American Airpower Comes of Age

Chapter 9
Quebec
11 September–16 September 1944
Introduction
This five-day World War II conference, attended by Churchill,
Roosevelt, and their chief military advisors, was the second gathering
Arnold attended in this historic Canadian city. Unfortunately,
as indicated in chapter 2, Arnold’s diary notes of the
August 1943 Quebec Conference have not survived.
In the hundred days since the launching of the Overlord
invasion and Arnold’s last trip abroad, Allied fortunes had
improved steadily. As Churchill proclaimed to the assembled
leadership during their second day at Quebec, everything the
Allies “touched had turned to gold,” bringing about “an unbroken
run of military successes during the previous seven
weeks.” 1 On the Eastern Front, Soviet troops had crossed into
prewar Polish territory by 27 July. Four days later, they had
advanced to within 10 miles of Warsaw. Further south, Soviet
troops reached the Danube in Rumania, forcing acceptance of
Soviet terms for surrender by 23 August. A week later, Soviet
forces occupied the Ploesti oil facilities, site of earlier costly
raids by Allied bombers. By the end of August, Soviet successes
in the east had cost the Wehrmacht 1,200,000 casualties
and 50 divisions.
In Western Europe, Allied ground advances had forced the
surrender of 50,000 German troops during the third week of
August. Another 10,000 were killed while trying to escape the
Falaise Gap trap. That same week, American landings in southern
France had been carried out with less difficulty than overcoming
Churchill’s relentless opposition to undertaking the
operation. By 22 August, American, French, and Algerian forces
were in the outskirts of Marseilles. Further north, Paris was liberated
three days later. This was followed by other Allied successes,
including the surrender of Brussels on 3 September and
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