When did the Germans realize the D-Day landing was the real invasion and not a diversion?by Dion Osika Editor's note: 'Scout' recently posed the above question on the CombatFan
discussion group when noting some discrepancies among opinion of the Germans as presented
in the films "The Longest Day" and "Patton." Below is a response by
Dodger (aka Dion Osika) regarding the German High Command and D-Day. We thought you might
find his analysis interesting. Dodger here ... Patton and Operation FortitudeThe German command always believed that the Allies had more men (divisions) and naval forces available. This was brought about by a massive failure of their intelligence network and by the Allied deception plan, Operation Fortitude. The Allies set up Patton to command the nonexistent First Army Group, which the Germans were to believe would be the main Allied effort in the invasion of France. As long as Patton was still in England, the Germans would have a reason to believe that the Allies were capable of launching an additional invasion effort somewhere. Each command level would interpret the invasion slightly different from another. For example, a German sergeant at Omaha Beach would absolutely believe the invasion was the real one, not a diversion. Whereas, the commander of the forces in the West, Field Marshal von Rundstedt, would wait and consider his sources as to whether Normandy was a diversion or not. In addition, if he felt that the Allies had more troops and ships available for another landing, he would always hold back some reserves and not entirely strip away his defences. Pas de CalaisThe Pas de Calais was always considered to be the most direct route to Germany, as well
as containing many ports which the Allies needed. It would not be stripped of units unless
there was a zero percent possibility of another invasion. Even after the German army
collapsed in Normandy, Germans Attempt to Contain the Invasion of NormandySoon after the Normandy landings, the Germans began to move mobile units (panzer divisions) into the beachhead area to contain the invasion forces and push them back. These units were attached to different levels of command and required approval by higher commanders. For example, 21st Panzer was stationed around Caen and under 7th Army control and immediately was put into action on D-Day. Other panzer units, 12th SS and Panzer Lehr were further away but under a higher authority level. They were released for action and moved to the beachhead on D-Day, but other units still were held in reserve. This continued for weeks after the invasion, as the Germans would release units in hopes of containing the beachhead, but keeping reserves available in case of additional landings. The success of a seaborne invasion requires that the sealift capability of the
assaulting force is capable of building up forces in the beachhead faster than the
defending force can build up a defending or counterattacking force. The Allies gave
themselves a slight edge by always threatening to make additional landings, thus keeping
the Germans from moving all of their reserves into the beachhead. The Germans stripped
units from Brittany, Pas de Calais, Southern France and even Norway in an attempt to build
up reserves. They arrived in driblets and were not committed in large numbers. The panzer
units, which were to be used as mobile reserves, were worn down in the front Allied Stagnation after D-DayThe Allies were hampered in their build up as well. In order to bring in troops and
supplies, they needed a port. Cherbourg, at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula was
a first priority for the US forces. After establishing a firm beachhead, the US forces
moved west across the base of the peninsula to isolate the Cherbourg garrison. Once across
the peninsula, the US Army sent divisions north to Cherbourg but had to maintain units
facing south as well to prevent any German reinforcement. The Allies also built two artificial harbors, called Mulberry, to bring in supplies and
troops. Several weeks after D-Day, a fierce storm destroyed the US Mulberry and damaged
the British harbor. This further slowed the Allied buildup and was part of the reason that
the Allies had a slow and difficult By early July, the stagnant situation in Normandy was becoming serious. Moral and public opinion was down, causing many to fear a repetition to WWI style trench warfare. Enough US divisions had arrived in Normandy, and Gen. Bradley developed the Cobra Operation to achieve a breakthrough. Patton and Operation Cobra (breakout)Although Patton was sidelined during the opening phase of the Normandy invasion, it was
always part of the plan to split the US forces into two armies and place one under his
control. Bradley would move up one step to command 12 U.S. Army Group and Gen Hodges would
take over Bradley's First Army Command. A U.S. Army was normally composed of two,
sometimes three Corps, each with 3 divisions. By early July, 1st Army had four corps
attached and it was necessary to achieve a breakout so that Third Army could be
'activated.' Operation Cobra had been postponed due to weather and other reasons by almost one week.
It was scheduled to start on July 24th with a massive aerial carpet bombing along the
German front lines. The weather was poor on that date, and a recall order was issued, but
several bomber groups did not receive the order and bombed the target. Unfortunately, some
groups dropped incorrectly due to smoke and haze and many US soldiers were killed. The
operation was rescheduled for the next day and, again, bombs fell on U.S. troops. Among
those killed was Gen. McNair, and his death was kept secret to keep the Fortitude plan
alive. His funeral in Normandy was attended by 3 or 4 other As Cobra and the penetration of the German front unfolded, Patton assisted in movements
along the western Cotentin. On August 1st, after the fall of Avranches and breaking into
Brittany, Bradley executed the change in command and Third Army assumed command of units
that had previously fought under First Army. However Patton was not mentioned in the press
until several weeks The Fog of WarAll through this time the Germans were trying to guess when and where the Allies may launch another sea landing. In fact, in mid-August the Allies landed in Southern France and once that occurred the Germans literally ran for the Rhine River. Trying to guess an enemy's strength and intention introduces many unknowns, and this is sometimes referred to as the fog of war. Incomplete, erroneous, or no information leads commanders to make best guesses to fight a battle. As a simple analogy, most of us know how the game of chess is played. Each side has the same number of pieces, we know the movement and power of each piece and we can see the location of each one on the board. Introduce a simple concept to illustrate the fog of war by playing chess while being able to see only the squares that are occupied by the opponent. We can keep track of the chessmen on our side and where an opponent piece may occupy a square, but we don't know if that piece is a pawn or a bishop. It places a different perspective on playing the game. This is why as readers of history we see some simple answers, but at the time the commanders in the field could not see the situation in the same light. Dodger out... (See Dodger's recommending reading about the Breakout in Normandy)
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