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Lend Lease gave Britain vast amounts of military aid (aircraft, munitions, ships, financial aid) in return for access (lease) of a few islands.
The American Navy had been escorting British convoys almost to the West Coast of Ireland for 6 months prior to the war. They most
certainly did attack and depth charge u-boats. Even had a propganda campaigne to ensure Americans got their nose out of joint when a
u-boat fired back and a destroyer got sunk.
These were called "neutrality patrols" and most certainly weren't.
Certainly Hitler showed restraint and had plenty of reason to declare war.
It would be interesting to speculate as to how damaging the lend lease funding of the British war effort and the neutrality patrols could be compared to outright war. Bomber commands efforts didn't require much manpower at all, it required bombers, foreign exchange to buy the aluminium needed for making the aircraft and the food for British workers who made them as well (and weren't exporting anymore) as well as fuel in large amounts: all of which US lend lease money could supply.
Would he have been better of NOT declaring war?
To enforce US neutrality and gurantee protection of the New World, the US, with the agreement of all the other American States implemented the pan American Neutrality Zone, that was in the beginning a failry restricted area of ocean, bu moved progressively east as the war progressed. This was purely to protect "American" interests(American in the continental sense). Eventually it included Greenland, Iceland and the other Atlanitic Islands. And included the protection of all shipping within that zone. this was entirely leagal, and well within the limits set by International maritime law of the sea.
However defence aginst acts of piracy such as was occurring with the U-Boats and raiders were encountered they were to be met with force.
eventually there were so many breaches of Pan American neutrality by the germans that the US issued orders to treat all German warships as hostile, whether or not they were the first to fire. This was slightly outside the terms of International law, but has been generally accepted as a reasonable resoponse to German breaches of the PanAmerican Neutrality Treaties.
Wrong. They most certainly were acts of neutrality, in both spirit and in terms of legalityu. they were acting to protect their own and other American intersts by enforcing the provisions of their own neutrality declarations. The Germans were operating in flagrant definace of those neutrality declarations by applying unrestricted U-Boat warfare (ie modern day piracy) on declared neutral shipping.
What you have summarized certainly doesn't sound "fair". As you well know my friend, war is never "fair".
"... If I'm reading this right:
-It's not piracy to sink or capture a ship carrying anything to Germany, but it's piracy to sink or capture a ship carrying supplies to the UK
-Pan American neutrality (what ever that may be) is above International laws
-Protecting American interests half an ocean away is, both nominally and in spirit, act of legality. When other country protects it's interest half an ocean away, that's not an act of legality..."
Substitute "Germany" for "France", "Pan American" for oceanic "Rule Britannia", tomo pauk, and you have a description of Britain's naval blockade of "continental" Europe (almost without interruption) from the 1790's until 1812. The Americans sure didn't like it when the Royal Navy boarded their vessels and "repatriated" (former) RN seamen -- they started a war over the issue that we'll be celebrating here in Canada, starting January, 2012.. Canada won.
What you have summarized certainly doesn't sound "fair". As you well know my friend, war is never "fair".
MM
If I'm reading this right:
-It's not piracy to sink or capture a ship carrying anything to Germany, but it's piracy to sink or capture a ship carrying supplies to the UK
-Pan American neutrality (what ever that may be) is above International laws
-Protecting American interests half an ocean away is, both nominally and in spirit, act of legality. When other country protects it's interest half an ocean away, that's not an act of legality
If I'm reading this right:
-It's not piracy to sink or capture a ship carrying anything to Germany, but it's piracy to sink or capture a ship carrying supplies to the UK
-Protecting American interests half an ocean away is, both nominally and in spirit, act of legality. When other country protects it's interest half an ocean away, that's not an act of legality
But there were internationally accepted rules of engagement that applied to both sides (admittedly biased against the u-Boats) which the Germans chose to ignore from an early point.
Germany started the war, it's atrocities were a planned systematic events, they sowed the wind and reaped the whirlwind, no matter how that statement is away from a politic correctness.QUOTE]
Tomo, Its not a question of being PC its a statement of fact. No amount of historical rewriting and accusing the would be allies of foul play will ever alter that simple fact.
Germany was the aggressor, it made a series of high command blunders and basically made a balls up of WW2.
The victims were, as ever, the ordinary people on all sides of the conflict.
John
michael, don't get me wrong - I'm not trying to say that everyone was evil. Germany started the war, it's atrocities were a planned systematic events, they sow the wing and reaped the whirlwind, no matter how that statement is away from a politic correctness.
It's the sudden appearance of Pan American neutrality zone (that can be comfortably expanded as seen fit by it's country of origin, USA) that is painted in the rosiest of all the rose colors. It was supposed to be above international law?? No, it was in force since it's creator was a big powerful state.
Further, to say that 'within PA neutrality zone, Germans were specifically prohibited to conduct a tonnage warfare' -by whom?? By the one that could expand 1000 x 14 or 16in shells, not by international law.
As for RN not allowing the ship carrying contraband to resume it's journey, should we than say that 100 tons of ammonia, heading for Germany, is contraband? Nope, it's a cargo, presumably paid for in advance.
Thank you.
For the events in 1941 influencing the events of 1939, well, that speaks volumes.
There is a strange 'quirk' in the national character that confuses logic with right . You see it again and again.