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The allies had been planning an invasion from the early stages of the war.
In 1940 Britain had been planning a siege of mainland Europe. Similarly, America had been considering an
assault on France from the moment Germany declared war against it in 1941. Despite this, it was not until Stalin started pressuring
Churchill and Roosevelt to open up a "second front" in the west, to complement the Eastern Front
and squeeze the Nazi forces in the middle, that a final plan was devised.
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Joseph Stalin, Premier of the Soviet Union
Franklin D Roosevelt, President of the USA
Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain |
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Final plans for invasion took some time to establish. Stalin argued strongly for
a new front in the West, wanting to relieve pressure on Russian forces in the east. America also, showed great
eagerness for an invasion of France. Churchill was however more reluctant. Knowing that a failed invasion would
leave the whole of Europe at the mercy of tyranny (Communist or Fascist) and distrusting the Soviets because of their
complicity in the invasion of Poland, the British Prime Minister was able persuade the US to postpone the invasion until 1944.
This was to allow the Americans and British time to establish air superiority and defeat the U-boat fleet in the Atlantic, thereby allowing them
to freely bombard Nazi-occupied Europe and build up troop numbers and supplies to more formidable levels. Eventually, the Russians
were promised an invasion by Summer of 1944.
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After supplies and manpower were at sufficient levels Churchill and Roosevelt were happy to pass most of the
efforts to their Generals. Reponsibilities were passed to General Eisenhower and his deputy, British Air Chief Marshal Arthur W. Tedder,
who had been the commander of the Allied Air Forces in the Mediterranean.
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| Adolf Hitler, Fürer of Germany |
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By 1944 many senior generals were becoming concerned about Adolf Hitler's
approach to the war. This was justified quite markedly on D-Day.
As the allies advanced, German forces were put at an unnecessary disadvantage. The 2 available Panzer divisions were under direct
control of Hitler. However, because the Fürer was 'napping' and could not be disturbed, German generals were unable to mobilise these tanks to repel
the invasion. Only when Hitler awoke at 4pm, a whole sixteen hours after the invasion started, were the Panzers put into action.
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Also, as well a being slow, Hitler's response to invasion was ill-judged. Rather than concentrating on the battles in Normandy he was more eager to use
his V-1 missiles to strike London. However despite the order being given on June 6th, moving the weapons into position took until
June 12th. Then, when carried out, the attack was a disaster. Of the ten V-1s launched, four crashed at once, two vanished without a trace,
one demolished a railway bridge in London, and three hit open fields. Had the misslies not been moved and had
been directed at the beaches and artifical harbors, both crowded with allied soldiers, it is possible the Germans would have been
considerably more successful.
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