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[quote]The Germans didn't actually invade the UK and probably could have done so without too much difficulty pretty much up to the middle of the war.[/quote]

It made tactical sense to do so. We were their only real opposition, but they didn't. I agree that they may have had a better chance of winning the air war if they hadn't changed tactics, but they did, and we held them off. They wouldn't have been able to cross the channel without air & sea superiority.

[quote]The USA didn't have a reason to join the war in Europe until Pearl Harbour in December 1941. A war thousands of miles away had very little to do with them.[/quote]

Pearl harbour was a reason to start a pacific war, against the Japanese, not in Europe. They did though, and money & technology was the biggest motivation, not 'saving the British' as they like to think.

[quote]The UK and the rest of the Empire combined could never have staged a successful land invasion of Europe, it wouldn't have been possible without the participation of the USA.[/quote]

I agree totally with this. In all actuality, the Canadians had more success, and gained more ground than anybody during the first days of the land war in Europe. It's not 'saving the British' though. That was 'saving the French/Europe' campaign.

[quote]The UK and the rest of the Empire combined could never have staged a successful land invasion of Europe, it wouldn't have been possible without the participation of the USA.[/quote]

Well, it was actually 2 world wars that finally got too much. We lost everything 'to do the right thing'. What I'm getting at is that America shipped over resources, but our men being killed contributed to nazi tactics; the changing of tactics, and moving men around from the Russian & Normandy frontiers, benefited the USA in that when they finally entered the war, the nazis weren't in the strong position they were in 3-4 years previously...........when we were fighting them with the Russians.

Lets also remember that even though Russia had huge resources, they needed food. A major part of the war effort was British men risking their lives sending supplies over Norway, through the Berents Sea, to provide help. As far as I'm aware, we didn't charge Russia.

[quote]In the case of Radar, the UK, the Axis, The Japanese and the USA all had it.[/quote]

Sorry, I was a little vague in my point here. The British had advanced in the technology to a point where the equipment was small & light enough to start drawing plans with the mindset of fitting such equipment into cockpits etc. Before that, most radar was stationary, heavy, and marginally accurate. We'd moved on in the technology, and it was this in which the Americans wanted a piece. They got it of course.

Looking back, in 1905, Britain was probably the most powerful, richest nation on the planet. In 1945 it was the Americans. That tells me everything about the power of the USA today.......thanks to 2 world wars.

Every bit of help the Americans gave us, they gave to help themselves in the long run. British/Indian/Australian/Canadian/Polish/French men died to save a whole planet. Americans died because they saw an opportunity to gain an advantage over the worlds dominant empire.

Have Australia been in debt to the USA for 60 years because they fought side by side in the Pacific? We were only forced to pay compensation because we were influential, powerful & pretty rich. Bankrupting the British empire left a vacuum the Americans moved into. They were clever, and it was all politics.

Defeating the nazis was a favour to the whole globe, but we paid, big time.

I think (this is how you want me to start stuff, n'est-ce pas?) that the answer to your 1st point lies in your own statement--people from the U.S. whom you meet in Europe or the U.K.. Eo ipso, they ain't insular. I'm talking about Joe Blow from Peoria--or for that matter, me. I have never set foot on foreign soil.

A little drunk right now; forgive me.

All I'm saying is that most Americans think they 'saved the British', when in fact the world wars were more about technology, money, and power.

The Americans helped drive the nazi machine out of France, but act like it was Britain they saved, and charged us for it.

Do you know any other nation that paid so much to the war effort than Britain? Have we -60 years on- only just paid the dept?

This I find deplorable.

I believe your story is true BUT.... Most people in the U.S. DO think that Africa is all black. Too bad they don't study history.

I don't think all Americans are stupid. I do think that sometimes they don't care though. There are plenty of people in America who know about world policy and who do care about the man next door as well as the man in another land.