During the Second World War (1939-1945) from June 1944 to August 1944, the Battle of Normandy took place, which liberated the Allies Western Europe from the control of Nazi Germany. The operation was codenamed "Overlord". It began on June 6, 1944 (the day was called D-Day), when about 156,000 American, British and Canadian forces landed on five beaches that stretched along 50 miles of the fortified coast of the French region of Normandy.
It was one of the largest military operations in the world and required extensive planning. Prior to D-Day, the Allies conducted a large-scale enemy disinformation operation designed to mislead the Germans about the intended purpose of the invasion. By the end of August 1944, all of northern France was liberated, and by the following spring the Allies had defeated the Germans. The Normandy landings are considered the beginning of the end of the war in Europe.
Preparing for D-Day
After the outbreak of World War II, from May 1940, Germany occupied northwestern France. The Americans entered the war in December 1941, and by 1942, along with the British (who had been evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk in May 1940 when the Germans cut them off during the Battle of France), were considering a major Allied invasion of the English Channel. The following year, Allied plans for a cross-invasion began to ramp up.
In November 1943, who knew about the threat of an invasion of the northern coast of France, he put (1891-1944) in charge of defensive operations in the region, although the Germans did not know exactly where the Allies would strike. Hitler blamed Rommel for the loss of the Atlantic Wall, a 2,400-kilometer line of bunker fortifications, landmines, and beach and water obstacles.
In January 1944, General Dwight Eisenhower (1890-1969) was placed in command of Operation Overlord. In the weeks leading up to D-Day, the Allies conducted a major deception operation designed to make the Germans think that the main target of the invasion was the Pas de Calais (the narrowest point between Britain and France) and not Normandy. In addition, they led the Germans to believe that Norway and several other places were also potential targets for invasion.
This false operation was carried out using mock guns, a phantom army under the command of George Patton and supposedly based in England, opposite the Pas de Calais, double agents and radio messages with false information.
Delayed landing in Normandy due to weather
June 5, 1944 was appointed the day of the invasion, but nature made its own adjustments to Eisenhower's plans, the offensive was postponed for a day. In the early morning of June 5, the staff meteorologist of the Allied forces reported an improvement in weather conditions, this news became decisive and Eisenhower gave the green light to Operation Overlord. He told the troops: "You are going to the Great Crusade which we all have been preparing for many months. The eyes of the whole world are on you."
Later that day, more than 5,000 ships and landing craft carrying troops and guns left England across the channel for France, and more than 11,000 aircraft flew to cover and support the invasion from the air.
Landing on D-Day
At dawn on June 6, tens of thousands of paratroopers and paratroopers were thrown into the enemy rear, blocking bridges and exits. The landing party landed at 6:30 am. The British and Canadians in three groups easily overcame the sections of the beaches "Gold", "Juno", "Sord", the Americans - the section "Utah".
The US Army and the Allies faced fierce resistance from German soldiers in the Omaha sector, where they lost more than 2 thousand people. Despite this, by the end of the day, 156 thousand allied troops successfully stormed the beaches of Normandy. According to some estimates, more than 4,000 Allied soldiers died on D-Day, and about a thousand were wounded or missing.
The Nazis desperately resisted, but on June 11, the beaches completely came under the control of the US Army, and soldiers of the American Army poured into Normandy in huge streams of 326 thousand people, 50 thousand cars and about 100 thousand tons of equipment.
Confusion reigned in the German ranks - General Rommel was on vacation. Hitler assumed this was a clever maneuver by which Eisenhower wanted to distract Germany from an attack north of the Seine and refused to send nearby divisions to counterattack. The reinforcements were too far away, which would have caused a delay.
He also hesitated whether to bring up the panzer divisions to help. Effective air support for the Allied offensive kept the Germans from raising their heads, and the blowing up of key bridges forced the Germans to make a detour of several hundred kilometers. Huge assistance was provided by naval artillery, which incessantly ironed the shore.
In the following days and weeks, the allied army fought their way through the Gulf of Normandy, the Nazis already understood the deplorable state of their situation, so they resisted incredibly desperately. By the end of June, the Allies captured the vital port of Cherbourg, which allowed them to move troops freely, an additional 850,000 people and 150,000 vehicles arrived in Normandy. The army was ready to continue its victorious march.
Victory in Normandy
By the end of August 1944, the Allies approached the Seine River, Paris was liberated, and the Germans were driven out of northwestern France - the Battle of Normandy was effectively over. The road to Berlin opened before the troops, where they were supposed to meet with the troops of the USSR.
The invasion of Normandy was important event in the war against the Nazis. The US attack allowed the Soviet troops on the eastern front to breathe more freely, Hitler was psychologically broken. The following spring, on May 8, 1945, the Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany. A week earlier, on April 30, Hitler had committed suicide.
The success of the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, exceeded all expectations. Particularly due to the fact that Allied intelligence had tricked Hitler around his finger with a series of clever cover-ups.
“Most of the credit for getting the Germans through like children can be attributed to World War I ace pilot Christopher Draper, also known as the 'Mad Major'. Draper loved to fly under bridges, a stunt he did during World War I and repeated for the public in London, flying under 12 bridges, says Lt. Oslo).
- Between the two world wars, Draper was invited to various events with the participation of ace pilots in Germany, he became friends, in particular, with the legendary German ace Major Eduard Ritter von Schleich (Eduard Ritter von Schleich). He was introduced to Adolf Hitler, who was delighted with him, says Oudstebø.
Double agent
In England, Draper was highly critical of the government's policy towards war veterans. Therefore, the Germans decided that he could be recruited for espionage and turned to him with this proposal. Draper agreed to become a German spy, but immediately contacted MI5, British intelligence, and became an incredibly valuable double agent for the British.
- Draper and other double agents contributed to the fact that almost all German agents sent to the UK were arrested. They were given a choice: either to part with their lives, or to start working for British intelligence. This operation was called “Double Cross” (Double Cross, Double Cross), explains Udstebø.
