World War II~Normandy Landing Campaign~Opening up the Second European Front

The Normandy Campaign was a large-scale offensive launched by the Allied forces on the Western Front of Europe during World War II. It was the largest and longest lasting landing operation in human history, successfully opening up the Second European Front and fundamentally changing the strategic situation of World War II. American historian Samuel Newland said, "There was no battle in World War II that could compare in significance to the Normandy landings.

Although 78 years have passed since the battle, and the current forms of warfare, weapons and equipment, and combat styles have undergone tremendous changes, the underlying logic of command, coordination, and support, as well as the heroic dedication of commanders at all levels, are always worth learning from and learning from.

1、 Background

In 1939, World War II broke out as Germany attacked Poland, occupied Denmark and Norway, and launched surprise attacks on the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. At the end of May 1940, the Anglo French coalition was forced to retreat at Dunkirk, and almost all of the Western European continent was controlled by the German army.

In June 1941, the Soviet German War broke out, and due to the sudden attack of fascism, the Soviet army was defeated all the way. In September, Stalin proposed to Churchill to open a second front in Europe to implement a strategic pincer attack on Germany, but at that time, the United States had not yet joined the war and Britain was unable to organize such a large-scale strategic landing operation. After the United States entered the war in December, the two giants of Britain and America held different attitudes towards opening up a second front: Roosevelt showed a positive attitude and wanted to send troops to help the Soviet Union at a critical moment; Churchill, on the other hand, was more passive and wanted to wait until Germany failed in the struggle against the Soviet Union before taking action.

In June 1942, the Soviet Union, the United States, and the Soviet Union issued a joint communiqu é, reaching a full understanding and consensus on opening a second front in Europe. In July, the London Conference decided to land in North Africa in the autumn of 1942 and postpone the opening of the second front in Europe until the first half of 1943. At this time, the situation on the Soviet German battlefield was very severe. The German army had advanced to Stalingrad. At the strong demand of the Soviet Union, Britain sent more than 1000 officers and soldiers of the "Kommand" assault team and more than 5000 officers and soldiers of the Canadian 2nd Infantry Division to land in Dieppe, France, but suffered a tragic failure.

In January 1943, the Casablanca Conference between Britain and the United States approved the decision to land in Sicily in the first half of the year, postponing the landing in Europe until August. After the meeting, Britain appointed Lieutenant General Morgan as the Chief of Staff of the Allied Supreme Commander, authorizing him to develop combat plans. In May, the Washington Conference between Britain and the United States decided to launch a landing on the European continent in May 1944. In December, General Eisenhower of the US Army was appointed as the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces, which officially put landing on the European continent on the agenda. After Eisenhower took office, he immediately revised Morgan's battle plan, mainly expanding the landing front from 50 kilometers to 80 kilometers, increasing the first tier landing force from 3 divisions to 5 divisions, and increasing the landing beachhead from 3 to 5. The resulting shortage of landing boats had to be postponed from May to June.

2、 Overview

The Normandy Campaign began on June 6, 1944, with some ending with crossing the Seine et Marne River on August 19, and others ending with the liberation of Paris on August 25. But for us, the D-Day operation, which Rommel referred to as the 'longest day', is the key to our research.

（1） Battlefield environment

Normandy is now an administrative region of France, formed on January 1, 2016 by the merger of the former Upper Normandy region (comprising the Seine Maritime and Eure departments) and the former Lower Normandy region (comprising the Calvados, Manche, and Orne departments).

Administrative map of northern France

The Normandy landings mainly took place on the Cotentin Peninsula in the Calvados and Manche provinces of the Lower Normandy region. This region is located in the northwest of France, facing the English Channel across the sea from Britain to the north. The British Channel Islands (Jersey, Guernsey) are scattered over ten nautical miles in the western waters. Under the influence of the warm current of the North Atlantic, this area is warm and rainy all year round, with warm winters and cool summers.

The landing operation area is mainly a plain, covered with farmland divided into blocks by mounds and hedgerows, which is a characteristic of Normandy that has been preserved since the Roman period - the Le Bocage terrain. The rivers in the Cotentin Peninsula crisscross, with the Duvo River and its tributary, the Meldre River, flowing south and southeast through low-lying areas and emptying into the Karantan Canal at the base of the peninsula. Along with the Weir River and the Orr River, the southern part of the peninsula and the northwestern part of Calvados Province are covered in swamps. The Divo River, Orne River, and Caen Canal are located on the left side of the landing zone, flowing from south to north into the English Channel and serving as natural barriers to east-west traffic.

Schematic diagram of water system in Normandy region

There are three main cities in the landing operation zone: the seaport city of Cherbourg, located at the northernmost end of the Cotentin Peninsula and an important base for the German Navy; Saint Lo, located on the banks of the River Vale in the eastern part of the province of Manch, is the headquarters of the German 84th Army and the capital of the current Manch province; Caen, located on the south side of the mouth of the Orne River, is the capital of the Lower Normandy region and the Calvados province.

In addition to a few major cities, there are also some quiet villages and towns whose names have been remembered by the world due to the landing operations. The resort of Uistleong, located at the mouth of the Orne River, is situated on the east side of the Orne River Bridge in the northeast of Caen, on the east side of the Orne River Bridge in Longville, several miles east of Caen in Tufflevere, along the coast in L ü ck sur Mer, Courcelle sur Mer, and Vierville sur Mer, as well as on the southeast coast of the Cotentin Peninsula at the mouth of the Duvo River and the peninsula town of Saint-M é l é glis, and the transportation hub of Foucault.

Distribution of major cities and towns in Normandy region

The Allied landing beaches extend from the mouth of the Orne River in the east to the east coast of the Cotentin Peninsula in the west, including Sword Beach, Juno Beach, Gold Beach, Omaha Beach, and Utah Beach. Jiantan is located on the west side of the mouth of the Orne River and the Caen Canal, where the underwater reefs are continuous and the front for landing is narrow; Juno Beach extends to both sides from the center of the coastal Kursele, with a width of about 9.6 kilometers, and behind the beach is a sand dune; Jintan is located east of Beixin Port, with a width of about 5.2 kilometers. Behind the flat beach is a sandy steep slope at an altitude of about 10 meters; Omaha Beach starts from Saint Onorina de Perte in the east and ends at Vierville sur Mer in the west, with a width of about 6.4 kilometers. Behind the beach that is less than 200 meters wide is a cliff that is over 30 meters high; Utah Beach is located west of the mouth of the Duvall River, about 5 kilometers wide, and is mostly composed of low sand dunes. The natural terrain seems to have determined the casualties of the Allies on various beaches.

Landing beach differentiation

（2） German defense deployment

1. Military deployment

Under the command of Marshal Lundstedt, the German army on the Western Front was divided into two army groups, totaling four army groups and overseeing 58 divisions. Among them, the B Army Group is stationed in northern France, consisting of the 15th Army Group and the 7th Army Group, with a total of 39 divisions. Due to the German belief that the Allies would land in the direction of the Strait of Calais, the main force of the army group, the 15th Army Group, was deployed in the province of Calais (now Seine), while the weaker 7th Army Group became the frontal defense force for the Normandy landings.

The headquarters of the B Army Group is located in La Rochequillon, a small town between Caen and Paris. The commander is the famous "Desert Fox" Marshal Rommel, and the Chief of Staff of the Army Group is Major General Speider. The command post of the 7th Army Group is in Le Mans, with General Dormann as the commander and Major General Penzel as the Chief of Staff. The headquarters of the 84th Army is located in Saint Lo, and the commander is the only artillery general Erich Marks who believed that the Allies would land in Normandy.

The 716th Infantry Division, which was exhausted and weak, guarded the Golden Beach, Juno Beach, and Sword Beach, with many "volunteers" who forcibly invaded the Soviet Union and Poland. The 352nd Infantry Division, which had just been deployed two months before the war, was guarding Omaha Beach due to its experience in numerous battles and resilience. There are three infantry divisions guarding the Cotentin Peninsula, with the 709th Infantry Division guarding the northern and eastern coasts, the 243rd Infantry Division guarding the western coast, and the recently transferred 91st Airborne Division guarding the central region and scattered throughout the base of the peninsula; The 6th Parachute Regiment is stationed south of Karantan. The 21st Armored Division, known for its tenacity, was deployed in villages and forests 25 miles southeast of Caen, making it the only armored division in the region. To the east of the Orne River, at the junction of the 7th and 15th Army Groups, is the 711 Infantry Division under the 15th Army Group.

