Showing posts with label The Cold War. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Cold War. Show all posts

Thursday, May 22, 2025

Tuesday, May 22, 1945. Operation Unthinkable.

  

It was a Churchill ordered study for a war against the Soviet Union, in aid of Poland, coming right after World War Two.

Unthinkable in deed, it likely would have been a massive failure. By 1945 the Western Allies were fatigued and the concept that "moral remained high" was assuming a lot. The American public, which had been lead to believe that the Soviets were more or less like us, just misunderstood, would not have tolerated a war against the USSR.  Indeed, the American public largely ignored the Soviets until the Berlin Blockade, which came as a shock. The British public was so sick of things that Churchill lost power on July 5, 1945.  The Labour Party had withdrawn support for the coalition government which Churchill governed the day prior.

OPERATION UNTHINKABLE

REPORT BY THE JOINT PLANNING STAFF

We have examined Operation Unthinkable. As instructed, we have taken the following assumptions on which to base our examination:

The undertaking has the full support of public opinion in the British Empire and the United States and consequently, the morale of British and American troops continues high.

Great Britain and the United States have full assistance from the Polish armed forces and can count upon the use of German manpower and what remains of German industrial capacity.

No credit is taken for assistance from the forces of the other Western Powers, although any bases in their territory, or other facilities which may be required, are made available

Russia allies herself with Japan.

The date for the opening of hostilities is 1st July, 1945.

Redeployment and release schemes continue till 1st July and then stop.

Owing to the special need for secrecy, the normal staff in Service Ministries have not been consulted.

OBJECT

The overall or political object is to impose upon Russia the will of the United States and British Empire.

Even though ‘the will’ of these two countries may be defined as no more than a square deal for Poland, that does not necessarily limit the military commitment. A quick success might induce the Russians to submit to our will at least for the time being; but it might not. That is for the Russians to decide. If they want total war, they are in a position to have it.

The only way we can achieve our object with certainty and lasting results is by victory in a total war but in view of what we have said in paragraph 2 above, on the possibility of quick success, we have thought it right to consider the problem on two hypotheses:-

That a total war is necessary, and on this hypothesis we have examined our chances of success.

That the political appreciation is that a quick success would suffice to gain our political object and that the continuing commitment need not concern us.

TOTAL WAR

Apart from the chances of revolution in the USSR and the political collapse of the present regime – on which we are not competent to express an opinion – the elimination of Russia could only be achieved as a result of:

the occupation of such areas of metropolitan Russia that the war making capacity of the country would be reduced to a point at which further resistance became impossible.

Such a decisive defeat of the Russian forces in the field as to render it impossible for the USSR to continue the war.

Occupation of Vital Areas of Russia

The situation might develop in such a way that Russians succeeded in withdrawing without suffering a decisive defeat. They would then presumably adopt the tactics which they had employed so successfully against the Germans and in previous wars of making use of the immense distances with which their territory provides them. In 1941 the Germans reached the Moscow area, the Volga and the Caucasus, but the technique of factory evacuation, combined with the development of new resources and Allied assistance, enabled the U.S.S.R. to continued fighting.

There was virtually no limit to the distance to which it would be necessary for the Allies to penetrate into Russia in order to render further resistance impossible. It is far as, or as quickly as, the Germans in 1942 and this penetration no decisive result.

Decisive Defeat of the Russian Forces

Details of the present strengths and dispositions of the Russian and Allied forces are given in Annexes II and III and illustrated maps A and B. The existing balance of strength in Central Europe, where the Russians enjoy a superiority of approximately three to one, makes it most unlikely that the Allies could achieve a complete and decisive victory in that area in present circumstances. Although Allied organisation is better, equipment slightly better and morale higher, the Russians have proved themselves formidable opponents of the Germans. They have competent commanders, adequate equipment and an organisation which though possibly inferior by our standards, has stood the test. On the other hand, only about one third of their divisions are of a high standard, the others being considerably inferior and with overall mobility well below that of the Allies.

To achieve the decisive defeat of Russia in a total war would require, in particular, the mobilisation of manpower to counteract their present enormous manpower resources. This is a very long term project and would involve:-

The deployment in Europe of a large proportion of the vast resources of the United States.

The re-equipment and re-organisation of German manpower and of all the Western Allies.

 Conclusions

We conclude that:-

That if our political object is to be achieved with any certainty and with lasting results, the defeat of Russia in a total war will be necessary.

The result of a total war with Russia is not possible to forecast, but the one thing certain is that to win it would take us a very long time.

QUICK SUCCESS

It might, however, be considered, as result of a political appreciation, that a quick and limited military success would result in Russia accepting out terms.