“Thanks to this, British intelligence gained a huge advantage: everything that these agents sent to German intelligence was written by the British! And this contributed to the fact that many of the diversion operations carried out on the eve of the day of the landings in Normandy were so successful, says Oudstebø.
— VG: What distracting operations do you mean?
— Palle Udstebø: They started in 1943. And the landing of the Allies in North Africa, and later in Sicily, came as a complete surprise to the Nazis, because they thought that Greece would be the target of the invasion.
Dressing up corpses
— How did it happen?
- The Allies obtained the corpse of a man from one of the London mortuaries, dressed him in the uniform of a Navy officer and provided him with papers that described in detail the "planned" landing in Greece by the Allies. And then this "officer" was accidentally washed ashore in Spain, which was neutral and teeming with spies, in particular German ones, - says the lieutenant colonel.
The operation was codenamed Mincemeat.
Context
Remembering your feat in Normandy
El País 06.06.2014Normandy: preparations for the 70th anniversary of the Allied landings
Le Monde 05.06.2014What did the Germans think on the eve of the Normandy landings?
Atlantico 05/29/2013 In 1944, the Germans knew that the invasion would take place, they knew that somewhere on the French coast, but did not know exactly where. The Allies wanted to give the Germans a plausible alternative to Normandy, namely the Dover Canal, the shortest route across the English Channel.- Then the allies formed the First US Army Group (First US Army Group, FUSAG) under the command of General Patton. Hitler treated him with respect after fighting in North Africa and Sicily. The army group was stationed in Kent in the southeast of England. Thousands of fake vehicles and tanks were also placed here. Large Canadian forces were also concentrated in the same place. But the main forces, the real ones, were located much to the west, in the south of England, explains Udstebø.
Cracked German cipher
One of the most important elements was the observance of complete secrecy. Very few people knew where the landing would really take place. The troops were in complete isolation. The Allies had complete control of the airspace over England and did not give the Germans the slightest chance to see anything, except for those places where fake troops and tanks were stationed.
“The radio messages were redirected over the cable to this fake area so that the Germans would think that they were coming from there when they listened to them. And, of course, the most important thing was that the Allies, using the Ultra code, cracked the German Enigma cipher, and the Germans had no idea about this - about such a situation military intelligence I could only dream,” says the lieutenant colonel.
Even after D-Day on 6 June, the Allies maintained the illusion that the next big invasion would be through the Straits of Dover, and Normandy was just a major red herring. In doing so, they prevented Hitler from giving the order to throw the last armored reserves into Normandy before the Allied forces were firmly established in Normandy and established a solid foothold there, says Oudstebø.
Could the Germans push the Allies back to the sea?
- Hardly. But they could have seriously slowed down the landing, and as a result, Stalin's troops could well have been on the Rhine in May 1945, and not on the Elbe in the east, as happened in reality. And then the post-war history, quite likely, would have looked very different, - reflects Udstebø.
- And what did the Germans do wrong - besides the fact that their intelligence was bypassed?
- Erwin Rommel, who commanded the troops in Normandy, wanted to place armored forces closer to the coast. The Desert Fox knew from the experience of North Africa that, since the Allies had complete air supremacy, large movements of such forces were unlikely to go unnoticed. In addition, he was convinced that the landing would take place in Normandy. But other generals, led by the supreme commander of the entire Western Front, Gerd von Rundstedt, wanted the armored forces to remain in reserve - to ensure flexibility. On the Eastern Front, where the Luftwaffe dominated the air, it was the right strategy, but the same could not be said for northern France in 1944, says Oudstebø.
Didn't dare wake up Hitler
What did Hitler think?
- As usual, he turned the generals against each other, advocated a compromise, and controlled a large armored reserve himself. As a result, there was no consistent plan proposed by higher management. In addition, when the Allied landings began, Hitler was asleep, and no one dared to wake him. Hitler did not get up before 12 noon, which meant that the Germans could not decide for a long time whether to use tanks or not, says Oudsteboe.
- From the point of view of a professional military: was the landing successful?
Yes, she exceeded all expectations. The Allied forces landed, seized a sufficient foothold and received what they needed on the shore. Much of the credit goes to Mulberry, an artificial, newly invented system of temporary shore facilities. And most importantly: human losses were much lower than expected (it was assumed that the losses among paratroopers would be 80%). Only Omaha Beach, where the Americans had a hard time, was an exception, says Lieutenant Colonel Palle Udstebø.
Facts about the Allied landings in Normandy
■ On June 6, 1944, during the Second World War, the Allied landings in Normandy began. The operation was codenamed "Neptune" and was the largest landing craft operation in the world. She became the first part of Operation Overlord, the battle for Normandy.
■ Five beaches were chosen as landing targets: American troops were to attack the beaches code-named Omaha and Utah in the west, the British on Gold, the Canadians on Juneau, and the British also on Sword in the very east. The entire landing was carried out on a coastline 83 kilometers long.
■ The Supreme Commander was General Dwight D. Eisenhower. The ground forces were commanded by Bernard Law Montgomery.
■ A total of 132,000 troops and 24,000 paratroopers took part in the attack from the sea.
■ By the end of August, more than two million Allied soldiers were participating in the battle in Normandy, they were opposed by approximately one million Germans.
■ When Operation Overlord ended on August 25, the Allied losses amounted to 226,386 people, the Germans lost from 400,000 to 450,000.
The materials of InoSMI contain only assessments of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the editors of InoSMI.
The worst, apart from
lost battle,
this is a won battle.
Duke of Wellington.
Allied landings in Normandy, Operation Overlord, "Day D" (eng. "D-Day"), Norman operation. This event has many different names. This is a battle that everyone knows about, even outside the countries that fought in the war. This is an event that claimed many thousands of lives. An event that will go down in history forever.
general information
Operation Overlord- a military operation of the Allied forces, which became the operation-opening of a second front in the West. Held in Normandy, France. And to this day it is the largest landing operation in history - more than 3 million people were involved in total. Operation started June 6, 1944 and ended on August 31, 1944 with the liberation of Paris from the German invaders. This operation combined the skill of organizing and preparing for combat operations of the Allied troops and quite ridiculous mistakes Reich troops, which led to the collapse of Germany in France.
