Claimed by CloggedDonkey
The United States is, without a doubt, the juggernaut of Western Allies and champion of the Pacific War. However, in 1941, the United States military was a meager force, one that could hardly be considered a threat to either the Japanese Empire or the mighty Wehrmacht. Even so, Americans had been preparing for war since the very late thirties. Japanese expansion in the far east led to the gathering of the American Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor. On Sunday, December 7, 1941, a Japanese fleet centered around four aircraft carriers launched hundreds of war planes on a massive surprise attack against American warships. The United States was at war.
Inexplicably, Hitler declared war on the US soon afterward. However, American troops knew only defeat for the rest of 1941 and early 1942. The Japanese crushed American forces on multiple islands in the Pacific, including Wake Island, Guam, and the Philippines. In mid-1942, the United States dealt a crushing blow to the Japanese navy at Midway, sinking four Imperial Fleet carriers. The tide had turned in the Pacific. The next year, the American advance through the Soloman Islands and the Marianas got underway. In 1944, the island of Saipan was taken. Earlier this year, the Americans overwhelmed stubborn Japanese defenses on the tiny island of Iwo Jima. Even now, in May of 1945, the Americans are locked in a bloody struggle against fierce Japanese resistance on Okinawa. While the war drags on, Japan was doomed from day one. Against the incredible industrial potential of the United States, the small Japanese Empire was, and is as nothing. That potential has since been awakened, and Japan has already paid the price in the blood of its people and the ruins of its cities. Japanese naval and air forces have been nearly destroyed, and American bombers lay waste to the Home Islands at will. It is only a matter of time before Japan falls, but at what cost to the Americans?
Unlike the war in the Pacific, which was active against the Americans right from Pearl Harbor, the European Theater did not see American involvement until Operation: Torch, in November of 1942. While the Desert Rats of the British 8th Army, under General Sir Bernard Montgomery, pressed across Libya against the feared and veteran, though now exhausted and demoralized, troops of Germany's vaunted Afrika Korps under Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel, American troops, led by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, made dual landings in Vichy French-controlled Morocco and Algeria. Encountering little or no resistance from the French, and even having the armies of Vichy defect form the Axis and join the Allied cause, American troops advanced with high morale. However, the Americans were given a rude shock in the mountains of Tunisia when Rommel dealt them a crushing blow in Kasserine Pass. American forces regrouped, and Rommel lacked the strength to keep up the offensive. In early 1943, the Afrika Korps was crushed by a coordinated offensive from American and British forces. Next came Operation: Husky, the invasion of Sicily. American and British troops quickly pushed through the fragile Italian defenders, finding the only real resistance to be from three German Panzergrenadier divisions from the Luftwaffe. The later invasion of the Italian mainland put American troops up against fierce defenses led by the Luftwaffe's Field Marshal Albert Kesselring.
In 1944, the Americans formed the bulk of Allied forces participating in Operation: Overlord, the invasion of Normandy. By now, American forces were at the very least blooded by combat against the Germans, though many were still green. Fighting in France continued from June of 1944 into 1945. Now, American troops stand ready to guide the Western Allies into the abyss, as the war against Stalin's Red Army will be more brutal than anything seen in the fight against Germany.
In May of 1945, the United States is the greatest industrial power in the world. This trait will come in handy when fighting the nation with the world's largest capacity for military manpower. The United States currently holds between 65 and 70 divisions in the European Theater. These forces include, as a result of being the largest Allied faction against the Soviets in Europe, the majority of Allied armor. American Shermans are the western equivalent of the Soviet T-34, though the armor of American tanks is dangerously inferior to that of Soviet tanks. The Sherman is a renowned deathtrap. Even so, the United States and Britain have the capacity to pump these tanks onto the battlefield via industrial superiority. As far as armament, the Sherman tank, with a 76.2mm main gun, is exactly equal to that of the T-34. Both tanks are mechanically reliable, as well. As mentioned above, Sherman armor is vastly inferior to T-34 armor, however, the front armor of the Sherman is at least capable of solid defense. It is the side and rear armor that is especially vulnerable, even though those areas are usually weak on tanks. The front armor can withstand some damage from a long range, but short and medium range shots from the 76.2mm gun will punch through the Sherman. The advantage of the American M4A3E8 (standard Sherman, mass produced for frontline service, 76.2mm gun) is its simplicity. Is is easy to train men to use it, and replacing losses in the field is not difficult.
The newer American heavy tank which will prove vital in the field for defeating the Soviet armored formations is the M26 Pershing. With the thickest armor at 110mm, the Pershing is able to withstand the T-34 from a decent range, and its 90mm M3 main gun is comparable in firepower to the 8.8cm anti-tank gun of the German Panzer VI Tiger tanks.
American infantry are all around well equipped soldiers. The American Army is the only army of World War II to have semi-automatic rifles as the standard infantry weapon. While this will by no means be the deciding factor of the whole war, the quality of American troops will contribute to the defeat of Soviet forces in the opening stages of Operation: Unthinkable.
In addition to its assets on the ground, both the US Army Air Force and its potential for air superiority provide a huge tool for the Allies to exploit. Together, the USAAF and the RAF hold sufficient firepower to deal a massive blow to the Soviet air forces. The Soviet Union has a considerably larger number of air planes available for deployment to Europe, but American and British aircraft are well maintained and are better armed, armored, and generally designed than Soviet planes, and their pilots are just as capable as those of the Soviets, but even more likely better trained than Russian pilots. While, given Stalin's capacity to maintain Zhukov's frontline strength for an incredible period by reinforcing his air power, air superiority will hardly be achieved by either side so long as both parties have industrial potential left untapped, liberal use of American air power will be necessary to keep the Red Army under pressure. Without air support, there can be no victory.
Meanwhile, in the Pacific, American forces are advancing on Japanese forces in two prongs. The two American Pacific War command Areas are the South West Pacific Command Area, led by General Douglas MacArthur, and the Pacific Ocean Area, led by Admiral Chester Nimitz. The South West Pacific Area contains 15 US Army divisions of the American 6th and 8th Armies, supported by the 1st and 2nd Australian Armies. In addition, the US 5th, 13th, and 7th Air Forces take part in this southern prong. In the Pacific Ocean Area, which is the area from which American forces advance in a westward-moving prong from the Central Pacific, Nimitz commands five US Army infantry divisions and six Marine divisions.
In fighting the enemy in Asia, US forces will need to link up with the British 11th Army Group from Burma and join the Chinese in fighting the Soviets, plus 35 Japanese Imperial Army divisions still in Manchuria and China, as the Soviets will almost certainly form an alliance with the Japanese and add their numbers to the Communist ranks.
The United States bears the burden of this whole operation. It must use the sheer overwhelming might of its industry to supply, almost single handed, the majority of all Allied forces in Europe and East Asia. Luckily, the United States has massive amounts of natural resources, including almost 75% of the world's oil (I know, shocker). It is the duty of the US to give its Allies the materials necessary to keep war industries running. Without full American participation, the Allied cause is hopeless.
Also if you read our initial plan, it has alot to do with terrain and cutting off Russian supply lines. In fact, the hardest part of our campaign will probably be in Czekoslovakia over the oil there. I don't want to say that you'd be good in the role of Britian, but I'm pretty sure logistics will play a huge part in this game. I mean when you're fighting a giagantic beast, the only way to win is to hamstring it. Not that my opinion has any effect in the end. Just trying to persaude you, I mean really, you should give it a shot.
