World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

The United States emerged from World War 1 an isolationist nation. Even though American President Woodrow Wilson was among the main pillars in the founding of the League of Nations, the United States Senate never allowed the North American power, geographically separated from the rest of the world in its views, to join the organization. Overall, the top political leaders of the US feared to become entangled in European politics, or worse, future European wars.

The Great Depression that began with the stock market crash in 1929 brought a difficult period to the United States, while American farmers further suffered from catastrophic dust storms collectively known as the Dust Bowl. President Franklin Roosevelt, elected in 1932, instituted several socialist programs that effectively responded to the economic and social issues that resulted from the depression. As a result, Roosevelt began to earn a deep-rooted respect from the American people.

In the mid-1930s, Roosevelt began to think that "he could buy peace for a generation of Americans, but the more he pondered the character of the regime in Berlin, the more convinced he became that the next U.S. generation would lie at [Adolf] Hitler's mercy." Bypassing the appeaser British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's office, he contacted Winston Churchill directly via telephone and established what was to become one of the most important working relationships during the war. As much as the American people respected him, however, Roosevelt was unable to sway the public to openly support a war against Nazi Germany, but he was able to convince the Congress to support Britain via Lend-Lease. That all changed in Dec 1941 when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and declared war in the United States. With this event, Roosevelt was able to play his political cards and change the American public opinion nearly overnight, changing the isolationist attitude into a patriotic fervor.

World War 2 turned out to be the costliest war in American history in terms of spending, but the spending also played a key part in lifting the United States out of economic depression. The increasing need for war goods not only wiped out the unemployment but also drew women into the work force in large numbers for the first time.

On the political front, gradually during the course of war between 1941 to 1945, United States stepped onto the world stage as a superpower. Her ability to carry on a multi-front war against both Germany and Japan with her expansive industrial capabilities was the main reason.

At the end of the war, United States unleashed two atomic weapons against Japan. President Harry Truman's decision that led to the utter destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remains a controversial topic until today.

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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. BILL says:
   20 May 2009 01:20:42 PM
   
   The P-38 Folding Can Opener was a unsung hero of World War II. It was developed in 30 days by the Subsistence Research Lab in Chicago,Ill. in the summer of 1942. Since its design, it has never been known to break, rust, need sharpening or polishing. The P-38 is also a tool it can be used as a screwdriver or knife. The P-38 was so named because that is the number of times it took to open a c-ration can. I've carried one since 1967 and since then it has opened many a civilian food can when necessary. The P-38 I still carry, is a symbol along with my dog tag of my wartime service. It still has the US stamped on the side.
2. BILL says:
   25 May 2009 02:03:56 PM
   
   "An Army marches on its stomach"
   
   - Napoleon Bonaparte -
   
   C-rations were designed to be eaten cold, but nothing warms them up faster than placing a chunk of C-4 set afire with the end of your cigarette or cigar.
3. BILL says:
   25 May 2009 02:13:00 PM
   
   By 1944 90% of U.S. Government spending went to the War cause.
   Between 1942 and 1945 very few new automobiles were built. All of the major auto makers built Military vehicles and aircraft.
   For example the Kaiser Shipbuilding Co. was able to build the Liberty ship S.S. Robert E. Peary in 4 days, 15 hrs. and 30 minutes. Between 1941 to 1945 18 Shipyards built 2,700 Liberty Ships.
4. BILL says:
   26 May 2009 05:36:28 PM
   
   The official Nomenclature for the P-38 can opener is:
   Opener Can, Hand, Folding, Type I. One Each
5. BILL says:
   12 Jun 2009 03:58:26 PM
   
   World War II Veterans Diminishing:
   As of September 30, 2008, the most recent date for which statistics are available from the (VA) Dept. of Veterans Affairs, 2,306,000 WWII vets were living. A total of 16,112,566 Americans served in uniform between 1941 and 1945.
   In other words, only 14% of the GI's mobilized by war's end are still alive today.
   