The goals of the belligerents
For Anglo-American troops "Overlord" set the goal of delivering a crushing blow to the very heart of the Third Reich and, in conjunction with the offensive of the Red Army along the entire eastern front, to crush the main and most powerful enemy from the Axis countries. The goal of Germany, as the defending side, was extremely simple: not to allow the Allied troops to land and strengthen in France, to force them to suffer heavy human and technical losses and throw them into the English Channel.
The forces of the parties and the general state of affairs before the battle
It is worth noting that the position of the German army in 1944, especially on the western front, left much to be desired. Hitler concentrated the main troops on the eastern front, where the Soviet troops won one after another. The German troops were deprived of a unified leadership in France - constant changes in senior command officials, conspiracies against Hitler, disputes about possible place landings, the lack of a unified defensive plan did not contribute to the successes of the Nazis.
By June 6, 1944, 58 Nazi divisions were stationed in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, including 42 infantry, 9 tank and 4 airfield divisions. They united in two army groups, "B" and "G", and were subordinate to the command "West". Army Group B (commanded by Field Marshal E. Rommel), located in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, included the 7th, 15th armies and the 88th separate army corps - a total of 38 divisions. Army Group G (commanded by General I. Blaskowitz) as part of the 1st and 19th armies (11 divisions in total) was located on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and in southern France.
In addition to the troops that were part of the army groups, 4 divisions formed the reserve of the West command. Thus, the greatest troop densities were created in northeastern France, on the coast of the Pas de Calais. In general, the German units were scattered throughout France and did not have time to arrive on the battlefield in time. So, for example, about 1 million more soldiers of the Reich were in France and initially did not participate in the battle.
Despite the relatively large number of German soldiers and equipment deployed in the area, their combat effectiveness was extremely low. 33 divisions were considered "stationary", that is, they either did not have vehicles at all, or did not have the required amount of fuel. About 20 divisions were newly formed or recovered from the fighting, so they were only 70-75% manned. Many tank divisions also lacked fuel.
From the memoirs of the Chief of Staff of the West Command, General Westphal: “It is well known that the combat capability of the German troops in the West by the time of the landing was already much lower than the combat capability of the divisions operating in the East and in Italy… vehicles and consisted of older soldiers ". The German air fleet could provide about 160 combat-ready aircraft. As for the naval forces, Hitler's troops had at their disposal 49 submarines, 116 patrol ships, 34 torpedo boats and 42 artillery barges.
The Allied forces, commanded by future US President Dwight Eisenhower, had 39 divisions and 12 brigades at their disposal. As for aviation and navy, in this aspect the Allies had an overwhelming advantage. They had about 11 thousand combat aircraft, 2300 transport aircraft; over 6 thousand combat, landing and transport ships. Thus, by the time of the landing, the overall superiority of the allied forces over the enemy was 2.1 times in people, 2.2 times in tanks, and almost 23 times in aircraft. In addition, the Anglo-American troops constantly brought up new forces on the battlefield, and by the end of August they already had about 3 million people at their disposal. Germany, however, could not boast of such reserves.
Operation plan
The American command began to prepare for a landing in France long before "D-Day"(the original landing project was considered 3 years before it - in 1941 - and had the code name "Roundup"). In order to test their strength in the war in Europe, the Americans, together with the British troops, landed in North Africa (Operation Torch), and then in Italy. The operation was postponed and changed many times because the United States could not decide which of the theaters of war was more important for them - the European or the Pacific. After the decision was made to choose Germany as the main rival, and in the Pacific to limit itself to tactical protection, the development plan began Operation Overlord.
The operation consisted of two phases: the first received the code name "Neptune", the second - "Cobra". "Neptune" assumed the initial landing of troops, the capture of coastal territory, "Cobra" - a further offensive deep into France, followed by the capture of Paris and access to the German-French border. The first part of the operation lasted from June 6, 1944 to July 1, 1944; the second began immediately after the end of the first, that is, from July 1, 1944, until August 31 of the same year.
The operation was prepared in the strictest secrecy, all the troops that were supposed to land in France were transferred to special isolated military bases that were forbidden to leave, information propaganda was carried out regarding the place and time of the operation.
In addition to the troops of the United States and England, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand soldiers took part in the operation, and French resistance forces were active in France itself. For a very long time, the command of the allied forces could not determine exactly the time and place of the start of the operation. The preferred landing sites were Normandy, Brittany and the Pas de Calais.
Everyone knows that the choice was stopped at Normandy. The choice was influenced by such factors as the distance to the ports of England, the echelon and power of the defensive fortifications, and the radius of action of the aviation of the allied forces. The combination of these factors determined the choice of the Allied command.
The German command, until the very last moment, believed that the landing would take place in the Pas de Calais area, since this place is closest to England, which means that it takes the least time to transport goods, equipment, and new soldiers. In Pas de Calais, the famous "Atlantic Wall" was created - an impregnable line of defense of the Nazis, while in the landing area the fortifications were hardly half ready. The landing took place on five beaches, which received code names Utah, Omaha, Gold, Sord, Juno.
The start time of the operation was determined by the ratio of the level of the tide of water and the time of sunrise. These factors were considered to ensure that the landing craft did not run aground and did not receive damage from underwater barriers, it was possible to land equipment and troops as close to the coast as possible. As a result, the day the operation began was June 6, this day was called "D-Day". The night before the landing of the main forces behind enemy lines, a parachute assault was thrown, which was supposed to help the main forces, and immediately before the start of the main attack, the German fortifications were subjected to a massive air raid and Allied ships.
Operation progress
Such a plan was developed at headquarters. In fact, things didn't quite work out that way. The landing force, which was dropped behind German lines the night before the operation, was scattered over a vast territory - over 216 square meters. km. for 25-30 km. from capture objects. Most of the 101st, which had landed near Sainte-Mare-Eglise, disappeared without a trace. The 6th British division was also unlucky: although the paratroopers landed were much more crowded than their American comrades, in the morning they came under fire from their own aircraft, with which they could not establish contact. The 1st division of the US troops was almost completely destroyed. Some of the tank ships were sunk before they even made it to shore.
