D-Day: Operation Overlord
Background
On the 6th June, 1944, the largest amphibious assault in history was launched against the Normandy coast – its ultimate goal, the establishment of an allied foothold in Nazi-occupied France. Having seen the tide of the war turn in North Africa in 1942, and the subsequent invasion of Sicily and mainland Italy in 1943, there was growing pressure on the allies to open up a new front by launching an invasion of north-west Europe. This was compounded by the fighting on the eastern front, which had seen the Russians suffering huge casualties while slowly grinding their way forward against the tottering Wehrmacht. Therefore, in July 1943, the first plans were put in place for invasion – thPlanning D-Day
The first invasion plans for D-Day were drawn up in July 1943 and called for a single, large-scale, concentrated attack in the Normandy area. Previous incursions into Nazi-occupied Europe, notably the disastrous raid on Dieppe in 1942, had convinced allied planners that multiple small-scale attacks were likely to be unsuccessful. It was clearly necessary to gain local superiority in order to hold on to a stretch of coastline. The original D-Day plan involved landing three divisions on the Normandy coast in the Caen-Bayeux area, with a simultaneous airborne assault on Caen. This template wD-Day Deception
While planning for the invasion the allies also undertook a programme of deception to confuse and deceive the Nazis. The most obvious area for the D-Day invasion was clearly the Pas de Calais and the allies did everything they could to convince the Nazis that it was in Calais that the real invasion would strike. The allies developed a series of deception operations aimed at obscuring the true place and time of D-Day. It involved the creation of fake armies, the sending of fictional radio traffic, the delivery of false spy reports and the mounting of elaborate but fabricated security plans. To divert Hitler's attention from the real troops in training, a fake million man army named the First United States Army Group was created. It functioned as a real unit except for one fact – there were no actual troops. Tanks, trucks and armour were constructed of inflatable rubber and plywood supplied by a movie studio in order to deceive German reconnaissance planes. Prior to D-Day, Allied bombing raids were twice as heavy at Calais than at the real landing target. Mine sweepers cleared shipping lanes that would never be used. On the day of the invasion, allied planes dropped tons of aluminium foil strips called ‘chaff’ to fool German radar into thinking that an invasion air force was heading in that direction. Rubber dummy paratroopers also floated to the eGo! Go! Go!
The timing of the D-Day assault had to be perfect. Strongly dependant on the tide and weather, the night of 4-5 June was chosen as the most likely attack date. However, as the hours passed in the run-up to invasion, the weather was moving in. At the last minute the invasion was postponed for 24 hours and thousands The airborne assault
The airborne forces on D-Day were designed to carry out two vital tasks – secure the flanks of the landing zones and attack key strategic targets in order to facilitate the amphibious landings. The British: The British contingent was tasked with taking the eastern areas of the assault zone as well as specialised missions targeting key sites and installations. The most famous of these were the attacks on Pegasus Bridge and the Merville Battery. The operation to capture Pegasus Bridge would be carried out by a picked company – ‘D’ Company, 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry – and would see the first allied troops land in occupied France on D-Day. The attack saw this small force deployed in Horsa gliders – named for the Jutish king who invaded Britain in the 5th Century AD – and would involve some precise flying with little or no navigational aids in the dead of night. The soldiers – led by Major John Howard – had practiced the assault precisely for weeks before the operation and quickly overran the German defenders. In the process they liberated the first house in occupied France. Having captured the bridge the small company had to hold it against persistent German counter attack, with little or no heavy equipment and only the unreliable PIAT anti-tank weapon to ward off German armour. However, despite the tough assignment, Howard’s men managed to hold the bridge intact until reinforcements arrived, giving allied forces a vital crossing over the river Orne and Caen Canal. Another key target for the 6th airborne was the Merville Battery, which was a strong German gun emplacement that posed a major threat to any attack on Sword beach. This task was handed to the 9th parachute battalion led by Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway. The German gun batteries were heavily defended and an ambitious plan of attack was conceived. After RAF planes bombed the fortress, soldiers