Franklin and the Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day

[Noravea]

----------​

April 12, 1945, was a quaint day in Warm Springs, Georgia. The day began at the Little White House with a calm day ahead. Elizabeth Shoumatoff was scheduled to paint his portrait, and present with him was Lucy Mercer Rutherford, a former mistress and friend who he had recently reconnected with. At approximately one o'clock, while sitting for his portrait, President Roosevelt complained of a great pain before collapsing. His immediate guests rushed to his aid, first assisting him in returning to his seat before doctors and aides appeared minutes later to help him to his bed. He was still breathing, and cardiologist Howard Bruenn determined that the President had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage. While Roosevelt had for years suffered from polio, his body had weakened to the point that even upper body movements were difficult, and what Bruenn would later find was a simultaneous stroke rendered half of the President's body weaker and essentially non-functional. Word spread quickly to Roosevelt's staff in Washington of his condition, and at 6:00 PM EST, the news broke over the radio. Just moments before, Allied leaders in London and Moscow were informed that the President had merely fallen ill.

John Daly, future host of What's My Line? was the first to report on the President's illness. "We interrupt this broadcast for a special news bulletin from CBS World News. The Press Association has just announced that President Roosevelt has fallen seriously ill a-at Warm Springs, Georgia..." The mood in the nation had appeared to be of relief prior to the announcement. United States forces had been crossing the Rhine River in Germany for weeks, and the Soviets were rampaging towards Berlin. While the Pacific Theater was still going strong with no apparent end in sight, Americans knew that it was only a matter of time before Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, as well as their respective regimes, would fall. This news shattered that feeling. Even though there were no indications to the public that this illness was fatal, for the news to report on the President's health so candidly meant that it had to be grave. For many Americans, they only knew Franklin Roosevelt. He had led the nation through the darkest days of the Great Depression and through the frightening and apocalyptic years of the Second World War. For all of the turbulence of the previous twelve years, Roosevelt was a constant in all of that. Quickly, outpouring of support arrived by telegram to Warm Springs. Senators and members of Congress, including Republicans and Roosevelt's staunchest critics, wished the President well. Foreign leaders also sent their well wishes, Churchill and Stalin's representatives in Washington meeting with Vice President Harry Truman to discuss the situation in depth.

In Germany meanwhile, their radio called Franklin Roosevelt's illness a sign that God was on their side. On the morning of April 13, 1945, Joseph Goebbels spoke on the radio declaring that Roosevelt's poor health meant a possible change in fortunes for the German nation. As Goebbels spoke on the radio however, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt arrived at Warm Springs to take effective control over the President's recovery. While she was informed of the true extent of damage to her husband's body, the First Lady was surprised to see just how bad it was. He was awake but barely, and it was clear that any movement below his neck was either difficult or impossible. While their marriage had years ago transformed from one of love to platonic friendship, she could not help but pity him. A part of her wanted him to resign and to recover fully, but Dr. Bruenn informed her that at his age and the level of stress, it would only delay the inevitable. In addition to that, Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes, who captained much of the New Deal since 1933, informed her that allowing Harry Truman to become President would bring control of the New Deal as well as the war effort out of their hands. "There is a clear path to how things are done," he reportedly said. "And we should work tirelessly to prevent any change to it." While they respected Truman, they knew little of him and wished to keep the status quo for as long as possible.

Fearful of word getting out, a photographer was brought in to capture a picture of the President as he tried to speak to Eleanor by his bedside. As Roosevelt struggled to speak, it appeared to anyone looking at the photo that he was like a normal patient in a bed speaking to a nurse, and most importantly on the path to recovery. The photograph was sent to all of the major national newspapers to calm the public. For good measure, a second photograph was released of the President reading over war reports to assure the public that he still had things under control. At that moment, things changed in the administration. "It would not be until April 14 that I traveled to Warm Springs," Harry Truman would write in his memoirs. "I knew more than the American people did, but not the true extent. That morning I was told that the President was napping and could not meet with me. Eleanor kept a tight guard over who entered his room, and even other cabinet members were turned away. On the morning of April 15 I finally met with President Roosevelt. Our meeting was brief, and he appeared to be in a good mood, but something felt missing. It would not be for weeks until I realized what had truly happened, and how bad the President's condition truly was." While President Roosevelt kept a close eye on the war effort, commanders in Europe and the Pacific had more control in these vital final months of the conflict, and Henry L. Stimson and James V. Forrestal, Secretaries of War and Navy respectively, took command of the war effort at home. With them, Eleanor Roosevelt served as a vital line of communication from Warm Springs to Washington.

