Quote Originally Posted by McClef View Post
Of course Sergeant York was about the First World War rather than the second. No doubt it was trying to make a point though.
Exactly. If you've seen the movie, much of the story centers around York's pacifist beliefs as part of a Evangelical Christian Church. In the movie, York's Company Commander (he was drafted, regardless of his C.O. status) convinces York to fight using American history & the fight for freedom. It's actually fairly well done, but you can certainly see how the speech could be applied to the present (1941) circumstances.

Spirit of St Louis hardly represents the real Lindy having read the speech.
Lindbergh was a bit of an odd duck, to but it midly.

The US only declared war upon Japan, not Germany. It was Germany that declared war upon the US even they were under no obligation under the Axis Pact to do so as the US had not attacked Japan.

Had Germany not declared war upon the US it might have taken the US a lot longer to take on Germany as well as Japan.
Well, yes and no...Germany and the US were already unofficially at war, when the US Navy started providing escorts for British ships carrying lend-lease. Fine distinctions such as declarations of war meant nothing to the sailors who died on the USS Reuben James:

http://www.reuben-james.navy.mil/Sit...s/history.aspx

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/a_p...ben_james.html

Regards,

Todd