[fred cook]

One of the lesser known reasons for the Allies staging D-Day was to pacify Stalin. He threatened to sign a peace accord with Hitler if the U.S. and Great Britain didn't open a new front against the Germans. Of course, that would allow the Germans to move vast amounts of aircraft, armor and men from the eastern front which, of course, the U.S. and GB did not want to happen. Actually, by the time D-Day (Operation Overlord) took place, the Allies had pretty much taken Italy from the Germans and could very well have pushed additional troops and materiel into Europe that way. However, as it turned out, the casualty percentage was less than had been estimated even though it was still quite high in some fronts like Omaha Beach, for example. Eisenhower had penned a letter to be sent to Roosevelt and Churchill taking the full responsibility if the landings failed. The landings were successful so the letter just quietly disappeared. It wasn't too long after the D Day landings that Patton and Montgomery finished off Italy and joined the other Allied armies in pushing the German troops out of France and then back into Germany. Those brave Americans and allies were indeed the greatest generation! Long live their memory!!!