Re: LOTR and 20th Century Western European Prejudices

"Hal Neintousand" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]: 
>
> Now, I understand that, as
> someone pointed out already elsewhere in this thread (Devine
> Wind), the US 'had its own selfish reasons, as do all nations,
> especially in times of war,' to go and fight and die in WWII, and 
> that the US benefited greatly for its actions in the European
> Theatre, gaining thereby a strong foothold in post-war Western
> Europe.

The main US objective in WWII was to defeat Germany and Japan.  This 
they did brilliantly.  The secondary US objective was to cause the 
breakup of the British and French empires.  While this probably would 
have happened anyway, the US's actions in undermining their former 
allies are discreditable, especially since one of them (Britain) still 
trusted them completely.


> Nevertheless, it should be clear that the contributions of
> the US to the European theater in particular and to the whole war
> in general were at least as great as anyone else's, and, probably
> on the whole greater than any other single contribution.

Take all the credit in the Pacific war, but historians estimate that 
around three-quarters of German casualties were inflicted by the Soviet 
Union.  This, and the 20 million deaths that they suffered, is why many 
people give the USSR the main credit in the European theatre.


-- 
Cheers, ymt.
Email to: jim dot laker one at btopenworld dot com