Day of the landing of the allied forces in Normandy. "Overlord" (operation)

June 6, 1944 began the long-awaited landing of troops anti-Hitler coalition on the northern coast of France, which received the common name "Suzerin" ("Overlord"). The operation was prepared for a long time and carefully, it was preceded by difficult negotiations in Tehran. Millions of tons of military cargoes were delivered to. On the secret front, the Abwehr was misinformed by the intelligence services of Britain and the United States regarding the landing area and many other activities that ensured a successful offensive. At different times, both here and abroad, the scale of this military operation, depending on the political situation, was sometimes exaggerated, sometimes underestimated. The time has come to give an objective assessment of both it and its consequences in the Western European theater of the Second World War.

Stew, condensed milk and egg powder

As you know from the movies, soviet soldiers, participants in the war of 1941-1945 called the "second front" American stew, condensed milk, and other food products that came to the USSR from the USA under the Lend-Lease program. This phrase was pronounced with a somewhat ironic intonation, expressing little hidden contempt for the "allies". The meaning was invested in it: while we are shedding blood here, they are delaying the start of the war against Hitler. They sit out, in general, wait to enter the war at the moment when both the Russians and the Germans weaken and exhaust their resources. That's when the Americans and the British will come to share the laurels of the winners. The opening of the Second Front in Europe was being postponed, the main burden of hostilities continued to be borne by the Red Army.

In a way, that's exactly what happened. Moreover, it would be unfair to reproach F. D. Roosevelt for not hastening to send the American army into battle, but waiting for the most opportune moment for this. After all, as the President of the United States, he was obliged to think about the good of his country and act in its interests. As for Great Britain, without American help, they were technically unable to carry out a massive invasion of the mainland. From 1939 to 1941, this country alone waged war with Hitler, she managed to survive, but there was not even a talk of the onset. So there is nothing particularly to reproach Churchill with. In a sense, the Second Front existed throughout the war and until D-Day (day of landing), it fettered significant forces of the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine. Most (about three-quarters) of the German navy and air fleet was engaged in operations against Britain.

Nevertheless, without detracting from the merits of the Allies, our participants in the Great Patriotic War it was always rightly believed that it was they who made a decisive contribution to the common victory over the enemy.

Was it necessary

A condescending and contemptuous attitude towards allied assistance was cultivated by the Soviet leadership throughout the post-war decades. The main argument was the ratio of Soviet and German losses on the Eastern Front with similar numbers of dead Americans, British, Canadians and the same Germans, but already in the West. Nine out of ten killed Wehrmacht soldiers laid down their lives in battles with the Red Army. Near Moscow, on the Volga, in the region of Kharkov, in the mountains of the Caucasus, on thousands of nameless skyscrapers, near obscure villages, the backbone of the army that easily defeated almost all European armies and conquered countries in a matter of weeks, and sometimes even days, was broken. Maybe the Second Front in Europe was not needed at all and could have been dispensed with? By the summer of 1944, the outcome of the war as a whole was a foregone conclusion. The Germans suffered monstrous losses, human and material resources were catastrophically lacking, while Soviet military production reached unprecedented speed in world history. The endless "leveling of the front" (as Goebbels' propaganda explained the constant retreat) was essentially a flight. Nevertheless, I. V. Stalin persistently reminded the allies of their promise to strike at Germany from the other side. In 1943, American troops landed in Italy, but this was clearly not enough.

Where and when

The names of military operations are chosen in such a way as to put into one or two words the entire strategic essence of the upcoming action. At the same time, the enemy, even recognizing him, should not guess about the main elements of the plan. The direction of the main attack, the technical means involved, the timing, and similar details for the enemy necessarily remain a secret. The upcoming landing on the northern European coast was called "Overlord". The operation was divided into several stages, which also have their own code designations. It began on D-Day with the Neptune, and ended with the Cobra, which involves moving deep into the mainland.

Germanic general staff there was no doubt that the opening of the Second Front would take place. 1944 is the last date when this event could take place, and, knowing the basic American technical methods, it was difficult to assume that the allies of the USSR would launch an offensive in unfavorable autumn or winter months. In the spring, an invasion was also considered unlikely due to erratic weather conditions. So, summer. Intelligence provided by the Abwehr confirmed the mass transportation technical means. B-17 and B-24 bombers disassembled were delivered to the islands by Liberty ships, like Sherman tanks, and in addition to these offensive weapons, other cargoes arrived from across the ocean: food, medicine, fuel and lubricants , ammunition, marine vehicles and much more. Hide such a massive move military equipment and personnel is almost impossible. The German command had only two questions: "When?" and where?".