Schematic diagram of German military forces

2. Defensive thinking

Before Rommel took office, Lundstedt believed that the initial landing was simply unstoppable, and his plan to crush the enemy was to withdraw a large number of German troops from the coast and attack them after the Allies landed. He believed that the best time to launch an attack was when the enemy was unstable, weak, and lacked a sound supply line, and was planning to connect isolated landing sites together.

Rommel believed that the outcome of war would be determined on the beach, and there was only one chance to stop the enemy, which was when they were still in the water, struggling to land, and all their forces had to be deployed by the seaside.

Although Lundstedt was Rommel's superior, Rommel would only execute Lundstedt's orders if they were in line with his ideas. With Hitler's support and Lundstedt's forced concessions, Rommel underwent a thorough overhaul of the anti landing plan.

3. Defense measures

In the autumn of 1941, Hitler began discussing with his generals about turning Europe into an impregnable fortress. Hitler's unwavering determination was to build a defensive line consisting of fortresses and fortified fortifications from the Norwegian Finnish border town of Hilkenes to the French Spanish border town of Pyr é n é es, with a coastline of 3000 miles. However, the "Atlantic Barrier" consisting of 15000 sturdy support points in this plan made Lundstedt and Rommel extremely dissatisfied. Lundstedt doesn't believe in defending at all, because the successful flanking of the French "Maginot Line" in 1940 was planned by him and Manstein; Rommel's dissatisfaction mainly came from the slow progress of the project. When he organized an inspection at the end of 1943, only the construction of the Calais section was completed, and there were still many projects in other places that had not started. With his picky eyes, the entire "Atlantic Wall" was a "Hitler's fictional illusion detached from reality".

But this practical and decisive army marshal changed the whole situation in just a few months before the war. He erected bulky anti landing obstacles on every beach where he could land, including steel multi split conical stakes known as the 'Czech Hedgehog', anti tank barriers known as the 'Belgian Gate', and cement cones known as the 'Devil's Cube', all located at the waterline positions of the high and low tide lines, connected by various types of landmines. According to records, there were 5-6 million landmines set up along the coastline before the war. Behind a dense network of landmines and obstacles, the German army waited in bunkers, bunkers, and transportation trenches surrounded by layers of barbed wire, overlooking the coastline. Every cannon was positioned here, overlooking the beach and the sea. In some places, there are remote-controlled explosive tanks capable of carrying half a ton of explosives, which can be driven to the beach at any time to detonate; In some places, spider web like iron pipes extend from the oil depot and lead to trenches behind the beach, ready to engulf the attacking troops with flames.

Beachhead obstacle

In order to prevent the threat of paratroopers and airborne infantry, Rommel also poured water into the low-lying areas behind the bunkers, set up heavy stakes in open areas seven or eight miles away from the coast, and set up bait mines with tripping ropes between the stakes. As soon as they were touched, they would explode. The German army also released water into the Cotentin Peninsula by activating the Labartay Sluice a few miles above Carantan. The peninsula was already covered in swamps and had been flooded with large areas of land, almost completely cutting off its connection with Normandy. In this way, the German army could encircle the invading American forces by controlling the few roads, bridges, and causeways within the flooded area.

However, due to a misjudgment of the main defense direction, the construction strength and obstacle density of coastal defense works in Normandy were far inferior to those in Calais, and even the artillery turrets on Cape Oak were not equipped with cannons.

（3） Allied mission differentiation

The Allied landing ground forces were organized into the 21st Army Group, commanded by the British Montgomery, consisting of the US 1st Army Group, the British 2nd Army Group, and the Canadian 1st Army Group. The basic tasks of the troops participating in the D-Day operation are: the US 82nd Airborne Division and 101st Airborne Division will parachute near Saint Melegaris on the Cotentin Peninsula, responsible for controlling the right flank of the landing zone and supporting the landing forces in their operations; The 16th Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division and the 116th Regiment of the 29th Infantry Division were commanded by the 1st Infantry Division and landed on Omaha Beach; The 4th Infantry Division landed on Utah Beach. The British 6th Airborne Division landed in the Langville area northeast of Caen, responsible for controlling the left flank of the landing zone and preventing German armored forces from reinforcing the coast; The 3rd Infantry Division landed at Jiantan; The 50th Infantry Division and the 7th Armored Division landed at Jintan. The Canadian 3rd Infantry Division landed on Juno Beach.

The main attacking force of the Allied forces

The navy is divided into two special mixed fleets, the Eastern and Western. The Western Fleet, consisting of US warships, 3 battleships, 10 cruisers, 30 destroyers, 280 other warships, and over 1700 landing ships, gathered in Belfast and provided air cover by the US Tactical Air Force's 9th Air Force. There are three formations under its jurisdiction: the U formation is responsible for transporting the 4th Infantry Division to land on Utah Beach, the O formation is responsible for transporting the 1st Infantry Division to land on the eastern half of Omaha Beach, and the B formation is responsible for transporting the 29th Infantry Division to land on the western half of Omaha Beach. The Eastern Fleet is mainly composed of British warships, with a total of 3 battleships, 13 cruisers, 30 destroyers, 302 other warships, and 2426 landing ships. Assembled in Greenock, with air cover provided by the British Tactical Air Force's 2nd Air Force. There are four formations under its jurisdiction: the G formation is responsible for transporting the British 50th Infantry Division to land at Gold Beach, the J formation is responsible for transporting the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division to land at Juno Beach, the S formation is responsible for transporting the British 3rd Infantry Division to land at Sword Beach, and the L formation is responsible for transporting the second echelon of the British 7th Armored Division to land at Gold Beach.

The navy also has 5 naval artillery support battalions consisting of 7 battleships, 2 shallow water gunboats, 24 cruisers, and 74 destroyers, providing naval artillery support for 5 beachheads.

（4） Allied D-Day Operation

In order to have a clearer understanding of D-Day, based on limited information, I have divided the D-Day operation into four main parts, omitting content such as sea crossing and obstacle breaking.

1. Airborne pilot operation

At 0:15, 120 paratroopers from the US 82nd Airborne Division landed near the town of San Melegaris. The task of this advance unit is to set up airborne field markings for the 82nd Airborne Division and 101st Airborne Division within a 50 square mile area of the Cotentin Peninsula behind Utah Beach within one hour, preparing for the comprehensive attack that the US airborne forces will launch

Schematic diagram of the US airborne area

Five minutes later, 150 airborne infantry from the British 6th Airborne Division, 50 miles away, flew six gliders towards the Caen Canal and Orne River, with the mission of capturing the Caen Canal Bridge and Orne River Bridge. On the one hand, in order to prevent the German reinforcements from attacking the British and Canadian landing sites from the side; On the one hand, these two bridges can be used to expand the landing site. Although the task was arduous, the first battle on D-Day only took 15 minutes.

At the same time, 60 British airborne pilots jumped out of six light bombers and were required to set up signs for three 20 square mile airborne fields east of the Orne River within half an hour, one near Wallaville, one near Langville, and one near Tuffleville.

Schematic diagram of the British airborne area

The paratroopers encountered difficulties from the beginning, as the German anti-aircraft fire was extremely fierce and many planes had to deviate from their flight path. Out of the 120 "Pathfinders" of the US 82nd Airborne Division, only 38 landed on their designated targets, while the rest fell several miles away. The "Pathfinders" of the British 6th Airborne Division only landed accurately in the target area with paratroopers using Valaville as the landing point, and most of their equipment was damaged during the landing process. However, these details do not affect the flashing of signal lights and their piercing effect on the night sky.

2. Airborne assault

At 0:50, the British 6th Airborne Division dropped 4255 paratroopers in Normandy, and the sound of the British hunting horn echoed in the moonlit fields of Normandy. This was a signal of consolidation and a prelude to the battle.

The 'Red Devil' has 5 and a half hours to occupy the first foothold, seize the left wing of the entire landing zone, and complete a series of complex tasks without delay. One battalion of the 5th Parachute Brigade needs to advance rapidly to reinforce the bridge guarding force, while another battalion needs to occupy and defend the village of Langville at the eastern end of the ferry crossing. The 9th Parachute Battalion of the 3rd Parachute Brigade is scheduled to capture the Merville Battery before 5 a.m. In addition, paratroopers also need to occupy the highlands in the north of Caen, defend the Orne River and Caen Canal Bridge, and destroy at least five bridges over the Divo River to prevent German armored forces from approaching the landing site from the flank. In less than 2 and a half hours, it is necessary to seize and clear a large area from the enemy's hands that can accommodate 69 gliders to land, in order to ensure the transport of vehicles, artillery, and heavy equipment by the glider fleet at 3:20.

