70 years ago, on June 6, 1944, thousands of soldiers and officers were preparing to take part in the operation that marked the end of World War II. The allied landing in Normandy, in which more than 130 thousand troops were involved, was planned for more than a year. By the evening of that “longest day,” more than 10,000 people were killed, injured and captured. This operation became the largest naval battle in world history.
You can get acquainted with the most iconic and, in particular, little-known facts of that operation and see rare photographs.
1. Deadly rehearsal of "D-Day"
On July 28, 1944, eight ships carrying American infantry and equipment left the coast of British Devon and began rehearsals for the planned Normandy landing. However, not everything went smoothly. The ships used radio frequencies that were intercepted by German intelligence officers. Due to the poorly established communications system, the ships became an easy target for the submarines of the Hitlerite army. As a result, about 800 people died.
Concerned about the leak of classified information, the command of the armies of the Allied states froze all data archives. Consequently, some families were never able to figure out how their loved ones died.
2. Temptation
Jonathan Mayo's D-Day tells the story of an unusual ordeal that Lt. Col. Terence Otway put on his military unit. He wanted to make sure that the soldiers did not blab about the planned operation before landing. To test the soldiers "strength", Otvey asked the most beautiful girls from the air squadron to go to a pub, seduce the military who were resting there, and find out a secret. None of the military fell into the trap.
3. What was Churchill thinking on the eve of the operation?
Winston Churchill, a brilliant orator known for his ability to convince any audience, was not feeling very confident on the eve of D-Day. He shared his fears with his wife: “Do you understand that tomorrow morning when you wake up, 20,000 soldiers will never wake up? “- asked the British Prime Minister.
4. Codenames for "D-Day"
A number of code names were used in preparing the operation. "Utah", "Omaha", "Gold" and "Sordo" denoted the beaches on the Normandy coast. “Neptune” is the name of the
landing, and "Overlord" - the entire operation to liberate Normandy from the Nazis. ‘Bigo’ was the code name for those who had the highest level of security clearance.
These secret data were hidden behind seven locks. How frightened the command was when, shortly before the start of the operation, the Daily Telegraph published a crossword puzzle containing as many as five code names, including "Utah", "Omaha" and "Neptune". British intelligence sounded the alarm, suspecting that in this way someone was trying to convey secret information to the enemy. However, searches in the house of the author of the crossword puzzle yielded nothing.
5. Disinformation campaign
In developing the invasion plan, the Allies relied heavily on the belief that the enemy did not know two critical details - the place and time of Operation Overlord.
To ensure the secrecy and surprise of the landing, the largest disinformation operation in history (Operation Fortitude) was developed and successfully carried out.
To mislead the enemy, the allied armies have developed fake codes and plans of operation.
Early in the morning of June 6, troops of drummers in military uniform landed in Normandy and the Pas-de-Calais. They had special noise equipment that mimicked the sound of gunfire and air raids. This episode went down in history as "Titanic". Its main goal was to divert the attention of the enemy from the main forces of the allies who landed a little west of this place.
6. What does “D” mean in “D-Day”?
Over the years, people have wondered what the letter “D” means in the name “Day D”, by which the Normandy operation is known.
"D-Day" is a generally accepted military term for the day the military operation begins. It was used both before the Allied landings in France and after.
The military terms "D-day" and "H-hour" denote the time of the beginning of any operation, the real time of which cannot be determined unambiguously and where a strict secrecy regime is observed.
As a rule, "D" and "H" are generally unknown in advance. The start time of action is reported on the day of the attack. In documents on planning actions during a military operation, the time is calculated approximately as follows: preparation time for the operation is “H” minus XX hours XX minutes, and all subsequent actions are “H” plus XX hours XX minutes.
7. Letter from General Eisenhower in case of defeat
US General Eisenhower wrote a letter that should have been published in case of defeat.
“The landing of our troops in the Cherbourg-Le Havre area did not bring any successful results and I withdrew our troops. My decision to strike at this point is based on credible information. Our naval and air forces have shown unprecedented courage. If anyone is to blame for their defeat, it’s only me, ”- said in a letter that the general accidentally signed on July 5, not June 5.
