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Commander in Chief

Page 54

by Nigel Hamilton


  Mitchell, John (major): and ambush of Yamamoto, 185–86, 188

  Mitscher, Peter (admiral): and ambush of Yamamoto, 185, 188

  Mockler-Ferryman, Eric (brigadier), 170

  Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (1939). See German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact (1939)

  Montgomery, Bernard (general): Churchill opposes, xiii

  and invasion of Sicily, 262–63, 267

  in Italian campaign, 354, 358, 359, 375, 380, 385, 391

  in North Africa, 77, 140, 148, 170

  skeptical of Italian assistance against Wehrmacht, 376

  teaches battle technique, 143–44

  Morison, Samuel Eliot, 160

  briefs FDR, 65

  Morocco: sovereignty of, 108–9, 114, 119

  Morocco, Sultan of: dines with FDR, 108–11, 114

  Moscow Conference of foreign ministers, 386

  Cordell Hull at, 397–98

  Mountbatten, Louis (admiral), 78, 85, 92, 99, 212–13, 395

  Murphy, Robert: at Casablanca Conference, 109–10, 117, 121

  in North Africa, 107, 108

  Mussolini, Benito: arrested and deposed, 269, 278, 283, 290, 302–3, 307, 320, 388–89

  and invasion of Sicily, 266

  refuses to meet with Hitler, 266, 267

  secret meeting with Hitler, 268–69, 273, 325, 368

  N

  Nibelungen myth (Nibelungentreue) and German solidarity, 195, 196, 324, 355

  Nimitz, Chester (admiral), 75, 234, 395

  and ambush of Yamamoto, 183–84, 185, 188

  Noguès, Charles (general), 108–9

  Normandy invasion (1944). See also cross-Channel landing, proposed (1943); Second Front strategy

  British chiefs of staff oppose, 204–5, 208, 212, 213–14, 221, 230, 236, 292, 326

  British chiefs of staff reluctantly support, 331

  British predictions of defeat in, 215–16, 218, 232, 237–38, 246, 274, 327, 365

  Brooke accepts necessity of, 232–33, 240

  Brooke opposes, 213, 214–16, 232, 310, 330

  Canada and, 252

  Churchill opposes, xii, 200, 201–3, 209, 219, 229, 237, 246–47, 248, 250–51, 253–54, 272, 274, 282–83, 301, 308, 310, 313–14, 326–27, 334, 398–99

  Churchill reluctantly agrees to, 241–42, 245, 255, 272, 274, 313–14, 319, 326, 341, 353, 362, 383

  Combined Chiefs of Staff agree on, 99, 331

  effects of Italian campaign on, 328–29

  Ernest King critical of, 297

  FDR and, 204, 210, 218, 221, 243–44, 278, 295, 302, 311–12, 313, 319, 332, 362, 382, 385

  FDR insists on American commander for, 297–99, 314–15, 319, 326

  given Allied priority, 326–27, 329, 331, 375, 386

  Hitler fears, 307

  Joint Chiefs of Staff support, 98–99, 204, 213–14, 221–22, 236, 326–27

  Marshall and, 215–16, 257, 328, 330

  Mediterranean strategy as practice for, 36–37, 52, 59, 84, 87, 93, 98–99, 100, 145, 146, 189, 196, 200, 207–8, 210, 217, 221, 238, 248, 262

  planning and staging of, 164, 191, 233, 241–42, 243–44, 252, 262, 273, 274, 276, 294–98, 326, 328, 331, 332, 341, 373, 374, 384, 393

  Portal opposes, 217, 218

  selection of supreme commander for, 257–58, 326, 329, 330

  Stimson supports, 233, 299, 310–11

  U.S. Navy opposes, 275

  North Africa. See also Mediterranean strategy

  Allied losses in, 52–53, 58, 140–42, 144–45, 169

  Allied tactical errors in, 375

  Arnim in, 140–41, 197

  Churchill’s mission to, 254–55, 256–58

  Clark in, 255

  considered part of France, 113–14

  De Gaulle in, 63–64, 90

  Eisenhower’s strategy in, 52, 64, 70, 88–90, 97, 114–15, 140, 144, 171, 189, 196–97, 213

