Military Power

CrazyCatman · by **CrazyCatman** on Tue Jul 31, 2007 3:28 pm

If Roosevelt was unable to declare war (or didn't even attempt to give the suggestion to the American congress) against Germany, why did Hitler declare war against the Americans?
What did he thought to achieve by declaring war against a huge superpower such as the U.S?

SizarieldoR · by **SizarieldoR** on Thu Mar 13, 2008 9:52 am

He was in an alliance with Japanese Empire and I think he was obliged to share the common enemy.
And Roosevelt sent force against the Nazis because he was helping Britain anyway.

KnightTemplar · by **KnightTemplar** on Thu Mar 13, 2008 12:48 pm

SizarieldoR wrote:He was in an alliance with Japanese Empire and I think he was obliged to share the common enemy.
And Roosevelt sent force against the Nazis because he was helping Britain anyway.

The terms of the alliance were defensive - Hitler was obligated to help the Japanese ONLY if they were attacked, which didn't happen before Hitler declared war.

SizarieldoR · by **SizarieldoR** on Thu Mar 13, 2008 1:31 pm

Didn't it? Gotta check the dates again.

CrazyCatman · by **CrazyCatman** on Thu Mar 13, 2008 2:08 pm

SizarieldoR wrote:Didn't it? Gotta check the dates again.

Hitler declared war on the Americans on Dec 11th

December 7, 1941 - Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; also attack the Philippines, Wake Island, Guam, Malaya, Thailand, Shanghai and Midway.
December 8, 1941 - U.S. and Britain declare war on Japan. Japanese land near Singapore and enter Thailand.
December 9, 1941 - China declares war on Japan.
December 10, 1941 - Japanese invade the Philippines and also seize Guam.
December 11, 1941 - Japanese invade Burma.
December 15, 1941 - First Japanese merchant ship sunk by a U.S. submarine.
December 16, 1941 - Japanese invade British Borneo.
December 18, 1941 - Japanese invade Hong Kong.
December 22, 1941 - Japanese invade Luzon in the Philippines.
December 23, 1941 - General Douglas MacArthur begins a withdrawal from Manila to Bataan; Japanese take Wake Island.
December 25, 1941 - British surrender at Hong Kong.
December 26, 1941 - Manila declared an open city.
December 27, 1941 - Japanese bomb Manila.
January 2, 1942 - Manila and U.S. Naval base at Cavite captured by the Japanese.
January 7, 1942 - Japanese attack Bataan in the Philippines.
January 11, 1942 - Japanese invade Dutch East Indies and Dutch Borneo.
January 16, 1942 - Japanese begin an advance into Burma.
January 18, 1942 - German-Japanese-Italian military agreement signed in Berlin.
January 19, 1942 - Japanese take North Borneo.
January 23, 1942 - Japanese take Rabaul on New Britain in the Solomon Islands and also invade Bougainville, the largest island.
January 27, 1942 - First Japanese warship sunk by a U.S. submarine.

Goliath · by **Goliath** on Thu Mar 13, 2008 2:47 pm

Does "December 8, 1941 - U.S. and Britain declare war on Japan." not force Germany to declare war on the U.S.?

CrazyCatman · by **CrazyCatman** on Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:23 am

Goliath wrote:Does "December 8, 1941 - U.S. and Britain declare war on Japan." not force Germany to declare war on the U.S.?

The Tripartite Pact between Japan, Germany, and Italy, 1940 wrote:The Governments of Japan, Germany, and Italy consider it the prerequisite of a lasting peace that every nation in the world shall receive the space to which it is entitled. They have, therefore, decided to stand by and cooperate with one another in their efforts in the regions of Europe and Greater East Asia respectively. In doing this it is their prime purpose to establish and maintain a new order of things, calculated to promote the mutual prosperity and welfare of the peoples concerned. It is, furthermore, the desire of the three Governments to extend cooperation to nations in other spheres of the world that are inclined to direct their efforts along lines similar to their own for the purpose of realizing their ultimate object, world peace. Accordingly, the Governments of Japan, Germany and Italy have agreed as follows:

ARTICLE 1. Japan recognizes and respects the leadership of Germany and Italy in the establishment of a new order in Europe.

ARTICLE 2. Germany and Italy recognize and respect the leadership of Japan in the establishment of a new order in Greater East Asia.

ARTICLE 3. Japan, Germany, and Italy agree to cooperate in their efforts on aforesaid lines. They further undertake to assist one another with all political, economic and military means if one of the Contracting Powers is attacked by a Power at present not involved in the European War or in the Japanese-Chinese conflict.

ARTICLE 4. With a view to implementing the present pact, joint technical commissions, to be appointed by the respective Governments of Japan, Germany and Italy, will meet without delay.

ARTICLE 5. Japan, Germany and Italy affirm that the above agreement affects in no way the political status existing at present between each of the three Contracting Powers and Soviet Russia.

ARTICLE 6. The present pact shall become valid immediately upon signature and shall remain in force ten years from the date on which it becomes effective. In due time, before the expiration of said term, the High Contracting Parties shall, at the request of any one of them, enter into negotiations for its renewal.

Looks like they have to actually have been attacked, but I'm no legal expert

count1man · by **count1man** on Thu Mar 20, 2008 10:49 am

CrazyCatman wrote:If Roosevelt was unable to declare war (or didn't even attempt to give the suggestion to the American congress) against Germany, why did Hitler declare war against the Americans?
What did he thought to achieve by declaring war against a huge superpower such as the U.S?

At the time I would not have considered the U.S. a superpower. After WWI the Americans returned to isolation. The war in Europe was over two years old when we we drawn into the war by Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. We may have had a large naval fleet but at the time of Perl Harbor it was largely untested. It is possible that both Japan and Germany were unaware of the American resolve that followed the attack.

:cry:

If we only had that resolve today

SizarieldoR · by **SizarieldoR** on Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:00 am

USA from the 40's was different from US in the beginning of the new millenium, eh? :|

Maximus the Destroyer · by **Maximus the Destroyer** on Wed Mar 26, 2008 11:49 am

count1man wrote::cry: If we only had that resolve today

AMEN!

Hobilar · by **Hobilar** on Sun Apr 06, 2008 1:45 am

[align=center]Anecdote[/align]

The events of 7 December 1941 produced a mixed reception throughout the British and Commonwealth troops in North Africa.

One former soldier recalled that some soldiers were having a few beers when they heard about Pearl Harbor. Somebody said "Well, the Yanks will have to come in now on our side".

The British soldiers decided to celebrate by singing the American National Anthem, but this created quite an argument.

Some claimed that it was ' Yankee Doodle', others that it was ' Glory, Glory, Hallelujah'.

In the end they compromised and sang 'Roll out the barrel' instead.

Maximus the Destroyer · by **Maximus the Destroyer** on Sat May 10, 2008 12:15 pm

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the US declared war on Japan. Germany declared war on the US is response because the US posed a threat to another Axis nation.

Germany didn't declare war on the US because it would accomplish something; it was mainly to defend an an ally.

Military Power

Why Did Hitler Declare War Against The Americans?

Why Did Hitler Declare War Against The Americans?

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Re: Why Did Hitler Declare War Against The Americans?

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