Posted on 06/03/2014 4:28:30 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
The Americans were keen on the concept of shuttle bombing for the reason that all of occupied Europe theoretically came under the Norden bomb sight. The Soviets were never keen to the idea, primarily because Stalin didn’t want Americans calling ordinary Soviets “Ivan” on American air bases. “Ivan” just might see that the Western capitalists have a better life than Stalin’s Worker’s Paradise, and he might get ideas.
“Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas.” -Josef Stalin
The Russians severely limited operations and logistical support. They never allowed us night fighters or a sufficient air defense. In the June 1944 Luftwaffe attack on Poltava only 9 of 73 B-17's were operational afterward and 47 were destroyed.
Uncle Joe was obsessed with avoiding contamination of his people by British and American ideas of freedom and democracy. He also wasn't too keen on letting his people know how much better Americans lived or how much more advanced our technology was. We should have known that from the way the Russians mistreated Brits in the Arctic ports.
The worst was when the Americans wanted to fly missions in support of the Warsaw uprising, but Stalin absolutely forbade it. And, of course, he famously stood down the Red Army near Warsaw until the Polish Home Army was defeated and destroyed.
It didn't matter that the U.S. treated Russian delegations with utmost courtesy and respect. They of course took advantage of that by using the Arctic aircraft shuttle route and Lend-Lease delegations to infiltrate agents and spies.
The one good thing that came out of the experience is that many Americans, including influential post-war leaders, lost any rosy illusions they may have had about the Russians being our friends or what the Russian war aims truly were.
On comment I typically make on other posts about the measure of the current disastrous state of United States Foreign Policy is:
The Holy Grail of Soviet/Russian Foreign Policy has been to drive a wedge between the United States and Western Europe, and to drive us out of Europe.
My starting date for this is 1944. The Soviets are already figuring out how to rule Europe. FDR is blind to it. Thank God Truman is not.
His "sanctions" on Russia are a complete joke. Syria still has and is using chemical weapons. The one place Barry did take action, well sort of, was in Libya which he and the Euroweenies managed to turn into a jihadi paradise.
His "major foregn policy speech" at West Point was ridiculous. Not one of the major foreign policy initiatives he was elected on 2008 were discussed because he has failed at all of them. Reset with Russia? More like he reset Crimea. All I could take away from the speech is the administration remains internationalist but is not going to do much internationally and is now committed to working through international institutions to solve problems unless he feels like acting alone. What a joke.
Concerning that P8 article about american aircrew being shot by Germans on the French-Spanish border, Chuck Yeager was shot down in March and was shot at by Germans near the French-Spanish border. The man he was with was hit in the Knee and Yeager had to amputate the leg with his pocket knife.
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