What is the most powerful nation in Europe?

the Uk has nuclear weapons,the Btits would finish the war in 2 days and germany would begone for ever,also we have our American friends to wave them goodby.So there u go who ever thinks we can get beat.

god bless the

United States OF America.

mikeey

Great Britain, they have a powerful military and an even more powerful ally in the US. Germany has lost its real zest as a force and has become too European for its own good. It even defends Iranian actions much of the time. Of course it seems to have a good relationship with Russia as well which may or maynot be good.

stalin_was_a_nice_being said:

LOL....shows how much you know. Germany has one of the best army in the world and when compared to that of France. Germany would most likely win the war, however against UK. I'm not too sure. Germany has a very good arsenal. H&K guns are considered the best in the world. And the GSG9 is one of the best special forces in the world and it is being used in Afghanistan. France wouldn't stand a chance against the Germans.

Russia doesn't have much strength these days, things need to change. I would consider it powerful just because of it's sheer size but with jets the distance becomes much shorter. Russia doesn't have the numbers of modern aircraft or ships to stand a chance against the UK. And in land, the Russians would easily be defeated by the Germans or UK, not the French though! And nukes don't do much good nowadays. No nation on this earth currently can use nukes and get away with it.

Click to expand...

Reading your comment gave me a very strong feeling that you have taken a great responsibility on yourself to deliver an utter bull**** under the transparent disguise of what might be bizarrely mistaken as actual facts to your fellow human beings on this board.

An advice to you as to how to avoid such unfortunate crapreachings on a public forum in the future would be to avoid making the following statements:

-Germany's army is stronger than France's

-H&K guns are considered the best in the world

-The GSG9 is one of the best special forces in the world (Well actually that might as well be true, it really depends on the limit for the term "one of the", we don't wanna count all 250+ nations in, right?)

-Russia would be defeated in a modern war with Germany

To conclude, I believe that we have a lot to learn from your wisdom on this board...
On issues such as Global warming, that is.

I voted Germany, because of economic power. If it had been about military power, I would have voted the UK. Of course, Germany could overtake the UK in this regard if it wanted to.

France's economy sucks - socialist paradise that it is. France's military sucks - they have some troop strength but little capability. Look at Vietnam, Algeria, Cote d'Ivoire. France sucks.

reefedjib said:

I voted Germany, because of economic power. If it had been about military power, I would have voted the UK. Of course, Germany could overtake the UK in this regard if it wanted to.

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France and Germany have both more active military forces than the UK.

France's economy sucks - socialist paradise that it is. France's military sucks - they have some troop strength but little capability. Look at Vietnam, Algeria, Cote d'Ivoire. France sucks.

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And this just shows hatred towards France based on no facts.

Frances economy is not in a recession, and was one of the first to come out, and was one of those countries that was in recession the least amount of time. Frances unemployment is lower than the US's and declining last I looked. So saying France's economy "sucks" is wrong. It was not and is not indebted like the US on both the governmental and personal level, and its banks did not go all nutso in risk.

So basically you base your usual France hatred on the usual right wing talking points when it comes to France, that they in their 1500 year history lost a few wars in the modern era and refused to help you in your little war in Iraq... btw who was it that was right on that.. oh yea the French.

To answer the question. Depends on what you define as "powerful".

But of the 3, Germany hands down.

Germany's economy is by far the largest and it is still the largest exporter in the world last I looked (at worst in the top 3).

Germany also has the largest standing military force in Western Europe (barely larger than the French but considerably larger than the British).

France has the second biggest economy in Europe, which gives it the second place. This gives also political power along with Germany. Plus its military over all with reserves and paramilitary units is the largest in Europe, which gives also some power.

The UK has next to no real power in Europe due to its Europe sceptic wing and its utter dependence on the US. Basically, the UK is turning more and more into the "black sheep" of the family. Its military might be more active, but it is smaller of the 3. What the UK does have going for it as just about the only thing (but a very critical thing for Europe as well) is the City of London. What the UK also has a considerable impact on is the popular culture of Europe.. music and movies.

