Could the U.S. Win World War 2 Today
COULD THE U.S. WIN WW2 TODAY
After the release of the Senate intelligence report and the condemnation of those tasked to protect us I reflected on WW2. After all that was a decisive military victory. What led to victory? Military leadership was strong, troops were equipped and motivated to defeat the enemy, the industrial base responded and after Pearl Harbor there was political and public support to win. Losing was not an option.
Admiral Yamamoto was all too familiar having studied in the US before the war. He visited the factories in Detroit, saw the steel mills in Pennsylvania, saw the food production in the Midwest and saw the oil supply in Texas. His advice to Hirohito and Tojo – Japan could not win a sustained war against the US and it should not be pursued. Overruled the only out was a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor to catch the fleet in port creating massive destruction to prevent the US from engaging.
Let’s apply today’s political environment to WW2. We could start with the firing of Gen Eisenhower for fraternization and an affair. Patton would have been relieved for mistreatment of subordinates. Nimitz’s career would have ended early when he ran the USS Decatur aground and faced a court martial. Halsey could have been fired for poor communication and acting independently leaving the 7th fleet vulnerable during the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Pappy Boyington would have been relieved for drunkenness and disobeying orders. Instead he received the Medal of Honor and led his squadron to the most aerial kills and was the top marine ace in the war. In planning the Normandy invasion Eisenhower anticipated the death of over10,000 civilians as collateral damage. The actual numbers exceeded 35,000.
How supportive would the thinking be today if a General went forward with a plan that accepted such casualties? Would Truman be impeached today for approving the nuclear bombing of Japan? These weren’t uncaring men but leaders with determination to win.
There is an adherence to the military concept, Moral Behavior in War but when I hear “we are better than that, we are better people than the enemy, that’s why we won WW2 it makes me wish for a draft so such thinkers could experience making decisions in their nation’s defense. Victory isn’t determined by the morality of the participants. It’s which warring faction forces the other to concede and it happens at great cost. If morality was most important, political campaigns and candidates would have a different demeanor.
Those willing to risk the lives of others so they can clear their conscience or gain a political advantage should be taken to task. Accept it. Bad things happen in war. The alternative is not to authorize it. Lastly, If you witnessed the training some military folks go thru it could meet the definition of torture. War fighters don’t inflict pain because of some perverse enjoyment or relish an opportunity to torture. When lives depend on preventing a horrific catastrophe, what do you do, you better consider all the alternatives if you want to win.
Rear Admiral Charles Williams (ret)
St Louis post-dispatch December 2014