While most Americans did not know this, these events paved the path for what historians dubbed the "Co-Presidency" of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. While Franklin Roosevelt was for all intents and purposes the President of the United States, he was often trapped in whatever room he was placed in. Eleanor Roosevelt served as his "eyes and ears" and "protector" according to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in his history of the war. Few outside of the White House and the halls of power in other nations knew the full extent of this usurpation of power, but they knew that the true power shifted from Roosevelt himself to a cabal including his wife, Stimson, Forrestal, Ickes, Morgenthau, and Perkins. In addition to those figures, Grace Tully, the President's personal secretary, served as a vital role in this organization that had developed around President Roosevelt. Tully herself was present for Roosevelt's hemorrhage, and had served as an aide since 1941 when Missy LeHand suffered from a stroke. This organization was dubbed by opponents the "Roosevelt Foundation" and would have a key role in guiding the United States through the final days of the Second World War, and through the peace and chaos that followed.

 

[Noravea]

So...what is this?
My next project.

But why?
I'm writing another story right now (The Dawn of a System) and I have time to kill...

No, why this thing?
Oh? Because everyone else does this before their timeline. I thought it was mandatory.

Okay. Will you finish this project unlike the others?
Yes. It'll be a short one. Only a few updates before its conclusion.

And why FDR? Why THIS?
Because he's my favorite President. Plus, I just finished The Great War on PBS and I kind of want to see what happens when the First Lady becomes the gatekeeper, like Wilson and his wife.

Alright. Is there anything else?
No.

Okay.
Okay.

So...you'll actually finish this?
YES DAMMIT! Oh, and like and subscribe!

 

[Steve Brinson]

Interesting. I especially like the title, although at the start I thought it indicated the timeline would take place over 24 hours.

 

[Noravea]

I actually intended that as well.

But then I thought that it is too interesting to keep it to a day. So, I am going to cover the rest of the administration until FDR's inevitable demise.

 

[Lost Freeway]

You have my interest.

 

[Darth_Kiryan]

Shades of Woodrow and Edith Wilson

 

[Noravea]

Fifty Shades of Woodrow.

 

[Mal Reynolds]

Shades of Woodrow and Edith Wilson

How bad is FDR's mental state here? It's mentioned that he meets with Truman on April 15th and while Truman thinks that somethings off, it doesn't sound like it's obvious that Roosevelt is mentally incapacitated. So is FDR's condition primarily a physical one (i.e. he needs Eleanor or someone else to move him around and do any form of physical activity) or has his mental capacity been severely degraded enough that Eleanor and those members of the "Foundation" are the ones truly in charge of the country?

 

[Noravea]

It's kind of a mix. FDR still has the mental capacity he had before, but things are just much more difficult. I will go more into his physical and mental condition in the next chapter, but his physical state is dire (His body is basically slowly dying) and while he still has the mental capacity he previously had, he basically will depend on Eleanor and his aides.

 

[Theoretical_TJ]

Ooh, this is a really bad time for a Wilsonian approach and a veritable constitutional crisis. If FDR lives another few months, then the first atomic bombs may be dropped on no one and everyone's authority. Excluding Truman in this situation and with these stakes is going to set up an ugly postwar settlement.

 

[Oppo]

I really like this timeline, it will be interesting to see what happens during the co-presidency.

 

[Musketeer513]

You got me hooked. Can't wait for more.

 

[Shevek23]

Has anyone ever gotten any insight into Eleanor's views on the use of the A-bombs on Japan? I myself have gone back and forth on it. I used to take the position that a scary demonstration in plain sight of the Emperor and Tokyo generally (IE a bomb in the harbor, just far back enough that the projected blast damage would not kill the Emperor and very few residents of the city) would have done to force the surrender. But it was pretty chancy, whereas our bomb supply was limited and the chances of something going wrong fairly high.