But one that is missing on the list is Russia. It is technically part of Europe, and its military might makes it powerful, plus its economic might on especially energy makes it a country to be respected when it comes to over all political/economic/military power.

Excluding Russia, since it's mostly existing on an Asian land, rather than a European one, the most powerful nation in Europe would have to be France.

There are three major factors in what makes a state "powerful", and those would be military power, political power and an economy power.

In economy, Germany's economy is the biggest out of all three, with a difference of about 800 billion USD between Germany and France, and nearly a 1 trillion difference between Germany and the UK, making it the 4th biggest economy in the world.

In military, the strongest armed European force is the French army, judging by the factors of size, capability, reliability, quality, training, and above all - experience.
Slightly below France, comes the United Kingdom, with nearly the same skill, training, quality, experience and capability, but a smaller size.
Way below these two European nations comes Germany, with an army that, while still considered "in the same league" with the UK and France, cannot compete them in a simulation of an actual war, mainly due to the quality of the weapons and the power projecting capability of the state.

Politically, the United Kingdom has, quite noticeably, the biggest influence worldwide.
France comes second, with an influence slightly lower than that of the UK.
Germany comes the third, with an influence that is lower than that of France, even though barely noticeable.

Considering all of the above factors, and especially considering the differences between the 'performance' of the nations in each of the above factors, puts the ranking as the following:

1. France
2. United Kingdom
3. Germany

Germany has the biggest economy, but this is the only factor where it is superior to any of the other two nations.
It receives its third place mainly due to its military capability.
The UK is the most worldwide influencing entity in Europe, but its economy is by far weaker than that of the two, especially than that of Germany.
It is overall very powerful, but not powerful enough for the title "the most powerful nation in Europe".
France has a combination of a very well-trained military force, a decent worldwide political influence, and the second biggest economy in Europe, and that is the reason why it is the most powerful state in that region.

PeteEU said:

To answer the question. Depends on what you define as "powerful".

But of the 3, Germany hands down.

Germany's economy is by far the largest and it is still the largest exporter in the world last I looked (at worst in the top 3).

Germany also has the largest standing military force in Western Europe (barely larger than the French but considerably larger than the British).

France has the second biggest economy in Europe, which gives it the second place. This gives also political power along with Germany. Plus its military over all with reserves and paramilitary units is the largest in Europe, which gives also some power.

The UK has next to no real power in Europe due to its Europe sceptic wing and its utter dependence on the US. Basically, the UK is turning more and more into the "black sheep" of the family. Its military might be more active, but it is smaller of the 3. What the UK does have going for it as just about the only thing (but a very critical thing for Europe as well) is the City of London. What the UK also has a considerable impact on is the popular culture of Europe.. music and movies.

But one that is missing on the list is Russia. It is technically part of Europe, and its military might makes it powerful, plus its economic might on especially energy makes it a country to be respected when it comes to over all political/economic/military power.

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The UK is not dependent upon the US. The UK and the US maybe have very friendly relations, but one isn't dependent upon the other. The UK has one of the strongest militaries in Europe. It may not be on the "size" of Germany's, but it's well more advanced. Their political power is probably the highest in Western Europe. The UK holds more influence places other than Europe (yes, it's hard for maybe some of you to understand, there's more than Europe).

I think some of the anti-UK stuff comes from the same anti-US folk who argue against it just to argue against it. And I think this sorta hatred for the UK is rooted in the same sort of thing. There are things about the UK to not like, mostly their laws and Big Brother attitude. But there's no doubting their influence and in terms of global politics other nations listen to the UK before France or Germany. Germany is a powerhouse of production, it's what they do. But politically they're rather weak. And even if they have a large military in numbers, but number doesn't make better.

Apocalypse said:

Reading your comment gave me a very strong feeling that you have taken a great responsibility on yourself to deliver an utter bull**** under the transparent disguise of what might be bizarrely mistaken as actual facts to your fellow human beings on this board.

An advice to you as to how to avoid such unfortunate crapreachings on a public forum in the future would be to avoid making the following statements:

-Germany's army is stronger than France's

-H&K guns are considered the best in the world

-The GSG9 is one of the best special forces in the world (Well actually that might as well be true, it really depends on the limit for the term "one of the", we don't wanna count all 250+ nations in, right?)

