Europe first strategy

Type: Concept

As of November 2026, Europe first strategy has been mentioned in one podcast episode on History Matters (Dec 2025). Strategic decision by the Allies to prioritize defeating Germany before Japan.

Europe first, also known as Germany first, was the key element of the grand strategy agreed upon by the United States and the United Kingdom during World War II after the United States joined the war in December 1941. According to this policy, the United States and the United Kingdom would use the preponderance of their resources to subdue Nazi Germany in Europe first. Simultaneously, they would fight a holding action against Japan in the Pacific, using fewer resources. After the defeat of Germa