Which doctrine guided U.S. WWII strategy prioritizing defeat of Germany before fully committing to Japan?

• A. Europe-first strategy
• B. Pacific-first strategy
• C. Atlantic-first strategy
• D. Total War strategy

Answer: (A)

The main idea being tested is that the United States chose to defeat Nazi Germany before committing full effort to Japan, organizing its war aims around Europe-first. After Pearl Harbor, Allied leaders faced threats in both theaters, but they judged Germany posed the more immediate strategic danger and that knocking it out first would shorten the overall war, relieve pressure on the Soviet Union, and open the way to victory in Europe. This approach guided key decisions and campaigns—North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and the large-scale invasion of Western Europe in 1944—while still maintaining significant Pacific operations, with the expectation that Japan would be tackled more intensively after Germany was defeated. That explains why Europe-first is the best descriptor of the doctrine. The other options don’t fit the established plan: focusing on Japan first would reverse the priority; an Atlantic-first label isn’t the formal doctrine describing overall strategy; and Total War describes mobilization rather than the theater-priority decision.