Second, with no major victories on the Continent in sight and retreat in North Africa, it was questionable if Churchill could maintain his coalition in the House of Commons and keep the support of the British public.
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First, some have argued that military expediency and a need for relief from a full-fledged Nazi pincer move through North Africa and the Balkans are what hastened Churchill to offer his full support to the Russian people, and thus (indirectly), Stalin’s regime. Operation Barbarossa offered Churchill an immediate ally, which might consume the German tide and minimize pressure on Wavell’s forces in the Middle East and keep the Suez Canal and the Iraqi oil fields in Britain’s control. At this time, Churchill was referring to Lenin’s revolution as “the plague bacillus of Bolshevism,” which was capable of destroying civilization. Now, well after hostilities had concluded, Churchill was arguing for a complete regime change in post-revolutionary Russia. In fact, from November 30, 1917, to March 21, 1918, a period of less than four months, a total of 34 German divisions had been transferred from the Eastern Front and Romania for the offensive, almost breaking the Anglo-French alliance militarily in the process.
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The short-term result of this agreement was to free up numerous German troops for transfer to the Western Front to immediately commence General Erich Ludendorff’s offensive called the Kaiserschlacht, or the emperor’s battle. To learn more about FDR's Globe, shown above, visit our Digital Artifact Collection.įranklin D.Outspoken against Lenin since he had first assumed the war minister post six months previously, Churchill was unshaken in his belief that the Bolshevik regime had betrayed the Allies by making a separate peace with Kaiser Wilhelm II at Brest-Litovsk in March 1918. It established a solid "Second Front" in Europe, leaving Hitler's armies trapped in a vise, fighting the Soviets in the East and Allied forces in the West.
The operation was the culmination of FDR's Grand Strategy, especially his decision to defeat "Germany First" and his insistence - over Churchill's opposition - that the invasion go forward in Spring 1944. The invasion force included Americans, Britons, and Canadians, with additional troops from France and other Allied nations. Hundreds of thousands of men and millions of tons of equipment were transported to Great Britain. The long-awaited invasion of northwest Europe was underway. On June 6, 1944, German soldiers defending the French coast at Normandy beheld an awe-inspiring sight - the largest amphibious invasion force in history massed in the English Channel. Franklin Roosevelt, Prayer on D-Day, Radio Address, June 6, 1944 He and Churchill also initiated a combined bombing offensive against Germany.ĭuring 1942, 1943, and 1944, American forces also made steady advances in the Pacific - exceeding early expectations that they could only maintain a "holding pattern" until the defeat of Germany.ĭ-Day: J"Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our Nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity."
To reassure Stalin about Anglo-American resolve, FDR announced at the 1943 Casablanca Conference that the Allies would only accept an "unconditional surrender" from the Axis Powers. He urged a strategy of attacks along the edges of the Axis empire instead, beginning with North Africa and Italy, while preparations took place for the big invasion of northwest Europe.Įager to keep Americans focused on fighting Germany, Roosevelt agreed. But Churchill argued a large buildup of forces in Britain was necessary to ensure success. Stalin demanded his allies strike at the heart of Hitler's empire in northwest Europe, establishing a "second front."įDR's military advisers favored an early assault on northwest Europe. During these years, the Soviet Union single-handedly resisted a massive German invasion. From 1942 to 1944 one subject dominated Allied strategic debate - the creation of a Second Front in Europe.
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