The Allies and common strategy
Connecting different theatres of war
1939–1945; Casablanca 1943
The Allies were not one state or army with identical interests. Britain, the Soviet Union and the United States entered the war at different moments. Coordinating operations, supplies and common objectives required negotiation.
A coalition develops over time
Britain declared war on Germany in September 1939. The Soviet Union faced German invasion from June 1941; the United States entered the war against Japan in December. Germany declared war on the United States that same month. A common enemy brought together powers with different earlier experiences and political systems.
Casablanca: connecting operations
Roosevelt and Churchill met at Casablanca in Morocco on 14–24 January 1943. Stalin was invited but could not attend during the Soviet offensive. Talks covered supplies to the Soviet Union, an attack through Sicily and mainland Italy, a future landing in France, operations against Japan in Papua New Guinea and supplying China through Burma.
A common objective was not a completed peace
The demand for unconditional surrender was intended to rule out a separate peace with the Axis and define the goal of further fighting. It was a policy rather than an accomplished outcome. Reading wartime plans means distinguishing a decision from its implementation and later consequences.
Explore further
- El Alamein
Supply routes and Indian participation.
- Stalingrad
The eastern front during Allied planning.