[Reaganwuzthebest]

Wishful thinking.

Did you see how fast we had troops in North Africa after Hitler declared war on us in 1941... matter of months. And we already had troops in Iceland, stationed there in 1940. The US had a navy, Germany didn't have one to speak of, so we could deploy troops and supplies faster.

[risk]

The US had a navy, Germany didn't have one to speak of, so we could deploy troops and supplies faster.

I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just saying that an intact, Allied Britain was an integral part of our effective prosecution of the war in the history that stands. I'm confident that the Russians would have continued to beat the Germans in the East. But I'm not convinced that we would have knocked out Hitler's atomic bomb effort effectively.

[Mr.Clark]

I disagree. The North Africa invasion was not initiated until late 1942, and even that was a tough operation. Read Rick Atkinson's new book to see how close that was to a disaster. Really, the wargame scenario is tough to run, because there are so many variables. However, if Hitler had managed to win the skies over Britain, let's say late 1940, the US would have had a hell of a time getting to Britain and fighting the Wehrmacht successfully. I mean, the biggest German advantage would be the fact that their supplies would be 20 miles away across the Channel, while American supplies would be coming from 3000 miles away. The American army at the time was woefully outmatched by the Germans, they still were in 1942. This is all supposing that FDR would be able to rush a war amendment through, which would not have been a slam dunk.

[Poohbah]

The reason why we'd put troops in Ireland was simple: we were afraid that if Britain fell, so too would her navy.

[aristeides]

Did you see how fast we had troops in North Africa after Hitler declared war on us in 1941... matter of months.

11 months, actually.

[FirstFlaBn]

we could deploy troops and supplies faster.

I'll make my previous lengthy ramble about logistics moot. By the end of June, 1940 we had exactly six army divisions in existence - and none of them armored. Mobilization didn't crank up until the Battle of Britain was underway. If the Germans had successfully landed soon after BoB, they would have had to wait about a year if they wanted to tangle with us. The 34th Division did it the quickest. A National Guard unit, it went from mobilization to the boat in eleven months, about six months quicker than any of the other early ones.

As it was, getting our forces mobilized, recruited, organized, trained (after a fashion), and shipped in time to participate in Torch in November, 1942 is an unappreciated miracle.

[Princeliberty]

Right months to get them in North Africia
and that is with England as
staging point for operations.

And that is 1942.
This is 1940 we were much less prepared
once Germany was on land in England
we would had maybe a couple weeks
to save England not several months.
This fairy tale of Hilter was just a lunatic
and it all was a just one huge false in
pan is foolishness designed to avoid
answering hard questions about
what was wrong(and is wrong) that Hilter
rose and had support to lesser or greater
degree throughout Europe and many who didn't
support still didn't want to fight him.
Why was this? The establishment does not
really want to come to grips with this.

[Atlantic Friend]

What part of the invasion force would have arrived safely if it hadn't been for the Royal Navy escorts ? Germany had mainly a fleet-in-being (except for the submarines), but Italy had a sizable and good quality navy, with state-of-the-art battleships.

Furthermore, the Vichy French navy at Toulon (which fielded good battleships and two aircraft carriers) would have already been seized by the Germans - they only refrained from doing so since Hitler did not want the ships to sail for England and enhance Great Britain's fighting ability.

Take England out of the war and you take more than half of the ships, men, planes, and logistic support available in 1942.