   In 2004 a Gallup Poll found that 90% of Americans viewed WWII as a "just war".
   D-Day, a pivotal event of the war, however was largely unknown to many of the young. Of 18-to 29-year olds, only 47% could identify Germany as the enemy nation. Just 40% in that age bracket knew were the invasion of France had taken place. These results are clearly an indictment of the nation's failed teaching of U.S. history, especially our military past.
6. BILL says:
   12 Jun 2009 08:14:56 PM
   
   Returning World War II Veterans faced high
   unemployment almost triple the rate for civilians. For the disabled veterans, it was
   even higher. In January 1946 more than 52,000 disabled veterans applied for jobs, only 6,000 got them.
   Many veterans felt, that they were already being forgotten six months after the end of the war. Adding to the many problems were the shortages of housing veterans lived in trailers,converted barracks, barns, even cars
   Many moved in with friends and relatives, married veterans lived with parents, friends
   or in-laws.
   In the fall of 1946 millions of veterans were
   without work (48%) of all ex-servicemen in 1947 felt that their wartime service had left them worse off than they had been before.
   In one 1947 poll indicated that 1/3 of all
   veterans felt estranged from civilian life. With the GI Bill many veterans started to build a new life, a college education was offered to those, who could have never have received one, had it not been for W.W.II.
   Many went on to Trade Schools,others started
   business settled back into civilian life worked hard, had families and enjoyed the American dream.
   During W.W.II 1,300,000 American troops were
   hospitalized "neuropsychiatric symptoms".
   On Okinawa alone the marines suffered 26,000
   psychiatric casualties, some required a short
   hospital stay, and returned to duty, others
   endured symptoms for years.
   Many veterans would live for years with the
   experiences of war and its traumas, that could not be left behind.
   By war's end the Army had admitted over a 1,000,000 "neuropsychiatric" patients to its
   hospitals 40% of discharges had been for NP cases. In 1947 half the beds in VA hospitals
   were occupied by men suffering from
   neuropsychiatric problems, plus the millions
   of men who would live their lives with the
   nightmares, and other symptoms lingered for
   decades.
   Between 1945 and 1947 petitions for divorce flooded the courts, in some cities even
   outnumbering marriages. In 1945 over 500,000
   marriages ended in divorce.
   They fought "the good war" and returned home
   happy and well-adjusted, or so the storyline
   went. In reality it was more unsettling, those W.W.II veterans struggled to adjust to a life interrupted and forever changed by the
   war.
7. BILL says:
   15 Jun 2009 09:23:02 AM
   
   The U.S. Army alone suffered 929,307 cases of Battle Fatigue between June and November
   1944.
   This amounted to 26% of all US Combat casualties, In June 1944 alone there were
   10,000 men treated.
8. BILL says:
   15 Jun 2009 09:34:13 AM
   
   From 1941 to 1945, 17,955,000 Americans were
   medically examined for service. 6,420,000
   were rejected (35.8%), 16,112,566 did serve
   in the armed forces, a total of (38.6%) were
   volunteers.
   405,399 Americans gave their lives, in the war that cost the United States a total of 288 Billion Dollars.
   
   
9. BILL says:
   17 Jun 2009 09:12:06 AM
   
   U.S. Personnel during World War II
   Army 8,300,000
   Navy 4,204,662
   Marines 599,693
   Coast Guard 172,952
   Died of all causes 405,399
   Personnel Captured 130,201
   Missing go into the thousands, the exact number,will never really be known.
   
   Soldiers fall in battle, others die through
   accidents, disease, wounds and become
   disabled and bear the physical and mental
   scars for life.
   All bear the injuries within, that can not be seen. Many Veterans will spent years in Hospitals convalescing.
   Thousands receiving continued medical care for years afterward.
   
   "In War, there are no unwounded soldiers"
10. Anonymous says:
    15 Oct 2009 10:45:43 AM
    
    i want to the exact number of field marshal in the world thanks
11. Lynda Nutter Creech says:
    25 Nov 2009 12:32:28 AM
    
    Any information re: my grandfather James H Wilkinson U.S. WWII 1941-1946 dates served as Major? Phone contact 432-275-0552. Thankyou for any info.
12. Bill says:
    23 Dec 2009 05:58:55 PM
    
    1940 US Dollars:
    
    Battleship, $77,000,000
    Large Aircraft Carrier $45,000,000
    Heavy Cruiser $20,000,000
    Destroyer $3,000,000
    Submarine $2,500,000
    Torpedo $12,000
    
    B.A.R. Browing Automatic Rifle $270.00
    M-1 Semi-Automatic Rifle $60.00
    Anti-Aircraft Gun 3in . $25,000
    Large Howitzer 3.9 in . $28,000
    
    Light Tank, $40,000
    Medium Tank $45,000
    
    In 1940 soldiers were paid a few dollars a
    day, that would add to about $4,000 for a
    four-year enlistment.
    Today to maintain one soldier it costs
    $126,000 dollars.
    
    Show Me The Money:
    
    What was the money worth?
    
    $4.00 US Dollars 1.00 British Pound
    $1.00 US Dollar 2.50 German Reichmarks
    $1.00 US Dollar 3 to 4 Japanese Yen
    $1.00 US Dollar 5 to 28 Russian Rubles
    $1.00 US Dollar 37 French Franc

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