Very nice shadow - and content. 1942 ... we were pretty much iffy at that point of the war, I think. Then came '43 and my folks said that by the end of '43 "everyone" figured out the war would end favorably for the Allies. One shudders to think if the heavy water research had come to fruition, or the jet program, or the V2s had gotten more advanced ...
I like the shadow effect here, too. Very effective.
1942 was depressing as hell with the Axis pretty much having its way with the Allies, and the U.S. not in action in Africa until November. In the Pacific, it was all bad news, though the Battle of Midway was successful, though people didn't realize that it was the turning point of the war against the Japanese.
1943 showed steady progress in Africa and Italy, though the Allies were often bogged down. The South Pacific was still sketchy but the U.S. Navy was starting to move forward, and McArthur came up with the leapfrogging strategy that bypassed and isolated a lot of Japanese. It was still horrific casualties, though, and the worst casualties (Iwo Jima and Okinawa) were still to come in the last year of the war.
I'd say 1943 made people more optimistic, but it was still a crapshoot that year. And the D-Day invasion in 1944 was key: if the Allies had been thrown back into the sea (and the U.S. forces bogged down on Omaha and Utah Beaches could have made that a reality), the Second Front would not have materialized, and might never have, especially with the Germans working feverishly on their V-2 rockets. Possibly even an A-bomb, and with their V-2 rockets to carry them, who knows? That was the scenario envisioned in Star Trek's The City On The Edge Of Forever's alternate timeline, too.
And that was only the European part of the war. The U.S. Army was projecting several more years of war in the Pacific to conquer the Japanese, with at least a million Allied casualties envisioned for the invasion of the home islands. War-weary Americans might have wanted to sue for peace. It was a cold reality as after V-E Day, many U.S. troops were sent home on furlough but were preparing to be sent to the South Pacific.
City on the Edge of Forever! Oh boy, blast from the past ... anyway, thoughtful analysis, thanks. I remember seeing the bright yellow alarm towers as a kid and being all 'hey, the Japanese would never have made it 40 miles inland!' as kids do. Then as time passes and one realizes that yes, my part of CA might have succumbed, it's sobering.
City on the Edge of Forever! Oh boy, blast from the past ...
Yep, a favorite! :)
...anyway, thoughtful analysis, thanks. I remember seeing the bright yellow alarm towers as a kid and being all 'hey, the Japanese would never have made it 40 miles inland!' as kids do. Then as time passes and one realizes that yes, my part of CA might have succumbed, it's sobering.
People today can't fathom the fear people felt after Pearl Harbor, especially on the West Coast. The horror of what had happened on December 7th was a real psychic shock: all of a sudden, the safety of two oceans wasn't so safe anymore.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2017-02-03 03:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-03 03:22 pm (UTC)1942 was depressing as hell with the Axis pretty much having its way with the Allies, and the U.S. not in action in Africa until November. In the Pacific, it was all bad news, though the Battle of Midway was successful, though people didn't realize that it was the turning point of the war against the Japanese.
1943 showed steady progress in Africa and Italy, though the Allies were often bogged down. The South Pacific was still sketchy but the U.S. Navy was starting to move forward, and McArthur came up with the leapfrogging strategy that bypassed and isolated a lot of Japanese. It was still horrific casualties, though, and the worst casualties (Iwo Jima and Okinawa) were still to come in the last year of the war.
I'd say 1943 made people more optimistic, but it was still a crapshoot that year. And the D-Day invasion in 1944 was key: if the Allies had been thrown back into the sea (and the U.S. forces bogged down on Omaha and Utah Beaches could have made that a reality), the Second Front would not have materialized, and might never have, especially with the Germans working feverishly on their V-2 rockets. Possibly even an A-bomb, and with their V-2 rockets to carry them, who knows? That was the scenario envisioned in Star Trek's The City On The Edge Of Forever's alternate timeline, too.
And that was only the European part of the war. The U.S. Army was projecting several more years of war in the Pacific to conquer the Japanese, with at least a million Allied casualties envisioned for the invasion of the home islands. War-weary Americans might have wanted to sue for peace. It was a cold reality as after V-E Day, many U.S. troops were sent home on furlough but were preparing to be sent to the South Pacific.
no subject
Date: 2017-02-03 05:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2017-02-03 11:57 pm (UTC)Yep, a favorite! :)
...anyway, thoughtful analysis, thanks. I remember seeing the bright yellow alarm towers as a kid and being all 'hey, the Japanese would never have made it 40 miles inland!' as kids do. Then as time passes and one realizes that yes, my part of CA might have succumbed, it's sobering.
People today can't fathom the fear people felt after Pearl Harbor, especially on the West Coast. The horror of what had happened on December 7th was a real psychic shock: all of a sudden, the safety of two oceans wasn't so safe anymore.