Details of the Normandy landing

Normandy landing, code-named D-Day battle plan, like me, buy a book and read it yourself!

Navigation: Calligraphy and Literature Network >> History Book >> Winston Churchill >; & gt> Volume VI Victory and Tragedy

Yi Shu Literature Network

primary

Free movies in the fifth season, reading while listening to music, publishing novels and literary forums.

Chapter 065438 +0 D days (1)

Normandy landing-I reported to the lower house on June 6th-important news from Stalin-his phone call on June 6th11-the deployment of the enemy on the Atlantic barrier-the failure of the German warning system-Lundstedt's mistake-I visited the beach and had lunch with Montgomery on June 6th1-

Our long-term preparations and plans for the largest amphibious operation in history were finally realized on the attack launch day-1June 6, 944. On the eve of landing, huge fleets and escort ships sailed from the Isle of Wight to the Normandy coast along the waterway (2) that once swept the thunder. Heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force attacked the enemy's coastal defense artillery built in concrete bunkers, dropping 5,200 tons of bombs. At dawn, the US Air Force immediately flew to the battlefield with medium bombers and fighter bombers, bombing other fortifications on the shore. In the 24 hours on June 6th, the Allied Air Force dispatched 14600 sorties. Our air superiority is so great that only about 100 planes are dispatched by the enemy to deal with our daytime attack on the beachhead. Three airborne divisions landed at midnight. British 6th Airborne Division landed northeast of Caen and seized the bridgehead on the river between Caen and the sea. At the same time, two airborne divisions of the US Army landed in the north of Karantan, assisting the maritime landing forces to land on the beach and blocking the enemy reserve forces from entering the Ketantan Peninsula. Although these airborne divisions are more widely distributed than originally planned in some places, all the goals have been achieved.

(1) attack date. ② refers to the English Channel. -Translation

At dawn, large and small ships began to enter the scheduled positions one after another, ready to attack, and the scene at that time was like a review. The enemy's direct resistance was limited to the attack of some torpedo boats and sank a Norwegian destroyer. Even when our navy started shelling, the counterattack of the enemy's coastal defense battery was blind and ineffective. There is no doubt that we have completed a tactical surprise attack. Landing craft and support ships are equipped with infantry, tanks, self-propelled artillery, various weapons and engineering blasting teams to remove obstacles on the beach. They are all pushed to the beach in groups, including D.D. tanks (amphibious tanks), which are the first time to appear on a large scale in combat. Due to the bad weather the day before, the sea was still surging, so many amphibious tanks sank halfway.

Artillery and rockets mounted on destroyers and landing craft bombarded beachhead fortifications continuously, while battleships and cruisers farther away at sea suppressed the firepower of enemy coastal defense batteries. The resistance on the ground was weak, until the first landing craft was only one mile from the coast, and the firepower of enemy mortars and machine guns increased. The waves lapping on the shore, obstacles and mines half exposed to the water make the landing craft take great risks. Many landing craft were destroyed after unloading the troops, but the troops continued to move forward.

As soon as the foremost infantry landed, they rushed to the target, and made great progress in all aspects except one. On Omaha beach in the northwest of Beye, the American Fifth Army met with fierce resistance. By an unfortunate coincidence, this sector was recently guarded by a complete German division. Our allies have been fighting fiercely all day and have never been able to gain a foothold; It was not until the 7th that we lost thousands of troops before we could push inland. Although we didn't get everything we sought, especially the city of Caen was still firmly in the hands of the enemy, the progress made in the first two days of the assault was considered very satisfactory.

A group of German submarines from the Bay of Biscay risked everything and drove at high speed, trying to hinder our attack. We have made full preparations for this. There are a large number of planes guarding the entrance to the west side of the English Channel, which constitutes our first line of defense. The naval fleet landed behind them.

These German submarines were bombarded by heavy artillery from our defense forces and suffered a crushing defeat. In the first four decisive days, our air force sank six submarines and damaged six. They didn't affect the attacking escort ships at all, and those ships continued to move towards the target with the least loss. After that, German submarines were more cautious, but they did not make greater achievements than in the past.