ER was famously a bleeding heart; would this extend to refraining from using a terror weapon an order of magnitude or more worse than chemical attacks and comparable to biowar against the Japanese? And if she dug in her heels to speak against it, how much of the rest of the "cabal" (and honestly, I think it is too well-intentioned to be so characterized) would overrule her? Or, would she be persuaded easily enough that one or two bombs is better not only for the near-million Allied soldiers who could be expected to die taking Japan island by island, but for the Japanese as well? Would she even care about them?

The other big butterfly is of course US-Soviet relations, in fact Potsdam would be very awkward to manage--it was a meeting of the chiefs of each major partner in the alliance, not their flunkies. OTL with Roosevelt dead it was Truman's first introduction to that circle; here with, for public consumption anyway, FDR still in charge, what possible excuse could there be for him not to appear in Germany? And yet there is no way, with his disabilities so severely exacerbated, he could possibly make the trip even if Germany, and all Western Europe, were not so devastated as to pose extra hardships in traveling over. He can't take a long sea voyage or an airplane flight, and his personal appearance to Stalin and Clement Attlee would let the cat out of the bag. Given the close relationship of the Allied powers, it would be possible in the short run to secure their cooperation in keeping Roosevelt's condition quiet I suppose. Or even, with their connivance, to fake FDR's presence. But without the President there in person, who will speak for him if not the Vice President, whereas letting Truman in on the President's condition would pretty much force immediate passage of power into his hands.

Now from what I know about Truman, I think he could be trusted, if let in on the true situation, to be persuaded to go along with the fiction that he's just another happy go lucky VP with plenty of time on his hands to do peripheral, second tier ceremonial stuff and unimportant errands while the President runs things as though the VP did not exist. Truman was loyal to FDR, loyal to his party, and loyal to the New Deal--though perhaps Eleanor and others in the ruling cabal don't appreciate this. While in office, including after his narrow 1948 victory, he often wrote about what a lousy job it was, that anyone who aspired to become President had to be crazy, and lamented the absence of Franklin Roosevelt. He even solicited Dwight Eisenhower, before the 1948 election, to consider running--as a Democrat of course; Eisenhower's personal affiliations were generally unknown while he remained in US Army service. I do think that if the inner circle people knew him as we know him from historical retrospect, they'd realize that he'd help them keep the secret. But unfortunately he still would not be able to appear in the President's place in public.

If Truman were trusted, a very good thing to emerge might be Truman being briefed, trained and mentored by the President he admired and served, and thus when FDR finally does die, he could enter office fully briefed and feeling much more confident. I believe Truman did make a priority throughout his terms of attempting to divine what Roosevelt would have done and to live up to that--inevitably of course, this became more and more running things in his own fashion.

Perhaps, if over many months of FDR's final days, Truman was seen to be more and more in the President's confidence, Truman's subsequent relations with the "cabal" would have been closer and more cordial. As it was, many of the individuals named including Eleanor turned on him in 1948; in terms of any insider support at all, Truman had no friends in the autumn of that year--none but, it turned out, a barely sufficient majority of the American people who voted him in. It would be very easy to write a more ironic ATL in which Truman goes into the '48 election with the solid support of the Democratic establishment and moderate left in general, perhaps with Wallace sitting it out instead of running against him--and yet lose, perhaps by much larger margin than his OTL paper-thin victory margin! I don't particularly want to see that but it might happen; more satisfying to me would be for him to have that staunch support and win--perhaps with a margin as thin as OTL.
--------
So, I just read through the OP very carefully, and it seems to me that there is nothing that the American people, in retrospect, would deem deceptive and underhanded. Well, some might, especially those most virulently opposed to the New Deal, but to accuse the First Lady or ainnyone else involved of anything nasty would make the accuser look far worse than those they speak against, to most people.

As I feared, Harry Truman is being sold short here. But then again, even Eleanor and Ickes have to be aware that legally speaking, the day they are forced to reveal to the world that the President has finally died (and nothing in the text indicates he can live even one year more, and probably will die much sooner than that) Truman will take power anyway and it would be "out of their hands" anyway. Whereas, if they can bring him in and make him feel like he is on the inside of this, they gain much more leverage over him; they can't compel him but they can perhaps win him over. I did acknowledge that people didn't generally understand how committed he was to the New Deal in general. I do hope that, in managing the President's final days of political legacy, they do decide to bring Truman in gradually in the hope of a smooth and seamless transition.