-Russia would be defeated in a modern war with Germany

To conclude, I believe that we have a lot to learn from your wisdom on this board...
On issues such as Global warming, that is.

Click to expand...

Oh why thank you your royal highness!
There is no reason to try and argue with you because your head is so far up your rectum you'd never see the light. I think if you really want to know you'd at least first have to try and get your head out of your a$$, using a snake(I bet you don't even know what that is).

To conclude, I believe that we have a lot to learn from your wisdom on this board.....
.....on issues such as why adults should use abortion more frequently, so retards like you wouldn't be so popular.

Apocalypse said:

Excluding Russia, since it's mostly existing on an Asian land, rather than a European one, the most powerful nation in Europe would have to be France.

There are three major factors in what makes a state "powerful", and those would be military power, political power and an economy power.

In economy, Germany's economy is the biggest out of all three, with a difference of about 800 billion USD between Germany and France, and nearly a 1 trillion difference between Germany and the UK, making it the 4th biggest economy in the world.

In military, the strongest armed European force is the French army, judging by the factors of size, capability, reliability, quality, training, and above all - experience.
Slightly below France, comes the United Kingdom, with nearly the same skill, training, quality, experience and capability, but a smaller size.
Way below these two European nations comes Germany, with an army that, while still considered "in the same league" with the UK and France, cannot compete them in a simulation of an actual war, mainly due to the quality of the weapons and the power projecting capability of the state.

Politically, the United Kingdom has, quite noticeably, the biggest influence worldwide.
France comes second, with an influence slightly lower than that of the UK.
Germany comes the third, with an influence that is lower than that of France, even though barely noticeable.

Considering all of the above factors, and especially considering the differences between the 'performance' of the nations in each of the above factors, puts the ranking as the following:

1. France
2. United Kingdom
3. Germany

Germany has the biggest economy, but this is the only factor where it is superior to any of the other two nations.
It receives its third place mainly due to its military capability.
The UK is the most worldwide influencing entity in Europe, but its economy is by far weaker than that of the two, especially than that of Germany.
It is overall very powerful, but not powerful enough for the title "the most powerful nation in Europe".
France has a combination of a very well-trained military force, a decent worldwide political influence, and the second biggest economy in Europe, and that is the reason why it is the most powerful state in that region.

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And the French military is experienced how? The forces they use in Africa are their special forces and it is not even a large amount. After reading much on the internet about the French and German army I have concluded that currently the French military is more powerful, but the potential is there for Germany.

germany, the other two are quite odorous, what with the poms never bathing and all the garlic the frogs eat

and thats my valuable contribution to this discussion

Ikari said:

The UK is not dependent upon the US. The UK and the US maybe have very friendly relations, but one isn't dependent upon the other. The UK has one of the strongest militaries in Europe. It may not be on the "size" of Germany's, but it's well more advanced. Their political power is probably the highest in Western Europe. The UK holds more influence places other than Europe (yes, it's hard for maybe some of you to understand, there's more than Europe).

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The UK is very dependent on the US. Not only for political backing but also economically and society wise. The UK is nothing but a mini US in Europe in many ways these days. There is far far more similaritis between the US and UK, than with the UK and Europe when it comes to society and including economical. As an example, the credit cruch and crisis. The UK was hit hard because it followed the American model of using debt to finance economic growth. Brits had less personal debt than Americans, but had far far far more than the average European. Now the average Brit has more personal unsecured debt (aka credit card debt) than Americans.

As for the UK military. It is the smaller of the 3, this is a fact. The only reason it is seen as stronger is because it is used far more actively than the others as it is UK policy to follow the US regardless.

As for the equipment... hardly. Many of the weapons the Germans and French use, are the same as the British. The Germans use British helicopters and the Brits use German trucks and what not. The difference in equipment is not that big. As for the French, their equipment is often more advanced than the British, relatively speaking, but again much of it is similar.

