Figure 1.--.

For 12 months after the fall of France, Britain fought alone. But Britain was not entirely alone. There were the Dominions. And then there was America. America was still at peace and and most Americans wanted no part of the War. There were still neutrality laws to be overcome. President Roosevely was, however, anything but neutral. President Roosvelt increased American assistance after the fall of France began to increase, depite an upcoming election. An American electorate was becoming increasinly supportive of Britain, but not willing to enter the War. After the disaster of France Congress began repealing the Neutrality Laws. The President ordered the U.S. Army to sorted through weapons in American arsenals to ship to Britain (June 1940). Even while the bombs fell on London during the Blitz, British merchant men brought a steady flow of weapons, aircraft, munitions, material, and food to the beleagered island. Rarely a day passed wihout a ship leaving an American port for Britain and often more than one a day. FDR was insistent that such help be provided and General George C. Marshall, Army Chief of Staff, agreed that the British war effort be suported. [Gilbert, p. 328.] This was of course hardly the policy of a neutral country. The initial steps were modest, but gradually increased in scope. The end result would be the greatest military alliance in the history of warfare.

Dunkirk (May 1940)

The British War Cabinent made its decession while the evacuation of Dunkirk was underway and the outcomne not yet clear. As the Panzers cut accross France, the British decided to evacuate the BEF. About 400,000 British an French soldiers began to fall back on Dunkirk. At this time the BEF was still within Hitler's grasp. It was not just the number of men that were at stake. The BEF was the professional core--the heart of the British Army. The men of the BEF would be the officers and NCOs of the British army that would eventually play an important role in defeating the Germans. The loss of the BEF would hsve crippled the Bitish war effort if not forced the British to seek terms. Churchill warned the Commons that it "should prepare itself for hard and heavy tidings". The Panzers were only a few miles south of Dunkirk and facing no serious opposition. Hitler ordered the Panzers to halt. Some believe that he hoped this gesture would help convince the British to comes to terms, other believe that is was just as it was described at the time, aneeded pause to regroup and prepare for a more coordinated assault. [Davidson, p. 408 and Fest, p. 630.] What ever the reason, this 48-hour respite allowed the British to organize a defensive perimter around Dunkirk and begin an almost miraculous withdawl. Although King Leopold III surended the Belgian Army, the French First Army delayed the Germans. The BEF fell back toward Dunkirk, abandoing their equipment along the roads. Nearly 340,000 men were evacuated from Dunkirk, including French and Dutch sholdiers. This is even more important that it sounds as akmost all if the British sholdiers were regulars and would form the corps of the future British Army that would play such an important role in the War. All of the BEF's equipment, however, was lost and there was no replacemments for the lost equipment waiting for them back in England.

The Dominions

After Dunkirk Britain saw itself as fighting alone. This was not entirely true. The Dominions stood with her. And she had a steadfast friend in the White House.

President Roosevelt Orders Emergency Aid

America was still at peace and and most Americans wanted no part of the War in Europe. There were still neutrality laws to be overcome. President Roosevely was, however, anything but neutral. The President ordered emergency shipments to Britain. The President ordered the U.S. Army to sorted through weapons in American arsenals to ship to Britain (June 1940). Within days of Dunkirk, ships from America were sailing for Britain with no fanfare, holds full of the arms that could be scraped together on short notice. They arms at first had to be carried on British ships because of the American Neutrality Acts. Most of the equipment were small arms, machine gun, and mortars along with amunition. Shipments included 0.5 million Enfield rifles, 895 guns (75mm calibre), 80,000machine guns, 316 mortars, 25,000 Browning automatic rifles, and 20,000 revolvers. There were mostly small arms, but the 75 mm artillery pieces were vital after Dunkirk. The arms went to the soldiers who had returned to Britain from Dunkirk without their arms and to the Home Guard. This was aizeable slice of what the pitifully small American Army had at the time. In addition, the President sent 93 Notrthrop light bombers, 50 Curtis-Wright dive bombers. The RAF put these to use attacking the ships and barges the Germans were assembling in the Channel ports.

General Marshall

General Marshall opposed the shipments and the trainees arriving in camps after Congress passed the Draft Bill would be faced with shortages throughout 1940 and 1941. [Leighton and Coakley, pp. 33-34.]

Political Clculation

President Roosevelt ordered the shipments depite an upcoming election. An American electorate was becoming increasinly supportive of Britain, but not willing to enter the War. It was an act of political courage and probably illegal. It was done by presidential order. And it was done at a time that most military experts expected Britain to fall within weeks. The arms were a pitifully small contribution compared to what was needed and what was to come, but the President sent what he could. The rest was up to the British.

U.S. Steel Corporation

The U.S. Steel Corporation handled the tranactions for both legal and political cover. The President at the time underfire from the Isolationists. If details had leaked, it would have ignited a political firestorm, probably making a third term (which the President had decided to run for) impossible.

Neutrality Acts

After the disaster of France Congress began repealing the Neutrality Laws.

Continued Shipments

Even while the bombs fell on London during the Blitz, British merchant men brought a steady flow of weapons, aircraft, munitions, material, and food to the beleagered island. Rarely a day passed wihout a ship leaving an American port for Britain and often more than one a day. FDR was insistent that such help be provided and General George C. Marshall, Army Chief of Staff, agreed that the British war effort be suported. [Gilbert, p. 328.] This was of course hardly the policy of a neutral country. The initial steps were modest, but gradually increased in scope. By the time that Lend Lease shipments began, the United states had already, the United States had shipped 1.35 million Enfield rufles and substantial quantities of other equipment to Britain. The end result would be the greatest military alliance in the history of warfare.

Sources

Davidson, Eugene. The Unmaking of Adolf Hitler (Univesity of Missouri: Columbia, 1996), 519p.

Fest, Joachum. Hitler (Vintage: New York, 1974), 844p.

Gilbert, Martin. A History of the Twentieth Century Vol. 2 1933-54 (William Morrow and Company, Inc.: New York, 1998), 1050p.

Leighton, Richard M. and Robert W. Coakley. Global Logistics and Strategy, 1940-1945 (1955).

Created: 5:33 PM 11/10/2011
Last updated: 5:33 PM 11/10/2011