While Europe was dealing with invasions, alliances, and Hitler's onslaught- the United States reverted to an isolationist policy. December 7, 1941 changed everything. After the Pearl Harbor bombing, the United States declared war on Japan. As a result of the alliance system, Germay declared war on the U.S. and vice versa.
EXPLAIN the United States' role in Europe and the Pacific Theatre. Then STATE which one you think was more important and WHY,
Don't Forget to respond to TWO classmates as well.
Remember- you can view the discussion board rubric with examples in the COURSE DOCUMENTS link on the left-hand side of your screen
24 comments:
(name wasn't on the previous one sorry)
Michael Wilkins
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor the United States had no choice but to abandon their isolationist policy. The President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, met with the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill, and Churchill convinced FDR that resources were limited and they must first strike against Hitler. It was decided that once the Allies gained an advantage in Europe more resources could be put into the war in the Pacific.
In Europe the war was fought with Allies. Strategic decisions had to be argued and agreed to by the American and British chiefs of staff. Russia was fighting for the Eastern Front and after the Battle of Stalingrad they would eventually fight their way to Germany. The United States worked round the clock to produce tanks, planes and other military needs. Huge ground forces would move into enemy territory fighting for control. In Operation Torch British and American Forces took control of North Africa. Italy was next to be marched on but it was a hard battle that cost thousands of lives. Italy was not freed until Germany itself was close to collapse. The main battle fought in Europe happened in June of 1944. The American General, Dwight Eisenhower, led the Allies in Operation Overlord. Operation Overlord, better known as D-day, was the plan to invade France and free Western Europe. Three million British, American and Canadian troops attacked Normandy in northern France. The battle was intense and cost the lives of thousands of soldiers but eventually the Allies freed France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. The Germans gave their last effort in the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes and lost. The Americans, along with their Allies, were victorious in Europe.
The Americans did not wait until the war in Europe was over to take on Japan. In the Pacific the United States had Allies (Australia and New Zealand) but the ratio of U.S. forces to their allies was so high that strategy and planning was mostly in American hands. General Douglas MacArthur became Supreme Commander in the Pacific Theatre. The war became an endless series of amphibious landings and island-hopping campaigns where naval power, air power, and shipping, rather than large and heavy ground forces, were the keys to success. The Battle of the Coral Sea stopped Japan from invading Australia. The Battle of Midway was the turning point in the war in the Pacific. Admiral Chester Nimitz defended Midway from the Japanese and in the process destroyed four Japanese aircraft carriers, a cruiser and 250 planes. The battle for Iwo Jima and the Battle for Okinawa are two example where American soldiers and marines attacked beaches. The Pacific war proved to be even more brutal and deadly than the war in Europe. Japanese soldiers always dug in, reinforced their bunkers with coconut logs, and fought until they were killed. Surrendering was something the Japanese did not do.
The United States was a major reason for the success of the Allies in Europe and the Pacific Theatre. I believe the contribution of the United States in the Pacific Theatre was more important to the success of the Allies mainly because the United States was basically on their own in the Pacific. In Europe, Russia handled the Eastern Front on their own. The Western Front was fought by a combination of American, British, and Canadian forces. Only in the Pacific did the United States have the lone responsibility to stop the Japanese. Also it was the United States that had the responsibility in deciding to drop the atomic bomb on Japan and ending the World War much faster than an invasion force would have.
Joey Adams
The United States was one of the countries that linked all of these small different wars into one large World War. America provided Britain with guns and ammo before America officially decided to enter the fighting. Once America did enter the war, they had to be in two places at once was in some ways a very large balancing act. They couldn’t just have gone to Germany, because then Americans would have been pelted by Japan on the Pacific Ocean side. If they would have just gone to Japan, Britain would have been overtaken and we would have lost a huge ally against the Axis powers. It is for this reason that I believe that neither side of the war was more important than the other. I feel like Japan was much more of an imposing threat because of their show of force on December 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor. But if America would have neglected the fighting in Europe, they would have been just prolonging the inevitable.
@Nightane85
Michael, I really think that you don't get a feeling of how absolutely desperate things were in Europe. Britain was already fighting in the War against the Axis before the United States got there. They were being pressed back so badly that fighting was actually taking place in the UK. i.e. the Bombing of Britain. It is for that reason that I have to say it's impossible to decide which side was more important because both sides would have failed if it weren't for the US.