Already during the second part of the operation - Operation Cobra - the Allied aviation struck at their own command post. The advance went much slower than planned. The bloodiest event of the entire company was the landing on Omaha Beach. According to the plan, early in the morning, German fortifications on all beaches were subjected to shelling by naval guns and aircraft bombing, as a result of which the fortifications were significantly damaged.
But on the Omaha, due to fog and rain, the ship's guns and aircraft missed, and the fortifications did not receive any damage. By the end of the first day of the operation, the Americans lost more than 3 thousand people on Omaha and were unable to take the positions planned by the plan, while on Utah during this time they lost about 200 people, took the right positions and united with the landing. Despite all this, on the whole, the landing of the Allied troops was quite successful.
Then the second phase was successfully launched Operation Overlord, within which such cities as Cherbourg, Saint-Lo, Caen and others were taken. The Germans retreated, throwing weapons and equipment to the Americans. On August 15, due to the mistakes of the German command, two tank armies of the Germans were surrounded, which, although they were able to get out of the so-called Falaise Cauldron, but at the cost of huge losses. Then, on August 25, Allied forces captured Paris, continuing to push the Germans back to the Swiss borders. After the complete cleansing of the French capital from the Nazis, Operation Overlord was declared completed.
Reasons for the victory of the allied forces
Many of the reasons for the Allied victory and the German defeat have already been mentioned above. One of the main reasons was the critical situation of Germany on this stage war. The main forces of the Reich were concentrated on the Eastern Front, the constant onslaught of the Red Army did not give Hitler the opportunity to transfer new troops to France. Such an opportunity appeared only at the end of 1944 (Ardennes offensive), but then it was already too late.
The best military-technical equipment of the Allied troops also had an effect: all the equipment of the Anglo-Americans was new, with full ammunition and a sufficient supply of fuel, while the Germans constantly experienced difficulties in supply. In addition, the Allies constantly received reinforcements from British ports.
An important factor was the activity of the French partisans, who quite well spoiled the supply of German troops. In addition, the allies had a numerical superiority over the enemy in all types of weapons, as well as in personnel. Conflicts within the German headquarters, as well as the misconception that the landing would take place in the Pas de Calais and not in Normandy, led to a decisive Allied victory.
Operation value
In addition to showing the strategic and tactical skill of the Allied commanders and the courage of the rank and file, the Normandy landings also had a huge impact on the course of the war. "D-Day" opened a second front, forced Hitler to fight on two fronts, which stretched the already dwindling German forces. This was the first major battle in Europe in which American soldiers proved themselves. The offensive in the summer of 1944 caused the collapse of the entire Western Front, the Wehrmacht lost almost all positions in Western Europe.
Representation of the battle in the media
The scale of the operation, as well as its bloodshed (especially on Omaha Beach), led to the fact that today there are many computer games films on the subject. Perhaps the most famous movie was the masterpiece of the famous director Steven Spielberg "Saving Private Ryan", which tells about the massacre that occurred at Omaha. This topic was also covered in "The longest day", television series "Brothers in Arms" and many documentaries. Operation Overlord has featured in more than 50 different computer games.
Even though Operation Overlord was carried out more than 50 years ago, and now it remains the largest landing operation in the history of mankind, and now the attention of many scientists and experts is riveted to it, and now there are endless disputes and debates about it. And it's probably clear why.
Allied landings in Normandy
(Operation Overlord) and
fighting in northwestern France
summer 1944
Preparations for the Normandy landing operation
By the summer of 1944, the situation in the theaters of military operations in Europe had changed significantly. Germany's situation has deteriorated significantly. On the Soviet-German front, Soviet troops inflicted major defeats on the Wehrmacht on Right-Bank Ukraine and in the Crimea. In Italy, the Allied troops were south of Rome. A real possibility was created for the landing of American-British troops in France.
Under these conditions, the United States and England began to prepare for the landing of their troops in Northern France ( Operation Overlord) and in southern France (Operation Envil).
For Normandy landing operation("Overlord") four armies concentrated in the British Isles: the 1st and 3rd American, the 2nd British and the 1st Canadian. These armies consisted of 37 divisions (23 infantry, 10 armored, 4 airborne) and 12 brigades, as well as 10 detachments of English "commandos" and American "rangens" (airborne sabotage units).
The total number of forces invading Northern France reached 1 million people. To support the Normandy landing operation, a fleet of 6,000 military and landing ships and transport ships was concentrated.
The Normandy landing operation was attended by British, American and Canadian troops, Polish formations, which were subordinate to the government in exile in London, and French formations formed by the French Committee National Liberation(“Fighting France”), which on the eve of the landing proclaimed itself the Provisional Government of France.nation.
The overall command of the American-British forces was carried out by American General Dwight Eisenhower. The landing operation was commanded by the commander 21st Army Group English Field Marshal B. Montgomery. The 21st Army Group included the 1st American (commander General O. Bradley), the 2nd British (commander General M. Dempsey) and the 1st Canadian (commander General H. Grerar) armies.
The plan of the Normandy landing operation provided for the forces of the 21st Army Group to land naval and airborne assault forces on the coast Normandy on the section from the Grand Vey bank to the mouth of the Orne River, about 80 km long. On the twentieth day of the operation, it was supposed to create a bridgehead 100 km along the front and 100-110 km in depth.
The landing area was divided into two zones - western and eastern. American troops were to land in the western zone, and Anglo-Canadian troops in the eastern zone. The western zone was divided into two sections, the eastern - into three. At the same time, one infantry division, reinforced with additional units, began to land on each of these sectors. In the depths of the German defense, 3 Allied airborne divisions landed (10-15 km from the coast). On the 6th day of the operation, it was supposed to advance to a depth of 15–20 km and increase the number of divisions in the bridgehead to sixteen.