However, due to various reasons such as navigation errors, anti-aircraft fire strikes, unclear identification of airborne sites, and weather, paratroopers were scattered over a considerable area when landing. The situation of the 5th Parachute Brigade was better, with most of them landing in the target area near Langville. However, it took the company commanders almost 2 hours to gather half of the troops. The encounter of the 3rd Parachute Brigade was very unfortunate. Due to thick clouds, some pilots mistakenly identified the mouth of the Divo River as the Orne River. Many paratroopers fell into the flooded Divo River valley, where the ditches crisscrossed and the bottom was sticky mud. A person carrying weapons, ammunition, and heavy equipment could not climb out of the ditch. Many people struggled out of the swamp but drowned in the river water.

At 1:15, 13000 officers and soldiers from the US 82nd Airborne Division and 101st Airborne Division jumped out of the cabins of 882 aircraft. The 82nd Airborne Division's landing site was located northwest of the town of St. Melegaris, while the 101st Airborne Division's landing site was between St. Melegaris and Utah Beach. Their overall mission was to occupy the right wing of the landing zone and open up a path for the 4th Infantry Division. Among them, the 101st Airborne Division aims to capture the artillery position deployed behind Utah Beach in Saint Martin de Valville, as well as four of the five causeways leading from there to the seaside village of Pubville; We also need to seize or destroy the ferry crossings and bridges along the Duvo River and the Karantan Canal, especially in the vicinity of the Labartai Sluice. The 82nd Airborne Division is tasked with guarding the ferry crossings on the Duvo and Meldre rivers, occupying Saint Melegres, and defending the position north of the town to block the German counterattack, preventing them from entering the flank of the bridgehead. In addition, the paratroopers have an important task to sweep away the enemies around the glider landing site. The large glider fleet will transport reinforcements in two batches at dawn and dusk, with the first batch of about 100 gliders arriving at 4am.

Like the British army, the US military was widely distributed after landing. Only the 505th Parachute Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division landed accurately at the landing site. The US military lost 60% of its equipment, including most of the radios, mortars, and ammunition, and lost a large number of personnel. They fell several miles away from the target point, feeling dizzy and isolated. Moreover, a plane flying from west to east can fly over the Cotentin Peninsula in 12 minutes, and if it jumps too late, it will fall into the English Channel; If you jump too early, it may land between the west coast and the flooded area. Hundreds of paratroopers carrying heavy equipment fell into the swamps of the Duvo and Meldrey rivers, and hundreds of paratroopers fell into small patches of farmland surrounded by high hedgerows. Even whole groups of paratroopers disappeared into the English Channel.

The grand landing plan was difficult to advance, and the first batch of reinforcements arrived smoothly to strengthen the paratroopers that had been parachuted before. A fleet of 69 British gliders brought Major General Richard Nelson Gail, commander of the 6th Airborne Division, and more troops, heavy equipment, and anti tank guns to the landing site. They did not receive the expected heavy artillery fire, but fell silent. However, the US glider fleet did not go so smoothly. Less than half of the 50 gliders of the 82nd Airborne Division landed at the landing site, while the rest either crawled into hedgerows and buildings, or sank into rivers or swamps, resulting in heavy casualties; The gliders of the 101st Airborne Division almost all landed accurately in Yeoville or nearby fields. Although most of the gliders were damaged, the equipment they transported was basically intact. The only regret was that Deputy Commander General Pratt crashed into a hedgerow wall with glider number 1, becoming the first commanding officer to be killed by both sides of the D-Day conflict.

Although the paratroopers had no vehicles, no anti tank guns, and very few rocket launchers, machine guns, and mortars, there was even no communication contact. But they gathered together in the dark night, attacking their targets in groups of three or five. The German strongholds began to be captured, and the planned tasks were accomplished one by one. At 4:30 am, the Star Spangled Banner was already flying over the first French town liberated by the US military, Saint Melegaris. At 5:15, the yellow signal flare representing victory also illuminated the blood stained Merville Battery

In less than 5 hours, the achievements of 18000 paratroopers far exceeded the expectations of Eisenhower and commanders. They seized the wings at both ends of the Normandy landing zone before dawn, largely blocking the German reinforcements.

At this moment, in the dim and gloomy morning light, the grand Allied fleet set up a majestic and intimidating formation on the outskirts of the five landing beaches in Normandy. Behind the fierce battleships, cruisers, and destroyers, there are command ships lined up with numerous antennas, followed by transport and landing fleets carrying troops. The transfer of troops from the large ship to the landing craft is underway with great enthusiasm. The winch is spinning loudly, and the crane is creaking to put the landing craft into the water. The soldiers on the transport ship are crowded on the deck, waiting to take turns climbing down the ladder or climbing the net to enter the landing craft that is undulating, splashing with waves, and ready to set sail. The patrol boats of the Coast Guard shuttle back and forth among the chaotic landing craft group, commanding the landing craft to complete the formation and waiting for the signal to rush towards the beach.

3. Sea and air firepower strikes

At 5:30 am, British warships began firing at the German beachhead positions. The "Yanzhan" and "Ramiris" ships used their 381mm guns to shoot tons of steel at the German fortresses in the vicinity of the Le Havre and Orne river mouths. The agile cruisers and destroyers fired a series of shells at bunkers, underground shelters, and defensive obstacles.

At 5:50, in the sea near Omaha, the US Navy's battleships "Texas" and "Arkansas" poured 600 shells onto the shore artillery positions at Cape Oak; On the sea near Utah Beach, the battleship Nevada and the cruisers Tascaloosa, Quincy, and Black Prince fired in unison at the German coastal artillery positions. When large ships fire 5-6 miles offshore, small destroyers drive in a straight line 1-2 miles away from the shore, firing intensively at all targets in the coastal defense system.

Immediately afterwards, bomber and fighter squadrons appeared. The number of aircraft is as high as 9000, with wings adjacent to each other, forming formations one after another. Spitfire, Thunderbolt, and Mustang fighter jets whizzed over the heads of the landing officers and soldiers, fiercely strafing towards the landing beaches and coastal headlands. Above the fighter squadron is the B-26 medium bomber squadron. Further up, there are the Royal Air Force's Lancaster style, the United States Air Force's Airborne Fortress style, and the Liberator heavy bomber. However, due to the thick clouds and fear of accidentally injuring our own troops, many bombs deviated from their targets. 329 bombers sent to the Omaha area mistakenly dropped 13000 bombs on the inland area 3 miles away from the deadly artillery group on Omaha Beach.

At the moment, the first wave of landing officers and soldiers could not see the Normandy beach shrouded in mist. The huge square front side suspension bridge of the landing boat broke through layers of waves, and the icy sea water was splashed with foam on everyone. The officers and soldiers on the boat were all cold, restless, and crowded together with heavy equipment. The seasick had no place to vomit, so they had to vomit on others. Some people had no time to feel pain, and they had to struggle to scoop water for survival. The shells covering the sky and the ground whizzed past from above, and the officers and soldiers forgot their pain and couldn't help but cheer. The emergence of a massive fleet of aircraft further distorted the faces of soldiers due to an overwhelming emotional impact.

Inside the landing craft

4. Troops rush to land on the beach

Before 6:30 am, the landing fleet dragged long white waves towards the shore at high speed. Above their heads, the shells fired by the warships woven into a steel dome, and the air force's bombing continued thunderously. Some landing craft began to sink due to flooding, while others collided with mines and were overturned in the water. On the sea surface leading to the shore, someone saw floating bodies and heard drowning calls, but the commander received orders to 'disregard casualties and ensure timely landing of troops'.

*Lucky Utah*

In order to block the Allied landing, the German army flooded the low-lying area behind the sandy beaches on the east coast of the Cotentin Peninsula, covering an area of over 12 square miles. Utah Beach was almost located in the center of this artificial lake, and the US 4th Infantry Division had only one way to enter the interior, which was to march along five causeways that passed through the floodplain, but German artillery controlled these causeways.

