Our first landings for Operation Torch in North Africa occurred on Nov. 8th, 1942.

Eleven days later that same month, on Nov. 19, 1942, the Red Army launched Operation Uranus wherein they completed the encirclement of Paulus’ Sixth Army in Stalingrad.

Ten months earlier, in January 1942, the Wehrmacht had already been defeated in the Battle of Moscow and were being slowly beaten back from the Soviet capital.

The battles of Moscow and Stalingrad were the two decisive battles on the Eastern Front. Our invasion of North Africa made no impact on either one. What’s more, by the end of 1942, only 16.1% of the Lend-Lease aid we sent to Russia had arrived.

In other words, our invasions of Africa, Italy, southern France, and Normandy all helped shorten the war…but even if we hadn’t invaded at all, the Soviets would have won.