Figure 1.--Aviation had caught the interest of American boys in the 1920s and 30s, just as it did German boys. America had no program to promote that interest like the Hitler Youth Flugen program. Even so many boys like Charles Lindburg and Jimmy Doolittle did pursue that interest. |
Adolf Hitler on December 11, 1941, declared war on the United States. This conviently solved FDR's dilema of how to enter the war against the NAZIs when America had been attacked by the Japanese. Curiously, America was the only country on which Hitler ever declared war. The entry of America into the War changed all calculations of strategic ballance. The Soviets alone in 1941 were already out producuing the Germans in many areas such as tanks. The entry of America was to mean that German war production would be only a fraction of Allied production and that difference was already being felt on the battlefield. The story of American industry in the War is phenomenal. FDR in 1941 was already supplying Britain and the Soviets through Lend Lease. The declaration of war enabled FDR to harnass the vast American economy to war production. This was something that the Germans had still not done as late as 1942. Within the first year alone, America built 24,000 tanks and 48,000 planes. An impressive start, but just the beginning. American industry in 1942 equaled the armaments production of all three AXIS countries combined. And this was occurring at a time when the Societs alone, not to mention the British, were already out producuing the Germans. America in 1944 doubled its arms production again. [Fest, p. 656.] These were numbers the Germans could not hope to match. In no theater did these overwealming numbers show up more than the air campaign. At a time that the Luftwaffe could not fulfill its required role along the vast Eastern Front, a tidal wave of long range American bombers (B-19 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators) flowed into England, each had the range to hit every German city including Berlin. The American planes began arriving in England early in 1942. England became, in effect, a huge unsinkable air craft carrier in the North Sea. Combined with the RAF's new Avro-Lancasters, the Allies were building a massive air armada aimed at German industry.
There has always been a strong isolationist strak in American political life. Americans separated by two great oceans have since the Revolution seen ourselves as
different and apart from the rest of the World. From the beginning of the Republic, President Washington warned of entagling foreign alliances. For much of our
history, Britain was seen as the great enemy of American democracy and Manifest Destiny. America's first involvement in a European War and the United States
played a critical role in winning that War. Had the Germany not insisted on unrestricted sunmarine warfare, in effect an attack on American shipping, it is unlikely that
America woukd have entered the War. Many Americans in the 1920s came to feel that America's entry into the War was a mistake. There was considerable talk of
war profiteering. Many were detrmined that America should avoid war at any cost. This feeling was intensified with the Depression of the 1930s and the focus on
domestic issues. With the growing military might of a a rearmed Germany, others such as Charles Lindburg, thought that America could not win another war. Many
not only opposed American envolvement, but even military expebdutures. Aginst this backdrop, President Roosevelt who did see the dangers from the NAZIs and
Jaoanese militaists, with great skill and political courage managed to not only support Britain in its hour of maximum peril, but with considerable political skill
managed to push through Congress measures that would lay the ground work for turning American into the Arsenal of Democracy, producing a tidal wave of
equipment and supplies not only for the American military, but for our Allies as well in quantities that no one especially the AXIS believed possible.
Adolf Hitler on December 11, 1941, declared war on the United States. Incredibly, a few days after the Soviets stopped the Wehrmacht with a stunning offensive before Moscow inflicting massive losses, Hitler declared war on America. Invading the Soviet Union while Britain was undefeated was a risk of staggering proportons. Adding America to Germany's war when it was cler tha the Soviets were undefeatd seems unfathomable. Hitler's rasl action conviently solved FDR's dilema of how to enter the war against the NAZIs when America had been attacked by the Japanese. Curiously, America was the only country on which Hitler ever declared war.
The entry of America into the War changed all calculations of strategic ballance. The Soviets alone in 1941 were already out producuing the Germans in many areas such as tanks. The entry of America was to mean that German war production would be only a fraction of Allied production and that difference was already being felt on the battlefield.
The story of American industry in the War is phenomenal. FDR in 1941 was already supplying Britain and the Soviets through Lend Lease. The declaration of war enabled FDR to harnass the vast American economy to war production. This was something that the Germans had still not done as late as 1942. Within the first year alone, America built 24,000 tanks and 48,000 planes. An impressive start, but just the beginning. American industry in 1942 equaled the armaments production of all three AXIS countries combined. And this was occurring at a time when the Societs alone, not to mention the British, were already out producuing the Germans. America in 1944 doubled its arms production again. [Fest, p. 656.] These were numbers the Germans could not hope to match.
Aviation had caught the interest of American boys in the 1920s and 30s, just as it did German boys. America had no program to promote that interest like the Hitler Youth Flyers Hitler Jugend-Flieger) program. Even so many boys like Charles Lindburg and Jimmy Doolittle did pursue that interest. Some as engineers and some as aviators. After Americ entered the War, the Army Air Corps an Navy would launch a massive training progeam that would soon catch up and overtake the number of pilots trained as pilots and flight crews. British pilots also trained in America. Not only could Germany and Japan not match the numbers of Americans trained, but the pilot training programs rapidly declined in quality as the War progressed. Vast numbers of young Americans were eagr and willing to pursue their boyhood interests in aviation.
German Luftwaffe Commander Herman Geöring stated that the only thing that the Americans can produce well is razor blades. In fact America had a substantial and highly developed aircraft industry. It had focused on commercial aviaion, but after the War began in Europe had begun to shift to military aircraft. The DC-3 was converted to the C-47 cargo plane. Production of the B-19 bomber was stepped up. It was an American Catalina reconisance plane (with an American co-pilot) that found the Bismarck even before Ametica entered the War. The aircraft industry was rapidly expanded and new modern fighters and bombers wre rushed off the drawing board and into producion.
In no theater did these overwealming numbers show up more than the air campaign.
At a time that the Luftwaffe could not fulfill its required role along the vast Eastern Front, a tidal wave of long range American bombers (B-19 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators) flowed into England, each had the range to hit every German city including Berlin. The American planes began arriving in England early in 1942. England became, in effect, a huge unsinkable air craft carrier in the North Sea. Combined with the RAF's new Avro-Lancasters, the Allies were building a massive air armada aimed at German industry.
Fest, Joachim C. Hitler (Vintage Books: New York, 1974).
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