Before a decision to open hostilities were made, full account would have to taken of the following:-

If this appreciation is wrong and the attainment of whatever limited objective we may set ourselves does not cause Russia to submit to our terms, we may, in fact, be committed to a total war.

It will not be possible to limit hostilities to any particular area. While we are in progress, therefore, we must envisage a world-wide struggle.

Even if all goes according to plan, we shall not have achieved, from the military point of view, a lasting result. The military power of Russia will not be broken and it will be open to her to recommence the conflict at any time she sees fit.

Assuming, however, that it is decided to risk military action on a limited basis, accepting the dangers set out above, we have examined what action we could take in order to inflict such a blow upon the Russians as would cause them to accept our terms, even though they would not have been decisively defeated and, from the military point of view, would still be capable of continuing the struggle.

Churchill had a penchant for such things.  While he was correct about the dangers the USSR posed, fanciful planning was something he had a taste for, and not always wise fanciful planning.

The Battle of the Hongorai River in New Guinea ended in Australian victory.

The UK cut rations of bacon, cooking fats and soaps in recognition of the distressed condition of Europe.  POWs would also receive ration cuts.

President Truman reports to Congress on the Lend-Lease program as of March, 1945.  The UK had received supplies worth $12,775,000,000 and the USSR $8,409,000,000. 

Reverse Lend-Lease from the UK had amounted to about$5,000,000,000 in the same period.  The existence of Reverse Lend Lease is typically ignored.  The UK, it should be noted, also supplied materials to the Soviet Union.

US forces entered Yonabaru, Okinawa and captured Conical Hill.

Lucky Strike Green:

22 May 1948

Last edition:

Monday, May 21, 1945. British government falls apart, French mandates want out, Himmler arrested.

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Monday, May 21, 1945. British government falls apart, French mandates want out, Himmler arrested.

The Polish Home Army attacked the NKVD Camp in Rembertów and freed political prisoners held there.

The Labour Party withdrew from the government forcing the UK into elections.

Today in World War II History—May 21, 1940 & 1945Heinrich Himmler is arrested by the British in Bremervörde, Germany, disguised as a businessman.

Demanding full independence, Syria and Lebanon break off negotiations with France.

The 31st Division captured the Japanese supply base at Malaybalay on Mindanao.

Humphrey Bogart married Lauren Bacall.

Note how plainly the couple is dressed, compared to what is so often the case today.

It was his fourth marriage.  They had met just that year when she was 19 and he was 44.  They'd remain married until his death at age 57.

Last edition:

Sunday, May 20, 1945. Contracting in China.

    Wednesday, May 7, 2025

    Monday, May 7, 1945. Germany unconditionally surrenders.

    German General Alfred Jodl and admiral Hans-Georg von Friedeburg signed unconditional surrender documents at 2:41 a.m. at General Dwight D. Eisenhower's headquarters in Reims.  All Allied Powers are represented. Fighting was scheduled to end at 23:00 the following day.  Military operations on the Western Front came to an immediate end.

    Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk, Leading Minister in the rump Flensburg Government, made a broadcast announcing the German surrender at 2:27 a.m.. 

    The U-2336 sank two merchant ships in the Firth of Forth.

    This Day in History: Last German U-boat in American waters

    Riotous celebrations broke out in numerous places, including in Halifax, Nova Scotia, were they turned truly riotous.

    American journalist Edward Kennedy broke an Allied embargo on news of the signing in the afternoon.

    The NKVD and Polish anti Communist forces fought in the Battle of Kuryłówka with the Poles winning the battle, but fortunes would reverse the following day.

    Spain severed relations with Nazi Germany. . . a bit late.

    The British government in India published the report of an official commission of enquiry into the Bengal famine of 1943 finding that it could have been adverted through government action.

    "These Army nurses, among the first to arrive on Okinawa, May 3, wash out of steel helmets.
    They are, left to right, Lt. Margaret J. Whitton, Chicago Ill., who has seen 14 months service in Italy and Africa; Lt. Ruth Anderson, Rockford, Ill., Lt. Marjorie Dulain, Iron Mountain, Mich., and Lt. Eleanor Kennedy, Judington, Mich. 7 May, 1945.Photographer not credited.Photo Source: U.S. National Archives. Digitized by Signal Corps Archive."

    Hard fighting continued on Okinawa.

    Last edition:

    Sunday, May 6, 1945. Stopping advances.

    Wednesday, March 26, 2025

    Friday. March 26, 1875. Violence in Texas.