Preparations for the Normandy landing operation lasted three months. On June 3-4, the troops allocated for the landing of the first wave headed for the loading points - the ports of Falmouth, Plymouth, Weymouth, Southampton, Portsmouth, Newhaven. The start of the landing was planned for June 5, but due to bad weather conditions it was postponed to June 6.
Operation Overlord Plan
German defense in Normandy
The Wehrmacht High Command expected the Allied invasion, but it could not determine in advance either the time or, most importantly, the place of the future landing. On the eve of the landing, a storm continued for several days, the weather forecast was bad, and the German command believed that in such weather a landing was impossible at all. The commander of the German troops in France, Field Marshal Rommel, just on the eve of the Allied landing, went on vacation to Germany and learned about the invasion only more than three hours after it began.
In the German High Command of the Land Forces in the West (in France, Belgium and Holland), there were only 58 understaffed divisions. Some of them were "stationary" (did not have their own transport). In Normandy, there were only 12 divisions and only 160 combat-ready combat aircraft. The superiority of the grouping of allied forces intended for the Normandy landing operation ("Overlord") over the German troops opposing them in the West was: in terms of personnel - three times, in tanks - three times, in guns - 2 times and 60 times by plane.
One of three 40.6cm (406mm) guns of the German battery "Lindemann" (Lindemann)
Atlantic Wall, sweeping through the English Channel
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-364-2314-16A, Atlantikwall, Batterie "Lindemann"
Beginning of the Normandy landing operation
(Operation Overlord)
On the night before, the landing of the Allied airborne units began, in which the Americans participated: 1662 aircraft and 512 gliders, the British: 733 aircraft and 335 gliders.
On the night of June 6, 18 ships of the British fleet conducted a demonstrative maneuver in the area northeast of Le Havre. At the same time, bomber aircraft dropped strips of metallized paper to interfere with the operation of German radar stations.
At dawn on June 6, 1944, the Operation Overlord(Norman landing operation). Under the cover of massive air strikes and naval artillery fire, an amphibious landing began on five sections of the coast in Normandy. The German navy offered almost no resistance to the amphibious landings.
American and British aircraft attacked enemy artillery batteries, headquarters, and defensive positions. At the same time, powerful air strikes were carried out against targets in the area of Calais and Boulogne in order to distract the enemy's attention from the actual landing site.
From the Allied naval forces, 7 battleships, 2 monitors, 24 cruisers and 74 destroyers provided artillery support for the landing.
At 6:30 in the morning in the western zone and at 7:30 in the eastern zone, the first detachments of amphibious assault landed on the shore. The American troops that landed on the extreme western sector ("Utah"), by the end of June 6, had advanced up to 10 km deep into the coast and connected with the 82nd Airborne Division.
At the Omaha sector, where the 1st American Infantry Division of the 5th Corps of the 1st american army, the resistance of the enemy was stubborn and during the first day the landing units hardly captured a small section of the coast with a depth of up to 1.5–2 km.
In the landing zone of the Anglo-Canadian troops, enemy resistance was weak. Therefore, by the evening they connected with units of the 6th Airborne Division.
By the end of the first day of the landing, the Allied troops managed to capture three bridgeheads in Normandy with a depth of 2 to 10 km. The main forces of five infantry and three airborne divisions and one armored brigade with a total strength of more than 156 thousand people were landed. During the first day of the landing, the Americans lost 6,603 people, including 1,465 killed, the British and Canadians - about 4 thousand people killed, wounded and missing.
Continuation of the Normandy landing operation
The 709th, 352nd and 716th German infantry divisions defended in the allied landing zone on the coast. They were deployed on a front of 100 kilometers and could not repel the landings of the Allied troops.
On June 7-8, the transfer of additional Allied forces to the captured bridgeheads continued. In just three days of landing, eight infantry, one tank, three airborne divisions and a large number of separate units were parachuted.
Arrival of Allied reinforcements to the Omaha bridgehead, June 1944
Original uploader was MickStephenson at en.wikipedia
On the morning of June 9, the Allied troops located on different bridgeheads launched a counter offensive to create a single bridgehead. At the same time, the transfer of new formations and units to the captured bridgeheads continued.
On June 10, one common bridgehead was created 70 km along the front and 8-15 km in depth, which by June 12 was expanded to 80 km along the front and 13-18 km in depth. By this time, there were already 16 divisions on the bridgehead, which numbered 327 thousand people, 54 thousand combat and transport vehicles and 104 thousand tons of cargo.
An attempt by the German troops to destroy the Allied foothold in Normandy
To eliminate the bridgehead, the German command pulled up reserves, but believed that the main blow of the Anglo-American troops would follow through the Pas de Calais.
Operational meeting of the command of Army Group "B"
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-300-1865-10, Nordfrankreich, Dollmann, Feuchtinger, Rommel
Northern France, summer 1944. Colonel General Friedrich Dollmann (left), Lieutenant General Edgar Feuchtinger (center) and Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (right).
On June 12, German troops struck between the Orn and Vir rivers in order to cut through the Allied grouping located there. The attack ended in failure. At this time, 12 German divisions were already operating against the allied forces located on the bridgehead in Normandy, of which three were armored and one was motorized. The divisions that arrived at the front were introduced into battle in parts, as they were unloaded in the landing areas. This reduced their striking power.
On the night of June 13, 1944 the Germans first used the V-1 AU-1 (V-1) projectile. London was attacked.
Expansion of the Allied foothold in Normandy
On June 12, the 1st American Army from the area west of Sainte-Mere-Eglise launched an offensive in a westerly direction and occupied Caumont. On June 17, American troops cut off the Cotentin Peninsula, reaching its western coast. On June 27, American troops captured the port of Cherbourg, taking 30 thousand people prisoner, and on July 1 they completely occupied the Cotentin Peninsula. By mid-July, the port at Cherbourg had been restored, and the supply of allied forces in Northern France increased through it.
On June 25–26, Anglo-Canadian forces made an unsuccessful attempt to take Caen. The German defense offered stubborn resistance. By the end of June, the size of the Allied bridgehead in Normandy reached: along the front - 100 km, in depth - 20 to 40 km.
