James Holland

I'm not going to go any further. And the reason is because he doesn't want any further loss of life amongst the Western forces. And the reason he doesn't want that is because he wants to conserve him because it's all over. The second is because he thinks they're going to have to go to the Pacific. Wow. Interesting.

It's not about Europe. As far as they're concerned, they've crushed Nazi Germany. That was their kind of number one priority as laid out in the Arcadia Conference in December 1941. And it's job done. You know, Germany is defeated. Hitler goes on the 30th of April, but it's all over.

It's not about Europe. As far as they're concerned, they've crushed Nazi Germany. That was their kind of number one priority as laid out in the Arcadia Conference in December 1941. And it's job done. You know, Germany is defeated. Hitler goes on the 30th of April, but it's all over.

It's not about Europe. As far as they're concerned, they've crushed Nazi Germany. That was their kind of number one priority as laid out in the Arcadia Conference in December 1941. And it's job done. You know, Germany is defeated. Hitler goes on the 30th of April, but it's all over.

Whether the Western allies end up with an extra 50 miles of Germany or that 50 miles goes into the hands of the Soviet Union, So what? It's not his concern. His concern is winning the war as quickly as possible for the minimum amount of loss of life.

Whether the Western allies end up with an extra 50 miles of Germany or that 50 miles goes into the hands of the Soviet Union, So what? It's not his concern. His concern is winning the war as quickly as possible for the minimum amount of loss of life.

Whether the Western allies end up with an extra 50 miles of Germany or that 50 miles goes into the hands of the Soviet Union, So what? It's not his concern. His concern is winning the war as quickly as possible for the minimum amount of loss of life.

Well, I think so, yes, because the front line ends on the River Elbe, as Eisenhower agrees. And that's a division between what becomes East Germany and what becomes West Germany. The finishing line isn't baked in by Yalta. It is baked in that there's going to be a division of Berlin, but it hasn't been agreed who is going to capture Berlin.

Well, I think so, yes, because the front line ends on the River Elbe, as Eisenhower agrees. And that's a division between what becomes East Germany and what becomes West Germany. The finishing line isn't baked in by Yalta. It is baked in that there's going to be a division of Berlin, but it hasn't been agreed who is going to capture Berlin.

Well, I think so, yes, because the front line ends on the River Elbe, as Eisenhower agrees. And that's a division between what becomes East Germany and what becomes West Germany. The finishing line isn't baked in by Yalta. It is baked in that there's going to be a division of Berlin, but it hasn't been agreed who is going to capture Berlin.

And it's still odds on that it's going to be the Western Allies at this point. But then Eisenhower lets Stalin know that he's not going to contest Berlin. that he is going to stop at the river Elba, which is to say it's kind of 50 miles to the kind of west of Berlin. And that then becomes the kind of Iron Curtain.

And it's still odds on that it's going to be the Western Allies at this point. But then Eisenhower lets Stalin know that he's not going to contest Berlin. that he is going to stop at the river Elba, which is to say it's kind of 50 miles to the kind of west of Berlin. And that then becomes the kind of Iron Curtain.

And it's still odds on that it's going to be the Western Allies at this point. But then Eisenhower lets Stalin know that he's not going to contest Berlin. that he is going to stop at the river Elba, which is to say it's kind of 50 miles to the kind of west of Berlin. And that then becomes the kind of Iron Curtain.

Then there's a whole lot of horse trading that's been going on the previous autumn about Italy and Greece and the Balkans and all the rest of it. So Churchill goes to Stalin in Moscow and says, okay, let's thrash this out. And it's agreed that Greece will remain in the orbit of the west, but the Balkans won't. Interesting. You know, that decision is all made then.

Then there's a whole lot of horse trading that's been going on the previous autumn about Italy and Greece and the Balkans and all the rest of it. So Churchill goes to Stalin in Moscow and says, okay, let's thrash this out. And it's agreed that Greece will remain in the orbit of the west, but the Balkans won't. Interesting. You know, that decision is all made then.

Then there's a whole lot of horse trading that's been going on the previous autumn about Italy and Greece and the Balkans and all the rest of it. So Churchill goes to Stalin in Moscow and says, okay, let's thrash this out. And it's agreed that Greece will remain in the orbit of the west, but the Balkans won't. Interesting. You know, that decision is all made then.

Well, actually, Don, it's a little bit mixed because actually the surrender is signed in the early hours of the 7th of May. Stalin's really annoyed about this because the Germans surrendered to the West. They surrendered to Eisenhower's headquarters. And they go, no, no, no, no, it can't be a property surrender until we have our own surrender in Berlin.

Well, actually, Don, it's a little bit mixed because actually the surrender is signed in the early hours of the 7th of May. Stalin's really annoyed about this because the Germans surrendered to the West. They surrendered to Eisenhower's headquarters. And they go, no, no, no, no, it can't be a property surrender until we have our own surrender in Berlin.

Well, actually, Don, it's a little bit mixed because actually the surrender is signed in the early hours of the 7th of May. Stalin's really annoyed about this because the Germans surrendered to the West. They surrendered to Eisenhower's headquarters. And they go, no, no, no, no, it can't be a property surrender until we have our own surrender in Berlin.

And that's going to happen at one minute past midnight on the 9th of May. But then the Germans broadcast about the surrender and the cat's out of the bag and everyone starts partying on the 7th of May. So, Churchill and Truman agree that victory in Europe Day will be celebrated on the 8th of May. But actually, ironically, it's the one day there isn't a surrender. And reactions are really mixed.