSDAP, Nazis). There was the additional benefit, since, as the Jews focused on the Mid-East, that process would cause difficulties in “British” Palestine. Such a deal! Stolen wealth and trouble for his opponents.

The treatment of German Jews was complex. Well integrate Jews (or those with Jewish spouses) in the military or government were often ignored. “Everyone” knew that most of the Bolshevik leadership, the leaders of the German Communist/ Bolshevik party, and many in the Soviet KGB, especially in the Ukraine, were Jews. That is probably the reason that Jews were not welcome in the US. The Germans were quite pleased to eliminate those “not worthy of life” , but the “concentration” and “labor” camps were needed to support the military effort. They generally didn’t care who made the chemicals, fuel and munitions. Those camps were difficult to operate. There was typhus (spread by lice) and antibiotics were not yet commonly available, so the camps had a significant death rate.

It was different in the East. Germany invzded the Slavic areas expecting to have to eliminate much of the population (I seem to recall ~20%) of the population to make room for German “settlers”. The German army had little information a out the “East” and seem to have operated on the assumption that anyone well-dressed and/or well-fed was, of course, a Communist or a collaborator. Jewish culture was effective so they sort of stood out. Since the Germans expected most Bolsheviks/Communists to be Jews, there was no easy way to escape the bind.

The Russians/Soviets, driven by Stalin’s paranoia, were no better than the Germans (Nazis). Millions died in the Russian camps (Gulag). The distinct Jewish compondnt in the early Bolshevik leadership and in rhe Ukrainian KGB (Holodomor) dumps most of the Russian/Soviet savagery into the laps of the “Jews”. That is probably unfair. The Soviets/Russians have struggled with the reluctance of the “stand offish” to join in the Bolshevik ideology. Hence the flow of Jews from Russia to Israel and the US. The count of “6 Million” killed by the Germans is suspect since it is based on un-verified Soviet data. In addition to the Holodomor in the Ukraine (3-12 million starved to death.), the deaths in the Gulag (many millions), Soviet Russia is also credited with murdering thousands of Polish and other prisoners (army officers, teachers, elected officials, priests, etc.) in places like the Katyn Forest prior to WWII. Indeed, members of the Russian Duma have recently suggested that up to 2 million Ukrainians may have to be killed to properly “pacify” that country. Thus the actions of Germany during WWII are still unclear. There are lots of savages out there who consider murder to be an acceptable means to an end.

For the first six months after overlord, the western allies were fighting lesser German soldiers. Often they were wounded and partially invalid from action on the Eastern Front. Many were foreigners including Koreans. Those who weren’t ardent Nazis often surrendered.
While it’s true that the Russians won the war, Patton could have been a ringer. In fact the German General staff thought that he would end the war in Dec’44 as he was pushing rapidly through France.
Unfortunately because US forces were slowed down and diverted to Paris to give DeGaulle a political victory, and petrol was diverted from Patton to Monty for Gallipoli 2.0 , any advantage was lost. Patton was forced to stop. The germans were able to regroup,Hitler sent ardent Nazis west ( who would fight to the death- those weren’t needed on the East because that was an existential fight) and the western allies were bogged down with many killed in Hurtgen Forest and the Bulge. Far more than had Lend Lease been curtailed.

With the Revocation of The Edict of Nantes, Protestants lost all protection in France. 400,000 emigrated, to America, England, Holland and….Prussia. They were, to a certain extent, middle class and Sowell’s Minority Middleman. Looking backward, you might not have expected…Prussia. Point might be…guessing about the next ten years in, say, 1932, would have been hazy.

A datum sometimes overlooked is that the dreadful concentration camps in Germany were forced labor camps. Death was expected, Dachau had its crematoria. But first work.
Though they looked like the mouth of Hell to the guys who liberated them…Dachau had a survival rate of 80%. Nordhausen, liberated by my father’s division, had a 60% survival rate.

The death camps, off the train and into the gas chambers, were in Poland and kept operating until the Red Army was at their doorstep. Auschwitz had a survival rate of 15%, likely Jews kept to do some of the dirty work and whatever of the last transport unprocessed when the Russians showed up. The slower the Red Army, the more Jews died. That would have been one result of reducing Lend Lease.

The example of the Train Near Magdeburg is of priorities. That train was on its way to death for its Jews, one way or another. It had halted while the crew tried to figure how to drive the thing off a bridge into a river without being on the front end. Hearing Americans, pissed off and with tanks, were approaching, they fled. This was in April of 45. Had you said to one of the Kill Jews office, “Hey, buddy. How about knocking this off for a bit and trying not to lose the war.” they have said you must be insane.

While the concentration camps got started in Thirties, the death camps weren’t even built until after January of 42.

But there is the Iron Law of Military Counterfactuals: Whatever wasn’t done would, had it been done, have succeeded brilliantly. Guaranteed. Couldn’t possibly fail.