※ ※ ※

At noon on June 6th, I asked the House of Commons to "formally listen to the report that the allied forces under the command of General Alexander had liberated Rome", which was released the night before. The House of Commons was very excited about landing in France, and everyone knew that the landing war was going on at that time. However, I spent ten minutes talking about the war in Italy and praising the allies there. In this way, let members after the anxious moment, I went on to say:

I must also announce to this institute that last night and early this morning, we started the first of a series of large-scale landings on the European continent. The target of this liberation attack is the French coast. A huge fleet consisting of more than 4000 ships and thousands of smaller ships crossed the strait. Intensive airborne landing operations have been successfully carried out behind enemy lines. At this time, beach landing operations are being carried out in multiple locations. Most of the artillery fire from the coastal battery has been suppressed. Some obstacles in the enemy's coastal buildings are not as difficult to destroy as imagined. The Anglo-American Allied Forces are supported by about 1. 1 10,000 first-line aircraft, which can be called at any time according to operational needs. Of course, I can't elaborate. Battlefield reports poured in quickly. So far, the commanders involved in the fighting have reported that everything is going according to plan. What a great plan! This large-scale military operation is undoubtedly unprecedented difficulty and complexity. From the point of view of air and sea operations, it involves flood season, wind direction, waves, visibility and other issues, as well as the joint use of the past and present highly close cooperation between the three armed forces.

A real tactical surprise attack is just around the corner, and we hope to continue to surprise the enemy one after another in the battle. The scale and intensity of the campaign that has already started will continue to increase in the coming weeks. I don't want to speculate on its development, but I might as well say this: the allies are completely United.

We have friendship with American friends. General Eisenhower, the supreme commander, and his deputies, as well as General Montgomery, the commander of the expeditionary force, have complete trust. As far as I can see with my own eyes, the enthusiasm and morale of the troops who boarded the ship in recent days are very high. What can be done in terms of equipment, expertise or advance planning has never been ignored. Commanders and the US and British governments they serve are committed to opening up this great new battlefield with the greatest determination.

In the afternoon, I think Stalin should be informed.

1June 6, 944

Everything started well. Most mines, obstacles and ground batteries have been overcome. Airborne is a success, and it is large-scale. The infantry landed quickly, and many tanks and self-propelled guns were brought ashore. The weather forecast often gets better.

He immediately called back with a welcome and very important message.

Marshal Stalin to the Prime Minister1June 6, 944

I got a call and learned that the "Overlord" operation had started and was successful.

We share the same joy and wish for greater achievements.

According to the Tehran conference agreement, the Soviet summer offensive will begin in an important section of the front line before mid-June. The Soviet general attack will be carried out step by step as the troops turn to attack one after another. From the end of June to July, various offensive actions will be merged into the general offensive of the Soviet Union.

Keep us informed of the progress of the attack.

I was sending Stalin a comprehensive telegram about our progress when his telegram arrived.

Prime Minister of Marshal Stalin1June 7, 944

As of noon today (7th), I am very satisfied with the situation. Only one beach where American troops landed encountered serious difficulties, but it has now been overcome.

Twenty thousand airborne troops have landed safely behind the enemy's front and wings, and have contacted the American and British landing forces respectively. We only suffered a small loss when crossing. We originally estimated that we would lose about 1 10,000 people. By tonight, most of our 250,000 troops, including a considerable number of armored units (tanks), are expected to land together, or be transported by special ships, or swim ashore by themselves. The tanks that swam ashore by themselves suffered great losses, especially on the American front, and many amphibious tanks were overturned by the waves. Now we must estimate that there will be a strong counterattack, but we expect to be stronger than the enemy in armored forces. As long as the fog clears, we can certainly expect an overwhelming advantage in the air.

2. Last night, near Caen, our newly-landed armored troops fought with 50 tanks of the enemy's 2nd1Armored Infantry Division, and the enemy was defeated. The 7th British Armored Division is now pouring into the battlefield, which will definitely give us an advantage in a few days. The question now is: How many tanks can the enemy take out against us in the next week? The weather forecast in the strait doesn't seem to have caused any obstacles to our continued landing. Indeed, the weather seems more promising than before. All commanders are convinced that everything is better than we expected in this actual landing operation.

Top secret. We plan to build two large man-made ports on the wide beach at the mouth of the Seine River soon. A port like this has never been seen before. Large ocean-going ships can unload at many docks in this port and deliver supplies to combat troops. This is by no means what the enemy expected. It can make the allies gather as usual, no matter how the weather changes. We hope to take Cherbourg as soon as possible in this military operation.