Also my concerns about Potsdam are perhaps reasonably well addressed. The establishment has been open enough to reveal that the President is not well, which explains his inability to go to Europe. There isn't much precedent for a Vice President to serve as a President's viceroy without formally removing the President from power first, but if ever there was a time to stretch a point, this is it. The world will understand and sympathize if Roosevelt has to send Truman in his place, and realistically speaking everyone will know that barring a 4 year miracle, or the disaster of assassination or terminal disgrace of Truman, pretty soon they'll be dealing with him as President in his own right; Potsdam is a good chance to bring him up to speed and for his opposite numbers to get to know him.

As far as US/Soviet relations go, I don't think the ATL lingering of Roosevelt as a sort of ghostly mentor of Truman (and the considerable actual power of the First Lady and other FDR people fearful Truman won't rely on them) will make that big a difference. Truman eventually became truculent with Stalin, and there was historic reason to think he might be from the start (his infamous remark, while a Senator before the USA entered the war, that Germany and Russia should be allowed to fight each other into oblivion, for instance) but in fact OTL he was as keen as any New Dealer to make the recent apparent good relations with the Soviet Union last and work for a better post-war world. It was only after years of one betrayal after another that Truman turned on the Soviets, and that is probably what Wallace would have done too, or even Eleanor Roosevelt were she to run and win the office in her own right.

At any rate, long before the rupture became clearly irreparable OTL, FDR would be dead and the mantle would rest on Truman, for good or ill. The cabal had best bring him in, and try to make him one of theirs, and I do think that as long as Roosevelt breathed, Truman would respect his authority, not seek to seize the reins impatiently, be grateful some buffer stood between him and this awful authority he so often regretted in his diary OTL, and be grateful for time to be brought up to speed. I would think he would be inclined to continue to rely on the help and advice of this cabal, and if they recognized his true qualities by the time of Roosevelt's death, they'd give it.

 

[Mal Reynolds]

Given that from the sounds of it Roosevelt is still mentally there, just with his body falling apart, as long as he is lucid and mentally competent I do think the question has to be on things like the atomic bomb will be what does Roosevelt think? Unless by August FDR has mentally fallen apart, I'm imagining the main thing the "Foundation" is doing is dealing with "minor" issues (however they define the word) and trying to make things easier for FDR as much as possible. But overall, especially on the major issues, I'd imagine it is still FDR who is in fact in charge in practical terms. Now, in order to preserve his health, they might heavily steer him towards one direction or another, or they'll decide that some issue or other is too minor to attract his attention in his current state (i.e. American policy towards colonial possessions like a little place called Indochina at the time), but I seriously doubt that if it came down to it, they wouldn't treat FDR as fully President. This of course depends on how his mental facilities hold up. If he ends up mentally declining but in such a manner that his inner circle can delude themselves or otherwise, if they are conniving, that he can still serve as President, but they in fact are the ones truly making the decisions, then that might lead to a fairly interesting place.

 

[Caulaincourt]

re the atom bomb: I am wondering to what degree a surviving Roosevelt/Roosevelt-Eleanor duumvirate will be willing to proceed with the atomic bombing of Japanese cities as happened OTL, or would there perhaps be more support for a "demonstration" usage of the bomb to try to cow the Japanese into surrendering (and dissuade Stalin from funny business).

 

[Noravea]

This will all be covered in the coming updates. The next update will include the end of the war in Europe, and not much will be changed in that respect since less than thirty days passed between FDR's death OTL and the German surrender. A lot of the next update will instead include much of FDR's return to Washington, the reaction of the growing people who know, and a few small changes that will turn into big ones.

Update should come this weekend.

