D-Day Not Decisive?

You've got to cut the Russians some slack. Western Europe got off easy compared to the Soviet Union. The invasion of France opened a second front, and eventually spelled the end of the Third Reich, but it was the surrender of entire Nazi armies on the Eastern front from which Hitler was unable to recover. Russia celebrates the end of The Great Patriotic War with tears, and justifiable pride.
 
Would have been a very different story if it weren't for the US lend-lease program... Soviet tanks were quite literally made from US steel. Prior to Uncle Sam's help they were getting their arses kicked.
 
As Stalin said, Britain provided the time, America the money and Russia the blood.

Few today know that FDR & Henry Morgenthau (U.S. Sec. of Treasury) did what was constitutionally illegal in going behind the back of the U.S. Congress to give money to Britain before Lend-Lease as Britain was technically & officially bankrupt in Dec. 1940. The Great War had destroyed Britain economically.
 
D-Day was not decisive. It was the first step. The Allies didn't land to help the Soviet Union, they landed to keep
as much of Western Europe out of Soviet influence as possible.
What was decisive was the Reich's lack of oil reserves. They simply did not have enough oil to fight a war.
Lack of development of a heavy bomber, and long range fighter escort doomed them in the Battle of Britain.
And lack of reliable intelligence about Soviet manpower sealed their fate on the Russian front.
Even Hitler, when informed of red army numbers remarked, ‘If I knew they had this much, I wouldn't have invaded!'
So, lack of resources, lack of strategic planning, and a lack of intelligence pretty much made victory impossible.
Cool looking uniforms, and flags only get you so far.
 
Back
Top Bottom