According to the original plan, the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Regiment of the first wave would first land on the beach where Exit 3 is located. However, due to the smoke generated by naval artillery covering the landmark, the command ship was swept southward by a strong current moving along the coast, causing the landing site of the first wave of landing troops to shift southward by 1.6 kilometers to both sides of Exit 2.

It was this fortunate mistake that prevented the landing troops from encountering any strong resistance, with only a few shells landing on the beach and occasional sporadic machine gun sounds, far less intense than expected by the officers and soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division.

At this moment, the Deputy Commander of the 4th Infantry Division, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (son of US President Roosevelt), who had already landed with the troops, faced an important choice: to command the incoming troops to enter this unfamiliar but relatively calm area with only one causeway, or to guide all attacking troops into the originally planned Utah Beach with two causeways. If this only exit is blocked or lost, a large number of troops and vehicles will be stranded on the beach, and the consequences will be unimaginable.

Roosevelt gathered the commanders above the battalion level and made a decision: to abandon the attack on the original landing area targets, advance inland along this only causeway, and destroy any German positions encountered along the way at any time. We must advance quickly before the enemy responds, "Roosevelt turned to Colonel Eugene Kaffee of the 1st Special Engineering Brigade and said," I am ready to move forward with the troops. You go and notify the Navy to transport the troops here, and we will start the battle from here

Utah Beach Landing Map

As of 10am, the Allied forces have successfully landed 6 battalions of troops. At the end of D-Day, the 4th Infantry Division had almost achieved all of its scheduled targets, with a total of 23000 personnel and 1700 vehicles landing, all beach exits cleared, and only 197 casualties.

*Bloody Omaha*

The 1st Infantry Division and the 29th Infantry Division were responsible for landing on Omaha Beach, dividing the beach into numbered beachheads. The 1st Infantry Division dispatched the 16th Infantry Division to attack the eastern half of Omaha Beach, including the "Red E", "Green F", and "Red F" beachheads; The 29th Infantry Division dispatched the 116th Infantry Division to attack the western half of Omaha Beach, including the "C Zone," "Green D," "White D," "Red D," and "Green E" beachheads. According to the plan, at H-5, 32 amphibious tanks from the 29th Infantry Division will enter the "White D" and "Green D" beachheads to provide fire cover for the first phase of the attack; At H, 8 tank landing craft will transport more tanks, which will sail directly from the sea onto the "Green E" and "Red D" beaches; At 6:31, the attacking troops will wade through water and land on the beach in all areas; At 6:33, underwater blasting engineers landed and cleared 16 50 yard wide roads through minefields and obstacles before 7:00; Starting from 7:00, the main attacking force will be divided into 5 attack waves, starting to land at 6-minute intervals; At 7:30, the troops will occupy the high ground behind the beach, and the 116th Infantry Division will then advance westward, while the 16th Infantry Division will rendezvous with the British forces fighting at Port Besine to the east. Heavy equipment such as artillery will land within an hour and a half, while cranes, half track vehicles, and tank repair and maintenance vehicles are scheduled to arrive at 10:30.

Omaha Beach Landing Map

The landing ship joined the artillery preparation about 1000 yards offshore, with thousands of rockets dragging their tail flames and flying over the soldiers' heads. It is puzzling that even when the landing officers and soldiers were able to see the deadly and chaotic obstacles clearly, the German artillery fire remained silent.

When the first batch of landing boats were less than 400 yards away from the coast, German machine gun bullets hit the bow of the boats with a compact clang sound, and mortar shells rained down on the landing fleet. The hour has finally arrived, and no one would envy the heavy and unremarkable people on Omaha Beach.

The German army has concentrated its strongest defense forces here to control the two main passages from the beach to Vierville sur Mer and Colleville sur Mer. As soon as the landing craft carrying the troops docked, it was subjected to fierce artillery fire in various places along the coast, and at the "Green D" and "Green F" beaches, the landing troops had no chance to land. Some landing craft were unable to find their way through the maze like obstacles and the gunfire from the cliffs, so they had to retreat and wander along the coast, hoping to find a location with weaker firepower to land; Other landing craft stubbornly sailed towards the designated landing site and were ravaged by artillery fire. The officers and soldiers had to jump into the water, but immediately drew machine gun fire; Some landing craft were hit by artillery fire before they even docked.

At 7am, the second wave of landing troops landed on Omaha Beach, which was like a slaughterhouse. The officers and soldiers waded ashore under the intense enemy fire, and the landing craft joined the growing cemetery composed of burning ship wreckage. Subsequently, the third wave of landing troops rushed onto the beach filled with chaos, disorder, and death. A few minutes later, the fourth wave of landing troops also arrived, and they were also stagnant.

There was also a serious accident that resulted in heavy losses for the 1st Infantry Division. In the waters outside Omaha Beach, the original plan was to launch 64 tanks 2-3 miles offshore. Among them, 32 tanks supporting the 1st Infantry Division arrived at the designated location first. The tank landing craft lowered the ramp, and 29 tanks entered the surging waves. Under the impact of the waves, the canvas float supporting the tanks was torn apart, and seawater surged into the engine. 27 tanks sank into the water one by one. Only two tanks tilted their bodies and headed towards the shore, while three landing craft with their springboards jammed successfully brought the tanks ashore. In addition, 32 tanks planned to support the 29th Infantry Division had to change their plans and were directly delivered to the shore by landing craft. Due to the complete loss of tanks supporting the 1st Infantry Division, hundreds of casualties were caused to the landing forces a few minutes later.

As the sea began to rise, wreckage of ships and abandoned supplies floated up from the shore, including equipment, supplies, ammunition boxes, broken telegraph machines, excavation tools, water bottles, helmets, lunch boxes, and more. Many American wounded soldiers drowned, while those who had already landed on the beach desperately squeezed towards the narrow strip of land that was not submerged, becoming targets for the German army's shooting. The distance from the landing craft to the beachhead was stained red with blood, and less than one-third of the soldiers survived. The beach was littered with American corpses, gently pushing and shoving each other in the water.

The troops fell into a strange state of paralysis on the beach, but this state did not last long. "There are two types of people left on the beach, one is the dead and the other is waiting to die," and they must stand up and continue to move forward.

At around 8:30, due to the lack of more space on the beach to continue accommodating landing forces, the US military suspended the landing. Colonel Gott, the commander of the 916th Grenadier Division of the 352nd Infantry Division, called the division headquarters from a bunker overlooking the beach and optimistically reported the situation of the heavy attack on the landing troops. At 11 o'clock in the morning, Lieutenant General Kreis, the commander of the 352nd Infantry Division, was very certain that he had cleared all enemy forces from Omaha Beach and transferred the reserve forces to the British landing area.

After the deputy commander of the 29th Division, Brigadier General Kota, landed, he began to reorganize the scattered troops on the battlefield and personally commanded infantry to launch attacks. The US Navy, responsible for naval artillery fire support, realized that the situation on the beach was extremely severe. Despite the dangers of grounding, mine strikes, and shelling, 17 destroyers proactively approached 800 meters from the beach for close range fire support. The army and navy cooperate closely. As long as the army uses tracer bullets to shoot, the navy treats it as indicating the target and immediately conducts artillery fire, gradually suppressing the German firepower.

At 13:00 in the afternoon, the US military climbed to the top of the steep cliff, and the beach was under the control of the US military. By nightfall, the US military had advanced 1.5 kilometers inland and captured the towns of Vierville sur Mer and Colleville sur Mer, accumulating 34000 officers and soldiers on the beach.

At the end of D-Day, although the Allies captured Omaha Beach, they paid an extremely heavy casualty price. The 29th Infantry Division suffered 2440 casualties, the 1st Infantry Division suffered 1744 casualties, and an additional 2500 were captured.

*Arrogant Commonwealth*

In the eastern half of the Normandy landing beachhead, the British 2nd Army, led by Lieutenant General Dempsey, prepared to land with the usual serious and magnificent demeanor of the British, as well as the deliberate indifference and disdain shown at critical moments. They are not just attacking the beach, but also the painful memories of Munich, Dunkirk, and Dieppe.

As the fleet sailed towards the shore, a celebratory atmosphere filled the air. The sound of "Roll out the beer barrels" could be heard from the lifeboat horns off Jian Beach, and the melody of "We don't know where to go" could be heard from the boats off Jin Beach. Canadian officers and soldiers on Juno Beach sang along with the music, almost singing the songs of the army and navy. Many soldiers looked at the obstacles on the shore and the enemy firepower shooting towards the landing craft with a detached attitude.

