Declaration of War

[Kobal2]

@Horatio_Hellpop

Stalin wanted a clear title to the Kurils, and an already defeated Japan gave it to him.

Well, sure - because he had the opportunity to request them and Japan wasn’t exactly in a position to stomp its foot. Think he’d have actually gone to war over the Kurils ?

[puddleglum]

[quote=“TokyoBayer, post:10, topic:740205”]

Now Germany did not want to declare war and be branded the aggressor, but Hitler understood well that he simply had to do something about American convoys steaming into England and undoing all the primo industrial destruction his air force had been doing.
[/quote.]
Not really. The Battle of Britain and The Blitz were over by that point, and Britain had defeated our outlasted the Luftwaffe. The Germans failed to significantly affect British industrial output.

The most significant factor were the attacks on shipping by U-boats, German surface ships and aircraft. The Battle of the Atlantic was far more dangerous to the UK than the Battle of Britain.
He technically still didn’t really need to declare war then as Germany was not under obligation to join Japan against the US because Japan initiated the war.

However, by declaring war on the US, he allowed the U-boats to enjoy the Second Happy Time, a six-month period in which seasoned U-boat commanders took advantage of the distracted US Navy and a complete lack of organization and inadequate defensive measure to inflict 3 million tons of shipping losses, a quarter of all Allied losses to Axis submarines during the war. That is in contrast to the 5 million tons of Japanese shipping sunk by the US during the entire Pacific War.

Good point.
The war plan Rainbow 5 had been leaked by the Roosevelt administration a few days before Pearl Harbor. In the plan it was revealed that the US was planning on fighting both Germany and Japan and that the fight with Germany would be the Allies priority. Since Hitler knew that the US was planning on fighting him anyway by declaring war first germany was able to get a start on attacking shipping while the US was still unprepared.

[doorhinge]

@puddleglum

Good point.
The war plan Rainbow 5 had been leaked by the Roosevelt administration a few days before Pearl Harbor. In the plan it was revealed that the US was planning on fighting both Germany and Japan and that the fight with Germany would be the Allies priority. Since Hitler knew that the US was planning on fighting him anyway by declaring war first germany was able to get a start on attacking shipping while the US was still unprepared.

The Joint Army and Navy Basic War Plan-Rainbow No. 5 (WPL 46) was yet another war plan describing how the the U.S. military should proceed once the plan was implemented (if it were implemented). Similar to WPL-13, WPL-14, WPL-42, and WPL-44. It’s SOP for the military to prepare war plans for future use based on current events.

*Op-12B-McC
(SC)A16(R-5)
Serial 071912
NAVY DEPARTMENT,
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS,
Washington, July 1, 1941.

CHAPTER II. EXECUTION OF THIS PLAN

Section 1. EXECUTION OF THE ENTIRE PLAN

211. a. Upon the receipt of the following ALNAV dispatch, the Naval Establishment will proceed with the execution of this plan in its entirety, including acts of war: “EXECUTE NAVY BASIC WAR PLAN RAINBOW No. 5”.

b. The date of the above dispatch will be M-day unless it has been otherwise designated.

SECTION I. DIRECTIVE

1. The directive for Joint Army and Navy Basic War Plan-RAINBOW No. 5, contained in J. P. 325 (Serial 642-1), Section 1, paragraph 3e, approved October 14, 1939, and revised April 10, 1940, is superseded by the directive contained in paragraph 2 of this paper.

2. The Joint Board directs The Joint Planning Committee to submit Joint Army and Navy Basic War Plan-RAINBOW No. 5 based upon the Report of United States-British Staff Conversations, dated March 27, 1941 (ABC-1), and upon Joint United States-Canada War Plan No. 2 (ABC-22) now in process of drafting.

SECTION II. DEFINITIONS

3. The term “Associated Powers” means the United States and the British commonwealth, and, when appropriate, includes the Associates and Allies of either Power.

4. The term “Axis Powers” means Germany and Italy, and, if Japan and other Powers are at war against the Associated Powers, is to be understood as including all such Powers.

5. “Malaysia” includes the Philippines, the Malay States, the Straits Settlements, Borneo, and the Netherlands East Indies. The “Malay Barrier” includes the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java, and the chain of islands extending in an easterly direction from Java to Bathurst Island, Australia,

6. The term “United States naval forces” as used herein will be construed as including United States naval aviation. The term “air forces” will be construed as including only the United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Air Force.*

http://www.ibiblio.org/pha/pha/misc/rainbow5.html

In 1939, the U.S. military, as well as the civilian population, was not prepared to fight a war with a major power, let alone a two-front war. By July 1, 1941, Congress had expanded the number of U.S. military personnel to 500K+, and had finally authorized funds to begin building modern war ships.
*Rainbow 1 was a plan for a defensive war to protect the United States and the Western Hemisphere north of ten degrees [south] latitude. In such a war, the United States was assumed to be without major allies.

Rainbow 2 was identical to Rainbow 1, except for assuming that the United States would be allied with France and the United Kingdom.

Rainbow 3 was a repetition of the Orange plan, with the provision that the hemisphere defense would first be secured, as provided in Rainbow 1.

Rainbow 4 was based on the same assumptions as Rainbow 1, but extended the American mission to include defense of the entire Western hemisphere.

Rainbow 5, destined to be the basis for American strategy in World War II, assumed that the United States was allied with Britain and France and provided for offensive operations by American forces in Europe, Africa, or both.*

United States color-coded war plans

Hitler, OTOH, wanted to go to war with Poland, Russia, France, England, U.S.A., etc. Any excuse would do.

[Boyo_Jim]

[quote=“puddleglum, post:22, topic:740205”]

@TokyoBayer

Good point.
The war plan Rainbow 5 had been leaked by the Roosevelt administration a few days before Pearl Harbor. In the plan it was revealed that the US was planning on fighting both Germany and Japan and that the fight with Germany would be the Allies priority. Since Hitler knew that the US was planning on fighting him anyway by declaring war first germany was able to get a start on attacking shipping while the US was still unprepared.

It wasn’t like a German spy had swiped it out of a War Department safe. It got leaked to a US newspaper, and Hitler had no idea whether it was true or not, or whether it was one of many plans which might or might not be eventually chosen to run, as was the actual truth.

So Hitler didn’t know anything new. At best he confirmed that a plan to fight Germany existed, which is something Germany would have to assume in any case.