America only entered World War I in Spring, 1917 when
Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare. Prior to that time, the U.S. had
attempted to maintain neutrality. At the time the U.S. entered the war, both the Allied
and Central Powers were exhausted and locked in a stalemate. With fresh troops and the
strength of its economy behind it, the U.S. entry into the War played a key role in the
collapse of German lines. Primary American commander in World War I was General John J.
"Black Jack" Pershing; who presumably said upon landing in France, "Lafayette, we are
here." The war ended November, 1918; so U.S.participation was not that lengthy, but was
important.
The U.S. danced around neutrality originally in
World War II; although it was more involved than the government would like to admit. The
U.S. furnished Britain with "overaged" naval destroyers and also stopped shipments of
oil and scrap metal to Japan before it became actively involved. Japan had already
determined that war with the U.S. was inevitable and planned the attack on Pearl Harbor
to destroy the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
The U.S. entered the war
after the Japanese bombed the fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. This was one
day after the German advance on Stalingrad was halted on December 6. Two days after the
U.S. declared war on Japan, Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S. American role in
World War II was much more decisive than in World War I. Dwight D. Eisenhower, later
president of the United States, was Supreme Commander of the European Theater of
Operations and personally directed the D-Day invasion of Normandy. In the Pacific
Theater, General Douglas McArthur commanded ground forces and Admiral Chester Nimitz
commanded Naval forces. The war ended after an American plane dropped an Atomic bomb on
Hiroshima and later Nagasaki in August, 1945.