Due to the fact that the Calvados Reef is exposed to the water during low tide, the landing time must be 60 minutes after high tide, so the British H-time was one hour later than the American one. This also resulted in the British naval artillery's firepower preparation lasting up to 100 minutes, and several major support points of the German army were destroyed. Moreover, due to the strong winds and waves, the landing commander decided not to flood the amphibious tanks as planned and instead sent them directly to the beach by landing craft, which also avoided the losses suffered by the US military.

The first group to enter the water are frogmen, a team of underwater blasting experts who plan to open a 30 yard wide passage through underwater obstacles within 20 minutes. However, their work had not yet ended when amphibious tanks had already approached them, followed by the first wave of landing troops.

For the British and Canadian armies, the exhausted and weak German 716th Infantry Division was no match, and obstacles were the most difficult part to deal with during the entire landing process. Out of the 16 landing craft transporting the Royal Marine Corps 47th Assault Unit to Jintan, 4 sank, 11 were injured and washed ashore, and only 1 returned to the mother ship. Behind the obstacle defense line, the distribution of enemy forces on the beachhead is very irregular. Some places have fierce resistance, while others have little or no resistance.

The British advance in Jintan was very smooth, except in the western half where the 231st Infantry Brigade of the British 50th Infantry Division came under fierce fire from the direction of LeAmel, where the defending force was a part of the German 352nd Division. It took the 1st Battalion of the Hampshire Regiment 8 hours to destroy the defensive fortifications of LeAmel. The beach on the east side is very calm, and the medical guards have almost nothing to do, so they have to help unload ammunition. At 11 o'clock in the morning, the 7th Armored Division of the second tier landed smoothly, and the British advance was even more unimpeded. At 21 o'clock that evening, they occupied Alomen ç i and joined forces with the Canadian army landing on Juno Beach, connecting the two beaches together. The only difficult task is the 47th Commando Squadron of the British Marine Corps, whose mission is to seize the Port of Besine at the junction of the US and UK landings. Due to the loss of all communication equipment during the landing and the loss of contact with the main force, facing fierce resistance from the German army, it was blocked near the coast for 8 hours until evening when it finally arrived at Port Besin. On the 7th, Foxiao seized Port Besin with sea and air firepower support. At this point, the British 50th Infantry Division completed its scheduled mission and occupied a landing site about 8 kilometers deep, with about 35000 people landing and about 1500 casualties.

Canada's operation at Juno Beach was the most difficult, as the landing time was delayed by 20 minutes due to bad weather and navigation errors, missing the appropriate tide. The landing craft was forced to unload personnel and equipment between obstacles submerged by the tide. Moreover, the landing craft transporting engineers arrived very late, and the work of removing underwater obstacles did not begin until after the climax, resulting in a large number of vehicles crowding on the beach. The Canadian 3rd Infantry Division faced the strongest resistance from three beaches. Although the battle was brutal, they crossed the beach between Bernier sur Mer and Saint Euban sur Mer into the inland in less than 30 minutes, and then spent two hours clearing the defenders of Courcelle sur Mer. The follow-up troops encountered almost no resistance, and personnel, artillery, tanks, and support materials were continuously transported to the shore. At the end of D-Day, the Canadian army advanced to a distance of 5 kilometers from Hill City and joined forces with the British army's Golden Beach, forming a large landing site with a frontal length of 19 kilometers and a depth of 10 kilometers. On that day, the Canadian military landed about 20000 people from Juno Beach, with approximately 2000 casualties.

Occupy the beachhead position

Jian Tan is expected to encounter the strongest resistance among the three beaches by the British army. Officers and soldiers were informed that casualties would reach over 80%, and some assault teams were even prepared to be completely annihilated on the beach. Due to effective firepower preparation and the smooth landing of amphibious tanks, the landing force progressed very smoothly. At 7:30, the first tier brigade began landing, the second tier brigade landed at 10:00, and the reserve team of the 13th division landed. Everything went unexpectedly smoothly. Although the first round of attacking forces near Uistleong also suffered fierce attacks, with heavy casualties among the officers and soldiers of the 2nd Battalion in East Yorkshire, the battle on the beach quickly came to an end. Most of the troops who subsequently landed were surprised to find only sporadic snipers shooting, without the expected large number of casualties. Many places are even filled with festive atmosphere, with groups of three or five French people standing by the seaside, eagerly welcoming the landing troops. At around 16:00 in the afternoon, when the formation commander went ashore for inspection, he found that the order of personnel and vehicles on the beach was chaotic, and even issued an order to rectify the beach order. At 21:00 that evening, the British 3rd Infantry Division had advanced 6.4 kilometers inland and joined forces with the 6th Airborne Division, landing 29000 people from Jian Tan with only 630 casualties.

*Classic Battle*

This is a grand landing battle, taking place at every beach in every season, with thrilling battles and heroic deeds visible everywhere. Although people may forget a lot of history, history will also remember many stories.

The Battle of Melville Battery

In the British military area, to the east of the mouth of the Orne River, adjacent to the coastline, lies the Merville Battery, which is wrapped in layers of barbed wire, minefields, and anti tank trenches, posing a great threat to the landing forces at Sword Beach.

In order to destroy this battery, the 3rd Parachute Brigade formulated a detailed and meticulous plan: first, Lancaster bombers would take turns bombing, dropping 4000 pound bombs; The glider fleet subsequently transported jeeps, anti tank guns, flamethrowers, mortars, mine detectors, and lightweight ladders; After receiving these equipment, the 9th Umbrella Battalion of Otwey divided into 11 teams to launch an attack on the battery; When the main attacking force pounces on the battery from the ground, three gliders loaded with airborne infantry must forcefully land at the top of the battery and launch a joint assault from the ground and air. The coordination of all these actions must be very precise and precise. If there is no successful signal from Otway before 5:30, it will be handed over to naval guns for bombardment.

However, the air raid at 0:30 was a complete failure, with not a single bomb hitting the target. The paratrooper battalion of Otwey was supposed to land within a 1 square mile area, but was dispersed into over 50 square miles of countryside and swamps. Before takeoff, the 700 brave warriors gathered for several hours before finally gathering to 150 people. The glider fleet carrying equipment also did not arrive, and they could only use their only rifles, submachine guns, grenades, and explosives to attack the sturdy fortress guarded by 200 people.

The steel wire mesh around the turret has been placed with blasting cylinders, ready to detonate at any time; A group of engineers has cleared a road in the minefield; The paratroopers crawled close to the coastal battery under the moonlight. The glider carrying the fully loaded infantry arrived on time, but according to the coordinated plan, they had to see the illumination flares fired from the mortar before they could land. Otwey had only the signal gun left in his hand to launch the successful attack signal, and they could only watch helplessly as the glider circled back and forth, helpless and helpless.

The glider gave up, and the last chance to compete for foreign aid was also lost. Otway remembered the instruction given to him by Major General Gail, the commander of the 6th Airborne Division: 'You must not have the idea that a frontal assault could fail in your mind.'.

With a loud bang from the blasting cylinder, the barbed wire was blasted open, and paratroopers rushed forward, braving a barrage of bullets. They captured the peripheral trenches and machine gun fire points, destroying 2 out of 4 artillery pieces and temporarily damaging the other 2.

The battle ended in just 15 minutes, and Otway fired a yellow signal flare representing victory with a signal gun. In this battle, Otwey lost half of his troops, annihilated 178 enemies, and the remaining 22 were taken away as prisoners of war. Although the Germans returned to the battery 48 hours later, it remained silent during the most critical hours of the Allied landing.

Capture Cape Oak

Between Utah Beach and Omaha Beach, there stands a cliff over 30 meters high, like the bow of a warship pointing straight into the English Channel. The gun emplacements here pose a serious threat to the American forces landing on both beaches.

Oak Point Defense Diagram

In order to eliminate this threat, the US military plans to have Lieutenant Colonel Rudel's 2nd Cavalry Battalion arrive at the foot of Cape Oak at H o'clock and launch signal flares as soon as they climb the cliff to guide Lieutenant Colonel Schneider's 5th Cavalry Battalion to follow up with reinforcements. If no signal is seen by 7 o'clock, Lieutenant Colonel Schneider can determine that the frontal attack on Cape Oak was unsuccessful and turn to Omaha Beach to land after the 29th Infantry Division, then turn west and capture the Cape Oak Battery from the rear.

