Given history of mistrust + suspicion → believed today that → alliance between Br, US, USSR → was marriage of convenience
- solely an emergency arrangement → against common enemy, Germany
Tensions between alliances → grow during war
- One of Stalin’s major concerns → was immense pressure → Soviet troops → faced → because of Germany’s constant attacks.
- he urged US + Britain → to quickly open a 2nd front in France → to relieve this pressure + end war as quickly as possible
However → US + Britain → only agreed → to open 2nd front → through Op Overlord in 1944. Operation Overlord - D-Day, 1944 → when they met a year earlier in 1943 → during Tehran conference in Iran.
Stalin → felt that allies → were delaying opening of 2nd front → to minimise their own losses + even weaken USSR!
- deepened his distrust of US + Britain