8. The weather was on the side of the allies
The Normandy landings were originally planned for June 5, but bad weather forced General Eisenhower to postpone the operation for a day. According to documents from the US Maritime Library, the German command anticipated an Allied invasion in late May, when there was a full moon, high tide and light winds. a little wind. When the weather worsened in early June, the Germans relaxed and lost their guard. At this point, the Allied weather service gave a favorable forecast, and the operation began.9. Crack the Enigma code
In Germany, the Enigma cipher has been used since 1920. The unique machine created possibilities for more than two hundred trillion letter combinations and was considered indestructible. However, shortly before the landing in Normandy, the Allies managed to unravel the code of the apparatus, and Berlin did not learn about it. The decoded data revealed the coordinates of the location of Hitler's troops in Normandy and confirmed that the Germans bought into misinformation about the fake landing plans.
10. "The Man Who Won the War"
General Dwight D. Eisenhower once said: "Andrew Higgins is the man who won the war for us."
So who is he - Andrew Higgins?
Higgins is a self-taught genius in the field of small craft design who designed and built amphibious landing craft, with which the Allied forces crossed the English Channel. “If Higgins hadn't built these ships, we would never have been able to land on the open beach. The strategy for the entire war would have been completely different. ”
The worst thing apart from
a lost battle
this is a battle won.
Duke of Wellington.
Allied landings in Normandy, operation Overlord, "D-Day" (English "D-Day"), Normandy 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 has gone down in history forever.
general information
Operation Overlord - the military operation of the Allied forces, which became the operation-opening of the 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 has begun 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 hostilities of the Allied troops and the rather ridiculous mistakes of the Reich troops, which led to the collapse of Germany in France.
Belligerent objectives
For the Anglo-American troops Overlord set the goal of delivering a crushing blow to the very heart of the Third Reich and, in cooperation with the Red Army's offensive along the entire eastern front, crushing the main and most powerful enemy from the Axis countries. The goal of Germany, as the defending side, was extremely simple: to prevent the Allied troops from landing and fortifying themselves in France, to make them suffer heavy human and technical losses and to 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 his main troops on the eastern front, where Soviet troops were victorious one after another. The German troops were deprived of a unified leadership in France - constant changes of senior commanding officers, conspiracies against Hitler, disputes about a possible landing site, the absence of a single defensive plan did not contribute to the success of the Nazis.
By June 6, 1944, 58 Nazi divisions were deployed in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, including 42 infantry, 9 tank and 4 airfield divisions. They united in two army groups, "B" and "D", and were subordinated 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 - 38 divisions in total. Army Group G (commanded by General I. Blaskowitz) in 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 made up the reserve of the command "West". Thus, the greatest density of troops was 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 come to the battlefield in time. For example, about 1 million more Reich soldiers were in France and did not initially take part in the battle.
Despite the relatively large number of German soldiers and equipment stationed in the area, their combat effectiveness was extremely low. 33 divisions were considered "stationary", that is, 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 battles, so they were only 70-75% full. Many panzer 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 much lower than the combat capability of the divisions operating in the East and in Italy ... A significant number of ground forces in France, the so-called“ stationary divisions ”, were very poorly equipped with weapons and by road 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 49 submarines, 116 patrol ships, 34 torpedo boats and 42 artillery barges at their disposal.
The Allied troops, commanded by the future US President Dwight D. Eisenhower, had 39 divisions and 12 brigades at their disposal. As for the aviation and navy, in this aspect, the Allies had an overwhelming advantage. They had about 11,000 combat aircraft, 2,300 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 were constantly bringing up new forces on the battlefield, and by the end of August they 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 the landing in France long before "D-Day" (The initial project of the landing 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 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 operations was more important for them - the European or the Pacific. After the decision was made to choose Germany as the main rival, and to limit itself to tactical defense in the Pacific, the development plan began operation Overlord.