In WWII, the US was no doubt a key ingredient in the Allied victory of the war. However, I think it is almost impossible to declare which was more important: the war in the Pacific or the war in Europe because in reality, if neither had gone as well as it did I strongly think that the US would not have won the war. But, if I had to choose I would have to say that the war in the Pacific was extremely important because if the US could not successfully clear the water of Germans and what not then how would they possibly be able to get to Europe in order to end the war? In addition, times seemed difficult in the Pacific War due to the fact that the US did not have as much support in the water as they did on land from their Allies. Overall though, both parts of WWII were extremely challenging and important in the US victory, so I hate having to choose which seems more important than the other. But since the Pacific war was kind of like the first step in ending the battle, I guess I'll say that was the most important.
Joey, I agree with you completely. I think it is extremely hard to determine which event was more important than the other. While in the Pacific War it was the US's job to basically get across successfully in addition to destroying enemy ships and submarines, they also had to travel in groups of ships to ensure that they would be safer. While on land, the US was able to team up with their Ally Great Britain and go into combat against the enemies, slowly conquering and liberating lands under Axis control. Therefore it seems extremely hard to have to pick among the two.
Michael, though I guess I agree that the US's role was more important in the Pacific War than on land, I can't help but still feel like they are both equally as important, due to the fact that they both played such important parts in the war. Tell me, did you have a hard time deciding which was more important? Or did you already think the Pacific War was the way to go?
@ Joey
I completely agree with you that the United States was very important to both Europe and the Pacific. I think Churchill and Roosevelt agreed that it was vital for the U.S. to get to Europe first. I just think that the war in Europe was won by a combined effort. You can't forget how many Russian men died fighting on the Eastern Front. The Pacific really only had the United States fighting. So even though the U.S. was really important to both fights , if I had to pick one it was the Pacific.
@Caitlin
I orginally looked at the pro's and cons of the war in Europe and the one in the Pacific as well. I realized that the Pacific was more important because it was mainly us in the fight while in Europe we had the support of the Allies. This in no way makes the war in Europe less important than the war in the Pacific but it's all an opinion on the person veiwing the question.
I was reading your post and I can understand what you are saying. It really wasn't the Germans in the Pacific though. I think the Germans were in the Atlantic with their U boats. I guess it was good the convoy system helped make them less of a problem.
@Caitlin
You are pretty close to what I said on the matter. And you brought up an interesting point about the war in Japan. I believe that America was the only group there that was doing anything. If Americans hadn't put up a fight there, who would have? Possibly nobody could have at all because all of the major Allied forces were so blocked by Germany and Italy in the western front.
Jason Price
The United States maintained a crucial role in both Europe and the Pacific Theatre. The United States supplied its European allies with men, weapons, and other equipment. In the Pacific Theatre, the U.S. pursued the island hopping strategy following a decisive American victory in the Battle of Midway. Although the U.S. was brought into the war by the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese and the U.S. faced more immediate threats in the Pacific Theatre than in Europe, the United States’ role in Europe was more important. Most of the Allies were in Europe and were fighting its Axis neighbor Germany at a very close proximity, facing heavy civilian damage in the course of the war. In the Pacific Theatre, however, the United States experienced very little civilian damage and its assailants were an ocean away from home. While it is true that the Pacific Theatre was mostly a fight for the U.S., its involvement in Europe was crucial, especially since European industry was still ravaged from the previous war. Even considering the importance of the Pacific, the U.S. involvement in Europe was more important.
@T1KAJ-E (Joey Adams)
Jason Price
I agree that both sides of the war are very close in their importance and I must point out two things from your post that piqued my interest. First was your idea about how America needed to be two places at once and could not allocate forces completely at one front, lest some tragedy befall the Allies. Second, your description of the consequences of the hypothetical Germany-only involvement made me chuckle at the imagery: “Americans would have been pelted by Japan.” It makes me think of Japan throwing rocks at America’s back as America faces the other way, focusing on beating up Germany.
@Caitlin Figueroa
Jason Price
I understand what you say about the near equality in importance of the two fronts, but I am confused when you say that the U.S. needed to clear the Pacific of Germans in order to get to Europe. Although you said the Pacific war is more important, you didn’t mention Japan once.
@Jason Price
You brought up an interesting point about the civilian damage in Europe. I think you are right that the civilian damage was limited for the U.S. in the Pacific. I believe though that there was a lot of damage to countries that Japan had already attacked like Hong Kong, French Indochina, Malaya, Burma, Thailand, and much of China. I think the Phillipines would consider civiian damage to be high. When I think of the Pacific Theatre I think about a naval war but many civilians were killed by the Japanese (known for their brutality during WWII) as they worked on expanding their empire.
In the beginning of the war, US was taking an isolation point of view on the war. Meaning that US refused to be involved in other European affairs. The United States supplied its European allies with men, weapons, and other equipment. Meaning they were able to stay isolated from the events, while supporting at the same time. However, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, things had to change. The US decided that they would go to war with Germany and against Hitler.