Plans often fail to keep up with changes, and the leader of the 2nd Cavalry Battalion's landing craft made a mistake in direction, leading this small fleet to the Perce Rapids Point 3 miles east. By the time they realized their mistake and returned to the correct course, they had already lost valuable time. At this point, Schneider's troops had already set out for Omaha to execute the second plan, leaving Rudel and his 2nd Cavalry Battalion to rely solely on themselves.

When the 2nd Cavalry Battalion launched an assault on Cape Oak, it was fiercely blocked by light weapon firepower. Nine assault boats transported 225 cavalrymen to a narrow beach below the protruding cliff. On the sea not far from the shore, the British destroyer "Talabont" and the American destroyer "Satley" continuously fired shells towards the cliff.

The shell exploded at the top of the cliff, shaking down large pieces of sand and hitting the cavalrymen. At the top of the cliff are German soldiers everywhere, who quickly emerge and shoot down or throw grenades. The cavalrymen ran quickly on the narrow beach filled with bullet holes, unloaded their equipment from their boats, and fired at the cliffs at the same time. The rocket rope thrower dragged the rope again and again, shooting the hooks and claws onto the 100 foot high cliff of Oak Point. After some hooks and claws were fixed on the cliff, everyone rushed to climb up the rope. Some soldiers also use knives to carve out grip points and attempt to climb by hand. German soldiers shot and cut the rope while the cavalrymen screamed and fell off the cliff.

Bombing Cape Oak

As they struggled to climb to the top of the high ground at Cape Oak, they saw the entire ground blasted into "meteorite craters" by joint sea air firepower. By that evening, only 90 out of 225 cavalrymen were still able to fight. Even worse, this operation was a heroic yet futile effort, as the German army had never installed cannons in the artillery bunker at Cape Oak.

（5） Continued after Day D

On June 7, 1944, Hitler handed over the command of the five armored divisions of the Western Front Armored Group to Rommel. In the face of a severe situation, Rommel set the first goal of his counterattack as to first prevent the Allies from connecting the five landing beaches into a complete landing site, and then to ensure the safety of Caen and Cherbourg. Unfortunately, these armored units arrived from one or two hundred kilometers away and were bombed by the Allied forces along the way, making it impossible for them to be deployed as a unit in combat. Even sporadic units arrived at the beach and suffered heavy casualties under the artillery fire of Allied warships.

On June 13th, the British 7th Armored Division encountered the German SS 2nd Armored Division while advancing southwest of Caen, suffering huge losses and forced to retreat. However, it also attracted this elite German army to the Caen area, creating conditions for the US military. After the American occupation of Carantan, the German army was unable to withdraw troops from the Caen area and had to urgently call in the 17th SS Armored Division to attack the American flank and eliminate the threat to Cherbourg.

On June 14th, the US military broke through the German defense line in the Saint Sovo area and captured Saint Sovo on the 16th. On the 18th, they captured Barneil in the central part of the Cotentin Peninsula. On the 19th, they turned around and headed straight to Montebourg, cutting off the Cotentin Peninsula at the waist.

On June 19th, a storm in the English Channel caused significant losses to the Allies, forcing them to halt unloading for a full five days and preventing 20000 vehicles and 100000 tons of supplies from landing as planned. The material damage caused by the storm greatly exceeded the losses during the 13 day operation, and forced serious difficulties in the logistics supply of the Allied forces. If the German army can seize this once-in-a-lifetime fighter jet, the situation is highly likely to be rewritten. Unfortunately, at that time, the German forces were only able to barely defend. Although the 9th and 10th armored divisions of the SS, which had just withdrawn from the Soviet battlefield and reorganized, were transferred from Hungary, due to severe damage to the railways in France, the troops were unable to gather and move in time, missing this excellent opportunity.

On June 25th, the US 7th Army stormed into the city of Cherbourg; On July 1st, all the defenders of Cherbourg announced their surrender. At this point, the US military occupied the entire Cotentin Peninsula.

Although Cherbourg has been occupied, it is now in ruins. As early as the second day of the Allied landing, the German army anticipated that the Allies would seize Cherbourg and immediately began to systematically destroy port facilities such as docks, breakwaters, and cranes. After the Allied occupation of Cherbourg, it took three weeks to restore the port's throughput capacity. By the end of 1944, a total of 2137 transport ships had entered Cherbourg, with a total unloading capacity of 2.826 million tons, making a huge contribution to the victory of the anti fascist war.

At the same time as the US captured Cherbourg, Montgomery commanded the British 2nd Army and launched a fierce attack on Caen with four divisions on June 26th. On the 27th, the British vanguard 11th Armored Division took control of the bridge over the Orne River. On the 28th, the main force of the British army crossed the Orne River and established a bridgehead position with a front width of 3650 meters and a depth of 900 meters. On the 29th, the German army concentrated 5 armored divisions to launch a counterattack, and the two sides were deadlocked.

On June 29th, Hitler replaced Field Marshal Kluge as the commander-in-chief of the Western Front, while Eberbach replaced von Schwebenberg to command the armored forces of the Western Front and renamed his troops as the 5th Tank Army Group. SS General Hauser replaced the recently deceased Dormann as the commander of the 7th Army Group.

On July 1st, the Allies announced the victory of the naval operation in Operation Overlord, also known as Operation Sea King. Immediately revoked the designations of the East West Combined Fleet, and some of its vessels were transferred to the Mediterranean and Pacific. The Allies established two new naval base headquarters in Normandy, one in Cherbourg and one in the artificial harbor on Juno Beach, responsible for commanding and dispatching personnel, transporting and unloading materials. By early July, the Allies had landed 25 divisions, including 13 American divisions, 11 British divisions, and 1 Canadian division. The Allies still felt that the landing beach was too narrow, so they continued to expand the landing site.

On July 6th, the highly mobile and assault capable US 3rd Army Group, commanded directly by the Allied Supreme Command, set foot on the European continent under the brave and skilled General Patton.

On July 10th, the British army occupied Caen.

On July 18th, the US army captured Saint Lo, and the German defense line in Normandy was divided into two sections by the Allies, making the situation even more passive and unfavorable.

In order to further expand the landing site between the Orne River and the Divo River, the British army continued to advance southeast from Caen, gradually forming a landing site with a width of 150 kilometers and a depth of 15-35 kilometers. They established and consolidated strategic bridgeheads, completed preparations for large-scale ground attacks, and seized the starting point for large-scale armored forces to launch attacks, laying a solid foundation for the recovery of Western Europe.

3、 Think about it

We understand this period of history not only to enrich our conversations after meals, but also to summarize and reflect on the experiences and lessons behind it.

（1） The main reason for the Allied victory

1. Favorable situation. On the Soviet German battlefield, the Soviet army had launched large-scale strategic attacks, and the fascist German army repeatedly retreated. Hitler had to shift a large number of reserve forces and western front troops eastward to prevent the Soviet army's rapid offensive. In May 1944, the German army had 179 divisions and 5 brigades on the Soviet front, while France, Belgium, and the Netherlands had only 58 divisions on the western front. Even with the addition of 2 armored divisions of the strategic reserve commanded by Hitler himself, the total number of divisions was only 60. In the Asia Pacific battlefield, the Japanese army was deeply trapped in the Chinese Mainland and could not extricate itself. The navy and air force also suffered repeated failures in the Pacific. The Japanese government was unable to cooperate with Germany strategically when it was too busy. On the Italian battlefield, due to the surrender of the Italian government, Germany had to deploy a large number of troops there to counter the attack of the American and British armies. In various Western European countries, large-scale anti fascist movements are developing vigorously, and armed struggles against fascist occupation are emerging one after another. The German army has become unstable in the occupying countries, with nearly 500000 people fighting against fascist occupation forces in France alone, and some cities are brewing uprisings. In the Mediterranean and Atlantic, the Allies have taken control of the sea lanes there. All of these provided extremely favorable conditions for the Allies to land in Western Europe and open up a second front.