The operation consisted of two phases: the first was codenamed "Neptune", the second - "Cobra". "Neptune" assumed the initial landing of troops, the seizure 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 being prepared in the strictest secrecy, all the troops that were supposed to land in France were transferred to special isolated military bases, which were forbidden to leave, information propaganda was carried out regarding the place and time of the operation.
In addition to US and British troops, 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 most preferred landing sites were Normandy, Brittany and Pas-de-Calais.
Everyone knows that the choice was settled on Normandy. The choice was influenced by such factors as the distance to the ports of England, the separation and power of the defensive fortifications, the range of the Allied forces' aviation. 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 the 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 at five beaches, which were codenamed "Utah", "Omaha", "Gold", "Sord", "Juno".
The start time of the operation was determined by the ratio of the water tide level and the time of sunrise. These factors were considered so that the landing craft did not run aground and did not receive damage from underwater obstacles, it was possible to land equipment and troops as close to the shore as possible. As a result, the day of the beginning of the operation was June 6, this day was named D-Day... The night before the landing of the main forces behind enemy lines, a parachute landing was dropped, 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 by Allied ships.
Operation progress
Such a plan was developed at the headquarters. In fact, things didn't go quite like that. The landing force, which was dropped into the rear of the Germans 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 Division, which was landing near Saint-Mare-Eglise, disappeared without a trace. The 6th British division was also unlucky: although the paratroopers were landed much closer than their American comrades, in the morning they came under fire from their own aviation, with which it was not possible to establish contact. The 1st US Division was almost completely destroyed. Some ships with tanks were sunk even before they reached the coast.
Already during the second part of the operation - Operation Cobra - Allied aviation struck at their own command post. The offensive was going much slower than planned. The bloodiest event of the whole company was the landing at Omaha Beach. According to the plan, early in the morning, German fortifications on all beaches were shelled by naval guns and bombed by aircraft, as a result of which the fortifications were significantly damaged.
But on Omaha, due to fog and rain, the ship's guns and planes missed, and the fortifications received no damage. By the end of the first day of the operation, on Omaha, the Americans had lost more than 3 thousand people and could not take the positions planned by the plan, while on Utah during this time they lost about 200 people, took the necessary positions and united with the landing force. Despite all this, on the whole, the landing of the Allied troops was quite successful.
Then the second phase was successfully started operation Overlord, within which cities such 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 a complete sweep 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 victory of the Allies and the defeat of the Germans have already been mentioned above. One of the main reasons was the critical position of Germany at this stage of the 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 (the Ardennes offensive), but then it was already too late.
The better military-technical equipment of the Allied forces also affected: all the equipment of the Anglo-Americans was new, with a full ammunition load and a sufficient supply of fuel, while the Germans constantly experienced difficulties in supply. In addition, the allies were constantly receiving reinforcements from British ports.
An important factor was the activities of the French partisans, who spoiled the supply of the German troops quite well. 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 area, and not in Normandy, led to a decisive victory for the Allies.
Operation value
In addition to the fact that the landing in Normandy showed the strategic and tactical skill of the command of the allied forces and the courage of ordinary soldiers, it 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 forces of the Germans. This was the first major battle in Europe in which American soldiers showed 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.
Mass media representation of the battle
The scale of the operation, as well as its bloody nature (especially on the Omaha beach) led to the fact that today there are many computer games, films on this topic. Perhaps the most famous movie was the masterpiece of the famous director Steven Spielberg Saving Private Ryan, which tells about the massacre that took place at Omaha. Also, this topic was covered in "The Longest Day", TV series "Brothers in Arms" and many documentaries. Operation Overlord has featured in over 50 different computer games.
Even though operation Overlord was carried out more than 50 years ago, and now it remains the largest amphibious operation in the history of mankind, and now the attention of many scientists and experts is riveted on it, and now there is endless debate and debate about it. And it's probably understandable why.
