WWII question.?

Question

why did stalin wanted the allies to invade through the northwest instead of the south east? (1941-1945)

Answer 1

Do you mean the NW of the USSR, instead of the SE, down by the Baltic?

If that's what you are wondering about, it's because that's where the Germans chose to enter the USSR. They had bases in Scandinavia from which they were helping stage the invasion, and Stalin wanted the Allies to help the Russians who were already fighting the Nazis. It would have made no sense for the Allies to enter the USSR far away from the Germans. Stalin needed help, and if he was going to get it from the other Allies, he needed them at the site of the German invasion, not in another area.

Take a good look at a WWII map of Eastern Europe, and you will see what I am talking about. All Axis activity was taking place in the NW part of the USSR. Since that's where the fighting was, that's where Allied help was needed.

Answer 2

Stalin knew that every power would install its own system of government and society in the states it had conquered during the war. So Stalin wanted to occupy eastern Europe and the Balkans to have these areas that were close to the Soviet Union subdued and dependant after the war (Warsaw Pact and so on). So he wanted the western allies to act far in the west.
By the way: The talk that the Soviets had to take all the fighting on themselves without real help is not absolutely true, because the western allies had already begun ground war against the Germans when they invaded Italy. But back then until today the invasion in France has been called "the second front".

Answer 3

Will this help? I turned this in and I got a 100. So here you can use some of this information.

In WWII and the Cold War, the dictatorships of Germany, under Adolph Hitler and the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin, attempted to control or dominate Europe. The United States, United Kingdom and other limited government democracies stood up to them and won decisive victories. But why? Or it could be that they didn’t actually fight. It was just the conflict that was really the problem. The United States, United Kingdom and other limited government democracies won because we had majority support of the people. Stalin and Hitler based their regimes on fear and torture. Where as American government relies on the support of the people to believe that what the government is doing is in their best interest. America is based on the principles of popular sovereignty and that power lies with the people. Basically we fought because we believe ourselves to be the protectors of the helpless and innocent.
With their strong unlimited governments, Germany and the Soviet Union would seem to have the advantage during a war. However… the United Kingdom and United States fought for the good reasons such as their economic reasons and for command economy. But the Soviet Union fought for the some of those reasons also. Even though they had strong unlimited governments . U.S and U.K had pretty strong limited governments that would go against the Soviet Union and Germany. The U.S. and Britain and alarmed by the Soviet domination of Eastern Europe, they also feared the expansion of Soviet power and communism in Western Europe and elsewhere. The Cold war was based on mainly political, economic, and propaganda fronts and had only limited recourse to weapons. But the U.K an U.S finally stood up to them and won.

Answer 4

The question pertains to the soviet insistence that the main effort for the invasion should come to northern France and not elsewhere such as the Balkans, " the soft underbelly "as Churchill put it.

Stalin wanted this for the very sound reason that it would be the most profitable and direct way of drawing off as many German forces from the east as quickly as possible. (Erickson 1983; pg 89)

Answer 5

Bronwen has it right.
The Soviets were taking it in the teeth from the Nazis without any help from anyone. They were dying by the millions and no one came to their aid.
So, of course, when the Allies did invade - first place they went was as far away from the USSR as possible.
The Soviets kept the Germans busy, at GREAT expense in lives, for years - which greatly assisted us when we came through.
Even then, we were more afraid of the Russians than the Germans.

Answer 6

Northwest and southeast of what? I'm confused.

Answer 7

to avoid the mountains