The British Prime Minister and Chiefs of Staff strongly opposed the new plan . Despite the Russian proximity to Berlin , they argued that the city was still a critical political , if not military , objective . Eisenhower — supported by the American Chiefs of Staff — disagreed . His overriding objective was the swiftest military victory possible . Should the U.S. political leadership direct him to take Berlin , or if a situation arose in which it became militarily advisable to seize the German capital , Eisenhower would do so . Otherwise , he would pursue those objectives that would end the war soonest . In addition , since Berlin and the rest of Germany had already been divided into occupation zones by representatives of the Allied governments at the Yalta Conference , Eisenhower saw no political advantage in a race for Berlin . Any ground the Western Allies gained in the future Soviet zone would merely be relinquished to the Soviets after the war . In the end the campaign proceeded as Eisenhower had planned it
Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference
Western Allied invasion of Germany