Landing of Allied Forces in Normandy
(Operation Overlord) and
fighting in northwestern France
summer 1944
Preparation of the Norman landing operation
By the summer of 1944, the situation in the theaters of operations in Europe had changed significantly. Germany's position has deteriorated significantly. On the Soviet-German front, Soviet troops inflicted major defeats on the Wehrmacht in the Right-Bank Ukraine and in the Crimea. In Italy, the Allied troops were located 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 preparations for the landing of their troops in Northern France ( operation Overlord) and in southern France (Operation Anvil).
For Norman Airborne Operation ("Overlord") in the British Isles concentrated four armies: 1st and 3rd American, 2nd English and 1st Canadian. These armies included 37 divisions (23 infantry, 10 armored, 4 airborne) and 12 brigades, as well as 10 units of British commandos and American Rangens (airborne commando units).
The total number of forces invading Northern France reached 1 million people. To support the Normandy landing operation, a fleet of 6 thousand military and landing ships and transport ships was concentrated.
The Normandy landing operation was attended by British, American and Canadian troops, Polish formations that were subordinate to the emigrant government in London, and French formations formed by the French National Liberation Committee ("Fighting France"), which on the eve of the landing proclaimed itself the Provisional Government of France.
The general leadership of the American-British forces was carried out by the 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 (commanded by General O. Bradley), the 2nd English (commanded by General M. Dempsey), and the 1st Canadian (commanded by General H. Grerar) armies.
The plan for the Normandy landing operation provided for the forces of the 21st Army Group to land sea and air assault forces on the coast Normandy on the section from the Grand Vé bank to the mouth of the Orne River with a length of about 80 km. On the twentieth day of the operation, it was planned 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 landing in 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 on 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 went to the embarkation points - the ports of Falmouth, Plymouth, Weymouth, Southampton, Portsmouth, Newhaven. The landing was planned to start on June 5, but due to poor weather conditions it was postponed to June 6.
Operation Overlord Plan
German defenses in Normandy
The High Command of the Wehrmacht 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, the landing of an assault force was generally impossible. The commander of German troops in France, Field Marshal Rommel, just before the Allied landings, went on vacation to Germany and found out about the invasion only more than three hours after it began.
In the German high command of the ground forces in the West (in France, Belgium and Holland) there were only 58 under-staffed divisions. Some of them were "stationary" (did not have their own transport). Normandy had 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 opposing German troops in the West was: in terms of personnel - three times, in tanks - three times, in guns - twice and 60 times on planes.
One of three 40.6cm (406mm) guns of the German Lindemann battery
Atlantic Wall, shooting across the English Channel
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-364-2314-16A, Atlantikwall, Batterie "Lindemann"
The beginning of the Normandy landing operation
(Operation Overlord)
On the night before, the landing of the Allied airborne units began, in which American: 1662 aircraft and 512 gliders, British: 733 aircraft and 335 gliders participated.
On the night of June 6, 18 ships of the British fleet conducted demonstrative maneuvers in the area northeast of Le Havre. At the same time, bomber aircraft dropped strips of metallized paper to interfere with the work of German radar stations.
At dawn on June 6, 1944, began operation Overlord (Normandy landing operation). Under the cover of massive air strikes and naval artillery fire, an amphibious assault began on five sections of the coast in Normandy. The German navy offered almost no resistance to the landing.
American and British aircraft attacked enemy artillery batteries, headquarters and defensive positions. At the same time, powerful air strikes were launched against targets in the Calais and Boulogne area in order to divert the enemy's attention from the actual landing site.
From the Allied naval forces, artillery support for the landing was provided by 7 battleships, 2 monitors, 24 cruisers and 74 destroyers.
At 6:30 am in the western zone and at 7:30 in the eastern zone, the first amphibious assault units landed. American troops, which had landed in the extreme western sector ("Utah"), by the end of June 6, advanced inland to 10 km and joined up with the 82nd Airborne Division.
In the Omaha sector, where the 1st American Infantry Division of the 5th Corps of the 1st American Army landed, the enemy's resistance was stubborn and the landing detachments during the first day with difficulty captured a small section of the coast with a depth of 1.5-2 km.