would parachute down behind the barbed wire while gliders landed in the complex itself. But little went as planned. The RAF planes failed to bomb the gun batteries, and there was so much anti-aircraft fire that many planes veered off-course, dropping men far from the intended locations. Many drowned crossing an area recently flooded by Rommel, and soon only 150 men remained. Commander Otway considered pulling the mission, but decided that failure was not an option, and the men advanced. Lacking equipment the force had to improvise. In a stunning example of the bravery that would be seen throughout D-Day, the men advanced into minefields with no detectors and managed to clear a route of attack without compromising the element of surprise. Despite having far fewer men than anticipated, the quality of the training the men received came to the fore as the small force of airborne troops managed to take the battery and ensured that the Sword landings were free from the guns’ heavy fire. Interestingly, the museum at Merville today carries a story about the German battery commander on D-Day. After hearing the first glider land he quickly telephoned his superior to ask for instructions. However, unhappy at being woken at such a late hour he was quickly told: “Go to sleep. One glider does not constitute an invasion.” The Americans: The US airborne forces comprised of two divisions – the 82nd and the 101st airborne divisions – and were tasked with securing the right flank of the landings in the Cotentin peninsula. Like all airborne forces on D-Day, these divisions suffered from widely dispersed drops and often units were without over 60% of their personnel. This made it difficult to carry out operational objectives. However, despite these problems, the airborne troops managed link up with amphibious forces at Utah beThe seaborne assault
A few hours after the decision to launch Operation Overlord, the invasion fleet was slipping out to sea. The convoys concentrated off the Isle of Wight and then turned south along channels that had been swept clear of mines. The crossing was accomplished without serious loss or interference by the Germans, whose air and sea patrols had been cancelled because of the bad weather. The leading minesweepers came within sight of the French coast early in the evening of 5 June. The Germans remained unaware of the vast armada approaching them until thousands of throbbing engines were heard offshore at about 0200 hours next morning. The first troops ashore were those of 4th US Division, who landed at 0630 hours on Utah beach. Their sea passage had been comparatively easy and the infantry, supported by 28 amphibious tanks, soon overcame the light defences. The beaches were cleared with few losses and by noon troops were pushing inland. By contrast, on Omaha beach, where 1st US Division landed, the going was slow and tough. The landing craft lost their bearings in the heavy seas. Several of them sank and many more were destroyed by Rommel's mined obstacles on the beaches. Of 29 amphibious tanks launched 27 sank, with their crews trapped inside. Hundreds of infantrymen drowned before they reached the beach. Throughout the morning the Americans were pinned to the beach by a hail of fire. It was said that during this period Colonel George A Taylor declared: “Two kinds of people are staying on this beach - the dead and those who are going to die. Now let's get the hell out of here!” It was not until noon that the Americans began a painful advance inland. By nightfall, they had won a precarious foothold 6 miles wide and less than 2 miles deep, but at a cost of 3,000 casualties. On the British beaches - Gold, Juno and Sword - the surf was even rougher than in the American sector, and here too a number of landing craft were lost. The German strongpoints were quickly overcome by Hobart's 'funnies' - ingenious tanks and other armoured vehicles designed to swim ashore under their own power, lay paths and bridges or whirl chains mounted in front to strike the ground and explode a path through minefields. The infantry pressed rapidly inland and by nightfall British and Canadian troops had occupied a coastal strip 12 miles wide and 6 miles deep. The German reaction to the landings was slow and confused. Though reports of airborne and seaborne attacks had been pouring into German headquarters since early morning, it was believed that these were only diversions and the real weight of the invasion would come near Calais. The problem was compounded by the German command structure which had been deliberately set up by Hitler to ensure that he himself was the only person who could deploy several key Panzer divisions. Because he always slept late and no-one dared wake him, on the morning of the invasion it was some time before Hitler was informed. However, by the time these diThe German response
