America and World War II
How America Got Involved
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By the time the United States entered the war in December 1941, Germany had occupied most of Europe and Japan was also starting to attack countries in Asia. But the US decision to enter the World War meant that the entire country had to devote all its human and material resources to defeating the Axis countries.
On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on the American naval fleet at Pearl Harbor. The following day, America and Great Britain declared war on Japan, and Japan's allies, Germany and Italy then declared war on the US, bringing the US into World War II. About 16 million Americans served in World War II from late 1941 to 1945. The total population of the country at that time was only 130 million. Therefore, this was a major investment for the United States. More than 400,000 soldiers did not return. Another 670,000 were wounded on foreign soil. To win against the Axis powers, the entire US economy had to revert to a war economy. It became crucial to quickly build guns, ammunition, ships, planes and tanks for the war effort. The involvement of the United States and the Soviet Union in the war turned a successful German military campaign into a tragedy for the German forces. In 1942 and 1943, the German forces lost numerous amounts battles and it became clear that they would be defeated. The Japanese forces also started to lose territory. But the Holocaust continued without delay. Operation Overlord shows one of the Allies most dramatic achievements during World War Two. "Operation Overlord" was the official name for the invasion of occupied Europe, now called D-Day. At a conference in Iran, November 1943, President Roosevelt, Churchill and Stalin agreed on a date for the invasion to liberate occupied Europe. The German army had already surrendered in January 1943 in the Soviet Union. Although the invasion began on June 6, 1944, the troops began several days earlier. On June 5, British, Free French, Canadian and American forces set sail across the British Channel to Normandy, France. The first forces to attack German occupied Normandy beaches were the American troops at Omaha Beach and Utah Beach. The British attacked beaches, where they fought alongside French troops. These beaches were given the code names of "Sword" and "Gold". British and Canadian forces attacked at Courseilles, or "Juno." Around 156,000 allied troops landed in Normandy. 73,000 of these allied troops were the American Forces. 23,250 on Utah Beach, 34,250 on Omaha Beach, and 15,500 airborne troops. About 1500 US soldiers lost their lives on D-Day and many more were wounded. The crossing was wet and windy and many soldiers suffered from seasickness. To many, it is surprising that the operation successfully caught German forces by surprise. D-Day was a military success for the allies and in the East, the Soviet army was already approaching the German border. The Surrender of the Japanese and German forces in 1945 meant the end of the World War ll. Throughout the whole war, there were 418,500 military and civilian deaths. |