In the landing zone of the Anglo-Canadian troops, enemy resistance was weak. Therefore, by the evening they connected with the units of the 6th Airborne Division.
By the end of the first day of the landing, the Allied forces 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 number 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 4,000 people killed, wounded and missing.
Continuation of the Normandy landing operation
The 709th, 352nd and 716th German infantry divisions defended themselves in the Allied landing zone on the coast. They were deployed on a front of 100 kilometers and could not repel the landing 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.
Allied reinforcements arrive at the Omaha bridgehead, June 1944
Original uploader was MIckStephenson at en.wikipedia
On the morning of June 9, allied troops located at different bridgeheads began a counter attack 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 at the bridgehead, which numbered 327 thousand people, 54 thousand combat and transport vehicles and 104 thousand tons of cargo.
An attempt to destroy the Allied bridgehead in Normandy by German troops
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 Strait.
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 Orne 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 tank and one was motorized. The divisions arriving at the front were brought into battle in parts, as they were unloaded in the landing areas. This reduced their impact force.
On the night of June 13, 1944. the Germans first used the V-1 ay-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 Saint-Mere-Eglise launched an offensive in a westerly direction and took Comont. 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 prisoners, and on July 1, they completely occupied the Cotentin Peninsula. By mid-July, the port at Cherbourg was restored, and through it, the supply of allied forces in northern France increased.
On June 25-26, the 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, June 21, 1944
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-299-1808-10A, Nordfrankreich, Rauchschwaden, Posten mit MG 15.
German security post. Puffs of smoke from a fire or from smoke bombs in front of a barrier with steel hedgehogs between concrete walls. In the foreground is a guard sentry with an MG 15 machine gun.
The High 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-Eastern 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 (Belorussian operation), which began in June. It was launched in accordance with an agreement with the Allies. The Supreme High Command of the Wehrmacht had 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 amounted to 97 thousand people, and the received reinforcements were only 6 thousand. people
Thus, the High 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 forces 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 British Army launched an offensive with 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, 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 forces of the 21st Allied Army Group had reached the line south of Saint-Lo, Comont, 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 forces amounted to 122 thousand people (73 thousand Americans and 49 thousand British and Canadians).
The Norman 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 an expeditionary force 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 the "carpet" bombardment by B-17 Flying Fortress and B-24 Liberator aircraft and an impressive artillery barrage, the Allies launched a new offensive in Normandy from the Len-Lo region with the aim of breaking through from the bridgehead and entering the operational space ( Operation Cobra). On the same day, more than 2,000 units of American armored vehicles entered the breach in the direction of the Brittany Peninsula and in the direction of the Loire.
On August 1, the 12th Allied Army Group was formed under the command of 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 at 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 Historyy
On August 15, the main forces of the German 5th and 7th Panzer Armies were surrounded, in the so-called Falaise "cauldron". After 5 days of fighting (from the 15th to the 20th), part of the German group was able to get out of the "cauldron", 6 divisions were lost.
The French partisans of the Resistance movement, which operated on German lines of communication and attacked the rear garrisons, rendered great assistance to the allies. General Dwight D. Eisenhower praised 15 regular divisions for guerrilla assistance.
After the defeat of the Germans in the "Falaise Cauldron", the allied troops rushed eastward almost unhindered and crossed the Seine. On August 25, they liberated Paris with the support of the insurgent Parisians and French partisans. The Germans began to retreat to the Siegfried Line. The allied forces defeated the German troops stationed in northern France and, continuing their pursuit, entered the territory of Belgium and approached the West Wall. On September 3, 1944, they liberated the capital of Belgium - Brussels.
On August 15, the Allied landing operation Anvil began in southern France. Churchill objected to this operation for a long time, proposing to use the troops assigned for it in Italy. However, Roosevelt and Eisenhower refused to change the plans agreed at the Tehran conference. According to the Anvil plan, two Allied armies — the American and the French — landed east of Marseilles and moved north. Fearing being cut off, German forces in Southwestern and Southern France began retreating towards Germany. After the union 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.
