The United States and Europe are closely linked. They have a shared history, and much of Europe shares economic and cultural links with the US. Many countries in Europe are also American allies. However, could we see that change? What if conflict broke-out between Europe and America, would it be possible for the US to invade and conquer Europe?
America could not invade or conquer Europe. The combined armies of European countries are as strong as the US armed forces. Europe would likely be able to resist an American invasion. An American invasion of Europe is also extremely unlikely.ameri
…but that’s just an overview. To fully understand if America could conquer Europe, we need to go into more detail.
Does America Have The Military Strength To Conquer Europe?
The first question we need to ask to assess if the US could conquer Europe is if America has the military strength to launch an invasion of the continent and defeat the armies of European countries?
America does not have the military strength to invade Europe. The US would need to commit its entire military force to an attempt to invade Europe. Even if the US could do this, the combined armies of Europe are as strong as America’s military.
Below is a comparison table of America’s military strength against the combined armies of all of Europe (without Russia).
| Country | Number of Active-Duty Soldiers | Number of Reservists | Number of Main Battle Tanks | Number of Combat Aircraft | Number of Warships |
| United States | 1,388,100 | 844,050 | 6,209 | 2,628 | 490 |
| Europe | 1,855,810 | 2,687,530 | 7,711 | 2,554 | 244 |
All data from Wikipedia
As we can see, a combined army of every country in Europe is significantly stronger than the American armed forces. It would have almost half a million more active soldiers. This would make it practically impossible for the US to invade and conquer all of Europe.
As well as having more soldiers, a combined European army would have over 1,000 more tanks than the US. This is another key factor in why America couldn’t invade Europe.
The US Air Force and the air forces of Europe have almost the same number of combat aircraft. This would make it hard to the US to gain air superiority – a key factor if an invasion was to be successful.
America has a larger navy than European countries. This would allow them to control the North Atlantic and Mediterranean seas. However, Europe could be re-supplied over land from Asia, so it is unlikely this would be a defining factor in a US invasion of the continent.
Could America Invade And Takeover The European Union?
Ok, so it’s clear that America could not invade and conquer Europe as a continent. However, what about the European Union? Could the US take control of the 27 countries that make up the EU?
America could not invade and takeover the European Union. The entire strength of the US armed forces is not large enough to defeat an army made up of every country in the EU. It is also almost impossible that the US would launch an attack of the EU.
Right, that’s an overview. Now let’s look at the data. Below is a breakdown of the military strength of the US, compared with a combined EU army.
| Country | Number of Active-Duty Soldiers | Number of Reservists | Number of Main Battle Tanks | Number of Combat Aircraft | Number of Warships |
| United States | 1,388,100 | 844,050 | 6,209 | 2,628 | 490 |
| EU | 1,483,710 | 1,178,580 | 4,677 | 2,066 | 210 |
All data from Wikipedia
As we can see, a combined army of every country in the European Union would have more troops than America. The US would need to deploy almost every force it has in the world if it were to attempt to takeover the EU. The EU also has many more troops in reserve than America does,
America has more tanks than a combined EU army would. However, it is unlikely this would be a defining factor in a modern conflict.
The US has around 500 more combat aircraft than the EU does. This would give America a small advantage in the air. However, the difference in air force sizes is not enough to predict that the US could gain air superiority. This would be another reason why America could not conquer the EU.
A combined navy made up EU countries would be much smaller than the US. However, like with an invasion of the whole of Europe, the advantage this would give America in a conflict with the EU would not be great. This is a further example of why the US could not invade the European Union.
What Would Happen If The US Invaded Europe?
To fully understand if the US could invade Europe, we need to look at what would likely happen if they did. This allows us to determine if America could actually take over the continent.
If America invaded Europe is would result in an enormous conflict. European countries would resist America’s attempt to conquer them. There would be significant lose of life and destruction.
It is almost certain that a US attempt to conquer Europe would see European countries join together to defend the continent. Twenty-eight countries in Europe are NATO members. Although America is also part of the alliance, if these were attacked, they could still activate NATO article 5 mutual defence guarantee and unite to fight the American invasion. This would pull Canada into the war.
