Chapter 2 Summary and Analysis

"The Attackers" looks at how surprise is on the side of Allied planners. Amphibious operations rarely succeed historically, and Allied attempts on the unfortified coastlines of North Africa, Sicily, and Salerno encounter problems. The British are reticent to take the offensive, but the U.S. must begin using the 7.2 million men it has assembled and trained (up from 170,000 in 1940). Unless a second front is launched, Stalin may accept Hitler's proposal or seize Western Europe after the war. The Germans enjoy strategic advantages, but the Allies control sea and air and get to choose when and where the battle is joined. Once in France, advantage shifts to Germany, whose fifty infantry and eleven armored divisions initially face at best five Allied divisions. All supplies and reinforcements must cross the Channel. If the Wehrmacht can counterattack effectively in the first week, it could...