THE INFLUENCE OF LEND-LEASE IN 1941-1942 ON THE MILITARY SITUATION OF THE ANGLO-AMERICAN ALLIANCE AND THE OPENING THE SECOND FRONT

The article describes the way Lend-Lease influences the preparation for the opening of the Second Front. The authors make an assessment to Lend-Lease at the initial stages of the Great Patriotic War and the Pacific War, calling attention to the impact of military equipment supplies to the USSR on the ability of Great Britain and the United States to effectively to resist the fascist bloc. The authors argue that the Lend-Lease supplies to the USSR did not cause significant damage to the Western Allies, this damage being fully justified by the successes of the Red Army in repelling Nazi aggression. The United States and Great Britain suffered much more damage due to their incorrectly chosen strategies and methods of warfare. To give evidence to this, the authors give the examples of the defensive operations of the British Empire and the United States in Southeast Asia, arguing that Lend-lease for the USSR had a negative effect within specific theaters of military operations because of the poor strategic decisions taken by the American and British command. On the other hand, the authors consider Lend-Lease as a huge contribution of the American people to overcoming the crisis of the Anti-Hitler Coalition in 1941–1942.