![]() Prior to Pearl Harbor, Germany, Italy, and Britain had battled to protect their interest in North Africa. What Roosevelt needed was some sort of action that would satisfy the American public clamoring for action, be relatively safe and casualty free so that the public would not turn against the war, and offer at least a token front so that the Russians would get some relief. A costly cross-channel invasion would therefore not only cost lives, it could cost Roosevelt the support of the American public. Moreover, most Americans were only really interested in fighting Japan. But this plan would cost thousands of lives and wipe out a large part of the existing American army. The proposal-code-named Operation Sledgehammer-was supported by most of the American high command. Given all of these factors, an attack from England across the channel into occupied France made the most sense. With the bulk of the German army heading toward Moscow, the Russians were taking a terrible beating-they begged Roosevelt for a second front that would pull off some of the German divisions that were pounding across their country. ![]() France had been defeated Britain was under nightly attack. ![]() Roosevelt recognized that the most pressing military needs were in Europe. It was not because President Roosevelt or the American public were unwilling the American army was just not prepared-and Roosevelt, at least, was not sure where he wanted to fight. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, American ground troops saw virtually no action for almost a year.
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