GWA-4 Decision Analysis of the United States Decision to Enter WWII Kevin Fogarty 15 Nov 2013 SRA 231

Section 001 Submitted in partial fulfillment of SRA 231

Purpose Statement: Summarize the key events leading to the decision of the United States to enter WWII.

BLUF Many global events led to the emergence of WWII and a multitude of nations across the world had involvement. A significant chain of events transpired in Europe in the late 1930s which initiated the war itself. The United States entered the war and held a key role in the fight against the Axis Powers after Japan attacked a US Naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941.

Background Europe remained very unstable after the conclusion of WWI. The devastation and issues caused in Europe during the First World War helped fuel WWII two decades later. Many of the issues from WWI went unresolved in Germanys eyes after the Treaty of Versailles was quick to point fingers and impose harsh terms on their nation. During this time, Adolf Hitler was coming to power and used resentment regarding the treaty to gain support for his party. Hitler wanted to make a pure German race and expand their territory through other European states. In 1939 the Germans began campaigning through Poland, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands in what became known as the blitzkrieg (lightning war). Soon thereafter, the British and French began to engage the Germans.

In short time the British and German navies were facing off. German U-boats proved to be deadly as they had both stealth and the ability to sink British and American ships in the Atlantic. At this point, Italy declared war on Britain and France in support of Germany. Up until now the United States had remained neutral to the warring in Europe, however, that changed after Germany bombed Britain and planned to invade. In an effort to aid Britain, the United States and Britain signed the Lend-Lease Act in 1941. US armaments were then sent to Britain to assist the British in repelling the Germans.

Just months after the Lend-Lease Act was signed, the US was attacked by Japanese bombers. An assault by 360 Japanese aircraft was mounted in a surprise attack against a US naval base at

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7th, 1941. More than 2,300 US troops were killed and eight battleships of the US Pacific fleet were damaged or destroyed. On December 8th, the day following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the US Congress declared war on Japan. In response, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.

Summary of Key Decisions/Events Prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States and Britain signed the Lend-Lease Act in March of 1941. This marked one of the first steps for the US becoming a part of the war. Supplying armaments to Britain brought the US out of their neutral position and was not taken lightly by Germany. American ships were soon being targeted by German U-boats after the signing of the act. Tensions began to rise between the Allies and Germany which would soon lead to multiple European nations joining the war effort on both sides. In an effort to establish the war aims of both nations, the US and Britain formed the Atlantic Charter in August 1941. The charter stated that both nations were agreeing to wage a war against fascism.

The key event leading to the United States joining WWII was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This was spawned by Franklin Roosevelt (FDR) announcing that the US would stop trading gasoline and iron with Japan in July 1939. Japan needed these items and others from the US to aid in their war against China. Their attempt at retaliation on the United States took the lives of many US troops and damaged multiple naval ships; however, the Japanese attack ultimately led the US into WWII. A quote from Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto accurately describes the effect of the attack on Pearl Harbor: I fear all we have done is to awaken a sleeping giant and fill him with a terrible resolve. US Congress declared war on Japan on December 8th, 1941, the day following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Three days later, Germany and Italy declared war on the US. This put the United States in the middle of a war fought in two areas of the globe. America now faced two fronts the Pacific and European Theatres.

In February of 1942, FDR signed Executive Order No. 9066. This ordered Japanese-Americans living on the west coast to internment camps in the interior of the country. Almost 120,000

Japanese-Americans from the western US had to leave their homes and relocate to one of ten Relocation Camps. Many of the individuals being relocated were American citizens by birth and were still forced to leave their homes and bring only what they could carry to the camps. This was a black mark in American history on the civil liberties of a group of individuals and has not been done since.

Warring between the Allies and the Axis Powers continued between the summer of 1942 and the summer of 1945. Many decisive battles were won by the United States in both theaters of war. The first major offensive by the Allies (predominantly American) against Japan was waged at the Battle of Guadalcanal between August 1942 and February 1943. The US eventually won after heavy losses were endured on both sides. This battle marked the transition from defensive operations to strategic offensive operations for the United States and the Allies in the Pacific Theatre. On June 6th, 1944 the Allies mounted the Invasion of Normandy. This day, known as D-Day, was another decisive battle that turned the tables of war in favor of the Allies. This battle proved to be one of the largest defeats of Germans throughout the entire war. Once beachheads were established and makeshift harbors set up, the US and Allies had an enormous amount of supplies at their disposal and held another major front in the European Theatre. Two months after D-Day the Allied forces landed in south France. On August 25, 1944 the Allies liberated Paris from Germany. The first attack by the United States on Japans homeland was the Battle of Iwo Jima between February and March of 1945. The island of Iwo Jima housed three Japanese airfields and heavily fortified bunkers and artillery positions. An incredible tunnel system was constructed by the Japanese that allowed them to travel between bunkers underground. The US suffered more casualties than Japan on Iwo Jima, yet still claimed victory at the end of the five-week battle. During and after the battle, long-range fighters used Iwo Jima as a landing and refueling site to bridge the Pacific. Although it was a small island, the conquering of Iwo Jima proved useful to the United States.