As for politically world wide. Yes the UK has quite a bit of vocal power out there, but the soft power is far higher for the Germans especially. Their economic power is far bigger than the UK's and hence they are listened too and respected far more than the British. The only claim the British have is historical links to former colonies (like France), but even that is becoming less and less as those colonies themselves become powerful on all fronts.

I think some of the anti-UK stuff comes from the same anti-US folk who argue against it just to argue against it. And I think this sorta hatred for the UK is rooted in the same sort of thing. There are things about the UK to not like, mostly their laws and Big Brother attitude. But there's no doubting their influence and in terms of global politics other nations listen to the UK before France or Germany. Germany is a powerhouse of production, it's what they do. But politically they're rather weak. And even if they have a large military in numbers, but number doesn't make better.

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Anti-UK stuff? It is pure facts. The UK has for a long time been on the relative side lines in European politics, because that is where they either wanted to be or were forced out due to their opinions and links to the US. That is a fact, it can not be denied. That does not mean they dont have influence, but what it does mean is that they dont have the relative influence in conjunction with the economic/military power in the region. Countries like Spain, Poland and Italy have the same if not more "political power" and influence in European politics than the UK. This is not anti-UK stuff, it is facts. Considering the UK is the 3rd largest economy in Europe, it should have far more political power in Europe than it has.

As for Germany being "weak" politically. Dont confuse soft politics with lack of power. That Germany does not go out and demand things of people like the UK and US, does not mean that their political power is not great. They are the wise grandfather that sits in the background while the grandchildren have arguments about silly things and when Germany does open their mouths, everyone listens. And yes France is often one of those "grandchildren"

Germany is in many ways, like the Japanese. Their military power is weak, and they rarely speak up and make asses of themselves on a world stage, but they are one of the largest (if not the largest) financing of aid in all forms around the world... along with.. Germany.

stalin_was_a_nice_being said:

And the French military is experienced how? The forces they use in Africa are their special forces and it is not even a large amount. After reading much on the internet about the French and German army I have concluded that currently the French military is more powerful, but the potential is there for Germany.

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The French I believe can only constitutionally use Legionaries outside French territory, and I dare any one claim that the French Legionaries are a weak and pathetic force.....

PeteEU said:

The French I believe can only constitutionally use Legionaries outside French territory, and I dare any one claim that the French Legionaries are a weak and pathetic force.....

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the French Legionaries are a weak and pathetic force..there, i did it, i dared claim it, and there nothing the french can do...say, does anyone else smell gunpowder and garli...........................................

stalin_was_a_nice_being said:

Germany has a STRONGER ARMY. It could easily defeat GB if it were 1v1.

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Doesnt the UK have nukes?

Maximus Zeebra said:

What? The UK have almost no say in the EU. France is the political power, Germany the military power. As long as these two cooperate, the power of the UK is virtually meaningless.

No UK policies have been implemented in Europe the past 30 years.

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Id say on the world stage it is, though granted the EUSSR is seriously lacking in British say. I thinks changed somewhat with the new British baroness in an important position within the EU.

stalin_was_a_nice_being said:

Germany has a STRONGER ARMY. It could easily defeat GB if it were 1v1.

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Of course, the German's don't fight. Do they even carry weapons? They are more like the Boy Scouts on a camping trip. The British have recent combat experience.

PeteEU said:

France and Germany have both more active military forces than the UK.

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Considering the capability of the British army, aswell as its sea and missile superiority, id say Germany was no match.

And this just shows hatred towards France based on no facts.

Frances economy is not in a recession, and was one of the first to come out, and was one of those countries that was in recession the least amount of time. Frances unemployment is lower than the US's and declining last I looked. So saying France's economy "sucks" is wrong. It was not and is not indebted like the US on both the governmental and personal level, and its banks did not go all nutso in risk.

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Turkey didnt even slip into reccession, am i willing to say its economy is therefore more powerful? Its unemployement rate is also lower than that of the UK as it currently stands, it is not indebted, and its bankes didnt go nutso. It doesnt say anything about the country or the figures.

PeteEU said:

The UK is very dependent on the US. Not only for political backing but also economically and society wise.