Not where they are waiting

The English Channel is the narrowest stretch of water between the British Mainland and Europe. It was here that the German generals would have begun the landing, if they had decided on it. This is logical and follows all the rules military science. But that's why General Eisenhower ruled out the English Channel entirely when planning Overlord. The operation was supposed to come as a complete surprise to the German command, otherwise there was a considerable risk of a military fiasco. In any case, defending the coast is much easier than storming it. The fortifications of the "Atlantic Wall" were created in advance throughout the previous war years, work began immediately after the occupation of the northern part of France and was carried out with the involvement of the population of the occupied countries. They acquired particular intensity after Hitler realized that the opening of the Second Front was inevitable. 1944 was marked by the arrival of General Field Marshal Rommel at the proposed landing site of the Allied troops, whom the Fuhrer respectfully called either the “desert fox” or his “African lion”. This military specialist spent a lot of energy on improving the fortifications, which, as time has shown, were almost not useful. This is a great merit of the American and British intelligence services and other soldiers of the "invisible front" of the allied forces.

Deceive Hitler

The success of any military operation depends to a greater extent on the surprise factor and timely troop concentration, than on the balance of forces of the opposing sides. The second front was to be opened on that part of the coast where the invasion was least expected. The possibilities of the Wehrmacht in France were limited. Most of the German armed forces fighting against the Red Army, trying to hold back its advance. The war was transferred from the territory of the USSR to the space of Eastern Europe, the Romanian oil supply system was under threat, and without gasoline, all military equipment turned into a pile of useless metal. The situation was reminiscent of a chess zuntzwang, when almost any move led to irreparable consequences, and even more so wrong. It was impossible to make a mistake, but the German headquarters nevertheless drew the wrong conclusions. This was facilitated by many actions of allied intelligence, including the planned "leak" of disinformation, and various measures to mislead agents of the Abwehr and aerial reconnaissance. Models of transport ships were even made, located in ports far from places of real loading.

The ratio of military groupings

Not a single battle in the entire history of mankind has gone according to plan, there have always been unexpected circumstances that prevent this. "Overlord" - an operation that was planned for a long time and carefully, repeatedly postponed for various reasons, which was also no exception. However, the two main components that determined its overall success were still managed to be preserved: the landing site remained unknown to the enemy until D-Day itself, and the balance of forces developed in favor of the attackers. In the landing and subsequent hostilities on the continent, 1,600,000 soldiers of the Allied forces took part. Against 6 thousand 700 German guns, the Anglo-American units could use 15 thousand of their own. They had 6 thousand tanks, and the Germans only 2000. It was extremely difficult for one hundred and sixty Luftwaffe aircraft to intercept almost eleven thousand Allied aircraft, among which, in fairness, it should be noted that most of them were Douglas transports (but there were many " Flying Fortresses, and Liberators, and Mustangs, and Spitfires). An armada of 112 ships could only resist five German cruisers and destroyers. Only German submarines had a quantitative advantage, but by that time the Americans' means of combating them had reached a high level.

The beaches of Normandy

The American military did not use French geographical concepts, they seemed difficult to pronounce. Like the names of military operations, sections of the coast called beaches were coded. Four of them were singled out: Gold, Omaha, Juno and Sword. Many soldiers of the allied forces died on their sand, although the command did everything to minimize losses. On July 6, eighteen thousand paratroopers (two divisions of the Airborne Forces) were landed from DC-3 aircraft and by means of gliders. Previous wars, like the entire Second World War, did not know such a scale. The opening of the Second Front was accompanied by powerful artillery preparation and air bombardment of defensive structures, infrastructure and locations of German troops. The actions of the paratroopers in some cases were not very successful, during the landing there was a dispersion of forces, but this did not matter much. Ships were coming to the shore, by the end of the day there were already 156,000 soldiers and 20,000 military vehicles on the shore different type. The captured bridgehead measured 70 by 15 kilometers (on average). As of June 10, more than 100,000 tons of military cargo had already been unloaded onto this runway, and the concentration of troops had reached almost a third of a million people. Despite the huge losses (for the first day they amounted to about ten thousand), after three days the Second Front was opened. This has become an obvious and indisputable fact.

Development of success

In order to continue the liberation of the territories occupied by the Nazis, not only soldiers and equipment were required. War devours hundreds of tons of fuel, ammunition, food and medicine every day. It gives the warring countries hundreds and thousands of wounded who need to be treated. The expeditionary corps, deprived of supplies, is doomed.

After the Second Front was opened, the advantage of a developed American economy became obvious. The allied forces had no problems with the timely supply of everything they needed, but this required ports. They were captured very quickly, the first was the French Cherbourg, it was occupied on June 27th.

