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Thanks to CalBear's post, in wandering in for a little bit I learned something new. I knew German U-Boats had been sunk by the U.S., but never that American shipping had been sunk. But, the post about the Reuben james got me to thinking...how possible is it for this to lead to American entry into WWII over a month early?

Say the U-Boat that sinks it is itself sunk, but manages to get off a mplea for help. Suddenly, several others manage to encounter the fleet of the Reuben james and 4 other destroyers between Iceland and Britain. A battle ensues, and four destroyers are sunk, including the Reuben James.

I'm not sure what happened to keep things from overheating, but the loss of life is greater, so cooler heads do not prevail over the weekend of Nov. 1-2, and on November 3, America declares war.

This is one of those little things that Dale Cozort used to delve into very well when he was really active in AH; i can't do him justice, I know very little about military history, but how plausible is it for a POD?

It could have interesting ramifications for the Japanese, too. i dont' know if they were required to declare war in a case like this. That, too, could make things interesting if they didn't. Although, they probably would (perhaps trying to do Pearl harbor a month eary? Except now, America might be somewhat ready for them and knock them out of the sky.)

Or, would the Japanese feign disinterest, allowing the U.S. to move a few of their big ships tot he Atlantic, and then attack the Phillippines on schedule? or, just figure the U.S. will be so busy they won't have to worry about them?

Doubt I'd have time for a timeline, but anyone else is welcome.
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