The German reaction to the landings was slow and confused. Though reports of airborne and seaborne attacks had been pouring into German headquarters since early morning, it was believed that these were only diversions and the real weight of the invasion would come near Calais. The problem was compounded by the German command structure which had been deliberately set up by Hitler to ensure that he himself was the only person who could deploy several key Panzer divisions. Because he always slept late and no-one dared wake him, on the morning of the invasion it was some time before he was informed. By the time these divisions were released it was too late – the allies were firmly ashore and the opportunity to drive them back into the sea had gone. Only the 21st Panzer Division attempted a major counter-attack on D-Day itself, and this fizzled out due to a lack After D-Day: Consolidation and breakout
On two beaches, Gold and Omaha, the construction of gigantic prefabricated Mulberry harbours began. Consisting of vast steel and concrete sections towed across the Channel and sunk off the beaches, they allowed the Allies to step up the flow of men and material without capturing a heavily defended seaport. For the next six weeks, the Allies a fought a gruelling campaign along the whole length of the bridgehead in order to expand it into an area large enough to assemble the forces they needed for a breakthrough into the interior of France. The Germans had strongly encircled the bridgehead and were determined to keep the Allies in, but in July US troops overran Brittany to the west and started to put pressure on the German forces. In August the breakout finally came with a vengeance, when a German army was trapped by the Allies in the area round Falaise, 20 miles to the south of the bridgehead – ten thousand Germans were killed and 50,000 captured. Though the battle of Normandy was won, the war in Europe was by no means over. Although D-Day had clearly played a vital role in the history of the Second World War, ahead lay many more months of bitter fighting. But in the long run Hitler's Reich, already hard pressed by the Russians from the east, was doomed. of infantry support. By 11 June the allies had established a bridgehead 50 miles wide by 12 miles deep into which they poured a total of 326,547 men, 54,186 vehicles and 104,428 tons of supplies. Most of these were landed across the open beaches or in anchorages sheltered by breakwaters formed of sunken blockships. visions were released, it was too late – the allies were firmly ashore and the opportunity to drive them back into the sea had gone. Only the 21st Panzer Division attempted a major counter-attack on D-Day, and this fizzled out due to a lack of infantry support. By 11 June the allies had established a bridgehead 50 miles wide by 12 miles deep into which they poured a total of 326,547 men, 54,186 vehicles and 104,428 tons of supplies. Most of these were landed across the open beaches or in anchorages sheltered by breakwaters formed of sunken blockships. ach and cause widespread chaos and confusion amongst the German ranks. Perhaps the most famous operation carried out by the US airborne forces was the attack on Ste Mare Eglise. In a terrible twist of fate a group of American paratroopers were dropped directly on to the town and were left defenceless. As they floated downwards they were picked off one by one by the German defenders. This brutal scene would be immortalised in the Hollywood blockbuster ‘The Longest Day’.of soldiers held their breath. The next night's forecast, though not ideal, was better. At a final meeting at 0415 hours on 5 June 'Ike' took a gamble, rose from his seat and announced, 'OK, we'll go'. D-Day was on. What his troops didn’t know at the time was that Eisenhower was far from convinced that the invasion would succeed. He had gone so far as to prepare a letter explaining the failure of the invasion, taking full responsibility for it himself; luckily he never had to use it. arth further confusing the German troops on the ground and causing German commanders to think twice before reacting to reported landings. These tactics ensured that even as the Germans saw the armada at Normandy, they didn’t believe it was the real invasion, thinking instead it was simply a diversionary raid designed to take German attention away from Calais. as later expanded by Bernard Montgomery, the British general in charge of allied ground forces, and American general Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was in overall charge of the invasion. The new plan was designated ‘Operation Overlord’. Since the whole invasion force could not land simultaneously, the landings had to take place on as broad a front as possible – otherwise allied forces would be overwhelmed before they could bring in adequate reinforcements. The expanded incorporated five divisions - 150,000 men - in the main seaborne assault, while three airborne divisions would secure the flanks. Provision was also made to quickly reinforce these forces by constructing makeshift 'Mulberry' harbours. e target, Normandy.