A German machine gunner, whose field of vision is limited by clouds of smoke, blocks the road. Northern France, 21 June 1944
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-299-1808-10A, Nordfrankreich, Rauchschwaden, Posten mit MG 15.
German guard post. Smoke clouds from a fire or from smoke bombs in front of a barrier with steel hedgehogs between concrete walls. In the foreground is a sentry of the guard post with a machine gun MG 15.
The Supreme Command of the Wehrmacht (OKW) still believed that the main blow of the Allies would be delivered through the Pas de Calais, so they did not dare to reinforce their troops in Normandy with formations from North-East France and Belgium. The transfer of German troops from Central and Southern France was delayed by allied air raids and sabotage by the French "resistance".
The main reason that did not allow to strengthen the German troops in Normandy was the strategic offensive of the Soviet troops in Belarus (Belarusian operation) that began in June. It was launched in accordance with an agreement with the Allies. The Supreme High Command of the Wehrmacht was forced to send all reserves to the Eastern Front. In this regard, on July 15, 1944, Field Marshal E. Rommel sent a telegram to Hitler, in which he reported that since the beginning of the landing of the allied forces, the losses of Army Group B had amounted to 97 thousand people, and the reinforcements received were only 6 thousand. people
Thus, the supreme command of the Wehrmacht was unable to significantly strengthen the defensive grouping of its troops in Normandy.
United States Military Academy's Department of History
The troops of the 21st Allied Army Group continued to expand the bridgehead. On July 3, the 1st American Army went on the offensive. In 17 days, she deepened 10-15 km and occupied Saint-Lo, a major road junction.
On July 7–8, the 2nd English Army launched an offensive three infantry divisions and three armored brigades on Caen. To suppress the defense of the German airfield division, the allies brought in naval artillery and strategic aviation. Only on July 19 the British troops completely captured the city. The 3rd American and 1st Canadian armies began to land on the bridgehead.
By the end of July 24, the troops of the 21st Allied Army Group reached the line south of Saint-Lo, Caumont, Caen. This day is considered the end of the Normandy landing operation (Operation Overlord). During the period from June 6 to July 23, German troops lost 113 thousand people killed, wounded and captured, 2,117 tanks and 345 aircraft. The losses of the allied troops amounted to 122 thousand people (73 thousand Americans and 49 thousand British and Canadians).
The Normandy landing operation ("Overlord") was the largest landing operation during the Second World War. In the period from June 6 to July 24 (7 weeks), the 21st Allied Army Group managed to land expeditionary forces in Normandy and occupy a bridgehead about 100 km along the front and up to 50 km in depth.
Fighting in France in the summer of 1944
On July 25, 1944, after a "carpet" bombardment by B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator aircraft and an impressive artillery preparation, the Allies launched a new offensive in Normandy from the Len Lo area with the aim of breaking through from the bridgehead and entering the operational space ( Operation Cobra). On the same day, more than 2,000 American armored vehicles entered the breach towards the Brittany Peninsula and towards the Loire.
On August 1, the 12th Allied Army Group was formed under the command of the American General Omar Bradley as part of the 1st and 3rd American armies.
Breakthrough of American troops from the bridgehead in Normandy to Brittany and the Loire.
United States Military Academy's Department of History
Two weeks later, General Patton's 3rd American Army liberated the Brittany Peninsula and reached the Loire River, capturing the bridge near the city of Angers, and then moved east.
The offensive of the allied troops from Normandy to Paris.
United States Military Academy's Department of History
On August 15, the main forces of the German 5th and 7th tank armies were surrounded, in the so-called Falaise "cauldron". After 5 days of fighting (from 15 to 20), part of the German group was able to get out of the "cauldron", 6 divisions were lost.
Great assistance to the allies was provided by the French partisans of the Resistance movement, who acted on German communications and attacked the rear garrisons. General Dwight Eisenhower estimated guerrilla assistance at 15 regular divisions.
After the defeat of the Germans in the Falaise Cauldron, the Allied troops rushed east almost unhindered and crossed the Seine. On August 25, with the support of the rebellious Parisians and French partisans, they liberated Paris. The Germans began to retreat to the Siegfried Line. The allied troops defeated the German troops stationed in Northern France and, continuing their pursuit, entered Belgian territory and approached the Western Wall. September 3, 1944 they liberated the capital of Belgium - Brussels.
On August 15, the allied landing operation Envil began in the south of France. Churchill objected to this operation for a long time, proposing to use the troops intended for it in Italy. However, Roosevelt and Eisenhower refused to change the plans agreed upon at the Tehran Conference. According to the Anvil plan, two Allied armies, the American and the French, landed east of Marseille and moved north. Fearing being cut off, German troops in Southwestern and Southern France began to withdraw towards Germany. After the connection of the allied forces advancing from Northern and Southern France, by the end of August 1944, almost all of France was cleared of German troops.
"Second front". For three years it was opened by our soldiers. That's what the American stew was called. And yet the "second front" existed in the form of aircraft, tanks, trucks, non-ferrous metals. But the real opening of the second front, the landing in Normandy, took place only on June 6, 1944.
Europe as one impregnable fortress
In December 1941, Adolf Hitler announced that he would create a belt of giant fortifications from Norway to Spain and this would be an insurmountable front for any enemy. This was the Führer's first reaction to the US entry into World War II. Not knowing where the landing of the allied troops would take place, in Normandy or elsewhere, he promised to turn all of Europe into an impregnable fortress.
It was absolutely impossible to do this, however, even whole year no fortifications were built along the coastline. And why was it done? The Wehrmacht was advancing on all fronts, and the victory of the Germans by themselves seemed simply inevitable.
