h Italy and Japan, known as the Axis. In September 1939, Germany invaded Poland. In response, France and Great Britain declared war on Germany, thereby initiating the Second World War. After seizing Poland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and France, Germany prepared for an air assault on Great Britain. This effort took place in the Battle of Britain (August - October, 1940). The British successfully defended themselves against the German invaders, and Germany moved on to attack other parts of Europe, as well as North Africa.
The United States entered the war in December, 1941, following a Japanese air assault on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Early in 1942, the American and British leaders agreed to "conform to a common strategy to be framed by the Anglo-American Combined Chiefs of Staff" (Collier, 1967, p. 274). It was decided that the Anglo-American coalition would focus on eliminating the Axis threat in Europe first, before turning full attention to the problem of the Japanese presence in the Pacific (Lemay & Yenne, 1988, p. 41). It was further decided that an offensive strategy, based on the concept of strategic bombing, would be used in Europe. Operations in North Africa and the Mediterranean diverted attention away from the bombing offensive in Germany until February, 1944. However, by April, 1945, the strategic bombing campaign had attained its objectives and was called off (Stokesbury, 1980, p. 286). In the following month, the Germans surrendered to the Allies, thus ending the war in Europe.
The success of the Anglo-American coalition was due in part to the fact that it was blessed with a strong sense of political and military leadership. The British were inspired by the determination and clear-thinking of their Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. Likewise, the United States was united under the motivating force of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Another important leader in the Allied effort was U.S. Army Chief...