4 ms·
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_declaration_of_war_against_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_declaration_of_war_ag...
by ceilingcorner 6y ago
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_declaration_of_war_against_the_United_States https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_declaration_of_war_ag...
- the_af 6y agoWhat exactly do you mean? It's just a description of Hitler's declaration of war on the US. It did not result in total war being waged on US soil, and it was mostly a strategic blunder on Hitler's part.
- ceilingcorner 6y agoThe Nazis had numerous attempted sabotage operations in the continental US. They also sunk many ships off the eastern coast. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Theater_(World_War_II) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Theater_(World_War_... Their lack of ‘total war’ on the US is mostly the consequence of a lack of resources / more pressing concerns.
- the_af 6y agoLet's see, as per your link: > 20,000 Killed, 45,000 Wounded, 100 Captured Note the count includes actions by Japan against the US. Compare it to the European theatre of war. > Their lack of ‘total war’ on the US is mostly the consequence of a lack of resources / more pressing concerns. But this is irrelevant for this discussion. The fact remains that the US didn't suffer total war waged by Germany on their soil during WW2, and this might explain the comment which sparked this thread: > It wasn't very many years earlier that Germany waged total war against the US but a grudge hasn't held out there... It's easier to hold a grudge with millions dead, bombing campaigns destroying your cities, etc, don't you think? Arguing formalities such as whether Germany and the US were at war seems pointless in this context, doesn't it?
- ceilingcorner 6y agoNo, I think you are vastly underplaying the extent to which Germany was America’s enemy. Don’t forget that Jews had escaped Germany to the US, especially prominent scientists like Einstein. The US didn’t ‘hold a grudge’ because the Cold War power struggles didn’t allow for it. West Germany needed to be an ally.
- the_af 6y ago> West Germany needed to be an ally Oh, I definitely agree with this! This attitude also helped shape the narrative of WW2, especially of the Eastern Front [1], by former Wehrmacht officers in the employ of the US Army Historical Division. The Cold War made friends of former enemies, and let them tell their story in an unprecedented way -- an instance of history being told by the losers. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_the_Eastern_Front https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_the_Eastern_Front
- 082349872349872 6y agohttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23401308 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23401308 for my conspiracy theory on how Hitler wound up in the bunker, without requiring he be a madman. (Any good recent Hitler rants? Or has that meme fallen into desuetude?)