On the 6th June, 1944, the largest amphibious assault in history was launched against the Normandy coast – its ultimate goal, the establishment of an allied foothold in Nazi-occupied France. Having seen the tide of the war turn in North Africa in 1942, and the subsequent invasion of Sicily and mainland Italy in 1943, there was growing pressure on the allies to open up a new front by launching an invasion of north-west Europe. This was compounded by the fighting on the eastern front, which had seen the Russians suffering huge casualties while slowly grinding their way forward against the tottering Wehrmacht. Therefore, in July 1943, the first plans were put in place for invasion – thPlanning D-Day
The first invasion plans for D-Day were drawn up in July 1943 and called for a single, large-scale, concentrated attack in the Normandy area. Previous incursions into Nazi-occupied Europe, notably the disastrous raid on Dieppe in 1942, had convinced allied planners that multiple small-scale attacks were likely to be unsuccessful. It was clearly necessary to gain local superiority in order to hold on to a stretch of coastline. The original D-Day plan involved landing three divisions on the Normandy coast in the Caen-Bayeux area, with a simultaneous airborne assault on Caen. This template wD-Day Deception
While planning for the invasion the allies also undertook a programme of deception to confuse and deceive the Nazis. The most obvious area for the D-Day invasion was clearly the Pas de Calais and the allies did everything they could to convince the Nazis that it was in Calais that the real invasion would strike. The allies developed a series of deception operations aimed at obscuring the true place and time of D-Day. It involved the creation of fake armies, the sending of fictional radio traffic, the delivery of false spy reports and the mounting of elaborate but fabricated security plans. To divert Hitler's attention from the real troops in training, a fake million man army named the First United States Army Group was created. It functioned as a real unit except for one fact – there were no actual troops. Tanks, trucks and armour were constructed of inflatable rubber and plywood supplied by a movie studio in order to deceive German reconnaissance planes. Prior to D-Day, Allied bombing raids were twice as heavy at Calais than at the real landing target. Mine sweepers cleared shipping lanes that would never be used. On the day of the invasion, allied planes dropped tons of aluminium foil strips called ‘chaff’ to fool German radar into thinking that an invasion air force was heading in that direction. Rubber dummy paratroopers also floated to the eGo! Go! Go!
The timing of the D-Day assault had to be perfect. Strongly dependant on the tide and weather, the night of 4-5 June was chosen as the most likely attack date. However, as the hours passed in the run-up to invasion, the weather was moving in. At the last minute the invasion was postponed for 24 hours and thousands The airborne assault
The airborne forces on D-Day were designed to carry out two vital tasks – secure the flanks of the landing zones and attack key strategic targets in order to facilitate the amphibious landings. The British: The British contingent was tasked with taking the eastern areas of the assault zone as well as specialised missions targeting key sites and installations. The most famous of these were the attacks on Pegasus Bridge and the Merville Battery. The operation to capture Pegasus Bridge would be carried out by a picked company – ‘D’ Company, 2nd Battalion, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry – and would see the first allied troops land in occupied France on D-Day. The attack saw this small force deployed in Horsa gliders – named for the Jutish king who invaded Britain in the 5th Century AD – and would involve some precise flying with little or no navigational aids in the dead of night. The soldiers – led by Major John Howard – had practiced the assault precisely for weeks before the operation and quickly overran the German defenders. In the process they liberated the first house in occupied France. Having captured the bridge the small company had to hold it against persistent German counter attack, with little or no heavy equipment and only the unreliable PIAT anti-tank weapon to ward off German armour. However, despite the tough assignment, Howard’s men managed to hold the bridge intact until reinforcements arrived, giving allied forces a vital crossing over the river Orne and Caen Canal. Another key target for the 6th airborne was the Merville Battery, which was a strong German gun emplacement that posed a major threat to any attack on Sword beach. This task was handed to the 9th parachute battalion led by Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway. The German gun batteries were heavily defended and an ambitious plan of attack was conceived. After RAF planes bombed the fortress, soldiers would parachute down behind the