World War Two
World War II was fought across more land and involved more men than any other war in the history of human civilization. Never before or since has there been a war of such vast importance and of such a large scale. The United States had an absolutely crucial role in the outcome of this war. The U.S. was faced with the colossal challenge of waging two wars at the same time on two very different parts of the planet. The European front was, of course, the more obvious of the two considering the undeniable atrocities and evils that were being committed by Adolf Hitler. Involvement on the European front was inevitable and, generally more accessible for U.S. forces. Less than thirty years before, the United States had fought in Europe, so we were familiar with the terrain and appropriate strategy. However, the Pacific Campaign of World War II presented a unique challenge for United States Armed Forces. Never before had we fought in the South Pacific or even on terrain that resembled that of the Pacific islands. With the Army heavily involved in Europe, in December of 1941 the United States were forced into a war that it was not familiar with nor knew how to fight. Luckily, however, for the U.S., the Marine Corps were the perfect outfit for the kind of fighting need in the Pacific Campaign. Because of their training in land to sea combat, the Marines were uniquely prepared for the war that faced them, whereas, the Army could never have successfully waged war in the Pacific. Without the Marine Corps fighting in the Pacific, the whole war against Japan would not have succeeded.
The United States’ participation in the European theater in World War II opened with a ground offensive dubbed Operation Torch focusing on French North Africa, which had fallen under control of the Axis powers. Although commonly the United States’ participation is remembered as commencing with the Normandy Campaign, Operation Torch and other similar campaigns in...