Great Britain, Soviet Russia and the United States were thrown
into alliance by German and Japanese attacks. By combining
resources and coordinating military operations they could
amass overwhelming forces, but immense obstacles needed to be
overcome. Their deeply opposed ideologies and mentalities bred
mutual distrust. Each of them needed to mobilize her entire
economy and to manufacture more and better arms than the
enemy, who had prepared longer and had already won immense
advantages. They needed to formulate goals which did not conflict
with a coordinated strategy. Although Germany and Japan
benefited from unified commands and efficient internal lines of
communication, each conducted her own war without joining
forces, and without reaching a common understanding. The Allies,
on the other hand, had to face all the problems inherent in
coalitions, and their cooperation had to span vast distances.
Before examining how they launched the great offensive which
won them the war, it is worth looking at the programme upon
which their success was founded.
World History
