This is probably my most "conservative" opinion

[Martin Eden]

37. From D-Day to VE day was 10+ months

During that time the German army fought tenaciously on two fronts. Defeating the Nazi regime required great effort east & west.

The Russians wanted the Western allies to invade Europe in 1943, and were not happy when we decided to attack the Germans in Africa then up through Sicily & Italy.

A case can be made that holding back on invading Western Europe worked against Russian interests, allowing Germany to throw more resources at the Eastern front.

Long term geostrategic advantages are of course taken into consideration. Stalin was a monster to rival Hitler. We also had a major war to fight in the Pacific theater.

A degree of skepticism if not cynicism is called for, because the real motives behind wars are not necessarily for public consumption. Smedley Butler called the wars of the late 19th and early 20th century a "racket" fought to enrich corporations.

None of which means we should not honor the soldiers who sacrificed so much.