Contrary to Len Latkovski’s March 17 letter [“FDR: Anti-Semite or friend of Jews?”], there can be little question that the Soviet Union’s contribution to winning World War II for the allies was monumental. The vast bulk of the German armed forces were tied down on the Russian front in a brutal struggle. Yes, Lend-Lease aid played a role in helping the Soviets withstand the initial Nazi onslaught. But by 1942 the Russians were producing mass quantities of high-quality armaments east of the Ural Mountains — out of reach for Germany’s air force. The Soviets also possessed a tremendous overseas intelligence-gathering operation, via the international Communist movement, that was critical in defeating Hitler.
If the German army had not been tied down in Russia in a huge battle of attrition that they could not hope to win, D-Day would have certainly been vastly delayed. In fact, it might not even have occurred.
Mark M. Pando, Alexandria