On the other hand, the enemy will quickly assemble heavy troops, and the fighting will continue and the scale will expand day by day. Nevertheless, we still hope that on the 30th day after the attack, about 25 divisions and their directly affiliated troops can be in place, so that the two wings of the second front are close to the sea, and there are at least three good ports-Cherbourg and two artificial ports. This front will be constantly supplemented and expanded, and we hope to include Brest Peninsula in the future. However, it all depends on the risk of war. You are familiar with this, Marshal Stalin.

We hope that the success of this landing operation and the victory in Rome-the fruits of these victories have yet to be picked from the cut-off Deco-will inspire those brave soldiers who once had to bear all the pressure from the enemy. No one outside your country knows this burden better than I do.

6. While I was dictating the telegram here, I received a phone call from you congratulating the smooth start of Operation Overlord. In the telegram, you talked about the summer offensive of the Soviet Union. I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to you for this. I think you will notice that we have never asked you any questions, because we fully trust you, your country and your army.

Stalin called back and said:

1June 9, 944

Thank you for your call on June 7, 2007, telling me about the smooth development of the "overlord" operation. We all pay tribute to you and the heroic British and American troops, and warmly wish you further success.

The preparations for the Soviet summer offensive are coming to an end. Tomorrow-June10-the first stage of our summer offensive will be launched in Leningrad front.

I told the news to Roosevelt at once.

Stalin telephoned 1 1 again on June 6th and said:

Obviously, the planned large-scale landing operations have all been successful. My colleagues and I have to admit that in terms of its scale, grand layout and excellent plan execution, there has never been a cause in the history of war that can be compared with it. As we all know, Napoleon's attempt to cross the channel failed shamefully. The hysterical Hitler boasted for two years that he would cross the channel, but he couldn't even make up his mind to hint at an attempt to threaten. Only our allies have successfully realized the huge plan of crossing the strait. History will record this achievement as the highest achievement.

The word "grandiose" was translated from the original Russian telegram sent to me. I think Stalin probably meant "majestic". In any case, the atmosphere is completely harmonious.

※ ※ ※

Let's study the enemy's deployment and the plan we know now.

Marshal Lundstedt commanded the entire "Atlantic Barrier" coastal defense with 60 divisions, from the lowland countries to the Bay of Biscay, from Marseille to the southern coast of France. Under his command, Rommel guarded the coast from Holland to the Loire River. 19 divisions belonging to his 15 army guarded the area around Calais and boulogne. The Seventh Army has nine infantry divisions and an armored division stationed in Normandy. Throughout the western front, there are ten armored divisions scattered like eagles between Belgium and Bordeaux. Strangely, the Germans were on the defensive at that time, repeating the mistakes of the French army in 1940 and dispersing their most powerful counterattack weapons!

(1) and translation of bren. -Translation

65438+ 10 When Rommel took over the command in late June, he was quite dissatisfied with the defense deployment he saw; Through his efforts, the situation has been greatly improved. There is a circular defense line composed of concrete fortifications along the coast, with many mines and various insurmountable obstacles, especially below the deep water mark. Fixed guns aim at the sea, and field guns control the beach. Although they don't have a complete second line of defense, they have set up strong fortifications in the villages behind. Rommel was not satisfied with the progress made. If he had more time, our task might be more arduous. At the beginning, we didn't destroy many concrete fortifications by shelling at sea or bombing in the air, but the soldiers stationed in the fortifications were knocked unconscious by us, weakening their firepower and destroying their radar.

Germany's alarm system has been completely paralyzed. From Canada to Guernsey, there were no less than 120 sets of main radar equipment used by Germany to detect our escort and command their coastal artillery fire. These radar devices are organized into 47 stations. We found them all; We successfully carried out the attack by launching the plane with a rocket, so that less than one-sixth of the radar stations could function on the eve of the attack launch day. Those that can still be used were fooled by a method called "window" (1) with tin foil, which made the enemy mistakenly think that it was a convoy heading east of Falcon, thus making the enemy unable to detect the real landing operation. Near Caen, a set of radar equipment can barely continue to be used, and the British propulsion was discovered. However, because its report was not confirmed by any other radar station, the Radar Surveying and Mapping Center ignored it. This is not the only threat we have overcome. Encouraged by the successful passage of two giant ships "Shane Horst" and "Gonyei Sino" through the Strait two years ago, the enemy built more radio jamming stations to jam the radar signals of our ships commanding night fighters and many of our airborne troops to determine the correct landing position. However, these jamming stations were also discovered, and the bomber command conducted several highly concentrated air strikes. They were all wiped out, but our radio and radar equipment were safe and sound. It may be mentioned here that all the efforts made by the allied forces in the radio war to attack the launch day belong to Britain.

