Harleyman Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 So just when did the Yanks turn up for WW1 & 2? To understand this you have to first understand the American mentality and the way the politicians and populace viewed Europe during these periods. Following WW1 and the death of 500,000 Americans from 1917 to November 1918 very few Americans wanted anything more to do with Europe's wars. That war was generally regarded as a tragic mistake, a senseless war that cost millions of lives and which in the end achieved nothing. Therefore when WW2 started the great majority of Americans were isolationist and the military had been reduced to a few hundred thousand half trained soldiers with out of date weapons and a few obsolete tanks. Lucky for Europe president Roosevelt knew that sooner or later the US would have to go to war with Hitler and he risked impeachment before congress for breaching American neutrality by manufacturing and supplying arms and weapons to England under a program called Lend Lease. Lucky also for Europe and the United States is that he ran for a third term and beat his rival Wendell Wilkie who was a hard core isolationist who wanted nothing to do with the war against Hitler. Had Wilkie won it would have been a disaster for the US and probably for England after the Japs attacked Pearl Harbor as the country would have had nothing whatsoever in manpower and weapons ready to fight back against Japan let alone extend military aid to England. So that I think briefly explains why the US didn't enter the war in September 1939. It was a matter of public opinion and a nation totally unprepared for a war of the magnitude of that being fought in Europe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harleyman Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Whatever you say fella point taken Excuse my spelling mistakes i think certain people have taken my post far to seriously as i said before i have my reasons for been bitter about the americans Oooh an am irish not english So you extend your biased opinion towards all Americans based on the experience of a friend of yours who nearly got it in Iraq? Jeeezuz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motown Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 So you extend your biased opinion towards all Americans based on the experience of a friend of yours who nearly got it in Iraq? Jeeezuz Nope I extend my biased opinions towards americans based on the expriences i had in iraq during my 6month tour a few years ago Ive worked along side many american people during my time in the armed forces as i said most american people are lovely Am just bitter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harleyman Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Yes, but they weren't late for all the ones they started... And they were there in Europe for 50 years during the cold war as part of NATO or have you coveniently overlooked that fact? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harleyman Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Nope I extend my biased opinions towards americans based on the expriences i had in iraq during my 6month tour a few years ago Ive worked along side many american people during my time in the armed forces as i said most american people are lovely Am just bitter Well I've experienced combat also and a little longer than you and friendly fire and mistakes do happen in war, always have and probably always will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lizmachin Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 To understand this you have to first understand the American mentality and the way the politicians and populace viewed Europe during these periods. Following WW1 and the death of 500,000 Americans from 1917 to November 1918 very few Americans wanted anything more to do with Europe's wars. That war was generally regarded as a tragic mistake, a senseless war that cost millions of lives and which in the end achieved nothing. Therefore when WW2 started the great majority of Americans were isolationist and the military had been reduced to a few hundred thousand half trained soldiers with out of date weapons and a few obsolete tanks. Lucky for Europe president Roosevelt knew that sooner or later the US would have to go to war with Hitler and he risked impeachment before congress for breaching American neutrality by manufacturing and supplying arms and weapons to England under a program called Lend Lease. Lucky also for Europe and the United States is that he ran for a third term and beat his rival Wendell Wilkie who was a hard core isolationist who wanted nothing to do with the war against Hitler. Had Wilkie won it would have been a disaster for the US and probably for England after the Japs attacked Pearl Harbor as the country would have had nothing whatsoever in manpower and weapons ready to fight back against Japan let alone extend military aid to England. So that I think briefly explains why the US didn't enter the war in September 1939. It was a matter of public opinion and a nation totally unprepared for a war of the magnitude of that being fought in Europe I don't need to understand anything. I asked a simple question which was "So just when did the Yanks turn up for WW1 & 2?" in response to your statement... "They're late for every war" ?? A statement based on an abysmal lack of knowledge I see. So I'll ask again. "So just when did the Yanks turn up for WW1 & 2?" If you can't answer such a simple question I'll fill the answers in for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harleyman Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 I don't need to understand anything. I asked a simple question which was "So just when did the Yanks turn up for WW1 & 2?" in response to your statement... "They're late for every war" ?? A statement based on an abysmal lack of knowledge I see. So I'll ask again. "So just when did the Yanks turn up for WW1 & 2?" If you can't answer such a simple question I'll fill the answers in for you. Of course I BlANKETY BLANK know when the Yanks turned up for war. They entered WW1 in 1917 and WW2 on December 7,1941 after the Japs attacked Pearl Harbor and Hitler declared war against the US. The first American troops arrived in the European theater in early 1942 and took part in Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa that same year. My father-in-law landed on Utah Beach as a 19 year old GI on June 6, 1944 and later fought and was wounded in the battle of the Hurtgen forest. Over 50,000 casualties in that battle alone Once or twice during his short period in England prior to D-Day a couple of loud mouths made comments about "What took you Yanks so long?" or "Bleddy Yanks over here stealing our women" (Not that the women minded being stolen whatsoever). Seems that kind of bias and ignorance persists amongst a few individuals even to this day judging from some of the posts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motown Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Well I've experienced combat also and a little longer than you and friendly fire and mistakes do happen in war, always have and probably always will. I agree and your right but am i not entitled to an opinion? Ive done three operational tours my second was in iraq that might not be anything next to your expriences of combat but I didnt agree with the war an to be perfectly honest felt we shouldnt be there but as a soldier you crack on an deal with the worst thats thrown at you as am sure your aware I was prepared to deal with that but i wasnt prepared to see me or my friends hurt or killed by ill trained friendly american soldiers granted we were ill equipped but i dont recall any americans going home with missing limbs due to the british blue on blue Both Governments american an british failed us anyway i feel this is going slighty of topic of the original post so i shall retreat back to the kitchen an cook my gammon egg an chips Once again i appologise if my opinions have caused any offence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danny11 Posted January 27, 2011 Author Share Posted January 27, 2011 Ive done three operational tours my second was in iraq that might not be anything next to your expriences of combat but I didnt agree with the war an to be perfectly honest felt we shouldnt be there but as a soldier you crack on an deal with the worst thats thrown at you as am sure your aware I hardly call avoiding mines and defusing traps lay by farmers combat, why dont the army just rpg the bombs instead of trying defuse it, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weazel2006 Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Back to the point (which you guys have seriously deviated from) how can these kinds of figures have gone un noticed. We have a perfect chance to send a quick sharp message to the banking sector and like rats we just go about our daily lives as we did yesterday...nothing will change and this will happen again in 20 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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