It's hard to believe this hasn't been turned into a crappy Harry Turtledove book

[james_davis_nicoll]

Operation Unthinkable was a code-name of two related plans of a conflict between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union. Both were ordered by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1945 and developed by the British Armed Forces' Joint Planning Staff at the end of World War II in Europe.

The first of the two assumed a surprise attack on the Soviet forces stationed in Germany in order to "impose the will of the Western Allies" on the Soviets and force Joseph Stalin to honour the agreements in regards to the future of Central Europe.
[...]

The Chiefs of Staff were concerned that given the enormous size of Soviet forces deployed in Europe at the end of the war, and the perception that the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin was unreliable, there existed a Soviet threat to Western Europe. The Soviet numerical superiority was roughly 4:1 in men and 2:1 in tanks at the end of hostilities in Europe.[...] The Soviet Union had yet to launch its attack on Japan, and so one assumption in the report was that the Soviet Union would instead ally with Japan if the Western Allies commenced hostilities.

The hypothetical date for the start of the Allied invasion of Soviet-held Europe was scheduled for 1 July 1945.[...] The plan assumed a surprise attack by up to 47 British and American divisions in the area of Dresden, in the middle of Soviet lines.[...] This represented almost a half of roughly 100 divisions (ca. 2.5 million men) available to the British, American and Canadian headquarters at that time.[...]

Comments

Re: Damn good reason to deny anonymity

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

I disagree with the "right thing to do" assessment, but I don't think the post was out of line. The irritants I was thinking of are generally Americans who never had any skin in the game, and for whom it's all about America as ultimate good-guy power.

Also, a few weird paleocons who think we were on the wrong side in World War II (and I don't know of any more likely Communism Conquers The World scenario than an Axis United States. No Jewish refugee scientists for you!)

Re: Damn good reason to deny anonymity

[carloshasanax.livejournal.com]

You want to know something Churchill could have done against the red menace? Not agree to forced repatriation of millions of eastern European refugees to the loving arms of Stalin. Churchill agreed to that personally with Stalin in 1944, and again in 1945.

Then there was Churchill's creepy "percentages" agreement, divvying up influence in eastern Europe (including Greece) with Stalin on the back of a napkin.

I understand why the English love the dude. I don't get why the cult of Churchill has spread one mile past their territorial waters.

Re: Damn good reason to deny anonymity

[david wilford (from livejournal.com)]

The reporting by Murrow on CBS radio from London during the Blitz did much to make Churchill admired in the U.S. Then after the war he became the first Cold Warrior, which appealed to many in the U.S. as well. (The English people on the other hand knew Churchill, and when peace finally came they voted him out of office because they weren't in the mood for preserving the Empire when it came down to it.)

As to the percentages note, Churchill does seem to have regretted it, but the facts on the ground (i.e. the military forces) were really what mattered and that's all Stalin cared about.

Re: Damn good reason to deny anonymity

[sivi-volk.livejournal.com]

This. I had relatives who were forced by the British to return to Slovenia from southern Austria, right into work camps and executions.

I understand the logistical issues, but there's a reason a lot of Eastern Europeans wish the Russians had been pushed back.

Even worse, of course, was the continued tolerance of fascist Spain and Portugal. The Basques expected the Allies to push west after the war and continue to drive out fascism in Europe, and were sorely disappointed.

Re: Damn good reason to deny anonymity

[(Anonymous)]

I didn't say it was necessarily "the right thing to do", I said "arguably". As in, it was a reasonable option.