  FDR reviews troops in, 102–4, 120, 160

  final Allied offensive in (1943), 195, 202–3, 207–8

  Fredendall in, 140–41, 143

  Giraud in, 85, 90, 104, 105, 113, 115, 116

  Hitler orders fight to the death in, 195–96

  Italian troops desert in, 195–96

  military intelligence in, 169–70

  Montgomery in, 77, 140, 148, 170

  Murphy in, 107, 108–9

  Patton in, 50, 52, 102, 144, 145, 170, 196, 255, 263

  Rommel in, 52, 89, 140–41, 142, 143–46, 147, 148, 170, 322

  Stimson on Wehrmacht in, 144

  Vichy French in, 35, 58, 66, 70, 82, 90, 104, 107, 148, 196, 263, 375

  Wehrmacht’s losses in, 195–96

  Wehrmacht’s offensive operations in, 139–42, 143–44

  Wehrmacht’s resistance in, xiii, 36, 53–54, 70, 82, 88, 91, 195

  Wehrmacht’s surrender in, 207, 211, 213, 227, 236

  North Africa landings (1942), 4, 21, 23–24, 146, 207, 272, 399

  Churchill and, xiii, 69–71

  Clark and, 85–86

  Embick opposes, 50

  FDR and, xi, 34–36, 42, 63, 125–26

  Goebbels on, 69–70

  Marshall opposes, 49, 90

  Stimson opposes, 49, 90, 143

  U.S. public reaction to, 160

  North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO): concept of, 153, 163

  Norway: Churchill proposes Allied invasion of, 273–74, 301–2

  Franco-British Expeditionary Force in (1940), 274

  O

  Ontario: FDR’s fishing trip to, 279–81, 289, 292

  Operation Anakim. See Burma: proposed reconquest of

  Operation Anton. See Vichy French: Germany prepares to occupy Vichy-controlled metropolitan France

  Operation Avalanche. See Italy, Allied campaign in (1943)

  Operation Axis. See Wehrmacht: occupies and reinforces Italy

  Operation Barbarossa. See Eastern Front

  Operation Bolero. See cross-Channel landing, proposed (1943); France, proposed Allied landing in (1942)

  Operation Citadel. See Eastern Front

  Operation Giant II. See Rome: projected airborne assault on

  Operation Gomorrah. See Hamburg: Allied bombing of

  Operation Husky. See Sicily: invasion of (1943)

  Operation Overlord. See Normandy invasion (1944)

  Operation Priceless. See Italy, Allied campaign in (1943)

  Operation Strike. See North Africa: final Allied offensive in (1943)

  Operation Symbol. See Casablanca Conference (1943)

  Operation Torch, xi. See North Africa landings (1942)

  Operation Vengeance. See Yamamoto, Isoruku (admiral): ambushed and killed

  Ottawa: FDR’s speech at (1943), 332, 335–40, 341, 347, 355, 373

  P

  Pacific Theater: Churchill and, 76, 101, 237, 246, 333–34

  Combined Chiefs of Staff and, 331

  Eleanor Roosevelt tours, 315, 359, 367

  Ernest King and, 234, 256, 315, 329–30

  FDR and strategy in, 25–26, 37, 40, 41–42, 59, 100–101, 179–81, 191, 211, 222–23, 293, 334, 393, 395

  Joint Chiefs of Staff preference for action in, 75

  Marshall on, 216

  Mediterranean strategy’s impact on, 234

  Navy’s preference for action in, 222, 275

  skip-bombing technique in, 179–80

  Soviet Union and, 153

  U.S. public opinion on, 217, 232, 234

  Pacific War Council meeting (1943)