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Society wise...What!? Do you read what you type or does it all such sorta puke itself out on the keyboard. How the hell is the UK dependent upon the US for society? They're not like us, they're government is too aggressive against the rights and liberties of the individual.

They have their own politics, they don't need the US. They have their own economy, they don't need the US.

PeteEU said:

The UK is nothing but a mini US in Europe in many ways these days. There is far far more similaritis between the US and UK, than with the UK and Europe when it comes to society and including economical. As an example, the credit cruch and crisis. The UK was hit hard because it followed the American model of using debt to finance economic growth. Brits had less personal debt than Americans, but had far far far more than the average European. Now the average Brit has more personal unsecured debt (aka credit card debt) than Americans.

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The economic collapse was fueled by their banks buying bad morgages from our banks. The collapse ultimately happened because regulations on the side of the US were relaxed to match those of Europe in terms of banks leveraging. The leverage was not sustainable, and our involvement in it pushed the system over board.

There's not a lot of similarities between the US and the UK, we don't even use the same form of English (the British slaughter the English language). The government is different, the attitudes are different, etc. If the UK was the European US, they'd be a hell of a lot cooler than they actually are.

PeteEU said:

As for the UK military. It is the smaller of the 3, this is a fact. The only reason it is seen as stronger is because it is used far more actively than the others as it is UK policy to follow the US regardless.

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Numbers does not equate into better. The UK has the better military because it is better trained and better armed wit better technology. It could hands down beat the snot out of France or Germany's military. Any day of the week.

PeteEU said:

As for the equipment... hardly. Many of the weapons the Germans and French use, are the same as the British. The Germans use British helicopters and the Brits use German trucks and what not. The difference in equipment is not that big. As for the French, their equipment is often more advanced than the British, relatively speaking, but again much of it is similar.

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They may use some of their stuff. Hell, how many countries use US military equipment? A lot. It doesn't make their military better than ours. You get some of the equipment, but not all. The UK military is well more advanced and armed than France or Germany. Sorry, but that's the truth.

PeteEU said:

As for politically world wide. Yes the UK has quite a bit of vocal power out there, but the soft power is far higher for the Germans especially. Their economic power is far bigger than the UK's and hence they are listened too and respected far more than the British. The only claim the British have is historical links to former colonies (like France), but even that is becoming less and less as those colonies themselves become powerful on all fronts.

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Outside Europe, UK is viewed as the dominate country of Europe and has more political sway with international politics than either France or Germany. All France can do is sell food for oil with Saddam's old regime, and Germany is too busy pretending WW II never happened.

PeteEU said:

or were forced out due to their opinions and links to the US.

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Thank you for proving my point. This is exactly what I said. It's all your anti-American stuff. You view UK too much like the US (which isn't true), and engage in slander and hatred against them because of it. Man you people are full of yourselves. You're so stuck up, you carry these huge anti-American feelings for no reason. And you carry them to such degree that you'll point your hate at anyone or anything remotely like the United States. It's PATHETIC. And that's fact.

PeteEU said:

As for Germany being "weak" politically. Dont confuse soft politics with lack of power. That Germany does not go out and demand things of people like the UK and US, does not mean that their political power is not great. They are the wise grandfather that sits in the background while the grandchildren have arguments about silly things and when Germany does open their mouths, everyone listens. And yes France is often one of those "grandchildren"

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The wise grandfather rounds up Jews and kills them in mass? Man, I'm glad I wasn't part of that family. And Germany wasn't isolated from the economic mess. They based their markets on American consumerism. Which is why they were continually demanding that America continue to buy German crap at the same rate when the economy slowed down initially. This is nothing more than some slanted view based on your BIGOTRY and HATRED. And that too is fact

PeteEU said:

Germany is in many ways, like the Japanese. Their military power is weak, and they rarely speak up and make asses of themselves on a world stage, but they are one of the largest (if not the largest) financing of aid in all forms around the world... along with.. Germany.

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You do know how reliant Japan is on America, right?

kaya'08 said:

Doesnt the UK have nukes?

