FDR closed his short message with the following passage, "And so I am asking my associate, [and] my old and good friend, to say a word to the people of America, old and young, tonight, -- Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain. FDR had begun the long-term correspondence that developed into a close working friendship with Winston Churchill in early while Churchill was still first lord of the admiralty. The initial interaction was to encourage a neutral America to take a more active anti-Axis role.
Roosevelt responded by exchanging 50 destroyers for year leases on British bases in the Caribbean and Newfoundland. A major foreign policy debate erupted over whether the United States should aid Great Britain or maintain strict neutrality. In the presidental election campaign Roosevelt promised to keep America out of the war.
He stated, "I have said this before, but I shall say it again and again and again; your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars. The plan was to "lend-lease or otherwise dispose of arms" and other supplies needed by any country whose security was vital to the defense of the United States. This Lend-Lease Act, proposed by FDR in January and passed by Congress in March, went a long way toward solving the concerns of both Great Britain's desperate need for supplies and America's desire to appear neutral.
Secretary of War Henry L. Until the early s, Britain was more concerned about Russia and France than Germany. Relations between Britain and Germany were very good. This began to change, however. He felt that Russia to the east and France to the west were encircling Germany. As a result, he built up his armed forces. France and Russia feared Germany and did the same. During the s, all of the great powers in Europe began to build up their armies and navies.
British policy in Europe intended that no country in Europe should become completely dominant. If Russia, France, Germany and Austria-Hungary worried about each other, then they would be less of a threat to Britain. By about it was becoming clear to Britain that the greatest potential threat to Britain was going to be Germany. The strong economy, large population and powerful armed forces of Germany seemed to be capable of dominating Europe. As a result, Britain began to support Russia and France.
Britain joined the Triple Entente. Despite being part of the Triple Entente, Britain was not committed to going to war in The Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, spent much of the summer of furiously trying to reassure Russia and Germany and prevent a war happening. Germany hoped Britain would stay out of the war altogether.
However, the Germans knew that Britain had promised to defend Belgium under the Treaty of London of The Germans wanted the British government to ignore the Treaty of London and let the German army pass through Belgium. The British government made much of their duty to protect Belgium.
Belgium's ports were close to the British coast and German control of Belgium would have been seen as a serious threat to Britain. In the end, Britain refused to ignore the events of 4 August , when Germany attacked France through Belgium. Within hours, Britain declared war on Germany. The Kaiser said how foolish he thought the British were. He said that Britain had gone to war for the sake of a "scrap of paper".
In , Germany and Austria-Hungary formed an alliance the Dual Alliance that gave them great strength in the centre of Europe. In , the French and the Russians formed their own strong alliance the Dual Entente that meant Germany now had an unfriendly power on each side.
Soon afterwards, Germany's most powerful soldier, General Schlieffen, drew up a plan that would allow Germany to beat France very quickly in any future war.
Further Allied advances in Italy were slow and hampered by heavy autumn rains. The Allied High Command ordered that priority be given to pinning down as many German divisions as possible for the duration of the war, rather than pressing the Italian offensive further. Allied soldiers had pushed across the Po Valley in northern Italy when German forces in Italy finally surrendered on May 2, , two days after the collapse of Berlin.
The Allied campaign in Italy, launched with some optimism after the Allied victory in North Africa in , turned into a brutal, protracted, and costly slog.
American casualties at Anzio alone were 59, The difficult combat at places like Monte Cassino pushed many soldiers to their breaking point. After the Italian fascist regime fell from power and was replaced by a new government friendly to the Allies, the battle for Italy became an extended bloodletting between tenacious Allied troops and steadfast German forces.
It ended only when the war in Europe ended. By then, more than , U. German casualties totaled around , But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! Subscribe for fascinating stories connecting the past to the present.
In March , during World War I , British and French forces launched an ill-fated naval attack on Turkish forces in the Dardanelles in northwestern Turkey, hoping to take control of the strategically vital strait separating Europe from Asia.
The failure of the Toward the end of the 14th century A. Grant faced off against Confederate General Robert E. In the summer of , during the U. Sherman faced off against Confederate generals Joseph E.
Johnston and John B. Hood in a series of battles in northern Georgia.
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