The article summarizes the history of the Normandy landings, the largest Allied landing operation during World War II. This operation led to the creation of a second front, which brought Germany closer to defeat.
Preparation and necessity of the operation
Negotiations between the USSR, Britain and the United States on joint military operations have been conducted since the beginning of Germany's attack on the Soviet Union. The occupation of European territories, the acquired military experience, and the loyalty of the troops to their Fuehrer made the German war machine practically invincible. From the very beginning, the USSR suffered defeats, surrendering territory to the enemy and suffering great human and material losses. A serious threat to the very existence of the state was created. In Stalin's correspondence with Churchill, the question of help constantly arises, which, however, hangs unanswered. Britain and the United States confine themselves to lend-lease aid and statements of boundless faith in the victory of the Soviet troops.
The situation changed somewhat after the conference in Tehran (1943), where agreements on cooperation were worked out. However, a radical change in the plans of the Allies took place in 1944, when the Soviet Union, having won decisive victories, began a relentless attack on the West. Churchill and Roosevelt understand that victory is only a matter of time. There is a danger of Soviet influence spreading throughout Europe. The allies finally decide to open a second front.
Operation plans and balance of forces
The landing in Normandy was preceded by lengthy preparation and careful development of all details. The landing site (the coast of the Senskaya Bay) was chosen specifically taking into account the complexity of its implementation (rugged coastline and very high tides). The Anglo-American military command was not mistaken in their calculations. The Germans were preparing for an offensive in the Pas-de-Calais area, considering it ideal for the operation, and concentrated the main antiamphibious forces in this area. Normandy was very weakly defended. T. n. The "impregnable Atlantic Wall" (a network of coastal fortifications) was a myth. In total, by the time of the landing, the allied forces were opposed by 6 German divisions, 70-75% manned. The main and most efficient forces of the Germans were on the Eastern Front.
Before the start of the operation, the Anglo-American forces numbered about 3 million people, which also included Canadian, French, and Polish formations. Allied forces had a threefold superiority in equipment and weapons. The supremacy in the air and at sea was overwhelming.
The landing in Normandy was named Overlord. General Montgomery directed its implementation. The supreme command of all the expeditionary forces belonged to the American General D. Eisenhower. The landing was to be carried out on an 80 km wide area and was divided into western (American) and eastern (British) zones.
The operation was preceded by long-term training of troops through exercises and training in conditions as close to reality as possible. They practiced the interaction of various types of troops, the use of camouflage, the organization of defense against counterstrikes.
Landing and fighting in June 1944
According to the original plans, the landing in Normandy was to take place on June 5, but due to unfavorable weather it was postponed the next day. On June 6, intensified artillery shelling of the German defense line began, supported by the actions of the air forces, which practically did not meet with resistance. Then the fire was moved inland, and the allies began to land. Despite stubborn resistance, the numerical superiority allowed the expeditionary forces to capture three large bridgeheads. During June 7-8, an intensified transfer of troops and weapons was carried out to these areas. On June 9, an offensive began to unite the occupied territories into a single bridgehead, which was carried out on June 10. The expeditionary force already consisted of 16 divisions.
The German command carried out the transfer of forces to liquidate the offensive, but in insufficient numbers, since the main struggle was still unfolding on the Eastern Front. As a result, by the beginning of July the Allied bridgehead was increased along the front to 100 km., In depth - up to 40 km. An important moment was the capture of the strategic port of Cherbourg, which later became the main channel for the transfer of troops and weapons across the English Channel.
Building on success in July 1945
The Germans continued to consider the Normandy landing as a diversion and waited for the main forces to land in the Pas-de-Calais area. The actions of partisan detachments in the rear of the German army intensified, mainly on the part of the members of the French Resistance. The main factor that prevented the German command from transferring significant forces for defense was the powerful offensive of the Soviet troops in Belarus.
Under these conditions, the Anglo-American troops gradually advanced further and further. On July 20, Saint-Lo was taken, on the 23rd - Caen. July 24 is considered the end of Operation Overlord. The Allied foothold included an area of \u200b\u200b100 by 50 km. A serious base was created for the conduct of further hostilities against Nazi Germany in the west.
