Plausibility Check: America enters WWII sooner in 1941

With the Japanese not being able to carry out Pearl Harbor until November/December at the earliest, what sort of POD would be needed to thrust America into the Second World War in March, April or May of 1941?
 
I don't know about that early. In "Not By Might, But By Right" I have FDR not running due to health and no acceptance of Wallace, so WIllkie wins a squeaker over Hull.

The idea is that Hitler doesn't tell his sub captains to avoid confronting the US shipping because he's testing Willkie's will, thinking him weak unlike FDR - and OTL a sub *almost* sank the Texas in June, so less of a warning about the Americans could let it happen.

However, even then, I didn't have American resolve be enough to have them enter the war till September of '41 and a 2nd attack kills more sailors and sinks more ships.

I don't even know if that could happen with FDR, but I suppose it could . However, getting it to happen in June is a big stretch.
 
Getting Germany to torpedo a US liner might get things going. Germany using Gas during its bombing of the UK. Alt President getting support to fight the Nazi's when its discovered they were spying/planning acts of terrorism in the US.
 
Getting the US in in 1939 after Poland is attacked should be possible. Horrendously difficult, but possible.
Getting them in in 1940 when France falls might be easier, but still hard
Getting them in in 1941? Why? If they wanted to come in against the Nazis, they would have. If they're going to enter against the Japanese, you've got to have the latter attack the US first. I can't really see that.

If the Japanese attack Malaya and the DEI early, just hoping the US won't come in, it's going to take some months for tensions to build enough for war to happen. Note that Japan wasn't ready to invade southern Vietnam iOTL until the end of July '41, and they need to do that first, and take control of the area, before they can launch an attack south.

Basically, I don't see much realistic way the US can be brought in much earlier.


Maybe, just maybe, if the Uboots sink a couple of battleships in the Atlantic, say, that MIGHT work. But sinking the Reuben James iOTL didn't, so I'm not sure what it would take.
 
Destroyers are expendable. Battleships, however, aren't - the battle line is still the decisive strategic asset.

A U-boat sinking a US battleship with heavy loss of life might lead to an an ultimatum to Germany, saying something like "Withdraw all warships from various regions of the Atlantic or face war". If this is after June, when the US has troops in Iceland, then this exclusion zone might include Icelandic waters, which would essentially make it impossible for Germany to continue the Battle of the Atlantic, leading to war. Even beforehand, it would probably be designed such that Germany would find it impossible to accept.

However, if the battleship is just damaged with minor loss of life, then the result would probably just be a further intensification of the undeclared war in the Atlantic. Loss of a heavy cruiser could go either way.
 
Top