23 September 2023 , 08:00
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Winston Churchill will always be one of the vital figures in British history, remembered largely for his wartime leadership.
But few have heard of ‘Operation Unthinkable’, one of Churchill’s most top secret war plans during his time in office. It was nothing to do with fighting the Nazis or Italy - but about invading Soviet controlled territories.
The Soviet Union - or USSR, the name of the communist regime in Russia between 1922 and 1991 - controlled eastern Germany and large swathes of eastern Europe by 1945, after the Nazis were crushed. And Churchill became concerned about the communist threat in Europe, drafting up ‘Operation Unthinkable’ with his closest military advisers.
The plan aimed to prevent East Germany and Poland living under Soviet domination - allegedly, Churchill felt especially guilty about the Poles who fought for the allies during the war, but would now be ruled by Stalin.
British military leaders drafted a report for Churchill on the chances of 'Operation Unthinkable' succeeding (nationalarchives.gov.uk)At the time, the United States were ready to move their military to fight out the rest of the war in mainland Japan - which meant Western Europe would be facing Stalin alone in the early months and years of the Cold War. When VE day came along, the British army would drastically reduce in size - which meant the plan would have to be conducted soon, according to The History Press.
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A Portrait of Joseph Stalin (Getty Images/The Bridgeman Art L)The idea was to draw together British, American, Polish and even German troops for a large attack on the Red Army on 1 July 1945, forcing them out of East German and Poland.
In a report to Churchill drafted by British military leaders, the aim was described as to “impose upon Russia the will of the United States and British Empire”. But the war would have been an incredible risk, risking the allied army being dragged into Soviet territory and a Russian winter.
Churchill, with Franklin Roosevelt, was one of the first to really see Stalin as a threat (Corbis via Getty Images)The military report concluded two things regarding the plan. Firstly, if the objective was to be “achieved with any certainty and with lasting results” then defeating Russia in a “total war” was necessary.
In June 1945, Churchill was properly cautioned against the move, for fear of elongating a bloody and resource-sapping war for years. However, multiple areas where Allied and Soviet troops were face-to-face still created a sense of anxiety of the risk of a Third World War.
But it was not long before Churchill was voted out of office, only two months after V Day and the Nazi Germany surrender. ‘Operation Unthinkable’ was forgotten about, until the Americans began to truly fear the Stalinist threat - and the Cold War truly began.