(1) see the fourth volume, pp. 259-257; Volume V, page 459. (page number of the original book, the same below. -translator)

This large-scale and long-planned attack greatly surprised the enemy in time and place, which was really remarkable. The German high command received a report that the weather was too bad for amphibious operations that day. They have not received any report from the Air Force that thousands of ships have recently assembled on the British coast. On the morning of June 5th, Rommel left his headquarters and went to Berchtesgaden to see Hitler. He was still in Germany when the attack started. As for which section the allied forces will attack, they disagree. Lundstedt has always believed that our main offensive will start from crossing the Dover Strait, because it is the shortest sea route and the best shortcut to the German hinterland. Rommel and Lundstedt had already reached an agreement, but Hitler and his assistants seemed to have got the message that Normandy had become the main battlefield. ①

(1) Blumentrit's von rundstedt, pp. 265,438+08-9.

Even after we landed, they were still dubious. In order to consider whether to deploy two armored divisions stationed closest to Normandy to reinforce the front line, Hitler missed the opportunity and wasted the safe whole day. German intelligence greatly overestimated the number of available divisions and available transportation capacity in Britain. According to their own estimation, the allied forces have enough strength to make a second large-scale landing, so Normandy may be just a prelude and an auxiliary landing operation. On June 19, Rommel reported to von rundstedt: "... It is expected that there will be a large-scale landing operation on the front line of the Strait and on both sides of Grey Nose Angle, that is, between Songmu River and le havre." ①

(1) see Chester wilmot's European book, page 3 18.

A week later, he warned again. In this way, it was not until the third week of July-that is, the sixth week after the attack-that the enemy transferred the reserves of the 15 Army from the Dover Strait to the south to participate in the battle. All the measures we took to confuse the enemy before and after the attack were aimed at creating such chaotic thoughts. The achievements of these measures are amazing and have had a far-reaching impact in the war.

※ ※ ※

On June 10, Montgomery reported that Luo had completely established himself on the shore and was ready to receive a visit, so I took a special bus to Portsmouth with Smezzi, Brooke, General Marshall and General Kim. All the chiefs of staff of the three armed forces of the United States flew to Britain on June 8 to make important military decisions urgently. A British destroyer and an American destroyer are waiting for us. At the end of history, Brooke and I boarded the former destroyer, and General Marshall and General Kim led their men to board the latter destroyer.

We crossed the channel and reached the front line where we should go safely. When we climbed out of the landing craft, Montgomery greeted us confidently on the beach with a smile on his face. His army has penetrated seven or eight miles inland. At that time, artillery fire and activities were extremely scarce. It's sunny. We drove through the limited but fertile land of Normandy. It's really pleasant to see the prosperity of the countryside. The fields are full of lovely yellow and white cows, sunbathing or strolling. The residents looked relaxed and happy, with good nutrition, and waved to us enthusiastically. Montgomery's headquarters is located in a villa about five miles inland, surrounded by lawns and lakes We had lunch in the tent facing the enemy. The general has been in high spirits. I asked him how far the real line of fire was from us. He replied that it was about three miles. I asked him if he had a continuous line of defense. He said, "No."

"So, is there any way to stop the German armored forces from suddenly breaking in and breaking up our lunch?" He said he didn't think they would come. The staff told me that the villa was heavily bombed the night before, and there were indeed several craters around it. I told the general that it would be too risky if he continued to do so. In war, everything can be done once in a while, or for a short time. Whenever possible, it is best to avoid habit, repetition or delay. In fact, he moved out two days later, only after he and his staff suffered again.

The weather is still sunny. There seems to be no war there except for occasional air raid sirens and anti-aircraft fire. We made a real inspection of our limited bridgehead position. I pay special attention to local ports, such as Bohr-An-Besan, Kulzer and Wuistrand. We didn't notice these small ports in our plan for this large-scale sea attack. But it turns out that they are one of the most valuable harvests, and they are soon unloaded at a rate of about 2000 tons per day. At that time, when we drove or walked through this interesting but narrow recovered land, I savored these gratifying facts.

Steven, Brooke and I returned to our motherland on the destroyer Kelvin.