 

[Noravea]

The End of the War (In Europe)​

The Second World War did not stop as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt recovered from his medical crisis. As the middle of April approached, the end of the conflict was in sight as the Red Army barreled into the heart of Germany and the Western Allies poured over the Rhine River to take as much land as they could. Although President Roosevelt was commander-in-chief, much discretion was given to the commanders on the ground especially with the crisis in Warm Springs. The Battle of Berlin began on April 16 swept north and south of the city in a move to encircle it, while American soldiers began to move east towards the Elbe to meet with the Soviets, and Patton's Third Army made moves towards the former Czechoslovakian border. As all of this was going on, the Roosevelt staff in Georgia still scrambled to deal with the ongoing crisis taking place within the administration. Vice President Harry S. Truman returned to Washington shortly after his April 15 meeting, and on April 16, the cabinet officers who traveled to Warm Springs to be with the President began to return to their offices to continue managing the final days of the war. Although for a time he was left alone with his close circle of advisers, the so-called "Roosevelt Foundation" began to plan the risky move back to Washington as well. It would be easier to manage the political and military situation in Europe with everyone in the capital, as Warm Springs was isolated from the outside world. Although Eleanor Roosevelt briefly considered having offices constructed in Warm Springs for a semi-permanent government campus until her husband's death, she realized that it was necessary to keep his condition a secret and to have him return to the capital. When Franklin Roosevelt became more mentally active on April 17, they decided to officially return within a week, and preparations were made for this event.

Roadways were cleared from the Little White House to the President's private train, and all citizens were to remain indoors until his motorcade had passed through. The car was to be taken directly to the side of his train car and through a makeshift tunnel to avoid any curious onlookers seeing his true condition. Then, the train would make for Washington at full speed and would not stop except for any emergency. Train stations would be closed except for military use, while the media would not be informed to avoid unwanted onlookers. Upon returning to Washington in the dead of night, Roosevelt would be driven to the White House, and set up in the White House Residence permanently. At first April 19 was the planned date to return, but poor weather forced them to delay until April 21, 1945, when the plan went into effect early that morning. Phone calls were made, and the President and his inner circle were on the move. Despite that, a local who recognized the motorcade and ignored the rule to stay indoors quickly called a cousin in Washington, and quickly, a crowd gathered. The First Lady was not informed of this until they were an hour out of Warm Springs, and so she was forced to come up with a contingency. The President slept for most of the ride, and so they had to make due with the possibility of a public appearance. While it would eliminate any questions of ill health if it went well, they also risked revealing the nature of his illness. Just an hour out from Washington that night, they decided to risk Roosevelt appearing, and in a wheelchair.

While this was unthinkable over the last twelve years, there was no other time that they could pull this off. It would be realistic for an older man with a mental illness to appear in a wheelchair, and so far the White House had never acknowledged his regular use of it. To ensure that he appeared strong, several volunteers created a makeshift brace to hold up his head and keep him sitting straight during the short walk from the train to a waiting car. To ensure that nothing went wrong, his advisers would form a close ring around him and his doctors would give a press conference from the White House for the news reels. It went off without a hitch, and at eleven o'clock at night, President Roosevelt made his only official appearance to the public from a wheelchair. He had his trademarked grin on his face as supporters cheered and the press snapped photographs and even a film camera rolling. Returning to the White House less than half an hour later, much of the stress of returning to Washington disappeared, and Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt with their advisers were given a briefing by the Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson, gave his first briefing of the situation in Europe. It was also Roosevelt's first appearance before high-ranking military officers. Although they protested the First Lady's involvement, the President with a weakened voice said that her involvement was vital for him, and that she be given the same respect that they gave him.

Following the return to the White House, the end of the war came quickly. In less than two weeks, both Italy's Benito Mussolini and Germany's Adolf Hitler were dead. Berlin was totally surrounded, and on multiple points of the front lines, the Soviets and Western Allies met. First it was at the Elbe, but as the massive armies united against fascism dug further into Axis territory, it began to occur all over what was left of the German defenses. Entire German armies surrendered, and by May 2, Berlin had surrendered. Although President Roosevelt followed these developments closely, he did not have much of a role in it. Instead, the time between his return from Warm Springs to the fall of Berlin was spent bringing in doctors to see if a recovery was possible. Although they had determined that his condition would likely be fatal back in Georgia, a more in-depth examination of his health was given and they gave him only six months to live. Trusted reporters who had known the Roosevelts since their days in New York were also informed of his condition and given private audiences with their ailing leader, giving an interview to discuss the end of the war in Europe and the optimism he had for the future of the world. In addition to that, a staged photograph was released of the President seated behind his desk in the Oval Office. This photograph was used in propaganda posters geared towards an increased effort to defeat Japan. After the fall of Berlin, with the reality of a post-war Europe upon them, the Roosevelt Trust met for the first time in Washington to finally discuss how they would handle it.