Start of construction
At the end of 1942, Hitler now seriously ordered the construction of a belt of structures on the western coast of Europe, which he called the Atlantic Wall, in a year. Nearly 600,000 people worked on the construction. All of Europe was left without cement. Even materials from the old French Maginot line were used, but it was not possible to meet the deadline. The main thing was missing - well-trained and armed troops. The Eastern Front literally devoured the German divisions. So many units in the west had to be formed from the elderly, children and women. The combat effectiveness of such troops did not inspire any optimism in the commander-in-chief on the Western Front, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt. He repeatedly asked the Fuhrer for reinforcements. Hitler eventually sent Field Marshal Erwin Rommel to help him.
New curator
The aged Gerd von Rundstedt and the energetic Erwin Rommel did not get along right away. Rommel did not like that the Atlantic Wall was only half built, there were not enough large-caliber guns, and despondency reigned among the troops. In private conversations, Gerd von Rundstedt called the defenses a bluff. He believed that his units should be withdrawn from the coast and attack the Allied landing site in Normandy after. Erwin Rommel strongly disagreed with this. He intended to defeat the British and Americans right on the shore, where they could not bring reinforcements.
To do this, it was necessary to concentrate tank and motorized divisions off the coast. Erwin Rommel declared: “The war will be won or lost on these sands. The first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive. The landing of troops in Normandy will go down in military history as one of the most unsuccessful thanks to the valiant German army. In general, Adolf Hitler approved of Erwin Rommel's plan, but left the panzer divisions under his command.
The coastline is getting stronger
Even under these conditions, Erwin Rommel did a lot. Almost the entire coast of French Normandy was mined, and tens of thousands of metal and wooden slingshots were installed below the water level at low tide. It seemed that an amphibious landing in Normandy was impossible. The barrier structures were supposed to stop the landing craft so that the coastal artillery had time to shoot at enemy targets. The troops were engaged in combat training without interruption. There was not a single part of the coast left that Erwin Rommel would not have visited.
Everything is ready for defense, you can rest
In April 1944, he would say to his adjutant: "Today I have only one enemy, and that enemy is time." All these worries so exhausted Erwin Rommel that in early June he went on a short vacation, however, like many German military commanders on the west coast. Those who did not go on vacation, by a strange coincidence, ended up on business trips far from the coast. The generals and officers who remained on the ground were calm and relaxed. The weather forecast until mid-June was the most unsuitable for the landing. Therefore, the Allied landing in Normandy seemed something unrealistic and fantastic. Heavy seas, squally winds and low clouds. No one guessed that an unprecedented armada of ships had already left English ports.
Great battles. Landing in Normandy
The Normandy landings were called "Overlord" by the Allies. Literally translated, it means "ruler". It became the largest landing operation in the history of mankind. The landing of the allied forces in Normandy took place with the participation of 5,000 warships and landing craft. The commander-in-chief of the allied forces, General Dwight Eisenhower, could not postpone the landing because of the weather. Only three days - from June 5 to June 7 - there was a late moon, and immediately after dawn - low water. The condition for the transfer of paratroopers and landing on gliders was a dark sky and moonrise during landing. The low tide was necessary for the amphibious assault to see the coastal barriers. In stormy seas, thousands of paratroopers suffered from seasickness in the cramped holds of boats and barges. Several dozen ships could not withstand the assault and sank. But nothing could stop the operation. The landing in Normandy begins. The troops were to land at five places along the coast.
Beginning of Operation Overlord
At 0:15 on June 6, 1944, the sovereign entered the land of Europe. The operation was started by paratroopers. Eighteen thousand paratroopers scattered across the lands of Normandy. However, not everyone is lucky. About half ended up in swamps and minefields, but the other half completed their tasks. Panic broke out in the German rear. Communication lines were destroyed, and, most importantly, undamaged strategically important bridges were captured. By this time, the marines were already fighting on the coast.
The landing of American troops in Normandy was on the sandy beaches of Omaha and Utah, the British and Canadians landed on the sites of Sword, June and Gold. Warships fought a duel with coastal artillery, trying, if not to suppress, then at least to distract it from the paratroopers. Thousands of allied aircraft simultaneously bombed and stormed German positions. One English pilot recalled that the main task was not to collide with each other in the sky. The advantage of the Allies in the air was 72:1.
Memories of a German ace
On the morning and afternoon of June 6, the Luftwaffe offered no resistance to the coalition troops. Only two German pilots appeared in the landing area, this is the commander of the 26th Fighter Squadron - the famous ace Josef Priller, and his wingman.
Josef Priller (1915-1961) got tired of listening to confusing explanations of what was happening on the shore, and he flew out on reconnaissance. Seeing thousands of ships at sea and thousands of aircraft in the air, he ironically exclaimed: "Today is truly a great day for the pilots of the Luftwaffe." Indeed, never before have the Reich Air Force been so powerless. Two planes swept low over the beach, firing cannons and machine guns, and disappeared into the clouds. That's all they could do. When the mechanics examined the plane of the German ace, it turned out that there were more than two hundred bullet holes in it.
Allied assault continues
The Nazi navy did a little better. Three torpedo boats in a suicide attack by the invasion fleet managed to sink one American destroyer. The landing of the Allied troops in Normandy, namely the British and Canadians, did not meet with serious resistance in their areas. In addition, they managed to safely transport tanks and guns ashore. The Americans, especially in the Omaha section, were much less fortunate. Here the defense of the Germans was held by the 352nd division, which consisted of veterans fired on different fronts.
The Germans let the paratroopers to four hundred meters and opened heavy fire. Almost all the American boats approached the shore east of the given places. They were swept away by a strong current, and thick smoke from fires made it difficult to navigate. The sapper platoons were almost destroyed, so there was no one to make passes in the minefields. The panic began. Then several destroyers came close to the shore and began to hit the German positions with direct fire. The 352nd Division did not remain in debt to the sailors, the ships were seriously damaged, but the paratroopers under their cover were able to break through the German defenses. Thanks to this, in all areas of the landing, the Americans and the British were able to move several miles forward.