The significance of the Normandy landing
Irrecoverable losses of the Allied forces in Operation Overlord amount to about 120 thousand people, the Germans lost about 110 thousand. Of course, these figures do not compare with the losses on the Eastern Front. However, albeit with a delay, the opening of the second front still took place. The new area of \u200b\u200bhostilities fettered German troops, which could be deployed as a last resort against the advancing Soviet army. Thus, the final victory was won earlier and with fewer losses. The second front was of great importance as a symbol of the unity of the allied forces. The contradictions between the West and the USSR receded into the background.
The landing of Anglo-American troops in Normandy became the largest amphibious operation in history, in which about 7,000 ships took part. It owes much of its success to careful preparation.
The decision to open a Second Front - a large-scale invasion of Western France - was made by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. In January 1943, at a conference in Casablanca, the leaders of the two countries of the Anti-Hitler Coalition discussed current problems with members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States and Great Britain. In pursuance of the decision, the General Staffs of both countries formed a working group headed by British General Frederick Morgan, which began to develop a plan for a future operation.
OPERATION "OVERLORD"
The preparation of the operation, called "Overlord" (Overlord), was carried out by the Anglo-American command carefully and on a large scale. The production of amphibious and anti-submarine weapons, special equipment and weapons necessary for the landing was dramatically expanded, the extremely expensive folding artificial harbors "Mulberry" were developed and built, which were then planned to be assembled on the French coast. In England, special access roads for equipment were brought up to the places of intended loading. At the end of May 1944, the troops were concentrated in the assembly areas, after which emergency measures were taken to ensure secrecy. At first it was planned to start the operation in May, but then Bernard Montgomery insisted on the landing of troops also on the Cotentin Peninsula (the future Utah site), so the D-Day, the date of the landing, had to be slightly shifted. The Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, American General Dwight D. Eisenhower, set the final date on May 8, 1944, June 5. But on June 4, the weather suddenly turned bad and the landing was canceled. The next day, the weather service reported to Eisenhower that the weather would improve slightly on June 6. The general ordered to prepare for the landing.
D-DAY
The operation in Normandy, dubbed Neptune, was part of the larger Operation Overlord, which involved the cleansing of German forces from all of Northwest France. Operation Neptune was to land 156,000 British and American troops on the Normandy coast. Previously, in the first hour of the night, 24,000 paratroopers were thrown into the rear of the enemy, who were supposed to cause panic in the ranks of the enemy and capture strategically important objects.
The main stage of the operation - the very disembarkation of British and American troops from the ships - began at 6:30 am. For the landing, the Allied command, after much thought and discussion, chose an 80-kilometer stretch of the Normandy coast from the mouth of the Orne River to the Ozville commune (canton Montbourg, Cherbourg-Octeville region of the English Department). In total, the landing was carried out in five areas: in three - "Gold" (Gold), "Juno" (Juno) and "Sword" (Sword) - troops of the 2nd British Army landed, on two - "Utah" and " Omaha "(Omaha) - the 1st US Army.
LANDING OF BRITISH TROOPS
83,115 people landed on British sites (including 61,715 British, the rest - Canadians). In the Gold sector, the British troops succeeded in suppressing the German units defending here with relatively small losses and breaking through the line of their fortifications.
The fact that the British troops in this sector managed to successfully break through into the depths of French territory was largely made possible by the use of special equipment - Sherman tanks equipped with Hobbart's striking trawls to clear minefields. In the Juno sector, the brunt of the fighting fell on the shoulders of the Canadians, who faced fierce resistance from the German 716th Infantry Division. Nevertheless, after a hard battle, the Canadians still managed to gain a foothold on the coastal bridgehead, and then push back the enemy and establish contact with British troops landing in neighboring areas.