2. Make the right choice. The Allies' choice of landing site played a decisive role in the outcome of the battle. Initially, representatives of the Army and Air Force in the Joint Staff preferred to choose the Calais region. They believe that the Calais region is the closest to the UK, with a strait width of only 33 kilometers, making it convenient for fast navigation and sea air support; In addition, the Calais region has suitable beaches and good ports for landing, as well as for the landing of supplies and subsequent troops, and for the rapid development of attacks towards the French capital Paris and the Ruhr industrial area in Germany. However, naval representatives believe that the German army has heavy troops and tight defenses in the Calais region, and there is a lack of access to the interior of France. The Normandy region has many advantages: firstly, the coastal defense is relatively weak, with only 88 isolated support points built, and the number of troops and beach obstacles is far less than in the Calais region; Secondly, the beach is wide, with only a few areas having steep walls and reefs, covered in gravel and pebbles, making it easy to land. Additionally, there are many roads leading inland from the coast, which is conducive to the development and attack of the land forces in depth; Thirdly, on the west side of the Seine Bay, there is the Cotentin Peninsula as a barrier. The waves in the bay are shallow and the landing ships can avoid being attacked by huge waves; Fourthly, the main ports in the UK are concentrated on the southwest coast, such as Portsmouth Port, which is only 180 kilometers away from Normandy, while sailing to Calais is much farther away. The main flaw is the lack of a good large port to ensure the rapid landing of Allied troops and supplies. However, this flaw was perfectly compensated for by two artificial mulberry ports.

3. Clever deception. Behind this magnificent battle lies a classic strategic deception and an incredibly dangerous espionage battle. In order to cover up the "Operation Overlord", the US military established a fake command center in Dover across the Strait of Calais, displaying the name of the "US 1st Army Group" and publicly appointing General Patton, who had great military achievements, as the commander of this nominal fake army group. A large number of fake landing craft have been set up at the mouth of the Thames River and the Medway River in the Dover area, and fake docks have been constructed on the east coast of England. Fake military material storage yards have been set up, and clear signs of landing force boarding points have been erected; Hundreds of fake tanks are lined up near the east coast where German planes can take photos, and empty trucks covered in tarpaulins are running back and forth in unmanned camps. Smoke is still rising in the unmanned tent areas, creating the atmosphere of a heavy army group stationed there and creating the illusion of a "complete fleet" intensifying preparations for landing in Calais. Whether it was aerial reconnaissance or ground and surface reconnaissance, the activities arranged by the Allies in the Calais region exceeded those in the Normandy region. Whenever one plane was sent to conduct reconnaissance over Normandy, at least two planes were sent to conduct feint reconnaissance over Calais, making it difficult for the German army to understand where the focus of Allied reconnaissance was. Moreover, the Allied bombing aviation units worked day and night to bomb bridges, shore protection projects, and German radar stations in the Calais and Bren areas, with twice the number of aircraft sorties and bombs dropped compared to the Normandy region. Hitler had initially speculated that several locations could become Allied landing sites, but gradually the idea of "Calais" took root in his ears. Until the rumble of artillery during the landing campaign had disrupted the tranquility of Normandy, the German High Command still mistakenly believed that it was just a diversionary operation and firmly believed that the main direction of the Allied assault was in the Calais region.

Normandy D Day 

4. Absolute advantage. If a victorious soldier is called a coin, then a defeated soldier is called a coin. To carry out this large-scale campaign, the Allied forces gathered up to 2.88 million troops, including 36 army divisions and approximately 1.53 million soldiers; There are about 5300 warships and over 5000 transport ships deployed by the navy in combat; There are 13700 combat aircraft in the Air Force. The German 7th Army stationed in Normandy had only 6 divisions and 3 regiments, with a total strength of only 90000 soldiers; The navy has a total of 561 small and medium-sized warships; The Air Force is the 3rd Air Force, with approximately 450 combat aircraft, of which only 160 are fighter planes, placing it at an absolute disadvantage of 1:30 compared to the number of Allied combat aircraft. Moreover, in the months leading up to the landing, the Allies carried out large-scale bombings on railway hubs, bridges, roads, and other important targets in northern France and Belgium, causing the German transportation system to be paralyzed and greatly restricting the mobility of troops. Three weeks before landing, bombing was carried out on the airports and radar stations around Normandy, so the Allies encountered little resistance from the German air force during the landing. In order to seize control of the sea, the Allies crushed the attack of German submarines in the Atlantic, laid mines at the eastern entrance of the English Channel for blockade, and dispatched a large number of anti submarine aircraft to patrol the western entrance day and night, thwarting the German plan to attack the Allies with remote-controlled motorboats, torpedoes, and other weapons.

5. Adequate preparation. The "Operation Overlord" plan had not yet been finalized when unprecedented troops and equipment began to flood into Britain. In addition to the existing dozens of airports, the Allies also built 163 new airports. The transport fleet arrived in large numbers, and by the spring of 1944, 2 million tons of goods and supplies had been transported. Due to the overwhelming amount, a new 170 mile railway had to be built to transport them away from the shore. By May, the southern part of England was like a huge arsenal. Ammunition as high as mountains is hidden in the forest, and over 50000 tanks, armored vehicles, ambulances, and construction machinery are parked on the barren land. The storage center is filled with a huge amount of food, clothing, and medical supplies, with 124000 beds alone. All the valleys are filled with a series of brand new railway vehicles, nearly 1000 brand new locomotives, 20000 freight cars, and oil tanker cars. There is also the most confidential project of the "Overlord" operation, two "Mulberry Tree" artificial ports, each of which has the scale of the largest passenger port in the UK, Dover Port, to ensure that troops and equipment energy sources are continuously transported to the beachhead during the critical first few weeks of the enemy's port not being captured. One city after another, consisting of mobile homes and tents, has emerged in the coastal areas preparing to board the ship. The queue waiting for meals sometimes stretches for a quarter of a mile, with 54000 personnel serving the US military alone, including 4500 newly trained cooks. In addition, in the two months leading up to the landing, the Allied reconnaissance planes dispatched 4560 sorties, providing valuable tactical intelligence for the landing operation.

6. God's favor. In June, the Normandy region only had meteorological conditions for landing operations on the 5th, 6th, and 7th. The operation originally planned to be carried out on June 5th had to be postponed and returned to port due to sudden severe weather, which had already sailed in the English Channel. If the delay continues based on weather conditions, the entire D-Day plan will be fully exposed. However, around 9pm on June 4th, meteorological experts detected a new weather front, and in the following hours, the gradually improving weather conditions will continue throughout the day and persist until the morning of June 6th, after which the weather will become worse again. The limited time window made June 6th a famous D-Day. On this day, which happened to be Rommel's wife's birthday, whether his true purpose was to meet Hitler to apply for an armored division or to misjudge the intentions of the Allies, he left the headquarters of the B Army Group in La Rochequillon in the early morning of June 4th and did not leave until 1:00 pm on June 6th to return to France. On June 6th, the German army organized a large-scale map exercise in Rennes. Senior German officers stationed in Normandy left the front line one by one before the battle, and what's even more ridiculous is that the exercise was designed to resist the Allied invasion in Normandy. On June 6th, at the 84th Army headquarters in Saint Lo, as paratroopers landed in the defense zone 40 miles away, staff were toasting and drinking to celebrate the commander's birthday. Due to weather conditions, General Derrich Dormann at the headquarters of the 7th Army Group in Le Mans also ordered the lifting of the scheduled combat readiness for that evening. If the tangible factors mentioned earlier are the key to determining the outcome of a war, then these intangible factors and some seemingly insignificant coincidences are enough to illustrate the choices of history.

（2） Subjective factors contributing to the failure of the German army

If the main reason for the misjudgment of the German strategy is attributed to the deliberate deception of the Allies, then the stubbornness, arrogance, and prejudice of the German high-level, as well as the "chaotic command of the leadership" described by General Valimont, the assistant to the German Chief of Staff, also caused the German army to miss at least the opportunity to launch a devastating attack on the Allies on D-Day, and even drive the Allies back into the sea.

