Discuss the major American military operations land, sea, and air in the Atlantic/European/North African Theaters from December 1941 to the end of 1943

1. 
   Discuss the major American military operations - land, sea, and air - in the Atlantic/European/North African Theaters from December 1941 to the end of 1943.
   
   
   

The United States entered the war in the west with Operation Torch on 8 November 1942, after their Russian allies had pushed for a second advance aimed squarely against the Germans. Yet, all the operations were not successful. For example the Battle of Kasserine Pass. Although this was a significant defeat for the U.S., it likely lead to a major change with the appointment of General Patton. In addition, the tide started to turn in the Allies favor, as the Allies stopped the German advance in Tunisia and by March was fighting back hard. Later in the year, the Allies smashed through the Mareth Line and broke the Axis defense in North Africa. On 13 May 1943, Axis troops in North Africa surrendered, leaving behind 275,000 men. Allied efforts turned towards Sicily and Italy.

The first stepping-stone for the Allied liberation of Europe was the "soft underbelly" of Europe on the Italian island of Sicily. Launched in early July, Operation Husky was, at the time, the largest water based operation ever undertaken. The operation was a success, and by mid August the Allies were in control of the island.
References
Baer, G. (1996) One Hundred Years of Sea Power: The U. S. Navy, 1890-1990 p. 162.


2. Discuss the major American military operations - land, sea, and air - in the Pacific Theater from December 1941 to the end of 1943.
The battles that took place towards the end of World War II are often referred to as the Pacific War, as much of the fighting took place there. Furthermore, The term Pacific War is used to encompass the Pacific Ocean theatre, the South West Pacific theatre, the South-East Asian theatre. Most historians agree that this portion of World War II, representing the entry of the U.S. to the fight, is largely due in part or wholly to the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese.

The Pacific War saw the Allied powers fighting against the Empire of Japan, Germany, and Italy. The war came to a head with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and other large bombing raids by the United States Army Air Forces, held in the air, ultimately resulting in the surrender of Japan and the official end of fighting during World War II on August 15, 1945. The formal and official surrender of Japan occurred aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945 (Lind, 2010).