The second front was opened 75 years ago. The allied forces of the USA, England and Canada landed in French Normandy. The Normandy operation is still the largest amphibious operation in the history of mankind - more than 3 million people took part in it. The Third Reich in Europe had to fight on two fronts.
The masters of the West were waiting for the mutual destruction of the forces of Germany and the USSR
In 1943, there was a real opportunity for the approach of victory in the German bloc. If the Anglo-Americans had opened a second front in Western Europe in 1943, it is obvious that World War II would have ended earlier than it actually happened. And with all the ensuing consequences: less human losses, material destruction, etc.
The United States and Britain already possessed everything necessary for the success of a strategic amphibious operation in Europe. In 1943, only the war production in the United States was 1.5 times the war production in the Third Reich, Italy, and Japan combined. In 1943 alone, the United States produced about 86 thousand aircraft, about 30 thousand tanks and 16, 7 thousand guns. England also ramped up military production. The Anglo-Saxons were powerful enough to start fighting in Europe. Great Britain, together with the dominions, had in its armed forces 4.4 million people (not counting 480 thousand colonial troops and the troops of the dominions, which were engaged in internal defense). The US Army and Navy at the end of 1943 numbered 10, 1 million people. At the same time, the Allies had a huge fleet and built a large number of transports for transporting troops, weapons and equipment. In 1943 alone, the Americans built 17,000 landing ships, ships and barges.
Thus, the United States and Britain had such military power that they were far superior to the forces of the German bloc. However, most of these forces and resources were inactive. London and Washington continued to bide their time while a gigantic battle continued on the Russian (Eastern) Front. The Allied strategy, as before, was reduced to dispersing forces on secondary fronts and directions.
However, in the second half of 1943 - early 1944, it became clear that the Red Empire was taking over. Hitler's Reich is exhausted, losing the war of attrition and retreating. The collapse of Germany became apparent. There was a risk that the Soviet army, in its victorious offensive, would liberate most of Europe, and it would enter Moscow's sphere of influence. It was impossible to hesitate any longer. The Russians won the war without a second front.
In January 1943, a regular meeting of the military-political leadership of the United States and England took place in the North African port of Casablanca. US Army Chief of Staff Marshall, who opposed the "floundering" strategy in the Mediterranean, proposed in 1943 an invasion of France across the English Channel. US Navy Chief of Staff King and US Air Force Chief of Staff Arnold did not support the idea. Roosevelt also did not support Marshall, the American president was inclined to support the point of view of the British delegation on the expansion of hostilities in the Mediterranean. The British were unanimous in the strategy of the war: first, complete operations in North Africa, capture Sicily, create conditions for the landing in Italy and the Balkans. The British hoped that a strategic offensive from the south would cut off the Russians from the center of Europe.
Westerners saw in early 1943 that the Soviet Union had the necessary power to crush the Reich. But it was still unknown how long it would take for the Russians to drive the Germans out of the Union, and then transfer the hostilities to the territory of the satellites of Germany and the countries and peoples enslaved by the Nazis. The owners of London and Washington were still waiting for the mutual destruction of the forces of Germany and Russia, the exsanguination of the Germans and Russians. After that, the Anglo-American troops, retaining their strength, will easily bring Europe under control. The Soviet Union, exhausted in a terrible massacre, had to cede world domination to the Anglo-American bloc. Earlier, in 1941-1942, the masters of the United States and England believed that the Soviet colossus on feet of clay would fall under the onslaught of Hitler's "blond beasts". However, the Third Reich will be weakened by resistance in the East, and it will be possible to neutralize it, find a common language with the German elite. Therefore, the masters of the West in 1939 - early 1941 made Hitler understand that there would be no second front, that the Wehrmacht could calmly fight on the Eastern Front. Then it was possible to liquidate with the help of the generals the obstinate and much imagined Fuhrer, put a more convenient figure at the head of the Third Reich and blame Hitler for all the mistakes and crimes.
Thus, the masters of the United States and England refused to open a second front in the period 1942-1943, so that Germany and the USSR were drained of blood as much as possible in the battle of the titans. The Anglo-Saxons were going to finish off the winner and establish their own world order. When it became obvious that the Russians were taking over, the Westernizers proceeded from the fact that the USSR would still for a considerable time be shackled in a one-on-one struggle with a losing, but still strong, Germany. The United States and Britain at this time will create an overwhelming military-economic advantage and will enter the game at the most favorable moment so that the USSR cannot act as the liberator of the countries and peoples of Europe. The Russians will by this time break the Germans, and the Anglo-American troops will be able to safely land in France and reach Berlin without any problems.
At the same time, the United States and England, although the goal was common, had differences in military strategy. Churchill was more interested in the so-called. Balkan question. The British prime minister believed that the bases in North Africa, Sicily and Sardinia (after their capture) should be used not only for the liberation of Italy, but also for an offensive on the Balkan Peninsula. Churchill believed that such a strategy would provide the United States and England with dominance in southern and southeastern Europe, and then in Central Europe. However, the rapid offensive of the Red Army thwarted the plans to create a second front of the United States and Britain in the Balkans.
The decision to open a second front
Informing Moscow about the results of the Casablanca meeting, the Westerners announced that they were preparing a landing operation in France in August 1943. But in May 1943, at a conference in Washington, the leaders of the United States and England postponed the invasion of France to 1944. An agreement was also reached on joint bombing of the Third Reich. The Anglo-Saxons continued to focus on offensive operations in the Mediterranean and Pacific theaters. Stalin was informed about this. The Soviet leader, in his reply to Roosevelt, noted: "This decision of yours creates exceptional difficulties for the Soviet Union, which has been waging a war with the main forces of Germany and its satellites with extreme exertion of all its forces for two years …" government and falling confidence in the allies.
