To defeat the Germans, the Allies proposed an invasion
of France for 1943, but the plan for Operation Overlord stalled for a year due in part to Winston
Churchill’s unwillingness to attack the western coast of Europe. Until the time
of the invasion, Churchill remained incredulous of its success. Thus, the
Allies were not as united in their goals as some might think.
Many freedom loving people today
remember Churchill, the prime minister of Great Britain during most of World
War II, as a great hero. In many ways, he was an invaluable leader; however, he
also championed a flawed military strategy. He did not initially agree with his
American allies that Operation Overlord would be the best strategy to defeat
the Germans. Instead, he recommended conquering the Germans by peripheral
strangulation. In other words, Churchill believed that it would be most effective
for the Allies to attack “the soft underbelly” of Europe with an invasion in
the Balkans and Italy. Churchill wanted to
control the oil in the Balkans so the Allies could cut off Germany’s oil supply
and prevent the Soviets from advancing against the Germans on the Eastern
Front. According to Churchill’s strategy, after cutting off Germany and Russia,
the other Allies would gain a better bargaining position after the war.
Churchill's strangulation strategy
As the struggle continued, Winston
Churchill became more disappointed that the other Allies were not sending more
aid to help with what he considered a strategic and potentially victorious
Italian Campaign. However, even after the Allies liberated Rome on June 4, 1944,
the war in the Mediterranean was bleak as ever. Despite Winston Churchill heralding
the Roman victory as a great success, in terms of military strategy, the Allied
push into Rome was not a great victory.
Italy and the Balkans
The Americans correctly assessed that
to concentrate on the push through Italy would have been a disaster. The
terrain was not suitable for an Allied advance, and they would have had to
fight on the defensive against a powerful German force. Additionally, the
logistical strength of Northwestern France appealed to the Americans because of
the railroads. After the Allies gained control of the railroads, they could receive
much needed supplies.
Even though the British and American
allies did not always agree with strategy, both tried to compromise on the operational
level of warfare, which was most important for the success of Operation
Overlord. The issue Churchill and his staff had with Operation Overlord was the
cajoling of the Russians and Americans to invade Western Europe, when Churchill
thought sending more troops to Italy would be most effective. Additionally, the
cost of lives and supplies with the invasion of France was certainly another
deterrent for Churchill. However, because the Americans modified their plans in
1943 and implemented the Italian Campaign before Operation Overlord, Churchill
was in a position to compromise. After a meeting between the Allies at Teheran,
Churchill continued to express his views regarding the Italian Campaign as the best
strategy, but he deferred to the other Allies' plans for the invasion of Normandy.
Churchill realized at Teheran that Great Britain was taking a backseat to the interests
of Russia and America, the two emerging superpowers.
Stalin, FDR, and Churchill at Teheran Conference
For all their disagreements, the
Americans and British remained the only real successful association among the
Allied and Axis Powers. In other words, Americans and British were skeptical of
the Russians, the Russians did not trust their American and British allies, and
the Germans and Japanese did not share similar strategic goals. However,
despite the contention between the British and Americans, they compromised with
each other and worked together to accomplish the objective of defeating the Axis
Powers. The collaboration between these two allies was essential for them to
achieve their individual interests; thus, before D-Day, Churchill spoke in
glowing terms of Operation Overlord. Instead of the massive bloodbath that
Churchill feared, he recognized the success of Operation Overlord. Therefore, despite
the dimming of Great Britain’s world dominance after World War II, Churchill’s
strong leadership certainly bolstered his country’s national pride.
A significant way movie stars in the 1940s demonstrated
their patriotism was by serving in World War II, whether by being drafted or by
enlisting. To give up a Hollywood career to fight was a true test of loyalty
and devotion. David Niven, a dapper British actor with a witty and extraverted personality,
devoted his time and talents to the war effort.
When David Niven learned that Great
Britain declared war on Hitler in 1939, he was eager to join in the fight. He
was one of the first actors to enlist. Therefore, he would play his greatest
role as a patriotic soldier because he went back to his beloved country when the
British Embassy told British actors to stay in America. However, because of his
previous training in the army, he was well prepared to serve.
