To the steel-hearted citizens of Stalingrad, the gift of King George VI, in token of the homage of the British People." 1
The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, presented a bejeweled sword, commissioned by the British King, to the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin at the Allied Tehran Conference to commemorate the Battle of Stalingrad (August 1942-February 1943). The Tehran Conference took place in Iran from November 28-December 1, 1943. It was one of three such meetings where all three leaders of the Grand Alliance, the Soviet Union, the United States, and Britain, were present. The leaders discussed the overall strategy in the Second World War and the postwar order. Despite considerable ideological differences, the Alliance worked so well that the three countries secured victory in Europe and Japan a year later.
Fig. 1 - Churchill, on behalf of King George IV, presents the Sword of Stalingrad to Stalin and the citizens of Stalingrad, Tehran, 1943.
The Sword of Stalingrad, Tehran Conference (1943)
The Battle of Stalingrad took place in the Soviet Union on August 23, 1942—February 2, 1943, between the invading Nazi Germany and the Soviet Red Army. Its casualties were approximately 2 million combatants, making it one of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare. This event also served as a turning point on the Eastern front, where the Red Army was fighting alone until the opening of the second Anglo-American front in Europe in June 1944.
Britain's King George VI was impressed by the resilience and sacrifices displayed by the Soviet people, so he commissioned an original sword featuring gold, silver, and jewels. Winston Churchill gave this sword to the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin at the Tehran Conference.
Fig. 2 - Marshal Voroshilov showed the Sword of Stalingrad to U.S. President Roosevelt at the Tehran Conference (1943). Stalin and Churchill looked on from the left and right, respectively.
Tehran Conference: WW2
The Tehran Conference in late 1943 focused on key strategic objectives in securing victory against Germany in Europe and Japan in the Asia-Pacific region. The conference also sketched out the postwar global order.
Background
The Second World War began in Europe in September 1939. In Asia, Japan attacked China's Manchuria in 1931, and by 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War began.
The Grand Alliance, or the Big Three, comprised the Soviet Union, the United States, and Britain. These three countries led the war effort and other Allies, including Canada, China, Australia, and New Zealand, to victory. The Allies fought against the Axis Powers.
- Germany, Italy, and Japan led the Axis Powers. They were supported by smaller states, such as Finland, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Romania.
The United States remained neutral in the Second World War until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, entering the war the next day. Since 1941, the Americans supplied Britain and the Soviet Union through Lend-Lease with military equipment, food, and oil.
Fig. 3 - Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill at the Tehran Conference, 1943.
Allied Conferences during the Second World War
There were three conferences at which all three leaders of the Big Three were present:
- Tehran (Iran), November 28-December 1, 1943;
- Yalta (Soviet Union), February 4-11, 1945;
- Potsdam (Germany), between July 17-August 2, 1945.
The Tehran Conference was the first such meeting. Other meetings, for instance, the Casablanca Conference (January 14, 1943-January 24, 1943) in Morocco, only involved Roosevelt and Churchill because Stalin was unable to attend.
Fig. 4 - Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin, February 1945, Yalta, Soviet Union.
Each major conference focused on critical strategic goals relevant at the given time. For example, the Potsdam Conference (1945) ironed out the details of Japan's surrender.
