Now the U.S. Must Fight for It's Life

Amazing find! The war articles are pretty intriguing, the illustrations are great, and the ads are sometimes hilarious. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!
 
Interesting about the listing for Japanese battleships and carriers. Have a something like a "Jane's" from 1943 and it has the same kind of thing.
Listings for ships that don't exist. Nothing about the Yamato or the Musashi.
 

Thande

Donor
Looking at those maps, does anyone else find it hilarious that even when the Japanese and Germans are invading the United States, they still find it impossible to invade Britain on the way?
 

Thande

Donor
Also, I've been researching the Argentine Navy lately and I recognised a few names...quite a few of the ships on the US fleet diagram went on to have second careers in Latin America, viz:

US WW2 fleet 3.jpg
 

Geon

Donor
America First

Looking at those maps, does anyone else find it hilarious that even when the Japanese and Germans are invading the United States, they still find it impossible to invade Britain on the way?

It may seem hilarious to us now, but remember this was early 1942. As many on this thread have already pointed out things were looking grim for the Allies. Germany controlled an empire that stretched from the Arctic Circle to the North African desert and from the Pyrenees to the Russian Steppes. Japan controlled a full eighth of the surface area of the world (granted most of that was ocean but still). Britain had survived the Battle of Britain but was still fighting for her life in the Battle of the Atlantic. Russia was only surviving by retreating further and further into the motherland. U.S. and British naval forces had suffered two major humiliating and disasterous defeats (Pearl Harbor and the sinking of Repulse and Prince of Wales), and the Japanese were on the borders of India and Austrailia.

The U.S.A. was seen as the "arsenal of democracy" by both friend and foe at this time. If American fell it was reasoned then Britain would soon follow as Britain would soon starve.

Remember, we are looking at World War II from the perspective of 69 years after Pearl Harbor and laughing at the silliness of these articles. To the common man in 1942 there was no way of knowing if the Germans had transatlantic bombers or not. Note what President Roosevelt said in one of his fireside chats in the articles, "enemy bombers could bomb Detroit, enemy battleships could shell New York..." There was real fear that we hadn't seen the full power of the Axis unleashed yet. These articles weren't meant to be comedy, they were meant to portray a very possible and frightening reality.

Geon
 
"Now Japan and Germany have Naval Superiority almost within their grasp"

Did Life have an editorial swap with Signal?
 
Remember, we are looking at World War II from the perspective of 69 years after Pearl Harbor and laughing at the silliness of these articles. To the common man in 1942 there was no way of knowing if the Germans had transatlantic bombers or not. Note what President Roosevelt said in one of his fireside chats in the articles, "enemy bombers could bomb Detroit, enemy battleships could shell New York..." There was real fear that we hadn't seen the full power of the Axis unleashed yet. These articles weren't meant to be comedy, they were meant to portray a very possible and frightening reality.
The common man couldn't know any of it. Reporters getting in touch with Admirals did have all the means to realize the Nazi Navy had no chance at all to invade the USA from the Pacific of all places. That book is propaganda, pure and simple.
 

Markus

Banned
The common man couldn't know any of it. Reporters getting in touch with Admirals did have all the means to realize the Nazi Navy had no chance at all to invade the USA from the Pacific of all places. That book is propaganda, pure and simple.


The relevant info was in the article as Albidoom pointed out in the 3rd post:

And somwhere further down in the book another article shows the Navies of the belligerent parties (only heavy stuff like carriers & cruisers, but still), where the Allies already have a significant advantage in numbers, even though the french navy is (intriguingly) listed among the axis fleets.
 
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