United States

[Martin Lamb, Head Moderator]

Explain what led to the United States entering the war. What was the situation of the Unites States before entering the war and after officially entering the war.

[Martin Lamb, Head Moderator]

A great book I read about Pearl Harbor. It shows both the Japanese and American views before and after December 7, 1941.

Walter Lord

Description:
This is Walter Lord's gripping, vivid re-creation of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Sunday, December 7, 1941. The reader accompanies Admiral Nagumo's task force as it sweeps toward Hawaii; looks on while warning after warning is ignored on Oahu; is enmeshed in the panic, confusion, courage and heroism of the final attack...!Audiobook read by Tom Parker.

[Martin Lamb, Head Moderator]

A book by one of my favorite generals during World War II.



Description:
First published in 1947, War As I Knew It is the captivating memoir of George S. Patton, Jr., the legendary American general, incendiary warrior, and unparalleled military tactician of World War II. Drawing on his vivid memories of battle and detailed diaries, Patton dramatically recounts his celebrated Third Army's sweeping campaign across Western Europe right up to the final Allied casualty report. The result is a remarkable frontline view of daily strategies and heroic drives—including the rescue of the Battle of the Bulge from Allied infamy and the triumphant Palatinate Campaign—revealing a fascinating portrait of the full-of-vinegar, controversial commander. With selected prefatory letters from Patton's earlier ventures in North Africa and Sicily and a powerful concluding retrospective, War As I Knew It is a classic of American military history.

[Paul]

In A History of the English Speaking Peoples Since 1900, author Andrew Roberts argues that with the flight of Kaiser Wilhelm, to Dorn, Holland, at the end of the Great War, his Hohenzollern Empire’s states were without the unifier / controller which the Kaiser was. These states of Eastern Europe and Italy were devastated and dependent upon Germany for support. These states were practically destroyed by war while German territory was untouched. “By breaking up the family and forcing its emperor into exile, President Wilson created a maelstrom of inherently unstable, competing nationalities increasingly prone, as the years went by, to the lure of fascism.
Theodore Roosevelt, for instance, was against the American army staying in Europe. This is the argument that a United States force should have remained in Europe to insure Germany did not re-arm. America didn’t, Germany did. . I guess what I argue is that WWII was caused, or was an extension of The Great War.

[Martin Lamb, Head Moderator]

I agree on that point. Hitler served during the Great War, and was nhappy with the Treaty Versailles. France and Britain wanted to punish the Germans and mostly ignored President Wilson's Fourteen Points, he propsed at the end of the war. American's invested into Germany, who then paid France and Britain. But when the Great Depression hit Americans couldn't put money into Germany, and Germany couldn't pay France and Great Britain. Germany then printed more money which caused rapid inflation. World War II is just a continuation of the Great War.

[Silvana]

If Japan did not bomb Pearl Harbour, do you think the US would still join the war actively (other than sending supplies and arms to the Allies)?

[Martin Lamb, Head Moderator]

I think the U.S. would have entered the war eventually but it could have been to late by then. But Hitler blundered he did not finish off the English before he turned against the Soviet Union. He allowed for a two front war seriously dividing up his troops. Most of his Panzer division were in the Soviet Union. Hitler could have won if he defeated Britain then attacked the U.S.S.R. because the U.S. needed Britain as a stepping stone into mainland Europe. I believe we would have eventually entered teh war, but it would have dragged the war out longer and cost more lives.