Two months later, the German forces unconditionally surrendered to the Allies on May 7th, 1945. This occurred just days after Hitler committed suicide in his bunker. May 8th was declared V-E Day by Americans and saw the confirmed surrender of nearly all German military units across the European Theatre. The Potsdam Agreement was signed on August 2nd, 1945 by the Allies in reference to the military occupation and reconstruction of Germany and affected European territories. Also included were the demilitarization of Germany, reparations, and prosecuting of war criminals. The Potsdam Declaration was delivered to Japan on July 26th, 1945. This gave Japan the option of unconditional surrender or assured destruction by the US, Britain, and China. Japan rejected the option of unconditional surrender and sealed their fate. On August 5th, 1945 the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Four days later, another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, Japan. After this, Japan finally accepted Allied terms on August 14th, 1945 and surrendered.

Lessons Learned There were many lessons learned from the Second World War alongside an immense level of death and destruction worldwide. Computer technology and encryption techniques/machines came a long way during the war. The US developed computer technologies in an effort to crack the enemy enigma machine (used for encrypting communications). America even benefitted from the German interstate system. Germany built the autobahn and associated interstate systems to transport war materials and personnel. This has been modeled worldwide since then for personal, commercial, and military transportation.

The development of weaponry and new war tactics were also spawned by WWII. The United States developed atomic bombs for the first time through the Manhattan Project. Nearly $2 billion was spent on research and development and more than 120,000 Americans were employed for the project. The project was cloaked in the highest secrecy to avoid alerting the Germans and Japanese. The test of the worlds first atomic bomb was held on July 16th, 1945 in New Mexico. Scientists were not prepared for the result which produced a 40,000 foot mushroom cloud and a half-mile wide crater in the desert. At this moment, the United States

brought the world into the nuclear age.

The decision to use an atomic bomb in WWII set a precedent that has yet to be repeated again since the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In August 1945, Harry Truman (who took over presidency after FDRs death) made the decision to drop two atomic bombs on Japan. His rationale was that the US would avoid a substantial loss of life to their soldiers if they used atomic bombs as opposed to invading the Japanese mainland. The atomic bombs killed an estimated 120,000 Japanese instantly. Tens of thousands later died of radiation exposure. The destruction and loss of life attributed to the atomic bomb is tremendous.

Having air supremacy in war became a necessity as proved in WWII. Prior to this, most emphasis was placed on a nations naval capabilities. However, use of planes for various missions was shown to be just as important, if not more important in some respects, to navies. Without air superiority during the war, the US and Allies would not have won as many decisive battles, or at least in the same length of time. Today we use aircraft for transportation of personnel/troops and supplies, bombing/attack missions, and aerial reconnaissance. WWII proved that the speed and versatility of aircraft make them one of the key elements of war.

Warring on a scale this large changed the American home front as well during the early 1940s. Many items in the US were rationed to save resources for the war effort. Coupons were given to US households based on the size of a family and declared the quantity of certain items that were able to be purchased. No automobiles were manufactured from February 1943 until the end of the war in the US. This allowed factories and manufacturing plants to produce war-specific items in the states. This time period saw a change in social structure, too. Suddenly women had new roles in society while men were off fighting a global war. Women took to factories and helped produce munitions and other items for the US troops abroad, for example. Even in todays times as we are fighting a war in the middle east, we continue to learn and adapt to the ever-changing environment of combat. Technological developments are constant as research and development of new tools, weapons, and vehicles are carried out for use in our military. The dynamic of the battlefield is a variable that can be hard to predict as guerrilla

warfare tactics are more predominant today. Lessons from WWII and other conflicts in the past still have a significant influence on Americas military strategies and political decisions made today.

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g. "The Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki." History.com. A&E Television Networks,

n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.

h. "Guadalcanal Campaign." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 Dec. 2013. Web. 15 i. j.

Nov. 2013. "Invasion of Normandy." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Nov. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. "Potsdam Agreement." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 11 June 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.