Really, the NAZIs and Japanese were allies, remember? The Japanese attacked American territory and who knows where they would have stopped if the war had gone in their favour. If the NAZIs had finished off Britain and the USSR, then don't you think they might have begun to help the Japanese?
The whole European war wasn't really the US's problem in the first place (which is why I sometimes get irritated at the lack of gratitude - I mean really, the US didn't have to join the fighting at all!)
Maybe the USA could have just sat by and let the most blatantly genocidal regime in history take over the whole of Europe. But how long would it have been before the USA and its wider global interests came under attack? After all Hitler wanted a vast Empire, he admired the British Empire. If the Americans had not helped Britain and the NAZIs had still lost, then a large chunk of western Europe would have ended up under Soviet control. Think about the consequences of that for the USA. Also why should Britain have helped America fight the Japanese, after all, we could have just scampered off back to Europe, our home country is in Europe you know.
The US deserves some credit, I would think, for joining a war not her own, against an enemy which didn't threaten her borders at all, to protect a bunch of foreigners on foreign land, sending thousands of young Americans to die in the process, for no other real reason than that it was the right thing to oppose an evil.
I never said that the USA doesn't deserve some credit. You were good allies, apart from the fact that all arms and supplies had to be paid for in advance and you stayed out of the war until the NAZI allied Japanese attacked you.
You also fail to take into account the fact that Britain declared war on Germany because of the NAZI invasion of Poland. Hitler also wanted Britain to be NAZI Germany's ally. He admired the British Empire and the British way of doing things. Edward the VIII was in communication with him as was Lord Halifax. They were ready to sign a pact with him, which he might well have honoured. The point being, if things got too hot, Britain could have always signed a pact. Hitler believed the Slavs were subhuman and killed 10 million of them, thus the USSR could never do that. Therefore, there was an altruistic motive for Britain's resistance to the NAZIs.
Why didn't Britain capitulate? Because of the leadership of Churchill, a man who publicly condemned the NAZI genocide against citizens of the USSR and the Eastern Europeans. He knew Britain could have come to an agreement with Hitler, but he wanted no part of a deal with a mass murdering maniac.
No, I don't think I'll stop saying it.
Then I won't stop saying that without Britain, Americans would be speaking German, or perhaps Japanese.
There was not strong support for entering the war before Pear Harbor was attacked. The first peace-time draft in US history was extended by a one vote majority in the House in July 1941. There are still people who believe conspiracy theories that FDR knew that Pearl Harbor was going to be attacked and deliberately prevented the dissemintaion of that intelligence to the various commands in the Pacific. Brittain was fortunate that Hitler blundered on December 8, 1941 by declaring war on the US. Also, Brittain was fortunate for the the US naval victory at Midway six months later. The destruction of four Japanese carriers prevented further Japanese expansion in the Pacific and allowed the US and Brittain to follow a Europe first strategy.
Well, you're about 50 hypotheticals ahead of the game in all this. Like I said, it's far from clear the Nazis would have attacked US mainland. You really disagree? (Meaning, you think it's clear they would have?)
Maybe the USA could have just sat by and let the most blatantly genocidal regime in history take over the whole of Europe.
In fact, the USA did. Well, maybe not the whole of Europe, but half of it. Remember Uncle Joe? But the USA fought against the other blatantly genocidal regime to save people who were almost exclusively foreigners. Instead of adopting the attitude of "too late", "about time", "the USA should have done it anyway", perhaps you ought to do some thinking until you realize that this is actually pretty remarkable.
Also why should Britain have helped America fight the Japanese, after all, we could have just scampered off back to Europe, our home country is in Europe you know.
Good point. Britain deserves credit.
You were good allies [although] you stayed out of the war until the NAZI allied Japanese attacked you.
As is to be expected. (Why should a country join a war in which they're not involved?)
Then I won't stop saying that without Britain, Americans would be speaking German, or perhaps Japanese.
You are free to say all the untrue things you wish. It's a free country, after all. Best,