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| Operation Overlord was the Allied codename for the invasion of Normandy.
It involved more than 150,000 men and 5,000 ships, soldiers being drawn from American, British, Canadian, Polish, and Free French
Armies under command of General Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force (the choice of Eisenhower
was officially made by President Roosevelt in December 1943, and agreed upon by the British). |
| The Deputy Supreme Commander of the invasion was British Air Chief Marshal
Arthur W. Tedder, who had been the commander of the Allied Air Forces in the Mediterranean. British Admiral
Bertram H. Ramsay, was appointed naval commander having conducted the evacuation at Dunkirk and also planned the Torch
landing in North Africa. British Air Chief Marshal Trafford L. Leigh-Mallory was appointed as commander of the air forces.
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Allied Command |
| Rommel's opponnent in Africa, Field Marshall Montgomery, was put in charge of ground
forces for the invasion. It was hoped the second clash of these two Generals would produce a repeat performance. Montgomery arrived
in Britain in January 1944 and was ordered to evaluate the feasibility of Operation Overlord. He proposed the expansion of the
invasion area to include landings west of the Vire River - allowing for the encirclement of Cherbourg (this would later become Utah Beach). |
| The Deception - Operation Fortitude |
| Much effort was made to distract German attention away from Normandy.
To create the impression that invasion would be directed at the Pas de Calais a fake army, known as the US 1st Army Group,
was established in Kent in southeast England. To give this army apparent validity, General Patton was publicly put in command.
Radio traffic was faked, plywood and canvas installations were constructed, inflatable tanks and vehicles were used extensively
in order to deceive the Germans. The operation was considered a great success: keeping the Germans guessing about the site of the
invasion as well a keeping enemy reinforcements away from Normandy, as they waited for the 'real' attack.
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| Troops moving an inflatable tank |
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| The assualt from the sea was to be the largest amphibious landing in history. |
| The selection of a site for the landing was one of
the most important decisions of World War II. Allied planners needed a sheltered location with flat, firm beaches and within range of
friendly fighter planes based in England. Most important was a reasonable expectation of achieving the element of surprise.
Five beaches, code-named Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword, on the northern coast of Normandy, France, met all the criteria
and were chosen as invasion sites. |
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| Timing was equally important. The amphibious landings needed to be executed early in the
morning after 40 minutes of heavy daylight bombardment. Due to the numerous beach obstacles, the landings also needed to take place
at low tide but at the beginning of the rise of the tide. This allowed for most of the obstacles to be visible and thus be avoided,
but caused the landing craft to debark their troops much further from shore. Unfortunately, all these conditions were only met
between the 5th and 7th of June. Preparations began on the 2nd of June, but a powerful storm arrived on the 4th of June, causing
a 24-hour postponement. Later on the 4th, a break in the weather was forecasted for the 6th - at which time Eisenhower gave
the go ahead for the invasion. |
| The importance of the troops being landed at dawn cannot be underestimated.
This caught many eneny soliers ill-prepared for attack while allowing a whole 16 hours daylight to advance the beachhead into
France. |
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