He believed that the fighting in Italy would distract the German troops from the Eastern Front so that Russia would be given breathing room since the Germans would need to send a large number of troops to the Balkans.
Ia percaya bahwa pertempuran di Italia akan mengalihkan perhatian pasukan Jerman dari Front Timur sehingga Uni Soviet akan diberikan ruang untuk bernapas karena Jerman akan perlu untuk mengirim sejumlah besar tentara ke Balkan.