Niven’s father was also a military
man, and he grew up attending military academies. Niven left the army because
he grew bored of military life with no excitement. He discloses in his memoirs
that he remembered a particular time when he had to listen to a lecture about
machine guns, but instead he wanted to take a pretty girl out to dinner. He
decided then that he would leave the army. When the major general giving the
lecture asked if there were any questions, David Niven with typical wittiness responded:
“Could you tell me the time, sir? I have to catch a train.”
Niven caught that train and
traveled to America where he started his film career after Samuel Goldwyn of
MGM discovered him doing stunt work. He played in 19 films, and he had some supporting
roles in notable movies, such as The
Charge of the Light Brigade (1936) and Wuthering
Heights (1939).
However, when he learned that his
country was going to war, he packed his bags to go temporarily back to Great
Britain. Niven was ready for excitement and quickly joined the army. After he
arrived back in Great Britain, he fought with the Commandos and experienced
excitement. As an actor, Niven was part of the deception plan of Operation
Overlord. He arrived in Normandy a few days after D-Day, and he worked with the
Phantom Signals Unit to give an alert of changes relating to enemy movement. He
worked with the Army Film unit and made propaganda films, such as The First of the Few (1942) and The Way Ahead (1944).
At the end of the war, Niven achieved the rank
of lieutenant colonel. Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander at
Normandy, awarded Niven the distinguished American award of the Legion of Merit for his contribution with the BBC Allied
Expeditionary Forces Programme. This was a radio show that reported the news
and entertained the troops with swing and jazz music.
After the war, Niven did not like discussing
his role in the war. However, in his 1971 autobiography The Moon’s a Balloon, he opened up about his involvement in World
War II by discussing the desolation of war. Of particular interest, he conveys
an experience he had with the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. In
1940, at a party, Churchill addressed Niven saying, “Young man, you did a
fine thing to give up your film career to fight for your country. Mark you, had
you not done so − it would have been despicable.”When he returned to
Hollywood, he transitioned well into being an actor again. In 1945, he was second
in a poll of popular British actors. David Niven certainly experienced some
excitement in World War II and played his best role serving his country.
Jimmy Stewart was not only a great actor, but he
was also a first rate pilot. Known for his clean-cut, down to earth, charming,
small town presence, Jimmy Stewart had already captured the hearts of
Americans with his acting, which was like his actual personality, long before
the war in Europe came to America.
Moreover, Jimmy Stewart was well educated and athletic,
two qualities that would serve him well in the military. Before the acting bug
bit him, Jimmy Stewart attended Princeton University, his father’s alma matter.
It was there where he started acting. He would later tour with a traveling
talent group called the University Players, where he met lifelong friends Henry
Fonda and Margaret Sullivan. Jimmy Stewart then went to Hollywood.
While in Hollywood, Jimmy Stewart’s dream of
flying an airplane came true. Jimmy Stewart was always interested in flying an
airplane. He got his first taste of flying when he was a child. A barnstorming
pilot came to his hometown of Indiana, Pennsylvania and gave him his first ride
in an airplane. Ever after that experience, Jimmy Stewart, smitten with flying,
desired to take lessons. After his acting career took off, he was able to pay
for some lessons in California. He also got his pilot’s license and bought an
airplane; eventually he even got his commercial pilot’s license.
When the Selective Training and Service Act of
1940 called on him, he dutifully answered the draft. He was following in line
after his father and grandfather who both served their country, in the First
World War and the American Civil War respectively. It was as if he had a duty
to carry on the legacy of the men in his family by serving his country when she
was involved in another major war. Despite Jimmy’s willingness to
serve his country, he was too underweight for the service. Thus, a diet of his
favorite tuna sandwiches, spaghetti, steaks, and other rich foods and carbohydrates
soon began to fatten him up to the required minimum.
Jimmy Stewart was 32 when he entered the
service, and he requested to be in the Army Air Corps because of his flying
experience. After his pilot training, he became a second lieutenant. The Air Corps
soon placed him as an instructor because of his previous flying experience. The
early lessons and flying practice served him well as he was able to train and
lead the men under his command. The Air Corps promoted him to a captain and Jimmy
Stewart’s unit went to England after a long wait. While in England, he began
flying B-24s (instead of the B-17s he was used to flying in the states). He
demonstrated courage and tenacity in bombing raids and earned many medals for
his bravery.
