The purely military aspects of strategy often get short shrift. They lack the complexity—or at least dynamism—of tactics and operational art, and are often eclipsed by political factors.
Thanks ! Insightful as usual. What about the combination of Overlord and Bagration which was agreed during the Tehran conference (as far as I recall..) ? German forces could never recover from the summer 44 defeats which led to the destruction of Army Group B in Normandy and to the annihilation of Army Group Center in Central Europe.
And your last paragraph emphasizes Grant's strategy upon arriving in the East, press Lee hard in defense of Richmond to make sure he would not be able to send significant reinforcements to any of the other theatres.
Thanks ! Insightful as usual. What about the combination of Overlord and Bagration which was agreed during the Tehran conference (as far as I recall..) ? German forces could never recover from the summer 44 defeats which led to the destruction of Army Group B in Normandy and to the annihilation of Army Group Center in Central Europe.
Most definitely, and also the other Soviet offensives that summer, culminating in Jassy-Kishinev—those were all separate strategic directions.
And your last paragraph emphasizes Grant's strategy upon arriving in the East, press Lee hard in defense of Richmond to make sure he would not be able to send significant reinforcements to any of the other theatres.