Star-Telegram
Stephen Lampe & Amanda Pickett
Air Battle Rages in Europe
Biography - Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill was born on November 30, 1874, He joined the British Royal Military College, and although the military didn't seem like a good fit for him, he graduated 20th in his class of 130. Later on, he enlisted and served in the Battle of Omdurman in 1898 and on the front lines in World War I (after taking blame for Gallipoli). After the war, he became a journalist, then slowly worked his way through British Parliament. From 1919-1922 he served as the Minister of War and Air. Then on September 3, 1939 he was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty. Finally, on May 10, 1940 he was appointed as Prime Minister. Some famous quotes of his include "Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm" and "History will be kind to me for I intend to write it."
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain was an aerial battle fought between September 1940 and May 1941. The cities in Great Britain were constantly bombed almost every night. The Royal Air Force (RAF) were constantly fighting them, and shot down the German Luftwaffe with surprising success. This defending of Great Britain allowed the Allies to turn the tide, and force Hitler to postpone, and eventually cancel Operation Sea Lion, an amphibious invasion of Great Britain.
US Isolationism
The United States has remained neutral in this war for nearly two years. However, the United States has been supplying Britain with guns, and other supplies through the Lend Lease Act signed by the US in 1941. These supplies came at a cost for Britain though. Firstly, they had to stop their preferential trading with their colonies, meaning they had to give the same rate for every country. Secondly, they had to give America eight of their overseas bases. However, many of these supplies were lost on the way to Britain because of the Battle of the Atlantic going on during most of the war. Many merchant ships and their convoy's were lost because of the Mid-Atlantic Gap, a place in the Atlantic where German U-Boats could hide, and bomb the boats as they went by. During this time, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt would come on the radio every few months, and talk to the American people. He would talk about a variety of topics, from Fascism in Europe, to how America was doing in their fights. These were called "The Fireside Chats" because they were very informal, and conversational in how they sounded.
Should the US enter the War?
Yes, the United States should enter the war. In this time of struggle, Britain (our Ally) is getting beat by Germany and we should go and help them and defeat Hitler and his Nazis. If we don’t start fighting the Nazis now, they could soon cross the Atlantic and start fighting on our soil if they conquer Britain. While we may not be entirely prepared for war now, the production of war supplies will increase the demand for jobs, since many people will be needed to work in factories, and it will help pull this country out of it’s current economic depression. If we want to help our own country, then we should start by helping Britain and joining the war.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt giving a "Fireside Chat"
Winston Churchill
The Mid-Atlantic Gap
Update on Japan
Is an Embargo Act possible on Japan?
Japan relies so heavily on us, that it is completely possible to freeze their trade to limit their involvement in the war. The United States cannot sit by and let Japan continue to invade China and it’s other surrounding countries. If the U.S. wants to slow the Japanese down, the U.S. will cease trade with them. Since the United States wouldn’t be officially declaring war on the Japanese, we could easily create an embargo and still remain neutral in the war, avoiding conflict in the Pacific altogether.