​​  🔗========================= The WWII US Module - Key Submodules ====================​=====​🔗
                         Overview     Organization     Sources​​     Ground Forces     WWII in the Air     WWII at Sea
​     ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WWII Overview (no subpages) –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––   
bigpigeon.us webpage WWII US > WWII Overview, © 2025 by Robert A. Christiansen, links checked by RAC 15 Aug 2022, updated by RAC 5 Aug 2025

I view World War II as a consequence and continuation of World War I, and treat the United States participation in World War II as consisting of two wars in two different geographic areas
    ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: World War II - Two Wars in One ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 
 As the accompanying map shows, the War with Japan and the War with Germany were not geographically connected; thus I can easily treat them separately. The four thick arrows show planned Axis offensives that would have brought Japanese and German forces together, but that fortunately never happened.

The red and orange areas represent the Axis powers, their allies, and the territory they occupied as of September 1942.  
Planned Division of Eurasia
Japanese Proposed Division of Eurasia, 15 Dec 1941
Basic data for the War with Japan:
  • The United State's primary allies were The Republic of China and the British Empire. 
  • The War with Japan was a continuation of the Second Sino-Japanese war, which Japan and China had fought since 1937.
  • Japan became involved in WWII in December 1941 with attacks on Pearl Harbor and elsewhere in east Asia and the Pacific.
  • Combat ended in August 1945 after the US use of two atomic bombs on the Japanese homeland and the Soviet Union's declaration of war on the Japanese Empire.
  • The War with Japan was fought throughout much of eastern and southeastern Asia and the Pacific Ocean Area. 
The Japanese Empire, June 1942
The Japanese Empire, June 1942 (from historyplace.com)
Scalable Map of The Japanese Empire (from the World War II Museum in New Orleans)
Basic data for the War with Germany:
  • The United State's primary allies were the British Empire and the Soviet Union.
  • Germany began World War II by invading Poland in September 1939, then achieved an astonishing victory in France in 1940, and expanded the war by an order of magnitude with an invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. 
  • US active involvement began in December 1941 after Pearl Harbor with a German declaration of war against the United States and ended in May 1945 with the death of Adolf Hitler and the collapse of German military resistance.
  • ​The War with Germany was fought throughout much of Europe and North Africa, as well as on the North Atlantic Ocean.
Extent of German Domination, 1942
Extent of German Domination, 1942 (from reddit)
Scalable version of Extent of German Domination
  ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Drifting Towards War ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
​The United States was already drifting towards military conflict with both Japan and Germany when the Japanese Empire launched its fateful surprise attacks on 7 December 7, 1941. (8 December  west of the International Date Line.)
  • Japan -  the United States had imposed economic sanctions attempting to curtail Japan's brutal aggression in China and expansionist tendencies in the southeast Asia area. 
  • Germany - the United States was taking increasingly bold actions in the North Atlantic to maintain the maritime supply line to Great Britain.
     :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: If You're Interested in my Five-Module WWII Project :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The Axis Powers:
  • The major WWII enemies of the United States, collectively referred to as the Axis, consisted of Germany, Italy, and Japan. However, they were supported by a number of smaller nations, ranging from Vichy France in western Europe to Siam (now Thailand) in Southeast Asia. Italy left the Axis early, in the summer of 1943. I focus on the major powers whom the US fought, namely Japan and Germany.

The names of countries:
You may see different names than those I use for some of the other countries that fought in World War II:
  • Russia - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics abbreviated as USSR or The Soviet Union
  • China - Republic of China
  • Japan - Japanese Empire
  • Germany - the German Reich
  • England - Great Britain
  • US - United States of America

About WWII-era empires, colonies, dominions and commonwealths during WWlI:
  • England, France, the Netherlands, Japan and Italy were empires whose colonies figured prominently in World War II. Germany had lost its empire after World War I.
  • The major countries in the British Commonwealth of independent nations were the dominions of Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
  • The major British colony was India, which included today's countries of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.
  • Since the British Empire and Commonwealths were major contributors to the Allied armed forces, I will often use British Empire instead of Britain or Great Britain in my text.
  • The Philippine Islands were a US commonwealth, scheduled for independence in 1946.

About maps:
  • Throughout my WWII Japan and WWII Germany modules, I use maps to support my text. You can usually enlarge a map or photo by clicking on it.  However, even when enlarged most maps are difficult to read. I endeavor to find scalable maps, recognized by being able to focus on a particular area of the map.

About my goals:
  • ​​Big Pigeon's WWII Japan and WWII Germany modules focus on United States involvement in WWII. Even though only about 1% of worldwide WWII deaths were American, 99% of what you'll see focuses on the American WWII experience.
  • My project goal - To remember the men and women of the Pottawattamie area in southwestern Iowa who served in WWII but did not survive. These individuals are listed in the WWII Dead module.
  • Supporting this goal, my WWII Japan and WWII Germany modules contain about 100 webpages which summarize a battle or campaign followed by a list of those from the Pottawattamie area who died during that event.
    ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Sources for Big Pigeon's WWII US > WWII Overview webpage :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ​