If anyone cares, I'll address the original subject of this posting. Though I too grew up with "The Facts of Life" and thought Blair was really hot. No you poms, not Tony.
America in the late 30's was in a period of isolationism whose magnitude is not easily comprehended by Europeans. Though other nations experienced some of these factors, none experienced them all:
-The high level of security which America's vast oceanic borders provided when combined with a modern and strong navy
-Strong antiwar sentiment resulting from the European experience in the Great War as well as the lack of proximity of possible enemies
-Governmental system where public opinion mattered very strongly in shaping policy decisions
-Very domestic focused agenda due to the great depression
As a result, it is not accurate to say that the US entering the war in Europe at the end of 1941 was a foregone conclusion (or that we were "very keen to help Blighty"). In fact, Roosevelt promised that he would not send American boys to any foreign wars in the 1940 Presidential elections. At that point, public opinion was decisively against direct American involvement in <what was seen as> the latest European war.
The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 07, 1941 obviously made war between Japan and the US inevitable. It did not make war between Germany and the US an immediate absolute.
Throughout that year (1941), American vessels had been delivering munitions and supplies to the UK. President Roosevelt had to justify this to sceptical elements in the public and in his own administration by using an analogy of a neighbor lending a garden hose to another whose house was on fire.
As in the period leading up to American involvement in WWI, this cargo traffic in the North Atlantic naturally led to incidents with German submarines attempting to blockade the British Isles. American lives were lost, but Roosevelt (though personally believing that the US should get involved sooner rather than later) was still not able to bring America more directly into the war due to strong sentiments against such an act.
What changed things, as in several other key points in WW2, was Hitler's poor judgement and overconfidence. Though the terms of the Axis agreement between Italy, Japan and Germany did not require it, Germany declared war on the US immediately after Pearl Harbor. This would only be called for per their agreement if Japan had been attacked by a foreign power, which was obviously not the case.
Of course, we had to respond to a declaration of war upon us, and that's why America got involved when we did. Had it not been for AH's miscalculation, American involvement may have come much later (though it would have happened eventually as Germany got more aggressively desperate). At any rate, Hitler's greatest miscalculation, the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, would have effectively precluded a German invasion of the UK until the end of that massive conflict.
So, the point is that Britain was saved from invasion in 1941 because 'the Fuehrer' had other interests in the East, not because the Battle of Britain was decisive. Without the US being involved, there would have been no hope of Britain regaining the continent (note disastrous Dieppe landings in 1942), unless the Russians were on the other side waiting to greet the Tommies.
Having said all that, all we ask is a little general recognition and thanks. I'm amazed at the seemingly prevalent opinion in the UK that American involvement in WW2 was unnecessary or insignificant.
For those still with me - thanks for listening. This was started as a 2 paragraph posting and now...
