Operation Pike: Britain Versus the Soviet Union, 1939-1941 (Contributions in Military Studies)

by Patrick R. Osborn (Author)

3 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0313313684

ISBN-10: 0313313687

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This groundbreaking study reveals the extent of British military planning against the Soviet Union during the first two years of the Second World War. These plans, formulated on the widespread belief that Soviet Russia was an active and willing partner in Adolf Hitler's war of conquest, were designed to bring the Soviets to their knees and deprive Nazi Germany of vital raw materials, especially oil. Churchill himself was one of the leading proponents of action that would have led to an Anglo-Soviet conflict even as the war with Germany raged on. Utilizing many never-before published documents, Osborn challenges conventional wisdom that Allied hopes were pinned on a Soviet entry into the war against Germany and proposes instead that, had the Nazis not successfully invaded France in May 1940, the Allies might well have launched their own offensive against the Soviet Union.

Anti-Soviet rumblings began shortly after the Red Army seized eastern Poland in September 1939, and became more strident after Joseph Stalin invaded Finland later that year. Truly serious planning did not take place, however, until after Stalin's disastrous war with Finland ended in March 1940. Immediately following the abrupt end of that conflict the Red Army sent substantial reinforcements to the Black Sea region, the area most threatened by Allied attack. In March-April 1940, the British undertook secret reconnaissance flights to obtain photographs of important targets inside the Soviet Union. The swift collapse of France in May 1940 insured that British bombers were not launched against these targets, but suspicion lingered between Britain and the USSR throughout the war, contributing to Stalin's refusal to believe Winston Churchill's warnings that Hitler was preparing to invade the USSR in 1941.

Operation Pike: Britain Versus the Soviet Union, 1939-1941 (Contributions in Military Studies)

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Product Details

Series: Contributions in Military Studies (Book 190)
Hardcover: 326 pages
Publisher: Greenwood Press (March 30, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0313313687
ISBN-13: 978-0313313684
Product Dimensions: 1.2 x 5.5 x 9.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,896,618 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2829 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > International & World Politics > Russian & Former Soviet Union
- #8112 in Books > History > Asia > Russia
- #9948 in Books > Textbooks > Social Sciences > Political Science > International Relations

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Gamblers at war

By Thomas Dunskus on July 9, 2015

Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase

The title of this book refers to the plans elaborated by Britain and France after the German invasion and defeat of Poland in the autumn of 1939, to interrupt the supply of Soviet oil and other goods to Germany. The idea was to bomb the Soviet oil fields near the Caspian Sea by air raids from French and British bases in the Middle East and Turkey.

In addition, the book contains chapters dedicated to plans by the Allies for interventions in Scandinavia. Unfortunately, these two highly complex topics are not treated individually by the author, which makes for a very complicated description of the matter. I shall try to separate the two policies.

Quite obviously, the Soviet support for Hitler's Germany was a thorn in London's thigh, and caused a number of scenarios to be imagined by the British governement. When the "Winter war" of the Soviet Union against Finland in 1939/40 initially suffered set-backs, Britain began planning an operation in Scandinavia, an element of which was the idea entertained in January, 1940, to mine Norwegian waters in order to render German imports of Swdish iron ore via the Norwegian port of Narvik more difficult.

Another idea was to find an excuse for landing British troops in northern Norway, ostensibly to help Finland, but in reality directed against Germany by establishing bridgeheads in the northern Baltic Sea. Initially, the British military were skeptical and concrete actions were delayed for months. In spite of all this confusion, the British War Cabinet, on 12 March 1940, without informing the Norwegian side decided on the landing of a British force at Narvik, to be followed by bridgeheads at Drontheim, Bergen and Stavanger.Read more ›

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Absolute Must for Politics 'n War Aficionado

By H. Campbell on October 1, 2002

Format: Hardcover

This is simply a must-have book for the international military-political history fan. I thought I pretty much knew most of the political intrigue aspects of WW 2, but Osborn's revelations about the machinations involving Britain, France, Finland, Scandinavia, Turkey, Germany and the USSR are fascinating and will surprise many of my ilk.
The options for initiating hostilities with the Soviets that the British and particularly the French entertained had grave implications for the war and the subsequent history of the world. What if the "Allies" had gone to war with the Russians in 1939 in defence of the Finns? The dynamics of this scenario are potentially endless.
The belief that Russia was as grave a threat, if not more so, than Hitler's Germany, comes across very strongly in Osborn's "instant classic" work. Stalin's treacherous attacks on Poland, the Baltic states and Finland ranked him next to Hitler in the eyes of the world, and the fact that the USSR was supplying the Nazis with embargo-busting material shipments made the prospects of killing dozens of birds with one stone too tempting for many in the UK. Attacking Stalin's lair in Finland, the Crimea and the Caucausus were tempting goals for many who preferred fighting in someone elses' backyard instead of their own Sitzkrieg "front." The hypocrisy of the Allies in deferring conflict with the Germans in favor of the weaker Soviets did not go unnoticed but was overwhelmed by the fear of another WW 1 holocaust and the need to bolster morale by doing something.
The drawback of this title is its price, like many of the Greenwood titles. But it needs to be in your library.

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Outrageously priced, but an excellent book

By Kiwi on December 17, 2012

Format: Hardcover

This is an outstandingly researched book on a little-known episode of WW2 - the British and French plans to launch an air attack from the Middle East on the USSR's Baku oil fields - source of some 80-90% of the USSR's petroleum. At the time it was planned, the USSR was seen as an ally of Nazi Germany and the raid on Baku was seen as a way of relieving pressure on the Finns (then under attack from the USSR in the Winter War) and as a strategic blow against an ally of Nazi germany.

It's obvious from the material in the book that the French and British both believed the USSR was as much a threat as Nazi Germany - Stalin's alliance with Hitler, the joint attack on Poland, the seizing of the baltic States and the attack on Finland all reinforced this viewpoint. So the whole thing isn't as far-fetched as it now looks in hindsight. Outstanding research and detail, covers all aspects of the subject. The author's done an outstanding job here.

The drawback with this book is the extortionate cost, but I doubt there's much point in waiting for a cheap second hand copy to come up. If you're interested, you're going to have to bite the bullet and pay up - or see if you can get it thru the Public Library system. That said, it's an excellent book and if this is a topic you'd like to know a lot more about, this book will serve you well. But the price .... owwwww! (I confess, I bought it. Don't regret it mind, BUT I do resent having to pay this much....)

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