Liberation: A United States AAR
As the first newspapers were sold, the first radio broadcasts heard and television broadcasts watched on the morning of 16th August, a great feeling of disbelief and discontentment settled in the hearts of the American population. Had all that their leaders had been saying for the past one-hundred and fifty years all amounted to nothing? Had the promises of the triumphs of democracy to come, made in the revolution, been condemned to remain forever unfulfilled?
The American population’s real fear that their leaders did not have such a grand control over the world for them burst into reality within a matter of years. In 1939, when Adolf Hitler began a war in the European continent, nobody in the United States believed that it could lead to anything that would affect them. The United States was ready to spend the next few years of war doing absolutely nothing. Even when Poland, then Denmark, then Norway, then France, then the British Isles fell in rapid succession to the Wermacht, the American people expected a mere peace between the European powers. Indeed, with their newspapers reporting the great counter offensives by the Free British and French forces in North Africa, few thought that the Dictator trio of Franco, Hitler and Mussolini would really fight the remaining Allied forces to the ends of the earth.
However, as these reports of Allied victories began to be replaced with those of Allied tragedies, and the war seemingly unending, sympathies began to be felt for those suffering under Nazi rule. Indeed, with Hitler’s conquest or alliance of most of the nations of Europe, their became more fear that Germanys expansion would see no end before all the continents in the world had been similarly subjugated, and that it was up to the United States army to free the people of Europe from tyrants. When Roosevelt made his promise that further German expansion would not be tolerated in February 1941, his words were very popular.
When in one week, May 5th-May 12th 1941, the Wermacht smashed through the front lines of the Soviet Union, both the government and people of the United States finally grew tired of hearing of the spread of dictatorship, and the United States entered a state of war with the Axis Powers. The public rejoiced as soon after the British made an American supported landing in Southern Iraq, and freed that nation from the government that had seized power in the wake of the Italian conquest of North Africa. But that was the only victory that they heard.
Six months after the Declaration of War, Roosevelt had lost all the support he had gained for entering the war, and even more so. He was blamed for the failure to support the Soviet Union, which was in full retreat to the Urals. He was blamed for the fall of Liberia to Vichy troops, the failure of Allied troops to break through Jordan, and the high cost of defeating the Portuguese Colonies. He was now being blamed for the disaster at Pearl Harbor, in which Japanese planes bombarded the port. This was hardly the main concern for the American government, as the allied war effort was collapsing.
Despite the numerous defeats, some American newspapers kept up their full support for the war. Tales of the brave defenders of Baghdad, the Soviets “last army” the Soviet force under Field Marshall Zhukov which was liberating the Caucasus, the incredible stand by the Soviet army in Murmansk against huge odds, Voroshilovs success on halting the advance of the German army, even retaking large amounts of territory with a mere one hundred and fifty thousand men and the stopping of the enormous Italian controlled armies moving into central Africa.
Ultimately though, most of these stories died out, just as those of Allied victories during the brief pause in major hostilities during the early months of ’41. A bewildered American population became confused with exactly what was going on, as less and less information was being given by the government. It was this feeling that had prevailed so far. Few Americans had lost loved ones, as casualties had been light, nearly none at all for the army and airforce. Yet without victory, few Americans could feel that they were nearing the end of the war.
Finally, in the summer campaign of ’42, Iraq fell, the Caucasus fell, Murmansk fell; twelve hundred planes were lost in Baghdad, fleet casualties for the allied forces hit 50% after naval battles off the coast of England, the attempt to liberate the British Isles failed, the Philippines fell and to top it all off, at ten pm August 15th, Stalin disappeared and the Soviet Union made peace with Germany.
Exhausted German soldiers having crushed the last partisan revolt during the German-Soviet war.
