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Selective Service Act of 1940
Signed by law by Franklin Roosevelt in 1940, the Act established the first peace-time draft in United States history. Under the Selective Training and Service Act, all American males between twenty-one and thirty-six years of age registered for the draft. The government selected men through a lottery system. If drafted, a man served for twelve months. According to the Selective Training and Service Act's provisions, drafted soldiers had to remain in the Western Hemisphere or in United State -
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WWII Timeline
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American entering the war in 1941
The Americans who went to war in 1941, were not well trained. Most of the troops had no previous military experience. Most of the officers never led men in combat. The armed forces mirrored many of the tensions of prejudices of American Socities. Despite these challenges they performed well in battle. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
United States knew that japan would try to launch an attack against them, even though they negotiated to be neutral. But American Intelligence knew japan would try to launch an attack against the United States, but thought Japan wouldn't launch an attack on Hawaii due to the great distance between. Japan's surprise attack on December 7, 1941, sank or damaged 21 ships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, including 8 battleships, 3 cruisers, 4 destroeyers, and 6 other vessels. The attack also destroyed 188, -
The Battle of the Coral Sea
Japanese decoded messages alerted the United States to the japanese attack on New Guinea.There in early May, carriers from both side launched an all out-airstrikes- against eachother. Although the japanese sank the Lexington and badly damaged the Yorktown. -
The Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway was a turning point in the war. The japanese Navy lost four of its largest carriers-the heart of its fleet. Just six months after Pearl Harbor, the United States had stopped the Japanese advance in the Pacific. -
The Battle of the Atlantic
By August 1941, German submarines had sunk about 360 American ships along the the American coast. So many oil tankers were sunk that gasoline and fuel oil has to be rationed. -
Bombing Germany
Despite bad weather, the allied troops made it ashore with few casualties. A new vechile, the DUKW- an amphhibious truck. Proved very effective in bringing supplies and artillery to the soldiers on the beach. -
the Normandy invasion
The Invasion of Normandy was the invasion and establishment of Allied forces in Normandy, France, during Operation Overlord in 1944 during World War II. It was the largest invasion force in history, as well as the largest amphibious operation ever to take place. Allied land forces that saw combat in Normandy on 6 June came from Canada, the Free French Forces, the United Kingdom, and the United States. In the weeks following the invasion, Polish forces also participated, as well as contingents. -
The Third Reich Collapses
In 1943 the Allies officially declared that they would punish the Nazis for their crimes after the war. Meanwhile, Roosevelt was convinced that the way to put an end to the concentration camps was to destroy Nazi Regime. -
Battle of the Bulge
There are several American names for this battle. The first was the description given to the way the Allied front-line bulged inward on wartime news maps, which was reported in the contemporary press as the Battle of the Bulge. The battle was militarily defined as the Ardennes Counteroffensive, which included the German drive and the American effort to contain and later defeat it. Following the war, the U.S. Army issued a campaign citation for its units fighting in northwest Europe.