re: How were German armored divisions so much more elite than their US counterparts

It also didn't take us long to stem the tide in the Pacific. By May 1942 we had checked Japan's advance into the South Pacific at the Battle of Coral Sea. And by June 1942, a mere six months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, we were able to win a decisive victory at Midway, thus halting Japan's advance into the Central Pacific and thus destroying much of their offensive capability.