The Victory Plan Undermined

The Victory Program was completed in late September 1941 and the provisions relating to the building of the armed forces and the civilian industrial complex to feed the war were implemented almost immediately. The Victory Program’s recommendations dealing with strategic war aims, and how and where Americans would fight, would require approval of both President Roosevelt and then, collaboration with and approval by America’s chief war ally Great Britain, following America’s entry into the war after December 7, 1941. The critical provision relating to a cross channel invasion in the summer of 1943 was to have a difficult future, especially when it was introduced to the British. This chapter will discuss the Victory Program’s course through the American and British political thicket. The British opposition to the Victory Program was limited to the American proposal to invade France in the summer of 1943, (ROUNDUP) later changed to (OVERLORD) and a subsidiary “emergency” plan (SLEDGEHAMMER) to land a small diversionary force in France in the summer or fall of 1942 under certain conditions.

A. C. Wedemeyer