A tougher stance was taken on the Soviet Union from the start, and they were informed of the existence of the Manhattan Project, which appeared to shock most of them. While the atomic bomb had yet to be fully tested, it did put more options on the table with ending the war in the Pacific. Plans were also being drawn up for an invasion of the Home Islands of Japan, with casualties expected to be astronomically high by the Secretary of War. Realizing that the President would likely not live through the summer, when the bomb was likely to be tested and made available, discussions began to fully bring in Harry Truman to the Roosevelt Trust. "The Vice President was an outsider, but he was loyal to the party," wrote Grace Tully. "He one day would become President of the United States. The doctors said as early as six months, long before the next election. The First Lady felt it was necessary to include him in future decision-making, but not until a clear system was in place to aid him." They agreed to hold weekly meetings, at first without the President involved but with plans to phase him in once a routine was set up. The doctors would also have some involvement, including Doctor Frank Lahey, brought on thanks to the Lahey Memo from 1944 that predicted Roosevelt would not survive another four years. On May 4, as German forces in Bavaria surrendered, an address was prepared for the end of the war. It would be a radio address and pre-recorded, spoken by President Roosevelt with what strength he could from May 5 to May 7. It was a short statement, but nonetheless his first recorded words since the crisis began.

On May 7, word came to the White House that the Germans, represented by General Alfred Jodl and Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, had unconditionally surrendered and was to take effect the following day. The war in Europe officially ended at noon on May 8, 1945. Roosevelt's V-E Day speech was released on all radio stations. Although it was only a ninety-second address, it was listened to by most Americans and its text appeared in every newspaper nationwide. Vice President Harry Truman gave a more substantive speech on the radio hours later, and celebrations broke out across the nation. That night, people celebrated outside of the White House, and it was at that moment that another surprising risk was taken. "We decided to open the gates to the White House grounds," wrote McGeorge Bundy, who was an aide to the Secretary of War. "People poured through the gates, cheering and waving flags. Sailors and soldiers on home from leave were chanting the President's name, and even some in the White House staff took a part in it. Then there was the famous photo-op that defined the Roosevelt Trust-era. On the south face of the White House, later in an area called the Roosevelt Balcony, the President and First Lady appeared. This show of power only lasted for a few brief moments, but it electrified the crowd and images of the V-E Day celebrations from then on had the image of the Roosevelts on the balcony seared in their minds. The man led the nation through the Great Depression, and now through the largest war in world history." The following day, nearly all attention was turned to the Pacific Theater. On the morning of May 12, 1945, the Roosevelt Trust held a meeting and welcomed Vice President Harry Truman among its ranks. While he was not given any specific task to correspond with a previous job in the administration, it made him aware of what was happening. Within a month, Truman would at last be given an active role in this growing organization, and he would be groomed for eventual leadership upon the death of President Roosevelt.

 

[Theoretical_TJ]

This is a good turn of events. I'm glad FDR has lived to at least VE Day. Moreover, the bringing of Truman into the fold may lead to some interesting butterflies.

One of the most interesting of these would be if FDR shared the memo sharing nuclear secrets with Britain with Truman.

 

[Caulaincourt]

The End of the War (In Europe)​

The Second World War did not stop as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt recovered from his medical crisis. As the middle of April approached, the end of the conflict was in sight as the Red Army barreled into the heart of Germany and the Western Allies poured over the Rhine River to take as much land as they could. Although President Roosevelt was commander-in-chief, much discretion was given to the commanders on the ground especially with the crisis in Warm Springs. The Battle of Berlin began on April 16 swept north and south of the city in a move to encircle it, while American soldiers began to move east towards the Elbe to meet with the Soviets, and Patton's Third Army made moves towards the former Czechoslovakian border

Out of curiosity- does this mean that the Western Allies made more of a concerted push towards the Elbe and possibly across it? I'm wondering here if FDR's survival changed Eisenhower's decision to stop along the Elbe.

 

[Noravea]

There was some concerted push, but as the POD is April 12, not much more land was taken. I would say that the biggest gains were to push up to the Elbe, splitting Saxony in half and taking the entire western bank of the Elbe. In addition to that, the Allies push a little further into Czechoslovakia. Although I won't go into depth on the immediate changes, we will see different post-war borders for the Eastern Bloc.