In Europe, the war was a group effort. Because of the Allies, nothing was individual, unless you wanted to lose your allies. This called for countless communication and planning. Because of these allies being seen in high regard, I feel that it is more important than the role US possessed in the Pacific Theater. The Pacific Theater was only a focus against one country. However, the Japanese were powerful- the bombing of Pearl Harbor showed us that. Still, I feel that US involvement in Europe was much more important than the involvement in the Pacific Theater. The US would have been able to deal with the Japanese if they were to completely destroy the US forced in the pacific theater, however, you can not recover from a war loss against three other countries.
Alyssa Doppke
The U.S.nwas one of the few countries that linked all of these small different wars into one large World War. America provided Britain with firearms and ammo even before America officially decided to enter the fighting. Once they did, they had to be in two places at once, which was very difficult to manage. They were not able to go to Germany because then they would've been pelted by the Japanese on the Pacific Ocean side. If they would have just gone to Japan, Britain would have been overtaken and we would have lost a huge ally against the Axis powers. That's why I believe that neither side of the war was more important than the other. I believe that Japan was much more of an imposing threat because of Pearl Harbor. But if America would have neglected the fighting in Europe, they would have been just prolonging the inevitable.
@ Joey
I really appreciate that you brought up the idea that the US had to be in two places at once. I feel most believe that any war effort is the only effort at the time. It is interesting to think that these two events were happening at the same time.
@ Michael
I like the fact that you brought up about the US being alone with Japan. Allies did so much for the US involvement in Europe, and the pacific theater did not have that advantage.
I agree with you Katie that the war in Europe was a group effort and that they would be able to handle the japanese.
@ Michael
I agree with you that the US had no other choice but to abandon their isolationist policy.also I agree that the Americans did not want the war war to end until Europe was over to take on Japan. :)
The United States' allies were found in Europe, and they helped supply them with necessary weapons and equipment for war.
The Pacific Ocean is where the United States took down the Japanese in the Battle of Midway.
I think the United States' role in Europe was more important because they supplied the weapons that made their allies stronger which led to their victory. Yes, it was very crucial that the U.S. beat the Japanese, but without the proper supplies and support from their allies, the victory may not have been achieved.
Caitlin Figueroa
I thought you made a good point by statint that it is hard to chose which was more important because both had major impacts on the war. However, I believe that their role in Europe allowed them to win the war because their allies were strong.
Katie Olsen
I also put that the US' role in Europe was more important because the Pacific Theatre was only focused on one country and our allies allowed us to win.
Once the United States became fully involved in WWII, they created elaborate battle plans to save Europe from Germany’s take-over. First, America influenced the Allies to adopt the convoy system to spare their ships from fatality. This helped get supplied into blocked-off, starving allied nations. Then, America helped liberate North Africa from Germany’s Afrika Korps. After facing strong opposition from Germany in America’s invasion of Italy, the Allies launched a full powered attack led by American general, Dwight D. Eisenhower on the northern beaches of France in Operation Overlord. Also called D-Day, this military operation helped give the Allies the jump-start they needed to turn the war around, and the Battle of the Bulge led to the ultimate defeat Germany.
America’s original conflict was with Japan as a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor; however, Germany’s declaration of war on the U.S. led them to postpone the War in pacific. After V-E Day, American forces were freed up to give their full attention to the Pacific. Instead of Japan successfully dominating the pacific as they had planned, they were blocked by U.S. forces at Australia, and the U.S. turned the war around in the Battle of Midway where they crushed the Japanese forces that were headed for that island. After that, American troops used island hopping to get close to Japan. Once they reached it though, Americans experienced a massive loss of life in trying to attack Japan itself. Truman resorted to dropping two Atomic Bombs on the civilian populated cities of Japan. This made the U.S. first to use the Atomic bomb, and the first and only country to drop it on a populated city.
I think both were quite equally important in which America stopped Germany’s invasion in Europe and showed the extent of which they were willing to go to win the war against Japan; although, in my opinion, America had a better impact on Europe where it quickly resolved conflict in and returned nations to their original government except for the temporary occupation of Germany. Despite the fact that the U.S.’s victory over Japan spared many Pacific and Asian nations from Japanese occupation, it was won on poor terms and ended in hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties (not necessarily all Japanese, either). Japan was not completely innocent either in their invasion of China and the civilian casualties that were completely avoidable there. I think because of the murder of civilians from both sides in the War in the Pacific, the importance and purpose of this war was lost. The impact in Europe was more important because it spared the loss of civilian lives from the holocaust instead of causing it through the Atomic bomb in the Pacific.
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