Quote Originally Posted by Seamus Fermanagh
UK & Commonwealth fought from 9/1/39 to 8/9/45, a total of 70 months. Significant ground combat operations were experienced in 50-55 of those months. The UK. despite this sustained effort, never fielded forces as numerous as the Germans.
While I agree with you completely, I think you are far too generous to the UK & Commonwealth. Or at least you should upgrade the German to have more than just significant combat from july 41 and onwards.

The African and Italian campaigns were about the only sustained efforts at most of the time (until D-Day), there was some quite intensive fighting against Japan, but that was sidelines by inactivity for rather long periods, meaning over all a less intensive front. By comparison to the numbers on the eastern front they were mere sideshows. In fact when Montgomery bragged about his victory in Africa (but failed to mention the area) to a Russian general the Russian responded: "where did this skirmish take place?" Of course the Russian was taunting him and had perhaps a political agenda ("you sods let us do all the work"), but there is good deal of truth in it.

If we were to make an equation for each contry with 'Combat manhours' (meaning the time one man would have to fight every single fight for his country) I think it would be rather ugly how much more fighting there was in the east.

But CBR, don't forget that American divisions were in general very much overstrength while German divisions on th eastern front were often very much understrength (stupid Hitler wanting more divisions rather than stregthening the existing ones). So you can't compare them 1:1... Perhaps 2:1 would be better, but that still says a whole lot.