  Churchill at, 245–46

  Mackenzie King attends, 235, 237

  Panama Canal Zone, 24

  Pan American Clipper (airplane), 12–14

  Patterson, Cissy: as FDR’s enemy, 165

  Patton, George S. (general): on Churchill, 110, 111

  and Eisenhower, 89–90

  erratic behavior, 375

  on FDR, 110–11

  and invasion of Sicily, 263, 267, 275

  in Italian campaign, 375–76

&n
bsp; on need for Allied combat experience, 111

  in North Africa, 50, 52, 102, 144, 145, 170, 196, 255, 263

  Paulus, Friedrich von (general), 196

  peace as war aim: FDR on, 44–45

  Pearl Harbor, attack on (1941), xi, 19, 31, 117, 167, 183, 366

  Yamamoto and, 178, 187, 190

  Pendar, Kenneth: on FDR, 198–200

  Pentagon: completed, 53

  Pétain, Philippe (marshal), 64, 116

  Poland: forces in exile and Katyn Forest massacre (1940), 228, 347

  German atrocities in, 300–301

  polio: FDR suffers from, 168, 176–77

  Portal, Charles (air marshal), 78

  and air power, 256

  opposes Normandy invasion, 217, 218

  opposes proposed cross-Channel landing (1943), 98–99

  postwar security, planning for, 19–23, 39, 80–81, 108–9, 115, 158, 161, 310, 335. See also United Nations

  Churchill and, 370–72

  FDR and, 15, 20, 26, 27–30, 32, 33–34, 107, 117–21, 152–53, 159–60, 164, 177, 231, 244–45, 248, 267, 282–83, 336, 338–40, 344–46, 353, 362–66

  Pound, Dudley (admiral), 78, 256

  opposes proposed cross-Channel landing (1943), 98–99

  president: as commander in chief, 35–37, 68, 104, 169, 175, 292, 296, 368

  Prettyman, Arthur (chief petty officer), 3, 11

  prisoners of war, Allied: Japan executes, 177–78

  Q

  Quebec Conference (1943), 386

  British chiefs of staff at, 319

  Brooke at, 308, 326, 328–30

  Churchill and, 277–78, 291, 300, 302, 314–15, 319, 326–28, 332, 333–34, 368, 396–97

  Combined Chiefs of Staff at, 291, 315, 328–31, 334–35, 337, 354, 368, 392

  Cordell Hull at, 310, 315

  Eden at, 310

  Elsey and, 331, 332

  FDR and, 277–78, 290, 293, 300, 315, 326, 327–28, 331, 332–35, 338–39, 341, 353

  Joint Chiefs of Staff at, 293, 296, 299, 308, 326–30, 331

  large British contingent at, 302, 308, 314, 319

  Mackenzie King at, 333, 341–42, 344

  Marshall at, 326–29, 331

  Stimson and, 296

  R

  Rayburn, Sam, 48

  Reilly, Mike: and security at Casablanca Conference (1943), 66–68

  Republican Party, 24, 48, 162, 234, 349–50, 361

  Reynolds, David, xiii, 327

  Reynolds, Maurice (colonel), 290

  Ribbentrop, Joachim von, 361

  Richelieu (French battleship), 63–64

  Ridgway, Matthew (general): in Italian campaign, 376, 378, 391

  Rigdon, William, 181–82

  Ritchie, Neil (general), 177

  Robinett, Paul (colonel): on lack of command experience among Allies, 143

  Romania: Allied bombing of oil refineries in, 214–15, 227–28, 330

  Rome: Allies bomb, 269, 320, 360, 372

  Churchill and capture of, 274, 276, 277, 311, 327, 373

  lack of strategic value, 354

  as possible open city, 280, 366

  projected airborne assault on, xii, 354, 376–78, 380, 382

  Rommel, Erwin (field marshal), 279, 388

  British Eighth Army flees from, 36, 220, 365

  in Italy, 269, 391

  in North Africa, 52, 89, 140–41, 142, 143–46, 147, 148, 170, 322

  Rommel, Manfred, 391

  Roosevelt, Eleanor, 4, 10, 168, 175, 205–6, 218

  tours Pacific Theater, 315, 359, 367

  Roosevelt, Elliott (colonel): at Casablanca Conference, 66–68, 77, 78–81, 82, 91–93, 103–4, 108–10, 111, 117, 118–20, 124