barbed wire while gliders landed in the complex itself. But little went as planned. The RAF planes failed to bomb the gun batteries, and there was so much anti-aircraft fire that many planes veered off-course, dropping men far from the intended locations. Many drowned crossing an area recently flooded by Rommel, and soon only 150 men remained. Commander Otway considered pulling the mission, but decided that failure was not an option, and the men advanced. Lacking equipment the force had to improvise. In a stunning example of the bravery that would be seen throughout D-Day, the men advanced into minefields with no detectors and managed to clear a route of attack without compromising the element of surprise. Despite having far fewer men than anticipated, the quality of the training the men received came to the fore as the small force of airborne troops managed to take the battery and ensured that the Sword landings were free from the guns’ heavy fire. Interestingly, the museum at Merville today carries a story about the German battery commander on D-Day. After hearing the first glider land he quickly telephoned his superior to ask for instructions. However, unhappy at being woken at such a late hour he was quickly told: “Go to sleep. One glider does not constitute an invasion.” The Americans: The US airborne forces comprised of two divisions – the 82nd and the 101st airborne divisions – and were tasked with securing the right flank of the landings in the Cotentin peninsula. Like all airborne forces on D-Day, these divisions suffered from widely dispersed drops and often units were without over 60% of their personnel. This made it difficult to carry out operational objectives. However, despite these problems, the airborne troops managed link up with amphibious forces at Utah beThe seaborne assault
A few hours after the decision to launch Operation Overlord, the invasion fleet was slipping out to sea. The convoys concentrated off the Isle of Wight and then turned south along channels that had been swept clear of mines. The crossing was accomplished without serious loss or interference by the Germans, whose air and sea patrols had been cancelled because of the bad weather. The leading minesweepers came within sight of the French coast early in the evening of 5 June. The Germans remained unaware of the vast armada approaching them until thousands of throbbing engines were heard offshore at about 0200 hours next morning. The first troops ashore were those of 4th US Division, who landed at 0630 hours on Utah beach. Their sea passage had been comparatively easy and the infantry, supported by 28 amphibious tanks, soon overcame the light defences. The beaches were cleared with few losses and by noon troops were pushing inland. By contrast, on Omaha beach, where 1st US Division landed, the going was slow and tough. The landing craft lost their bearings in the heavy seas. Several of them sank and many more were destroyed by Rommel's mined obstacles on the beaches. Of 29 amphibious tanks launched 27 sank, with their crews trapped inside. Hundreds of infantrymen drowned before they reached the beach. Throughout the morning the Americans were pinned to the beach by a hail of fire. It was said that during this period Colonel George A Taylor declared: “Two kinds of people are staying on this beach - the dead and those who are going to die. Now let's get the hell out of here!” It was not until noon that the Americans began a painful advance inland. By nightfall, they had won a precarious foothold 6 miles wide and less than 2 miles deep, but at a cost of 3,000 casualties. On the British beaches - Gold, Juno and Sword - the surf was even rougher than in the American sector, and here too a number of landing craft were lost. The German strongpoints were quickly overcome by Hobart's 'funnies' - ingenious tanks and other armoured vehicles designed to swim ashore under their own power, lay paths and bridges or whirl chains mounted in front to strike the ground and explode a path through minefields. The infantry pressed rapidly inland and by nightfall British and Canadian troops had occupied a coastal strip 12 miles wide and 6 miles deep. The German reaction to the landings was slow and confused. Though reports of airborne and seaborne attacks had been pouring into German headquarters since early morning, it was believed that these were only diversions and the real weight of the invasion would come near Calais. The problem was compounded by the German command structure which had been deliberately set up by Hitler to ensure that he himself was the only person who could deploy several key Panzer divisions. Because he always slept late and no-one dared wake him, on the morning of the invasion it was some time before Hitler was informed. However, by the time these diThe German response