Tehran Conference: Agreements
Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union), Franklin D. Roosevelt (U.S.), and Winston Churchill (Britain) arrived at four essential decisions:
| Goal | Details |
| 1. The Soviet Union was to join the war against Japan (Roosevelt's goal). | The Soviet Union committed to joining the war against Japan. Since December 1941, the U.S. had been fighting Japan in the Pacific. Americans could not fully dedicate themselves to a big land offensive there due to their involvement in other theaters of war. However, at this time, the Soviet Union was singlehandedly fighting the Nazi war machine on Europe's Eastern front. Therefore, the Soviet Union needed support in Europe, and Europe had to be liberated first. |
| |
| 2. Stalin was to support the establishment of the United Nations (Roosevelt's goal). | The League of Nations (1920) failed to prevent wars in Europe and Asia. President Roosevelt sought to establish the United Nations (U.N.) to manage international affairs, peace, and security after World War II. He required the backing of key global players such as the Soviet Union. Roosevelt argued that the U.N. should comprise 40 member states, an executive branch, and the Four Policemen:the U.S., the Soviet Union, Britain, and China (the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) with France added later). The United Nations was formed in October 1945. |
| |
| 3. The U.S. and Britain were to launch a second European front (Stalin's goal). | Since the Nazi German invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, the Soviet Red Army had been singlehandedly fighting Germany on the Eastern front ultimately responsible for up to 80% of German losses. However, by May 1945, the Soviet Union lost an estimated 27 million combatant and civilian lives. Therefore, the human cost of fighting alone was too high. Since the beginning, Stalin had been pushing the Anglo-Americans to launch a second front in continental Europe. The Tehran Conference tentatively scheduled what came to be known as Operation Overlord (Normandy Landings) for spring 1944. The actual operation began on June 6, 1944. |
| |
| 4. Concessions in Eastern Europe for the Soviet Union after the war (Stalin's goal). | Russia, and the Soviet Union, had been invaded through the eastern corridor several times. Napoleon did so in 1812, and Adolf Hitler attacked in 1941. As a result, the Soviet leader Stalin was concerned with immediate Soviet security. He believed that controlling parts of Eastern Europe would guarantee it.Stalin also argued that a country that conquers a territory gets to control it and acknowledged that the Anglo-Americans would rule parts of Western Europe after the war. At the Tehran Conference, Stalin received some concessions on this question. |
Fig. 5 - A sketch by Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United Nations structure, Tehran Conference, November 30, 1943.
Tehran Conference: Significance
The significance of the Tehran Conference lay in its success. This was the first Allied World War II conference that featured the Big Three. The Allies represented different ideologies: colonial Britain; the liberal-democratic United States; and the socialist (Communist) Soviet Union. Despite ideological disagreements, the Allies met their strategic objectives, the most important of which was launching a second front in Europe.
Normandy Landings
Operation Overlord, also known as Normandy Landings or D-Day, began on June 6, 1944. This large-scale amphibious offensive in northern France launched a second front in Europe to help the Soviet Red Army fighting alone in the east since 1941. The campaign was led by the United States, Britain, and Canada.
Fig. 6 - American troops are moving inland toward Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, northwestern France, Operation Overlord, June 7, 1944.
Despite the dangers of such a landing, Overlord turned out to be successful. The American troops met the Red Army on April 25, 1945—Elbe Day—in Torgau, Germany. Ultimately, the Allies secured victory over Nazi Germany on May 8-9, 1945.
Fig. 7 - Elbe Day, April 1945, the American and Soviet troops linked up near Torgau, Germany.
Soviet War against Japan
As agreed upon at the Tehran Conference, the Soviet Union declared war on Japan on August 8, 1945: the day after the U.S. nuclear strike on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. These devastating new weapons and the Red Army offensive in Manchuria (China), Korea, and the Kuril Islands secured victory in the Asia-Pacific region. The Red Army—now free from the European theater—made the already failing Japanese retreat. Japan formally signed the surrender on September 2, 1945.
Fig. 8 - Soviet and American sailors celebrate Japan's surrender, Alaska, August 1945.
Tehran Conference: Outcome
The Tehran Conference was generally successful and met its objectives of opening the second front in Europe, the Soviet war against Japan, and forming the United Nations. The Allies went on to have two more Big Three conferences: Yalta and Potsdam. All three conferences secured victory in World War II.
Tehran Conference - Key Takeaways
- The Tehran Conference (1943) was the first Allied conference during World War II, in which all three leaders of the Soviet Union, the U.S., and Britain participated.
- The Allies discussed the overall war strategy and the postwar European order.
- The Allies decided on 1) the Soviet commitment to fight Japan; 2) launching the second front in Europe (1944); 3) the establishment of the United Nations; 4) concessions over Eastern Europe made to the Soviet Union.
- The Tehran Conference generally met its goals despite the ideological differences.
References
- Judd, Denis. George VI, London: I.B.Tauris, 2012, p. v.
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