With half of South America sided with the Nazis, and with the German army about to begin its next wave of offensive in Persia, hoping to be deep in India before the end of the year, the United States was at its lowest so far. Roosevelt made major reforms in the cabinet, and began putting into action the planned operations, all beginning with the words Operation Liberation…
As the first newspapers were sold, the first radio broadcasts heard and television broadcasts watched on the morning of 16th August, a great feeling of disbelief and discontentment settled in the hearts of the American population. Had all that their leaders had been saying for the past one-hundred and fifty years all amounted to nothing? Had the promises of the triumphs of democracy to come, made in the revolution, been condemned to remain forever unfulfilled?
The American population’s real fear that their leaders did not have such a grand control over the world for them burst into reality within a matter of years. In 1939, when Adolf Hitler began a war in the European continent, nobody in the United States believed that it could lead to anything that would affect them. The United States was ready to spend the next few years of war doing absolutely nothing. Even when Poland, then Denmark, then Norway, then France, then the British Isles fell in rapid succession to the Wermacht, the American people expected a mere peace between the European powers. Indeed, with their newspapers reporting the great counter offensives by the Free British and French forces in North Africa, few thought that the Dictator trio of Franco, Hitler and Mussolini would really fight the remaining Allied forces to the ends of the earth.
However, as these reports of Allied victories began to be replaced with those of Allied tragedies, and the war seemingly unending, sympathies began to be felt for those suffering under Nazi rule. Indeed, with Hitler’s conquest or alliance of most of the nations of Europe, their became more fear that Germanys expansion would see no end before all the continents in the world had been similarly subjugated, and that it was up to the United States army to free the people of Europe from tyrants. When Roosevelt made his promise that further German expansion would not be tolerated in February 1941, his words were very popular.
When in one week, May 5th-May 12th 1941, the Wermacht smashed through the front lines of the Soviet Union, both the government and people of the United States finally grew tired of hearing of the spread of dictatorship, and the United States entered a state of war with the Axis Powers. The public rejoiced as soon after the British made an American supported landing in Southern Iraq, and freed that nation from the government that had seized power in the wake of the Italian conquest of North Africa. But that was the only victory that they heard.
Six months after the Declaration of War, Roosevelt had lost all the support he had gained for entering the war, and even more so. He was blamed for the failure to support the Soviet Union, which was in full retreat to the Urals. He was blamed for the fall of Liberia to Vichy troops, the failure of Allied troops to break through Jordan, and the high cost of defeating the Portuguese Colonies. He was now being blamed for the disaster at Pearl Harbor, in which Japanese planes bombarded the port. This was hardly the main concern for the American government, as the allied war effort was collapsing.
Despite the numerous defeats, some American newspapers kept up their full support for the war. Tales of the brave defenders of Baghdad, the Soviets “last army” the Soviet force under Field Marshall Zhukov which was liberating the Caucasus, the incredible stand by the Soviet army in Murmansk against huge odds, Voroshilovs success on halting the advance of the German army, even retaking large amounts of territory with a mere one hundred and fifty thousand men and the stopping of the enormous Italian controlled armies moving into central Africa.
Ultimately though, most of these stories died out, just as those of Allied victories during the brief pause in major hostilities during the early months of ’41. A bewildered American population became confused with exactly what was going on, as less and less information was being given by the government. It was this feeling that had prevailed so far. Few Americans had lost loved ones, as casualties had been light, nearly none at all for the army and airforce. Yet without victory, few Americans could feel that they were nearing the end of the war.
Finally, in the summer campaign of ’42, Iraq fell, the Caucasus fell, Murmansk fell; twelve hundred planes were lost in Baghdad, fleet casualties for the allied forces hit 50% after naval battles off the coast of England, the attempt to liberate the British Isles failed, the Philippines fell and to top it all off, at ten pm August 15th, Stalin disappeared and the Soviet Union made peace with Germany.
Exhausted German soldiers having crushed the last partisan revolt during the German-Soviet war.
With half of South America sided with the Nazis, and with the German army about to begin its next wave of offensive in Persia, hoping to be deep in India before the end of the year, the United States was at its lowest so far. Roosevelt made major reforms in the cabinet, and began putting into action the planned operations, all beginning with the words Operation Liberation…
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