Jimmy Stewart even played a role in the Normandy
invasion. After he arrived in England, the Air Corps promoted him again.
Shortly before D-Day, in 1944, Jimmy Stewart became a lieutenant colonel. He was
in charge of four strategic bombings at notable places like Caen, St. Laurent,
St. Lo, and Coutances. The men of the 453rd Bombardment Group helped
distract the Germans from the Allies who would storm the beaches. Thereafter, Jimmy
Stewart’s bombers played a crucial role in bombing strategic places to cut off
German communications and distract the Germans from the Allied advance into
France. Jimmy Stewart gained a reputation for taking risks, but he was stealthy
and managed to escape harm. Because of his bravery and patriotism, he well
deserves the title American Hero. It is the role of humble hero he best plays
in the classic movies, and it is what best represents this American icon.
“Hometown Boy.” Jimmy Stewart Museum. Accessed February
09, 2014. http://jimmy.org/biography/. Smith, Starr. Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot. Minneapolis:
Zenith Press, 2005.
Bernard Law Montgomery contributed to the plans, execution,
and aftermath of Operation Overlord. He was a decisive and competent leader and
thus an invaluable source for the planning of the Allied invasion of France. He
was a successful leader who helped plan and lead the Allies to ultimate victory.
Monty was first placed in command of the 21st division, the British
and Canadian Allied ground troops preparing for the invasion. Later he was
placed in charge of all the Allied ground forces. Monty was rigid and a perfectionist,
whereas Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, was a congenial leader who was
understanding and friendly with all the Allies. Many Americans did not appreciate Monty’s exacting personality. However, Monty was a wonderful
military leader because he believed in training his troops so that they would
be prepared for the horrific fighting they would face in battle. Monty made the
British forces into a modern army, and he was cunning and strategic. Therefore,
Monty played a significant role in D-Day. Most importantly, his plan for the
invasion, with some modification, was the plan the Allies used.
As a strategic leader, he was concerned about the planning for the initial invasion, known by the code name Neptune, and later as D-Day. Monty was a capable British officer for the planning of the invasion of Normandy. Because he was the leader of the ground troops, he had a responsibility to carry out the execution of the invasion plan. He fundamentally changed the plans for the invasion by suggesting a significant increase of soldiers to extend the line of the Allied forces. His plan after the invasion was to take back France from German control within a three-month timetable. His plan of attack was to seize Caen initially. He planned to position a group of Americans on one side and a group of British on the other side to distract the Germans from the Allied offensive. Caen was not only a large city in Normandy, but it was of utmost importance for the Allies to capture because it was the center of the transmission of information and transportation. Located near bodies of water, this would have been a key place for the Germans to dig in their heels and form a defensive position. The plan was to force the Germans to fight hard in defending Caen so that the Allies could sneak around the east side.
This did not happen in three months as Monty expected because the Allies had to fight longer and harder than had been planned. However, his ideas were an integral component in the considerations that went into the planning of this vital operation for the success of the Allies and the ultimate defeat of the German menace over Europe.
Because of the weather delaying the initial landing, it took longer than three months for the Allies to take back France and expel the Nazis. However, after the Nazis faced some decisive blows, they retreated into the Low Countries, like Belgium and the Netherlands. Monty planned to expel the Germans in the Low Countries with a powerful force.
Monty and Ike did not get along with each other because of personality differences. Also after the invasion of Normandy, Ike took over Monty’s position as Commander of the Ground Forces. Monty became jealous about this; thus, Monty and Ike remained estranged. Despite his flaws, Monty was a very important leader in the Allied invasion of Normandy. He is remembered by some for his stubborn, arrogant personality and by others for his decisive ability to lead his troops into battle to defeat the enemy.
Recommended Readings
Barbier, Mary Kathryn. “Marshall and Montgomery: Promoters of Military
Professionalism.” Defence Studies 8, no. 3 (November 2008): 369-380.
