What was the reaction in England when the U.S. entered the war? Was the Battle of Britain still going on in the skies above London, or was the British army already making plans on retaking Europe.
I know the old people I have talked to said there was a lot of crying and gnashing of teeth. But was there dancing in the streets of London?
*Feelgood: What was the reaction in England when the U.S. entered the war? *
“About bloody @!#?@! time!”
Wrong thinking is punished, right thinking is just as swiftly rewarded. You’ll find it an effective combination.
In the words of Winston Churchill:
Thanks. One question about the Churchill quote–was it given “at the time” or in retrospective? Obviously England was grateful when the US entered the war–I just want to know if it was a “subdued relief reaction” or were champagne bottles popping across the island? You might need a somebody with first-hand knowledge to remember.
I ask this because I watched “Hope and Glory” last night-I think it takes place before America enters the war (summer '41 or '40?), but I could be wrong. Could have England carried out D-Day without American troops or would they have had to sue for peace (this assumes that Russia wouldn’t have wiped out Hitler, which eventually they would have).
Boy–Churchill sure did have some great quotes. Very similar to Lincoln in that they could both had a knack for stirring up powerful emotions in times of war.
On the other hand, who can forget the lament of the British Soldiers, who said, “There are three things wrong with Americans - they are overpaid, oversexed, and over here”.
To which the Americans responded, “Well, the British are Underpaid, Undersexed, and Under Eisenhower.”
Nyuk Nyuk.
I imagine it was hard to celebrate at the same time the Japanese were attacking just as many British bases in the Pacific as American. My guess is that it was “tempered relief” at best, “Oh, no. Not another enemy!” at worst.
Elmer J. Fudd,
Millionaire.
I own a mansion and a yacht.
I don’t think the English were all that concerned about the Pacific arena at the time. It was low on their priority list. They did a few things in Burma/Thailand–but unfortunately the British Navy presence in the arena was torn to shreds by the Japanese airplanes. Their admirals hadn’t caught on yet that the master of the seas was now the aircraft carrier and not the battleship. In one battle, the British Navy spurned air support and went into a battle unprotected. Their ships didn’t last long. Saw it on “Great Military Blunders” on the History Channel.
American leaders probably didn’t realize the new paradigm at the time either–Pearl Harbor and Coral Sea taught them a valuable lesson.
Another perspective – and memory of the time immediately after Pearl Harbor – was given to me by a gentleman who used to sing in choir with me. This gentleman was a ten year old boy in Austria on Pearl Harbor Day – it is, in fact, his birthday – and he recalls that the following day he and his father were listening to the radio and learned of the attack on Pearl Harbor and of the United States joining the War. He says that his father turned to him and said “Germany has now lost the war.”
-Melin
Siamese attack puppet – California
Still neglecting and overprotecting my children
The Churchill quote was from after the war, but contemporary accounts indicate it’s true. Obviously, he couldn’t be too open at the time in his satisfaction. It would have been poor politics to publicly rejoice that a close ally has just been bombed.
The Battle of Britain begain in earnest on 10 July, 1940. It officially ended 31 October, 1940.