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When did the US join World War 2?

The official answer is Dec 8, 1941. This was the day after the Pearl Harbor raid by Japan on the USA Pacific fleet.

However, the USA had been waging a secret war for over a year against the Germans. Under President Roosevelt's leadership, the US navy and merchant marine were under orders to treat all U Boats as hostile and take appropriate action. This led to at least one significant atrocity, where a US Navy destroyer crippled a German submarine and then proceeded to machine gun the helpless German survivors in the water.

Can you imagine, had this happened in reverse...had a German warship, without declaring war, murdered defenseless American sailors? No doubt Congress would have demanded WAR! Germany showed remarkable restraint despite American provocation and avoided all out war for about a year.

However, Hitler mistakenly believed in Dec 1941 that operation "Barbarossa" was going well and that he could beat the Russians and take Volgograd (now Stalingrad) for its strategic fuel supplies. This mistake is considered to be the turning point of the war. He thus declared war on the USA a couple days after the USA declared against Japan. The USA reciprocated shortly after by declaring against German and Italy.

Interesting to speculate that had Hitler not done what he did, the main US war effort would have been against Japan. Instead he opened himself up to the goal Roosevelt had been cultivating for so long, America's involvement in the European theatre. The result was calamitous for Germany. The USA involvement probably quadrupled the effectiveness of the bombing campaign again German cities. US resource in Africa and Italy plus a build up using British bases tied down large German forces that would probably have been enough to at least stabilize the Russian front. Britain by herself never had the strength or political will to take the German army on in a frontal attack such as Normandy.

Answer

I believe the day after Pearl Harbor December 8, 1941.

Answer

The United States entered the war on Dec. 8th, 1941, the day after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor.

Answer

On December 8, 1941, the day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt addressed a joint session of Congress and asked for a declaration of war against Japan. Roosevelt called December 7 �a date which will live in infamy.�

Approved, December 8, 1941, 4:10 p.m. E.S.T.

Answer

December 8th 1941.

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First answer by ID3520215041. Last edit by Tdcnata. Contributor trust: 0 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 66 [recommend question].

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