La participation des États-Unis à la Seconde Guerre mondiale

Résumé du document

The beginning of the Second World War marked a change. The German victories in France and Poland, occupation of Belgium and still defying, but exhausted Great Britain led President Roosevelt to sign the Lend-Lease Act on March 11, 1941. It committed U.S. to supply Britain with military equipment without payment in order to help them to fight against the Axis Powers. The British then went on to supply a significant part of that aid to Russia and its European Allies.

Extraits

[...] While indecisive, it was nevertheless a turning point because American commanders learned the tactics that would serve them later in the war. In June 1942, the Japanese fleet suffered a major defeat, when trying to destroy a strategically important airbase on Midway Island. Japanese plan of a quick attack was intercepted by American intelligence, allowing Admiral Nimitz to formulate an effective defensive ambush. The Battle of Midway was the turning point of the war in the Pacific because the United States had seized the initiative and was on the offensive for the rest of war. [...]

[...] In July, Americans that worked on the top secret research project code-named Manhattan Project, tested the world's first atomic bomb. A month later, on August President Truman gave the order to drop the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, hoping that the destruction of the city would break Japanese resolve and end the war. A second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on August after it appeared that the Japanese high command was not planning to surrender. On August Japan surrendered the Second World War was over. [...]

[...] La participation des États-Unis à la Seconde Guerre mondiale Following the First World War and the refusal of the United States to enter the League of Nations, public opinion shifted towards neglecting the involvement into European affairs. The Great Depression that crippled the economy underlined the U.S. policy of isolationism and U.S. focus on domestic policy. This policy was backed by several laws passed by Congress in 1930s, such as Neutrality Acts, that forbade helping any nation at war by any means. [...]

[...] This led to a major defeat of Axis powers and liberation of Paris on August 24 (Operation Cobra). Fresh off of their successes in Normandy, the Allies were optimistic that an attack on the Nazi-occupied Netherlands would force open a route across the Rhine and onto the North German Plain. Such an opening would allow Allied forces to break out northward and advance toward Berlin. Unable to push north into the Netherlands, the Allies in western Europe were forced to consider other options to get into Germany. [...]

[...] On May Axis troops (General Rommel's Afrika Korps) in North Africa surrendered. Allied efforts turned towards Sicily (Operation Husky), of which they gained control in August 1943 and a month later they gained control of Italy. Slow progress against heavily defended German Corps led to recapturing of Rome on June The second European front that the Soviets had pressed for was finally opened on June with the invasion of Normandy, in German-occupied France. After prolonged bombing runs on the French coast by the U.S. [...]