According to a recent docu-drama, the allies were actually content to wait for stratigic bombing to break the German will to resist, but in fact in secret meetings Stalin forced the allies to invade Europe, hence Operation Overloard, under the threat he was willing to sue for peace with Hitler if we did not "take the heat" off of the Russian Army by presenting the German military with another major front to fight.

Now the historical record tells us that before the outbreak of hostilities, Stalin and Hitler had entered into various treaties and pacts, and at that time, the Soviet Union and Japan had a standing peace treaty to protect each others' "back-doors", so they in fact could not afford to ignore his threat, and this was what actually began the planning for Overlord.

What do you-all think?

Eddie

I think it might depend on which "Allies" you mean. I think the Americans, especially Marshal, were fanatically determined to an invasion as soon as possible. All of the discussions leading up to Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa, Husky, the invasion of Sicily, and Avalanche, the invasion of Salerno, had the Americans trying to get an early invasion of Europe, as early as 1942. They kept getting talked out of it by the British who, especially after Dieppe, were leery of the losses that might have come about.

I suspect that Stalin was pushing for an Anglo/American second front in Europe from Pearl Harbor till D-Day actually happened. Many of the reports about the various conferences make note of his desire.