The Memoirs of Lord Ismay by General Lord Hastings Ismay KG GCB CH DSO PC

Author:General Lord Hastings Ismay KG GCB CH DSO PC
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
Published: 2015-10-14T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER XIX — Anglo-American Strategy — 1942

THE reader will recall that it had been agreed at the secret Staff conversations early in 1941 that, if America were to enter the war, first priority should be given to the defeat of Germany and that Japan should be contained until Germany had been knocked out. It seemed possible however that public opinion in the United States might be so outraged by the treacherous attack on Pearl Harbor as to insist that immediate revenge be taken on Japan; and it was a great relief to be assured, when Churchill visited Washington in December 1941, that there was no intention of making any change in the overall strategic concept. The next step was to determine what specific operations should be undertaken to give effect to it.

The Americans were the first to make up their minds, and their plans were brought to London in April 1942 by General Marshall and Mr Hopkins in person. Their main proposal was that there should be a massive invasion of Europe by combined Anglo-American forces at the earliest possible date, and in any case not later than September 1943. The operation was given the somewhat bombastic title of ROUND-UP. Forty-eight divisions, of which the British contribution was to be eighteen, and 5,800 combat aircraft, of which the British contribution was to be 2,550, were to be employed. In principle, though certainly not in timing, this proposal was in line with our own thinking. There may have been a few enthusiasts in England who thought that the war could be won by air bombardment alone, but the vast majority were sure that ultimately we would have to make a frontal assault on the enemy in France, liberate the captive countries, and advance into the heart of Germany itself.

In addition, the Americans proposed that a plan should be prepared for much earlier action on a smaller scale. This was to be called SLEDGEHAMMER. The idea was to capture an area, such as the Cotentin or Brittany Peninsula, and maintain a bridgehead until ROUNDUP could be got ready. The Americans described it as an ‘emergency measure,’ which would be launched if Russia seemed on the point of collapse, or alternatively if Germany suddenly looked like disintegrating. They recognised that it could not take place before the autumn of 1942, and that not more than five divisions could be established and maintained on the Continent. They recognised too that the British would have to provide not only half of these divisions, but also all the naval forces, and not less than 5,000 combat aircraft.

About a week after their arrival, Marshall and Hopkins were invited to discuss their proposals with the Defence Committee, Everyone at the meeting was enthusiastic about the prospect of the despatch of a mighty American army to Europe, and of the English-speaking peoples ‘marching ahead together in a noble brotherhood of arms’ as Churchill put it. Everyone agreed that the death-blow to Germany must be delivered across the Channel. In fact everyone seemed to agree with the American proposals in their entirety.

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