Despite the fact that the Canadians did not manage to fully fulfill the task, they were able to gain a foothold in the occupied positions and did not jeopardize the further course of the operation. In the Sword sector, British forces quickly crushed the weak enemy units on the coast, but then reached the 2nd, more solid line of defense, where their advance stalled. Then they were counterattacked by motorized units of the 21st German Panzer Division. Although the losses of the British were generally small, the main task - to take the French city of Caen - they could not fulfill, without reaching it only six kilometers.
By the end of D-Day, despite some setbacks, it could be stated that the landing of British troops took place, and the losses for such a complex operation were quite low.
D-Day: American Sectors
The landing of American troops on June 6, 1944 took place in difficult conditions, and at some point the American command even considered canceling the operation and withdrawing the troops that had already landed.
In the American sector of the Normandy coast, units of the 1st US Army landed - only 73 thousand soldiers, including 15 600 paratroopers. During the first stage of Operation Neptune, an airborne assault was carried out, which were part of the 82nd and 101st American airborne divisions. The drop zone is behind the Utah site on the Cotentin Peninsula, north of the town of Karantan.
LAND "UTAH"
The task of the American paratroopers was to seize dams across the meadows and bridges flooded by the Germans in the area of \u200b\u200bthe cities of Sainte-Mer-Eglise and Carantan. They were successful: the Germans did not expect a landing here and did not prepare for a serious rebuff. As a result, the paratroopers reached their intended targets, pinning down the enemy at Saint-Mer-Eglise. This town became the first French settlement, liberated during the Normandy campaign.
The landing of the amphibious assault in the Utah sector was carried out almost perfectly. First, shells of the main caliber of American warships fell on the position of the weak 709th German stationary division. They were followed by an armada of medium bombers, completely undermining the will to resist the already not very reliable enemy units. Exactly at 6:30, as planned, units of the 4th US Infantry Division began to land. They approached several kilometers south of the planned site, which played into their hands - the coastal fortifications here turned out to be much weaker. One after another, waves of troops landed on the shore, crushing the demoralized German units.
American casualties in the Utah sector were only 197 killed; even the losses of the US fleet were greater - a destroyer, two infantry landing boats and three small tank landing ships were blown up and sank on mines. At the same time, all the goals set for the troops were achieved: more than 21 thousand soldiers and officers, 1700 pieces of equipment landed on the shore, a 10 x 10 km bridgehead was created and contacts were established with American paratroopers and troops in neighboring areas.
PLOT "OMAHA"
If on the "Utah" section events developed according to plan, then on the eight-kilometer section of "Omaha", which stretched from Saint-Honorine-de-Perth to Vierville-sur-Mer, the situation was completely different. Although here, too, the German troops (352nd Infantry Division) consisted largely of inexperienced and poorly trained soldiers, they occupied fairly well-prepared positions along the coast. The operation did not go well from the very beginning.
Because of the fog, naval artillery and bomber aircraft, which were supposed to suppress the enemy's defenses, could not find targets and did not inflict any damage on the German positions. Following them, difficulties began for the crews of the landing ships, which also could not lead them to their planned targets. When the American soldiers began to get ashore, they came under heavy fire from the Germans occupying convenient positions. Losses began to grow rapidly, and panic began to develop in the ranks of the landing troops. It was at this moment that the commander of the 1st American Army, General Omar Bradley, came to the conclusion that the operation had failed and was about to stop the landing, and the troops that had already landed on Omaha were to be evacuated from the Normandy coast. It was only by a miracle that Operation Neptune did not fail. With tremendous efforts, the American sappers managed to break through several passes in the enemy's defenses and minefields, but traffic jams immediately formed at these narrow passages. Pandemonium on the coastal line prevented new troops from landing.
Now the Americans acted only in scattered groups that tried to hide somewhere from the German fire. By the evening of June 6, the Americans, at the cost of heavy losses, managed to capture only two small bridgeheads. Nevertheless, Operation Neptune ended successfully in all areas. The necessary bridgeheads with a depth of 3-5 km and the prerequisites for the development of Operation Overlord were created. The losses of the American army in the Omaha sector amounted to about 3 thousand people, the Germans lost about 1200 people.
