Page 8 - Cause & Effect: World War II

America’s Two-Front War

As with Germany, America was forced to fi ght a two-front war during much
of World War II. One front was the known as the European theater of opera-
tions and included the Allied invasions of Italy and France. The other front
was staged across the Pacifi c Ocean against Japan in what was known as
the Pacifi c War. Unlike Germany, America was able to sustain a two-front
war because of its massive availability of raw materials, such as coal, oil,
and steel, as well as its resources of troops available for service in the armed
forces. More than 16 million Americans served in the army, navy, marines,
and coast guard during World War II. In contrast, Germany was forced to
fi ght a two-front war with some 11 million members of its military.
Following the victory over Germany in 1945, the Allies prepared for the
invasion of Japan. During the summer of 1945, the US military began trans-
ferring troops to the South Pacifi c, stationing them on the island of Oki-
nawa, which is about 970 miles (1,561 km) south of Tokyo. Okinawa was to
have been the staging ground for the planned invasion of Japan. But on July
16, after scientists successfully detonated an atomic bomb in the desert
near Alamogordo, New Mexico, President Harry S. Truman made the deci-
sion to use the bomb against the Japanese rather than suff er the losses of
1 million Allied troops expected to fall in the invasion.

several days, it could mean the invasion would be delayed for weeks—
the landing craft needed low tide in order to make the beach assault.
Low tide was necessary because the Germans had fortifi ed the beaches
by planting obstructions such as tree stumps in the sand—designed to
smash into troop transports as they entered shallow water. Low tide
would expose the obstructions. For the invasion the tide was most fa-
vorable on June 5, 6, and 7. Planners concluded the tide would not be
favorable again for weeks.

Fooling the Germans

A lengthy delay in the invasion could have devastating eff ects because
the Allies hoped to catch the Germans by surprise. In fact, German

52