After reading The Mantle of Power by Nigel Hamilton, I’m struck by two “what if’s”:

1. What if Hitler hadn’t declared war on the United States in December of 1941?

It could have happened. The attack on Pearl Harbor plunged the U.S. into war with Japan not with Germany. In fact, if you look at FDR’s day of infamy speech, he asks for Congressional approval of a declaration of war with Japan. Not Germany.

Fortunately for FDR, he didn’t have to wait long for Germany. Hitler declared war, without any discussion among his advisors, the next day. All FDR had to do was send over his congressional request for a Germany war declaration and he got it — with a voice vote (they didn’t even have to count the nays — they’re weren’t any.)

What if Hitler had withheld? FDR would have had a very hard time selling any operations in the Atlantic theatre. Any. But here’s the key: Hitler had NO one willing to say, “Ahem, boss, let’s look at this from another angle.” Unlike Stimson and Marshal (as you’ll see in #2 below), Hitler decided all by himself. With horrific consequences for his war effort.

#2: What if FDR had picked the cross-Channel approach instead of NW Africa for the U.S.’s first Atlantic foray?

As Hamilton shows, Secretary of War Stimson and Chief of the Army Marshal both adamantly opposed operation Gymnast (N. Africa). FDR heard their repeated challenges and stayed the course. He believed (rightly as history would prove) that green U.S. troops should land where no one would initially oppose them. He further believed that the U.S. should ungreen somewhere other than the heavily defended French coast.