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Regardless. If someone used nukes the whole world would turn against them. And since there will never be the use of nukes conventional armies would have to be used. And I do believe Germany would win.

Ikari said:

Society wise...What!? Do you read what you type or does it all such sorta puke itself out on the keyboard. How the hell is the UK dependent upon the US for society? They're not like us, they're government is too aggressive against the rights and liberties of the individual.

They have their own politics, they don't need the US. They have their own economy, they don't need the US.



The economic collapse was fueled by their banks buying bad morgages from our banks. The collapse ultimately happened because regulations on the side of the US were relaxed to match those of Europe in terms of banks leveraging. The leverage was not sustainable, and our involvement in it pushed the system over board.

There's not a lot of similarities between the US and the UK, we don't even use the same form of English (the British slaughter the English language). The government is different, the attitudes are different, etc. If the UK was the European US, they'd be a hell of a lot cooler than they actually are.



Numbers does not equate into better. The UK has the better military because it is better trained and better armed wit better technology. It could hands down beat the snot out of France or Germany's military. Any day of the week.



They may use some of their stuff. Hell, how many countries use US military equipment? A lot. It doesn't make their military better than ours. You get some of the equipment, but not all. The UK military is well more advanced and armed than France or Germany. Sorry, but that's the truth.



Outside Europe, UK is viewed as the dominate country of Europe and has more political sway with international politics than either France or Germany. All France can do is sell food for oil with Saddam's old regime, and Germany is too busy pretending WW II never happened.



Thank you for proving my point. This is exactly what I said. It's all your anti-American stuff. You view UK too much like the US (which isn't true), and engage in slander and hatred against them because of it. Man you people are full of yourselves. You're so stuck up, you carry these huge anti-American feelings for no reason. And you carry them to such degree that you'll point your hate at anyone or anything remotely like the United States. It's PATHETIC. And that's fact.



The wise grandfather rounds up Jews and kills them in mass? Man, I'm glad I wasn't part of that family. And Germany wasn't isolated from the economic mess. They based their markets on American consumerism. Which is why they were continually demanding that America continue to buy German crap at the same rate when the economy slowed down initially. This is nothing more than some slanted view based on your BIGOTRY and HATRED. And that too is fact



You do know how reliant Japan is on America, right?

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the british slaughter the english language????????????????????????
i beg to differ with whom slaughters the language

and get over ww2, nazi actions have nothing to do with the present german economy

reefedjib said:

Of course, the German's don't fight. Do they even carry weapons? They are more like the Boy Scouts on a camping trip. The British have recent combat experience.

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The Germans fight as much as the French. And still the British experience in Iraq and Afghanistan is not good enough because not enough of their soldiers took part in the fight. The SAS and SBS though that is an entire different story.

stalin_was_a_nice_being said:

Regardless. If someone used nukes the whole world would turn against them. And since there will never be the use of nukes conventional armies would have to be used. And I do believe Germany would win.

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With or without Nukes, the Germans would be hard pressed getting to the UK. Firstly our missiles are far more superior than the Germans. They'd loose alot of men and ships just getting to the UK. Not to mention they lack in the Naval area when compared to Briton. Lastly, if the Nukes where used at sea to take out a nice handful of war and cargo ships, in such an isolated place, i doubt it would be that hard for the British Defence ministry to press the big red button. And, the UK has far better contacts on the international stage; full US backing, something Germany is seriously lacking, especially France.

spud_meister said:

the british slaughter the english language????????????????????????
i beg to differ with whom slaughters the language

and get over ww2, nazi actions have nothing to do with the present german economy

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The WWII comment was when someone called Germany the wise grandfather. I was saying, I'm glad I'm not in that family because the grandfather was crazy in his youth.

Now, if you have something worthwhile to contribute, please do. But if it's more crap, do your best to keep it to yourself.

Ikari said:

The WWII comment was when someone called Germany the wise grandfather. I was saying, I'm glad I'm not in that family because the grandfather was crazy in his youth.

Now, if you have something worthwhile to contribute, please do. But if it's more crap, do your best to keep it to yourself.

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ok, crap to myself it is