  Roosevelt, Franklin, Jr. (lieutenant), 68–69, 92

  Roosevelt, Franklin D.: on air power, 42–43

  and ambush of Yamamoto, 178, 184, 188–89, 190–91

  angered by Stalin, 333, 334, 335, 341–42, 343, 353, 396

  atomic bomb development as his political trump card, 313, 319

  attacks isolationism, 45–47, 336, 350

  attitude toward British Empire, xii

  Brooke on, 258

  Butcher briefs, 169–71

  at Casablanca Conference, 4, 11–12, 40, 60, 71–72, 77–81, 82–88, 90–93, 100–104, 105–10, 112–23, 124–31, 139–40, 145, 164, 170, 198

  on Casablanca strategic agreement, 243

  character and personality, 27, 110, 123, 166, 309, 349, 359–60, 367

  on Churchill, xii, 79–80, 110

  and communism, 22, 30–32, 119, 229, 362–63, 364–66

  confers with Churchill at Hyde Park, xiv, 299, 300, 302, 308–12, 313–15, 319, 335, 381–83

  considers fourth term, 32, 45, 349–50, 362–63, 367, 399

  controls Allied war planning and prosecution, xi, xv, 15, 25, 28–29, 37, 43–44, 100–102, 129, 131, 160, 164, 170, 207, 209, 236, 250, 276, 284, 308, 314–15, 325, 353, 392, 393–94, 398

  on De Gaulle, 80, 119, 122

  De Gaulle on, 116–17, 121

  demands Churchill’s cooperation, 252, 253–54

  distrusts Churchill, 244

  domestic political opposition to, 24, 48, 162, 234, 349–50, 361, 394

  on Eastern Front, 42–43

  on Eisenhower, 169–71

  and “endgame” war strategy, 396–97, 398–99

  expects postwar struggle with Soviet Union, 347–48, 350, 361–65, 397, 399

  fears Soviet-German armistice, 342

  Fireside Chats, 278–79, 284, 292, 381

  first sitting president to fly, 5, 13, 125

  and flying, 12–14, 64–67

  on Four Freedoms, 28, 44–45, 339

  friendship with Mackenzie King, 313, 348–49

  “Germany First” strategy, 29, 202, 211, 213, 217

  Giraud visits, 261

  on Grant, 28–29, 284

  Handy critical of his war strategy, 293–94, 319

  health problems, 33, 64–65, 164–69, 175, 176, 349, 353, 359, 367–68, 399

  on Holocaust, 300–301

  insists on American commander in Normandy invasion (1944), 297–99, 314–15, 319

  inspection tour of military facilities (1943), xiv, 171, 175–77, 179, 181–82, 187, 189, 191

  interest in Berbers, 65

  and Italian campaign, 294–95, 297–98, 311, 326, 354, 374, 381, 385, 392, 396

  Joint Chiefs of Staff dissent from his strategy, 48–49

  journey to Casablanca Conference, xiv, 4–9, 11–14, 63–68, 165, 167

  Kenney briefs, 179–81

  knowledge of history and geography, 4, 155, 180–81, 349

  Leahy as information conduit for, 331, 354

  Mackenzie King confers with, 243–44, 247–48

  Mackenzie King on, 24, 27–32, 33, 341–42, 349

  Mackenzie King visits, 23–32, 33–38, 39, 40, 45, 50, 60, 80, 84, 149, 165

  makes tactical suggestions, 140, 145

  Mary Churchill on, 359–60, 367, 383

  McIntire as physician to, 3, 7, 13, 165, 167, 169, 280, 367

  and Mediterranean strategy, 25–26, 36, 40, 59, 84, 92, 210, 238, 241, 252, 263, 326

  meets with Combined Chiefs of Staff, 77–78, 82, 92–93, 240–41, 243

  meets with De Gaulle, 111, 112–17, 219

  meets with Eisenhower, 88, 90–93

  Message to Congress, 392–94, 395–96

  on moral basis for war, 336–40, 392–94

  Morison briefs, 65

  and necessity of unconditional surrender, 28–31, 59–60, 101, 104, 120–21, 127–30, 152–53, 157, 160, 188–89, 192, 217, 232, 244, 264, 283, 315, 348, 350, 385, 392–93

  and need for Allied combat experience, 36–38, 40, 50, 51–52, 59, 82–83, 84, 86, 93, 143, 148, 169

  and Normandy invasion (1944), 204, 210, 218, 221, 243–44, 278, 295, 302, 311–12, 313, 319, 332, 362, 382, 385

  and North Africa landings (1942), xi, 34–36, 42, 63, 125–26

&n
bsp; Ontario fishing trip, 279–81, 289, 292

 

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