Operation Overlord: The Plan to Save a Continent
The combined efforts of the ally powers proved to be very successful in outmaneuvering the enemy’s tactics. However, it was not until the Battle of Normandy that the Allied powers demonstrated their effectiveness to plan such an impressive and decisive attack. In previous battles, they came to each other’s aid, but never did they form such an elaborate plan. Finally, in late 1943, America entered the European Theater and was compelled to strategize with the other Allies to destroy the Nazi Regime. Due to the combined efforts of the Allies, the Battle of Normandy was the greatest planned engagement any military had ever fathomed.
During the early stages of planning the attack, numerous obstacles arose that could only be rectified with careful planning. The first major problem came when the British Lieutenant General Sir Frederick E. Morgan chose the site of the attack. The Spitfire and the Hawker Typhoon, Britain’s two premier aircrafts, could only make the flight to Pas de Calais or Normandy. (Wikipedia). The site was further limited to Normandy because Pas de Calais was heavily fortified. In the end, this fact seemed to work in the Allies’ favor; the Normandy beaches were defenseless against an Allied invasion.
During the planning process, England and America’s views on strategy differed. America supported a cross-Channel attack that would destroy German military power in the West thus allowing the troops to drive deep into the heart of industrial Germany to end the war. England on the other hand, favored a series of smaller attacks around the perimeter of the German forces because they could not afford a heavy lost. The dispute on what type of action to take was settled at The Teheran Conference. In 1943, England, prodded by Russia, agreed on a cross-channel attack. At the conference, both parties agreed on General Dwight Eisenhower as the commander of the ally forces that would lead the soldiers into the battle.
The invasion’s was one of great endeavor that would finally seal the fate of World War II. The first objective for the soldiers was to secure a lodgment on the Continent from which further offensive operations could be developed (Harrison). Secondly, they would march into France, liberating the French from the Nazi rule. After arriving in Paris, the soldiers’ task was to squelch Hitler’s rule.
Prior to the invasion, the Ally powers set up numerous deception plans. The foremost plan was Operation Bodyguard. The operation was designed to force the Germans into believing that the invasion would come later and that the ally forces would attack at different places. Operation Bodyguard was broken into three sectors: Operation Fortitude North, Operation Fortitude South, and Operation Zeppelin. Operation Fortitude North was responsible for persuading the Germans into believing that the invasion would come from Norway; whereas, Operation Fortitude South tried to get the Germans to believe the attack would be at Pas de Calais. Operation Zeppelin was at Romania. (Bookman et al). Another factor in the deception ploy was the double cross system. Upon the breaking of the enigma machine, the ally forces received countless information in regards to German spies. Thanks to this new information, British military personnel lured these spies to betray Germany and help the ally power. The double cross system, as it became to be known, allowed the allies to receive priceless information. The last great deception ploy was the development of a fictitious army. The First US Army Group (FUSAG) was under the command of Patton, and they sent out false radio transmissions and appeared to be concentrating at Pas de Calais. The FUSAG used propaganda, political and economic pressure, and sabotage to persuade the Germans into believing that the Battle of Normandy was not going to be a major battle and that the main battle would transpire at Pas de Calais in September. (Harrison).
In addition to the deception plans, the Allies conducted numerous preparation projects to immobilize the German forces and to help the Ally forces. One of these projects was the Pipe Line Under The Ocean (PLUTO) which sent fuel to the troops from England to Normandy. Another construction project was the building of Mulberry Harbors. These harbors provided a sheltered transfer point was needed for LSTs to transfer tanks or trucks to smaller LCTs which could land them on the beach. (Wikipedia). Before the invasion, air action was directed towards the reduction of the German air forces on the Western front, the progressive destruction of the German economic system and the undermining of German morale. Also, ally bombers annihilated French railroads and the Atlantic Wall Defense.
Before the battle, ally forces ran several practice missions, paying close attention to the weather and the tide of the English Channel. General George S. Patton described the reason for this practice, “A drop of sweat on the drill ground will save many drops of blood on the battlefield.” He and every other military personnel firmly believed in this statement. After the practice invasions along the English Channel, General Eisenhower concluded that a full moon was need for light and a low tide. He set the date for the invasion on June 5, 1944, but as the day approached, torrential storms forced the military to postpone the date till weather permitted. On June 6 the weather was almost acceptable, nevertheless, General Eisenhower opted not to wait for the next full moon and to commence the operation. This decisive decision actually benefited the ally forces. The Germans were not expecting an attack in those conditions- so much that the German Field Marshal, Rommel, returned to Germany.
Throughout this preparation phase, the soldiers who would take part in the battle had no knowledge of the invasion. All the soldiers knew was that they would go into battle, but the specifics were left out to protect themselves from any leaks. Stationed in England, the soldiers trained for months prior to the invasion. They took part in many mock invasions on beaches and in woods preparing for any type of battle. (Rosebrough). In the early hours of June 6, Ralph Jenkins wrote in his diary, “In the early morning hours of June 6, we were summoned by our intelligence officers to the ready rooms and were briefed on our missions for the day… we were to go out over the English Channel, out toward the tip of the Brest Peninsula, and look for units of the German navy that could menace the invasion troops.” The key to the success of the invasion was secrecy. Not allowing soldiers to know of the plans would in turn hopefully stop any leaks. This and numerous ingenious plans gave the Allies a momentous advantage.
The momentous events of June 6th 1944 would begin shortly after midnight, with the dropping of the first British airborne troops between the Orne and Dives rivers. Then it would be America’s turn to parachute into the Cotentin, at the other end of the sector. Within hours of Eisenhower’s decision, an armada of 3,000 landing craft, 2,500 other ships, and 500 naval vessels began to leave English ports. That night 822 aircraft, carrying parachutists or towing gliders, roared overhead to the Normandy landing zones. They were a fraction of the air armada of 13,000 aircraft that would support D-Day. (Wikipedia). The British and Canadian soldiers landed on three beaches – Gold, Juno and Sword. They experienced heavy casualties but by nightfall had captured a large area of coastline. The Americans were less successful. At Utah beach they landed by accident at the wrong place, but they luckily found little Nazi resistance there and
captured the beach with only 210 casualties. (Clare). On Omaha, conditions were much worse. Cecil Newton recalls his moments when he landed on Omaha Beach, “As we came ashore I was amazed at the dead. The stretcher bearers were packing up the dead in two rows, one for the Germans and one for the British. It was terrible.” Willard Rosebrough reminisces on his first impression, “Hell broke loose, that’s all I can tell you. It was hell.” These two soldiers fought with valor and overcame the near death situations that arose on Omaha. These and many others were the best trained soldiers the United States military has ever seen. Their courage and commitment was a testament to what America was going to become.
The ally’s preparations for this invasion were the best conceived and executed plan throughout the entire war. The deception ploys kept Germany guessing; so much that, the German high command did not even believe it was the main attack. For weeks after the invasion their decisions were based on this false belief. The construction of PLUTO and the Mulberry Harbors allowed the troops to receive the necessary equipment. The air strikes targeted at German military forces weakened the morale and power of the enemy. Lastly, the decisive decision to attack on June 6, 1944, gave the Allies the element of surprise. Due to these well conceived plans, the Battle of Normandy was a success; guaranteeing a victory over the Third Reich.
Works Cited
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Rosebrough, Willard. Telephone interview. 24 Apr. 2006.
By: Tyler Buechler