Alongside European countries that are NATO members, it is likely countries in Europe that were not NATO members would also resist an American invasion. This is especially likely as many – such as Russia and Belarus, are already more hostile to America.
Any American attempt to conquer Europe would be certain to result in massive loss of life. Even if only conventual weapons were used, the scale of the fighting would be enormous and potentially hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people would be killed. Many major European cities would be destroyed. If nuclear weapons were used in an American attempt to invade Europe, the loss of life and destruction be catastrophic.
How Would America Try And Conquer Europe?
The next factor we need to consider when assessing if America could invade Europe is how an invasion of the continent could play out.
A US attempt to conquer Europe would likely see them try and control major population centres. America would also try and knock-out key military and civilian infrastructure across the continent to prevent European forces from resisting effectively.
It is likely a US invasion of Europe would combine elements of recent US invasions of other countries – such as Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as historical parallels with previous invasions undertaken during World War Two.
During US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, first missiles and airstrikes were launched to knock-out key military and civilian infrastructure. This was aimed at making it harder for defending forces to organise and communicate. Following these initial strikes, air and land forces were deployed to capture strategically important objectives, including major cities. A US invasion of Europe would likely play out in a similar way.
Following initial strikes, a US invasion of Europe would involve America landing ground forces on the continent. Like during World War Two, these would likely be landed on the west coast of France, as geographically this is nearer to the US. However, different to World War Two, America could also launch an invasion of the UK. It’s possible America would try and control the UK first, in order to use it as a base from which to invade mainland Europe.
When Did The US Invade Europe?
In order to understand if the US could invade Europe we also need to look back into history. So, has America ever invaded Europe before. In fact, it has! Four times. These were all during World War Two:
- Operation Husky – Sicily, 1943
- Operation Avalanche – Mainland Italy, 1943
- Operation Overlord – Normandy, 1945
- Operation Dragoon – Southern France, 1945
Let’s take a quick look at each of these events…
Operation Husky, Sicily, 1943
On 9th July 1943, America led an invasion of Sicily, an Italian island in southern Europe. It was the first time the US invaded the continent. Named Operation Husky, the invasion saw US troops, supported by forces from the UK, France, Australia, Canada, and India, invade Sicily in an attempt to defeat German and Italian forces there.
The US invasion of Sicily was the first American landing in Europe as part of World War Two. Controlling Sicily was key to launching an invasion of mainland Italy.
Operation Avalanche – Mainland Italy, 1943
Operation Avalanche was the American led invasion of mainland Italy. Launched on 9th September 1943, it saw American and British troops land near Salerno. It was the second time America launched an invasion of European country. The aim of the invasion was to liberate Italy from Fascist control and defeat Nazi Germany.
Operation Overlord – Normandy, 1945
On June 6th, 1944, American and allied forces invaded France. Landing on the beaches of Normandy, the invasion, known as D-Day, is probably the most famous time America invaded Europe. Operation Overlord was a vital step in winning World War Two.
Operation Dragoon – Southern France, 1945
Operation Dragoon was a second American invasion of France that came after D-Day. Launched on 15th August 1945, the invasion saw US and allied troops land at Côte d’Azur, in southern France. Originally, the operation was planned to coincide with the D-Day landings. However, the operation was postponed. Following the success of the Normandy landings, Operation Dragoon was authorised to open a second front and prevent German troops in southern France counter attacking further north. Operation Dragoon is an often-forgotten American invasion in Europe.
Why Did America Invade Europe?
Finally, an important question we need to ask in relation to a possible US attempt to conquer Europe is why America has invaded Europe in the past. This allows us to see under what circumstances we could see the US try and invade the continent again…
America invaded Europe to defeat Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy and liberate the countries they occupied. These invasions were part of World War Two and were key to winning the war.
World War Two saw Nazi Germany and its allies conquer almost all of Europe. In order to defeat them, the United States, along with Britain, Canada and other countries needed to invade Europe. This led to the first invasion of Italy by allied forces in 1943, followed by the invasion of France in 1944. Both ultimately led to the defeat of Germany and Italy.
Following the German-led invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, by February 1942 Russian forces began pushing the Germans back. There was pressure on America and the Western allies to launch an invasion of Europe in order to open a second front and pull German forces away from the fight against the Soviet Union.