    Syngman Rhee or Lee Seungman (이승만) was born in Whanghai Province to Rhee Kyong-sun, a member of the aristocratic Yangban family.


    Elected by the South Korean parliament in 1948, he'd assume dictatorial powers and govern the country until forced out of the country following student unrest in 1960.  He lived in Hawaii thereafter until his death in 1965.

    In certain ways, Rhee symbolized a strategy that both Democratic and Republican administrations employed during the Cold War of supporting right wing autocrats in the belief that their countries would evolve into democracies.  In the case of South Korea, they were right.

    Last edition:


    Friday, March 21, 2025

    M60. National Museum of Military Vehicles.


    The M60 was the great U.S. tank of the Cold War, and continues to be a great tank to this day.

    Effectively an improved variant of the M48, so much so that in some armies it would be regarded as a variant of the prior tank, the M60 took all of the improvements to the M26 line of tanks over the decades and more or less perfected them.  Indeed, some of the improvements, such as the 105mm gun, were retrofitted to the prior M48.

    M60s remain in use around the world in upgraded versions.

    Thursday, March 20, 2025

    M48 Patton. National Museum of Military Vehicles.


    The fourth tank to descend from the M26 Pershing, including the Pershing, the M48 was a long serving and very successful U.S. tank. It entered service in the mid 1952 in the U.S. Army, and it is still in service with various nations, including South Korea and Taiwan.

    The M48 was the second of the US Cold War tanks to actually see action in a Cold War war, the M46 being the first in Korea, with the M48 seeing extensive use by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps in Vietnam.  The tank was already a second class tank in the US military by that time, the M60 having come on, but it was a perfectly modern tank and more than able to take on anything in theater.  The tank was later upgraded to near M60 capabilities with the change from a 90mm gun to a 105.

    The M48 entered US service in 1952, and was last used in the National Guard in 1987.

    Related Threads:


    Last edition:

    Wednesday, March 19, 2025

    M47 Tank. National Museum of Military Vehicles.


    The tank in the photograph above is a M47 "Patton" tank, the successor to the M26 Pershing.  The tank had a limited production run, entering service in 1951 during the Korean War, and being declared a limited standard in 1955.  Production ceased in 1953, and the tank was deployed to Korea in small numbers for testing.

    The tank was the third tank to be based on the M26, including the M26. The second was the M46 "Patton", which was an upgraded M26 which was used during the Korean War.

    A M5 Stuart light tank is in the background.

    Related threads:

    The M26 and its children


    Last edition:

    Monday, March 17, 2025

    M103 Heavy Tank, National Museum of Military Vehicles.


    A M103 Heavy Tank.


    A Cold War giant, the M103 served from 1957 to 1974, with its final years being used by the Marine Corps.  By the time it entered service, the M60b was already in use and the Army regarded the heavy M103 as obsolescent.

    While very impressive in size, the tank was too big even for its own era, and plagued with various problems accordingly.


    This one must be a rebuilding project.  It's the second one I've seen, the other being at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center / USAHEC

    Last edition:

    Mortars. National Museum of Military Vehicles.

    Monday, January 6, 2025

    Equipment of the Vietnam War, National Museum of Military Vehicles, Dubois Wyoming.

    A reader might feel that today must be Vietnam War Day here on this blog, and not without good reason.

    For one thing, we've started what will undoubtedly be a series of posts of the closing months of the Vietnam War, with this daily entry:

    Monday, January 6, 1975. The Vietnam War resumes in earnest.


    For another, I bumped up this old item, or reran it:


    And now, of course, the following from my visit to the National Museum of Military Vehilces.

    UH-1 "Huey", a helicopter synonymous with the Vietnam War.

    Hueys came into use in a major way during the war, and remained in use for many years thereafter. They were still the predominant helicopter when I was a National Guardsmen in the 1980s, and even now I'll occasionally see an Air Force example in Cheyenne in operation.

    They remain one of the greatest helicopters of all time.



    I wasn't even aware of the M-422's existence as a actual service item.  I've seen them on a television series from the 60s and assumed they were just a studio item substituting for a real Jeep.  Offhand, I think that was from The Lieutenant which only had one run, that being in 1963.






    Gun trucks, depicted here, were a Vietnam War thing adn were produced in theater.  








    The "Gamma Goat", an incredibly unstable vehicle.  One of the guys I was in basic training with was latter killed in a Gamma Goat roll over.

    The M151 Jeep.  Also very unstable, but long serving.  It was the last 1/4 general purpose truck of the US Army used on a widescale basis.








    M109 howitzer.  I trained on one of these at Ft. Sill, where I had the "No 1" position on the gun.  A much updated version is still in service.
























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