At that time, Admiral Andrew West, who was in command of all the small fleets and light ships defending Luo Mang Port, was also on board. He suggested that we go and see how battleships and cruisers covering the British left bombarded German positions. So, we drove between two battleships, and they opened fire on the enemy at a distance of 20 thousand yards from the coast; We passed another cruiser, which also fired at the enemy about 14000 yards from the coast. In an instant, we were only seven or eight thousand yards away from the forest-covered shore. The shelling was calm and continuous, but the enemy didn't fight back. When we were about to turn around and drive back, I said to Wei 'an, "Since we are so close, why don't we shoot the enemy ourselves before going home?" He said:

"Yes!" In a minute or two, all our cannons fired at the silent coast. Of course, we were already within the range of enemy artillery, so when we fired, Wei 'an immediately turned the destroyer around and left at the highest speed. We quickly got out of danger and passed the inspection of cruisers and battleships. This is the only time in my life that I was on a warship with "roaring gunfire", if you can say so. I admire the general's adventurous spirit, and Shi is also very happy. On the four-hour flight back to Portsmouth, I had a deep sleep. In a word, this is the most interesting and enjoyable day.

※ ※ ※

On the train, we met the US Chief of Staff. They are very satisfied with what they saw on the beachhead of the US military, and they are full of confidence in the implementation of our long-planned plan. In a good mood, we have dinner together. While eating, I noticed that General Marshall had been writing. He immediately handed me a letter addressed to General mountbatten and suggested that we all sign it.

1944 June 10

Today we visited the British and American troops on French soil. We sailed through a large number of fleets, and various types of landing craft carried more and more people, vehicles and materials ashore. We have clearly seen the rapid military deployment. We exchange secrets and help each other as much as possible. At this moment, when you are directing a tough battle, we want to tell you that we are very clear that the success of this amazing technical measure and the success of this cause is due to the progress you and all the staff of your Joint Operations Department have made in the past.

Arnold, Brooke, Churchill, Marshall, Shi.

Mountbatten will cherish this praise. Without the loyal efforts of all the staff of the joint operations department of the three armed forces, this huge and complicated combat operation using all novel and ingenious designs will not succeed. The Joint Operations Department was established in 1940 under the leadership of General Keith, and his successors have made great contributions.

※ ※ ※

As soon as I have time, I correspond with my two good partners.

Marshal Stalin's Prime Minister1944 June 14

On Monday, I visited the British war zone at the front. I believe you have read about it in the newspaper. The fighting continues. At that time, we had 14 divisions fighting on the 70-mile-long front line. The enemy fought thirteen divisions, and their strength was far inferior to ours.

The enemy is coming to reinforce from the rear, but we think we can reinforce from the sea much faster than the other side. The city of ships stretches for almost fifty miles along the coast, and it is obviously not threatened by the air and submarines in close proximity. At first glance, it is a spectacle! We hope to surround the city of Caen and capture prisoners of war there as much as possible. Two days ago, the number of prisoners of war was 13000, which is more than our total casualties so far. So it can be said that the enemy's losses are about twice as much as mine, although we continue to take the offensive. Yesterday, very good progress was made in all aspects, although the enemy's resistance was strengthened by the participation of strategic reserve forces. I guess we are likely to prepare for a big war with/kloc-0,000,000 troops on both sides, which will last throughout June and July. Our plan is that there will be about 2 million troops there by mid-August.

I wish you success in Karelia!

On the same day, I wrote a letter to the President, talking about various issues, including Charles de Gaulle's visit to France, which I arranged without consulting Roosevelt in advance. I also said:

On Monday, I spent a pleasant day on the beach and inland. Ships and boats gathered there, stretching more than fifty miles along the coast. Man-made ports can protect them from the weather more and more, and almost every component of these ports is successful; Soon, these ships will be effectively sheltered from bad weather. Our air force and anti-submarine force seem to have been able to ensure that these ships are protected to a great extent. After completing the arduous task, we fired several shots at Deco from the destroyer. Although the range was only 6000 yards, they didn't return a shot.

Marshall and Kim came back in my special car. They saw everything about the American army with their own eyes and felt very relieved. Marshall also sent a touching telegram to mountbatten, saying that so many new ships were the achievements of his organization and played a great role in the whole campaign. In the telegram you sent me before, you used the word "very good". I must admit that what I saw this time can only be described by this word, and I believe your officers will agree with this statement. The transportation efficiency is surprisingly high, which has never been seen since the war. There are still many things to do, and I think we need more troops. We are preparing for a battle with millions of troops on both sides. The chiefs of staff tried to find the best solution to these problems between the Mediterranean and Operation Overlord.

How I wish you were here!