The German reaction to the landings was slow and confused. Though reports of airborne and seaborne attacks had been pouring into German headquarters since early morning, it was believed that these were only diversions and the real weight of the invasion would come near Calais. The problem was compounded by the German command structure which had been deliberately set up by Hitler to ensure that he himself was the only person who could deploy several key Panzer divisions. Because he always slept late and no-one dared wake him, on the morning of the invasion it was some time before he was informed. By the time these divisions were released it was too late – the allies were firmly ashore and the opportunity to drive them back into the sea had gone. Only the 21st Panzer Division attempted a major counter-attack on D-Day itself, and this fizzled out due to a lack After D-Day: Consolidation and breakout
On two beaches, Gold and Omaha, the construction of gigantic prefabricated Mulberry harbours began. Consisting of vast steel and concrete sections towed across the Channel and sunk off the beaches, they allowed the Allies to step up the flow of men and material without capturing a heavily defended seaport. For the next six weeks, the Allies a fought a gruelling campaign along the whole length of the bridgehead in order to expand it into an area large enough to assemble the forces they needed for a breakthrough into the interior of France. The Germans had strongly encircled the bridgehead and were determined to keep the Allies in, but in July US troops overran Brittany to the west and started to put pressure on the German forces. In August the breakout finally came with a vengeance, when a German army was trapped by the Allies in the area round Falaise, 20 miles to the south of the bridgehead – ten thousand Germans were killed and 50,000 captured. Though the battle of Normandy was won, the war in Europe was by no means over. Although D-Day had clearly played a vital role in the history of the Second World War, ahead lay many more months of bitter fighting. But in the long run Hitler's Reich, already hard pressed by the Russians from the east, was doomed. of infantry support. By 11 June the allies had established a bridgehead 50 miles wide by 12 miles deep into which they poured a total of 326,547 men, 54,186 vehicles and 104,428 tons of supplies. Most of these were landed across the open beaches or in anchorages sheltered by breakwaters formed of sunken blockships. visions were released, it was too late – the allies were firmly ashore and the opportunity to drive them back into the sea had gone. Only the 21st Panzer Division attempted a major counter-attack on D-Day, and this fizzled out due to a lack of infantry support. By 11 June the allies had established a bridgehead 50 miles wide by 12 miles deep into which they poured a total of 326,547 men, 54,186 vehicles and 104,428 tons of supplies. Most of these were landed across the open beaches or in anchorages sheltered by breakwaters formed of sunken blockships. ach and cause widespread chaos and confusion amongst the German ranks. Perhaps the most famous operation carried out by the US airborne forces was the attack on Ste Mare Eglise. In a terrible twist of fate a group of American paratroopers were dropped directly on to the town and were left defenceless. As they floated downwards they were picked off one by one by the German defenders. This brutal scene would be immortalised in the Hollywood blockbuster ‘The Longest Day’.of soldiers held their breath. The next night's forecast, though not ideal, was better. At a final meeting at 0415 hours on 5 June 'Ike' took a gamble, rose from his seat and announced, 'OK, we'll go'. D-Day was on. What his troops didn’t know at the time was that Eisenhower was far from convinced that the invasion would succeed. He had gone so far as to prepare a letter explaining the failure of the invasion, taking full responsibility for it himself; luckily he never had to use it. arth further confusing the German troops on the ground and causing German commanders to think twice before reacting to reported landings. These tactics ensured that even as the Germans saw the armada at Normandy, they didn’t believe it was the real invasion, thinking instead it was simply a diversionary raid designed to take German attention away from Calais. as later expanded by Bernard Montgomery, the British general in charge of allied ground forces, and American general Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was in overall charge of the invasion. The new plan was designated ‘Operation Overlord’. Since the whole invasion force could not land simultaneously, the landings had to take place on as broad a front as possible – otherwise allied forces would be overwhelmed before they could bring in adequate reinforcements. The expanded incorporated five divisions - 150,000 men - in the main seaborne assault, while three airborne divisions would secure the flanks. Provision was also made to quickly reinforce these forces by constructing makeshift 'Mulberry' harbours. e target, Normandy.
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