Bush Says The Baltics Were Betrayed

[Predicto]

Originally posted by Kilmer17

It's a worthless debate though because it didnt happen. No way of knowing what the outcome could have been.

If it's a worthless debate and no one could ever know the outcome, then how can you believe that "the mistake was not listening to our Generals who told Roosevelt and anyone else that would listen, that we should continue on to Moscow."

[Kilmer17]

Because that was a mistake. The issue is whether or not a BIGGER mistake may have been made.

But clearly, our actions (or inactions as this case may be) led to the brutal rule of the Communists in these areas.

[Predicto]

No, clearly our actions led to the fall of Nazi Germany. The rest is speculation. It's like the people who used to say that we "lost" China to the communists, as if it were ours to lose.

From a morale standpoint, our country and our mostly volunteer troops were not prepared to fight the Soviets, our recent ally. the army would have been outnumbered and demoralized. They would have to be supplied by sea in everlengthening supply lines worse than the ones that hampered the German attacks on Russia. There is a very good chance that had we attacked the Soviets at that time, the ultimate result would have been the hammer and sickle flying over Bonn, Paris, and Rome soon thereafter.

The most one can fairly argue is that Eisenhower should have allowed Patton and Montgomery more free reign to move east faster when Germany was collapsing. This might have led to a smaller East Germany and no temporary partition of Austria, which not so much in the big scheme of things.