Firstly, the confidentiality work of the Allies is not impenetrable. If the riddles "Utah," "Omaha," "Mulberry Tree," and "Overlord" used by Leonard Sidney Dao in the Daily Telegraph crossword puzzle column since May were just magical coincidences, then the following few own mistakes are sure to be chilling. In March, a non commissioned officer from the US military command in London mistakenly sent documents related to the "Operation Overlord" to his sister in Chicago. Before the end of April, two senior military officers revealed to several familiar officers at a cocktail party at the Claridge Hotel in London that the landing would take place before June 15th. A British battalion commander even told several civilian friends that the troops are undergoing training with the goal of Normandy. Especially on June 4th, another serious leak shocked the Supreme Command. The night before, a telegraphic typist from the Associated Press was practicing on a typewriter and unexpectedly placed a punched paper tape containing "text messages" in front of the Russian bulletin that was to be issued every night. The bulletin read, "Urgent news, the Associated Press, Eisenhower headquarters announced the landing of the Allies in France.

Secondly, the German intelligence agencies were not entirely useless. In January, the director of the German Military Intelligence Agency, Kanaris, told Colonel Mayer, the intelligence chief of the 15th Army Group, that a peculiar signal consisting of two parts would definitely be used to warn the underground organization before the Allied landing. On the evening of June 1st, after several months of monitoring, Mayer's subordinates intercepted the first part of the signal, which read "bleak autumn, the sound of the violin swallowing softly", and received the same score as Canaris' description. According to Canaris, if the second part "monotonous and depressed, deeply hurting my heart" is released, the landing will begin within 48 hours. At first, Mayer was skeptical about this until he intercepted the Associated Press telegram on the evening of June 3rd. Mayer was shocked and immediately reported to Lieutenant General Hoffman, the Chief of Staff of the 15th Army Group, as well as to the Supreme Command, the German headquarters on the Western Front, and Rommel's B Army Group Command.

However, after the report was presented to the Chief of Staff of the National Defense Forces, General Yordle, the document remained on his desk. Yodel did not order a warning, he thought Lundstedt had already done so, and Lundstedt also thought Rommel would issue such an order. Only the 15th Army Group was put into combat readiness along the entire coastline, and the 7th Army Group stationed on the Normandy coast knew nothing about this information.

At 22:15 on June 5th, Colonel Mayer intercepted the second part of the secret code, which may be the most important intelligence intercepted by the Germans throughout World War II. After a moment of contemplation, General Zalmut ordered the 15th Army Group to enter a state of full alert and reported to the German headquarters on the Western Front and Hitler's Supreme Command. However, the 7th Army Group once again did not receive any notification.

At 2:11 am on June 6th, the 716th Infantry Division guarding the coastline of Caen reported to the 84th Army headquarters that "paratroopers have landed east of the Orne River", which was the first official report received by the German High Command about the Allied attack. Commander Max immediately called Major General Penzer, the Chief of Staff of the 7th Army Group. At 2:15, Penzer ordered the 7th Army Group to enter the highest state of readiness. At this point, it had been 4 hours since Mayer intercepted the second secret code.

At 3am, Penzel had already determined that the Allies were launching a main attack on Normandy. He called the Chief of Staff of Army Group B, Speider, and said, 'Airborne is the first stage of a larger enemy operation, and the sound of ship engines can already be heard at sea.'. However, Speider replied, "At present, airborne activities are limited to local areas, and it is not necessary to consider all of this as a large-scale military operation for the time being. At this time, the last batch of 18000 paratroopers from the airborne assault force had landed over the Cotentin Peninsula.

At the German headquarters on the western outskirts of Paris, Marshal Lundstedt also believed that this was like a "feint attack to divert targets" and not a real invasion operation. Nevertheless, he took measures and ordered the SS 12th Armored Division and Armored Instructor to immediately assemble and quickly rush to the coast. However, General Jodl refused the request from the Western Front German headquarters to use these two armored reserve forces.

Lundstedt could have directly called the F ü hrer to mobilize the reserve forces, but even for such an important matter as the Allied counterattack, he, who came from a noble background, could not make a request to Hitler, whom he called the "Bohemian Private".

At the headquarters of Army Group B, Chief of Staff Major General Speider believed that two armored divisions were already on their way to reinforce, and the 21st armored division was gathering towards the south of Caen. The headquarters generally believed that the Allies would be driven back into the sea by the end of the day. The 7th Army was quite optimistic about the 352nd Infantry Division's devastating attack on the Allies on Omaha Beach, but when the commander of the 15th Army, General Zalmut, suggested sending his 346th Infantry Division for reinforcement, it was arrogantly rejected by the 7th Army.

On the morning of the 6th, despite various reports indicating a large-scale landing operation by the Allies, the German leadership still believed that it was "too early to determine whether this was a large-scale feint attack or a main attack". At 9:33 am, the Allies issued news to the world in Britain: "Under the command of General Eisenhower, the Allied Navy, with strong air support, began landing operations this morning transporting Allied army units along the northern coast of France. They didn't wake up the sleeping Hitler until around 10 o'clock. At 10:15, Lieutenant General Speider called Rommel's home to give a complete report on the Allied landing for the first time.

At 15:40 in the afternoon, the Supreme Command approved the application to use the reserve forces, which was delayed for more than 10 hours. The 12th Armored Division of the SS did not arrive at the beachhead until the morning of June 7th; The armored instructor did not arrive until the 9th.

The most confusing part of D-Day was the 21st Armored Division, known for its tenacity and bravery. They were almost on the edge of the battlefield and were the only armored division that could effectively strike the British airborne troops in a timely manner. After receiving the preparation order in the early morning, they immediately activated the equipment preheating, but the order to depart was delayed. When they started their operation, the city of Caen was already in ruins, and the tanks had to retreat and take a detour around the city. At this time, the British army had not yet been able to close the 8-mile gap between Juno and Golden Beach. If the armored forces used this gap, they could completely tear open the air raid on the British landing beach and threaten the entire Allied counterattack, but they knew nothing about this gap. The delay in orders and the time wasted in the siege gave the British army the opportunity to fully consolidate their positions. After a few rounds, the 21st Armored Division lost more than ten tanks and had to order a retreat. The only opportunity to contain the Allies on D-Day was also lost.

4、 Inspiration

If thinking is the summary and induction of objective facts, then enlightenment should be to elevate the summarized experience and lessons into subjective cognitive behavioral guidance.

There is never a perfect state, only by relying on existing conditions to 'win the battle'. Whether it's starting a business or dealing with war, we always feel that there is still something missing. With this condition, everything is foolproof. Little do we know that our pursuit of having everything ready is a goal that can never be achieved. Once you are prepared according to your previous understanding, the current state will have new adverse effects. Just like the Normandy landings, whether it was the senior Allied generals who made up their minds to land within 15 minutes in the face of information leaks, bad weather, or unknown weather conditions, or the brave soldiers of the 9th Parachute Battalion who took control of the Melville Battery within 15 minutes without support, equipment, or a outnumbered enemy, any commander who hesitated due to lack of conditions would miss the opportunity for victory.

Reality will inevitably deviate from expectations, but everyone must also be clear about their tasks. General Chen Gong once said, 'As soon as the gunshot rings, even the best response plan becomes half useless.' This does not mean that the plan is useless, but rather that it tells us that the harsh reality is a fact and a norm, and we must be mentally prepared. But the road is already winding, with only one goal direction. This magnificent battle 78 years ago, this great 'Operation Overlord' plan, if you delve into the end, you will find that clear tasks have been assigned to groups, squads, and even individual soldiers, with time even arranged in minutes. However, when they set foot on the land of France, all plans were disrupted, and only clear goals and tasks could guide them towards victory.

No one can be comprehensive in the ever-changing world, the only thing we need to do is ensure that key actions are achieved. 'If everything is prepared, there is nothing that cannot be taken care of' means that we must focus on the key points when we want to take care of everything and cannot take care of anything. On the early morning of Day D, thousands of paratroopers were scattered outside the target area, and personally, some were even killed by anti-aircraft fire before landing on the ground; On a collective level, even a whole group of paratroopers disappeared into the English Channel. But for the Allied High Command, the key is to control the main roads on the left and right wings of the landing zone before dawn and prevent German troops from reinforcing from the side. During the beach landing phase, they received orders to "disregard casualties and ensure timely landing of troops". In the face of the key indicators ensuring victory, all other thrilling and arduous battle scenarios will appear insignificant.

78 years ago, despite having an absolute advantage in military strength, possessing sea and air superiority, and successfully implementing strategic deception, the Allies still paid a huge price to win this victory that turned the tide of the situation. The cruel and arduous landing operations, the complex and arduous planning and preparation, and the lessons learned from both hostile sides are worth learning, thinking about, and drawing on.

Although the road is far, it will come soon; although the task is difficult, it will be done