Trouble for the Fuhrer
A few hours later, when Adolf Hitler woke up, Field Marshals Wilhelm Keitel and Alfred Jodl cautiously reported to him that the Allied landings seemed to have begun. Since there were no exact data, the Fuhrer did not believe them. Panzer divisions remained in their places. At this time, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was sitting at home and also did not really know anything. The German military leaders lost their time. The attacks of the following days and weeks yielded nothing. The Atlantic Wall collapsed. The allies entered the operational space. Everything was decided in the first twenty-four hours. The Allied landing in Normandy took place.
Historic D-Day
A huge army crossed the English Channel and landed in France. The first day of the offensive was called D-day. The task is to gain a foothold on the coast and drive the Nazis out of Normandy. But bad weather in the strait could lead to disaster. The English Channel is famous for its storms. In a matter of minutes, visibility could drop to 50 meters. Commander-in-Chief Dwight Eisenhower required a minute-by-minute weather report. All responsibility fell on the chief meteorologist and his team.
Allied military assistance in the fight against the Nazis
1944 World War II has been going on for four years now. The Germans occupied all of Europe. British allied forces Soviet Union and the US needs a decisive blow. Intelligence reported that the Germans would soon begin to use guided missiles and atomic bombs. An energetic offensive was supposed to interrupt the plans of the Nazis. The easiest way is to go through the occupied territories, for example through France. The secret name of the operation is "Overlord".
The landing in Normandy of 150,000 Allied soldiers was scheduled for May 1944. They were supported by transport aircraft, bombers, fighters and a flotilla of 6,000 ships. The offensive was commanded by Dwight Eisenhower. The date of the landing was kept in the strictest confidence. At the first stage, the landing in Normandy in 1944 was to capture more than 70 kilometers of the French coast. The exact areas of the assault on the German troops were kept a closely guarded secret. The Allies chose five beaches from east to west.
Commander-in-Chief's Alerts
May 1, 1944 could potentially become the start date for Operation Overlord, but this day was abandoned due to the unavailability of the troops. For military and political reasons, the operation was postponed to the beginning of June.
In his memoirs, Dwight Eisenhower wrote: "If this operation, the landing of the Americans in Normandy, does not take place, then only I will be to blame." At midnight on June 6, Operation Overlord begins. Commander-in-Chief Dwight Eisenhower personally visits the 101st Air Division just before the flight. Everyone understood that up to 80% of the soldiers would not survive this assault.
"Overlord": a chronicle of events
The airborne landing in Normandy was to be the first to take place on the shores of France. However, everything went wrong. The pilots of the two divisions needed good visibility, they were not supposed to drop troops into the sea, but they did not see anything. The paratroopers disappeared into the clouds and landed a few kilometers from the collection point. Then the bombers had to clear the way for the amphibious assault. But they did not fix their goals.
12,000 bombs were to be dropped on Omaha Beach to destroy all obstacles. But when the bombers reached the coast of France, the pilots found themselves in a difficult situation. There were clouds all around. The bulk of the bombs fell ten kilometers south of the beach. Allied gliders were ineffective.
At 3.30 in the morning the flotilla headed for the shores of Normandy. A few hours later, the soldiers moved to small wooden boats to finally get to the beach. Huge waves rocked small boats like matchboxes in the cold waters of the English Channel. Only at dawn did the Allied amphibious landing in Normandy begin (see photo below).
Death awaited the soldiers on the shore. There were obstacles around, anti-tank hedgehogs, everything around was mined. The Allied fleet bombarded the German positions, but strong storm waves interfered with aimed fire.
The first landed soldiers were waiting for the furious fire of German machine guns and cannons. Soldiers died by the hundreds. But they continued to fight. It seemed like a real miracle. Despite the most powerful German barriers and bad weather, the largest landing force in history began its offensive. Allied soldiers continued to land on the 70-kilometer coast of Normandy. In the afternoon, the clouds over Normandy began to dissipate. The main obstacle for the allies was the Atlantic Wall, a system of permanent fortifications and rocks that protect the coast of Normandy.
The soldiers began to climb the coastal cliffs. The Germans fired on them from above. By the middle of the day, the Allied troops began to outnumber the fascist garrison of Normandy.
An old soldier remembers
Private American Army Harold Gaumbert, 65 years later, recalls that closer to midnight, all machine guns fell silent. All Nazis were killed. D-Day is over. The landing in Normandy, the date of which is June 6, 1944, took place. The Allies lost almost 10,000 soldiers, but they captured all the beaches. It seemed that the beach was flooded with bright red paint and scattered bodies. Wounded soldiers were dying under the starry sky, while thousands of others moved forward to continue the fight against the enemy.
Continuation of the assault
Operation Overlord has entered its next phase. The task is to liberate France. On the morning of June 7, a new obstacle appeared before the Allies. Impenetrable forests have become another obstacle to attack. The intertwined roots of the Norman forests were stronger than the English ones on which the soldiers trained. The troops had to bypass them. The Allies continued to pursue the retreating German troops. The Nazis fought desperately. They used these forests because they learned to hide in them.
D-Day was just a battle won, the war was just beginning for the Allies. The troops the Allies encountered on the beaches of Normandy were not the elite of the Nazi army. The days of heavy fighting began.
The scattered divisions could be defeated by the Nazis at any moment. They had time to regroup and replenish their ranks. On June 8, 1944, the battle for Carentan began, this city opens the way to Cherbourg. It took more than four days to break the resistance of the German army.
On June 15, the Utah and Omaha forces finally united. They took several cities and continued their offensive on the Cotentin Peninsula. The forces united and moved in the direction of Cherbourg. For two weeks, the German troops offered the most severe resistance to the Allied. On June 27, 1944, Allied troops entered Cherbourg. Now their ships had their own port.
Last attack
At the end of the month, the next phase of the Allied offensive in Normandy, Operation Cobra, began. This time the target was Cannes and Saint Lo. The troops began to advance deep into France. But the Allied offensive was opposed by serious resistance from the Nazis.
A French resistance movement led by General Philippe Leclerc helped the Allies enter Paris. Happy Parisians welcomed the liberators with joy.
On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his own bunker. Seven days later, the German government signed an unconditional surrender pact. The war in Europe was over.