The major victories of the Red Army in 1943 on the Eastern Front (a strategic turning point in the war) forced the leaders of the United States and Britain to intensify efforts to open a second front. Under these conditions, Roosevelt inclined in favor of the landing of troops in France. The Balkan option, which the British prime minister insisted on, no longer met with American support. At the Quebec Conference of the United States and Great Britain in August 1943, it was decided that the invasion of Northwest Europe would begin on May 1, 1944. Roosevelt said that the Allies must reach Berlin no later than the Russians. The Allies focused on preparing for an invasion across the English Channel.
At the Tehran Conference (November 28 - December 1, 1943), the Soviet delegation headed by Stalin insisted on the exact date for the opening of the second front - May 1, 1944. Churchill, under the guise of discussions about the conduct of hostilities in the Mediterranean theater, did not want to give such a guarantee, saying, that the operation may have to be postponed for 2-3 months. At a meeting on November 29, the Soviet leader raised this issue again, saying that it would be good to carry out an amphibious operation within May, May 10-20. At this time, the weather conditions are most favorable. Stalin called the Allied operations in the Mediterranean "sabotage". American President Roosevelt did not support Churchill in his desire to postpone the invasion of France. At a meeting on November 30, the Anglo-American side confirmed that the landing of the Allied forces would take place during May. Stalin said that at the same time, Soviet troops would launch a powerful offensive on the Eastern Front, in order to deprive the Wehrmacht of the opportunity to transfer reinforcements from the East to the West. Thus, at the Tehran Conference, the plan for the landing in France was confirmed.
On the eve of the Normandy landing
During the winter and spring campaigns of 1944, the Red Army inflicted a heavy defeat on the Wehrmacht. Soviet troops carried out a series of brilliant strategic offensive operations. During the first "Stalinist strikes" our troops finally unblocked Leningrad, liberated Novgorod, Right-Bank Ukraine and Crimea. The Red Army reached the state border of the USSR and the Balkans. The Black Sea Fleet, having regained its main base in Sevastopol and Odessa, gained dominance in the Black Sea. The military-political positions of the Germans in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary were under threat. Soviet troops occupied convenient footholds for a further offensive in the northern, central and southern strategic directions.
The problem of opening a second front in Europe acquired in 1944 a largely different content than in 1942-1943. Earlier in London and Washington they were waiting for the Russians and the Germans to kill each other, then it was possible to calmly "clean up" the remnants of the forces of the Third Reich or the Union, gaining absolute power on the planet. However, a radical change in the course of World War II (Stalingrad and the Battle of Kursk) showed that great Russia (USSR) was capable of finishing off Hitler's Germany alone. That is, on the planet, the Anglo-Saxons still had a geopolitical enemy - the Russians. This radically changed the situation.
The Anglo-Saxons could no longer delay the opening of a second front in Europe. Further delay threatened with great problems. The Russians could liberate not only Central and Southeastern Europe, but go further. Occupy all of Germany and part of France. Therefore, in January 1944, preparations began for the Allied invasion of Northern France and an auxiliary operation in Southern France. The headquarters of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Armed Forces in England on 15 January was transformed into the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Forces. US General Eisenhower has been appointed supreme commander of the allied forces.
On February 11, 1943, the Joint Chiefs of Staff approved Eisenhower's directive that the main task of the allied forces was to invade Europe and defeat Germany. The invasion was scheduled for May 1944. The Allies received information that the Germans had built their strongest defenses on the Pas-de-Calais coast. Therefore, despite the advantage of this section (the English Channel is much wider than the Pas-de-Calais, and the coast, due to the limited ports and rough terrain in depth, is inconvenient for an amphibious operation), it was decided to attack across the English Channel - in Normandy.
The Allies planned to seize vast territory in Normandy and on the Brittany Peninsula with the help of amphibious assault. After the accumulation of significant funds and forces to break through the defenses of the Nazis and in two groups to reach the border of the Seine and Loire, and then to the border of the Reich. The main attack was planned on the left wing in order to seize the ports and threaten the Ruhr - the main industrial center of Germany. On the right wing, the Allies were to join up with the troops that would land in France in the south. During the next stage of the offensive, the Anglo-American troops were to defeat the Germans west of the Rhine and occupy bridgeheads on its eastern bank to continue operations to completely defeat Nazi Germany.
In preparation for the operation, the Allies concentrated 4 armies in Britain: 1st and 3rd American, 2nd English and 1st Canadian. They consisted of 37 divisions (including 10 armored and 4 airborne) and 12 brigades. For the landing operation, 1,213 warships, over 4,100 landing craft, barges and boats, and about 1,600 merchant and auxiliary ships were allocated. The Allied Air Force read more than 10,200 combat and 1,360 transport aircraft, 3,500 gliders. The allies also had a strategic air force (the 8th American Air Force and British Strategic Air Force), which, in preparation for the invasion of France, struck German military installations and cities. First of all, the Allies sought to destroy the airfields and aircraft factories of the Reich, its transport and energy infrastructure. In April-May 1944, the Anglo-American aviation concentrated bombing the railways and airfields in Belgium and France in order to reduce the Wehrmacht's ability to maneuver forces and reserves.
