It may surprise many people to know that WWII started a couple of years
before Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and fighting was already a fact of life
in many parts of the world.
The First Battle
The first battle of WWII occurred in September 1939 when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. From Poland. There are countless web sites devoted to Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers.
The US Plan Before Pearl Harbor
If the US became involved, Germany would have to be eliminated first and our involvement in the Pacific would be defensive. This was proven to be far less adequate than the US ever dreamed. Read more about it here. (it will open in a new window.)
Know Thy Enemies
I have spoken to many people who are a bit confused over who is who on the battlefields of WWII. My first response is often: "Hey, if they were shooting at you, they were the enemy." This doesn't work all the time because we often hear of soldiers who died from friendly fire. I do not know if the 808 lost any men due to friendly fire, but I do know they were fired upon by friendly fire at least one time. My dad told me a story but I can not remember enough of it to put on our "Memories pages," I wish I had paid more attention when he was alive.
Here is a breakdown of US friendly forces (the allied powers) and the enemy (the axis powers). These are the original 26 allied countries and the only axis countries.
The content and pictures found on this site are the property of the 808 TD Battalion and their webmaster. You may not use any content or images without the express permission of the webmaster for any project that would or could end in any type of publication, either hard copy or internet.