Having recovered from the first sudden blow, the Germans, however, were in no hurry to admit defeat. Already in the middle of the month, they first used the V-1 - the prototype of cruise missiles. For all the scarcity of the Reich's capabilities, Hitler found the resources to mass-produce ballistic V-2s. London was shelled (1100 missile strikes), as well as the ports of Antwerp and Liege located on the mainland and used by the allies to supply troops (almost 1700 FAAs of two types). Meanwhile, the Normandy bridgehead expanded (up to 100 km) and deepened (up to 40 km). It deployed 23 air bases capable of receiving all types of aircraft. The number of personnel increased to 875 thousand. Conditions were created for the development of the offensive already towards the German border, for which the Second Front was opened. The date of victory was approaching.

Allied failures

Anglo-American aviation carried out massive raids on the territory of fascist Germany, dropping tens of thousands of tons of bomb loads on cities, factories, railway junctions and other objects. The Luftwaffe pilots could no longer resist this avalanche in the second half of 1944. Over the entire period of the liberation of France, the Wehrmacht suffered half a million losses, and the Allied forces - only 40 thousand killed (plus more than 160 thousand wounded). The tank troops of the Nazis numbered only a hundred combat-ready tanks (the Americans and the British had 2,000). For every German aircraft, there were 25 Allied aircraft. And there were no more reserves. The 200,000th group of Nazis was blocked in the west of France. In the conditions of the overwhelming superiority of the invading army, the German units often hung out a white flag even before the start of the artillery preparation. But there were frequent cases of stubborn resistance, as a result of which dozens, even hundreds of allied tanks were destroyed.

On July 18-25, the English (8th) and Canadian (2nd) corps ran into well-fortified German positions, their attack bogged down, prompting Marshal Montgomery to further argue that the blow was a false and distracting one.

An unfortunate incidental consequence of the high firepower of the American troops was the losses from the so-called "friendly fire", when the troops suffered from their own shells and bombs.

In December, the Wehrmacht launched a serious counter-offensive in the Ardennes salient, which was crowned with partial success, but strategically there was little to solve.

The result of the operation and the war

After the Second began World War, participating countries changed from time to time. Some stopped armed actions, others started them. Some took the side of their former enemies (like Romania, for example), others simply capitulated. There were even states that formally supported Hitler, but never opposed the USSR (like Bulgaria or Turkey). The main participants in the war of 1941-1945, the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany and Britain, remained invariably adversaries (they fought even longer, from 1939). France was also among the winners, although Field Marshal Keitel, signing the surrender, could not resist making an ironic remark about this.

There is no doubt that the Normandy landing of the allied troops and the subsequent actions of the armies of the United States, Britain, France and other countries contributed to the defeat of Nazism and the destruction of the criminal political regime, which did not hide its inhuman nature. However, it is very difficult to compare these efforts, which certainly deserve respect, with the battles of the Eastern Front. It was against the USSR that Hitlerism waged a total war, the purpose of which was the complete destruction of the population, which was also declared by the official documents of the Third Reich. The more respect and blessed memory deserve our participants in the Great Patriotic War, who performed their duty in much more difficult conditions than their Anglo-American brothers in arms.

The worst, apart from
lost battle,
this is a won battle.

Duke of Wellington.

Allied landings in Normandy, Operation Overlord, "Day D" (eng. "D-Day"), Norman operation. This event has many different names. This is a battle that everyone knows about, even outside the countries that fought in the war. This is an event that claimed many thousands of lives. An event that will go down in history forever.

general information

Operation Overlord- a military operation of the Allied forces, which became the operation-opening of a second front in the West. Held in Normandy, France. And to this day it is the largest landing operation in history - more than 3 million people were involved in total. Operation started June 6, 1944 and ended on August 31, 1944 with the liberation of Paris from the German invaders. This operation combined the skill of organizing and preparing for combat operations of the Allied troops and the rather ridiculous mistakes of the Reich troops, which led to the collapse of Germany in France.

The goals of the belligerents

For Anglo-American troops "Overlord" set the goal of delivering a crushing blow to the very heart of the Third Reich and, in conjunction with the offensive of the Red Army along the entire eastern front, to crush the main and most powerful enemy from the Axis countries. The goal of Germany, as the defending side, was extremely simple: not to allow the Allied troops to land and strengthen in France, to force them to suffer heavy human and technical losses and throw them into the English Channel.

The forces of the parties and the general state of affairs before the battle

It is worth noting that the position of the German army in 1944, especially on western front, left much to be desired. Hitler concentrated the main troops on the eastern front, where the Soviet troops won one after another. The German troops were deprived of a unified leadership in France - the constant changes of senior commanding officers, conspiracies against Hitler, disputes about a possible landing site, and the absence of a unified defensive plan did not contribute to the success of the Nazis.

By June 6, 1944, 58 Nazi divisions were stationed in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, including 42 infantry, 9 tank and 4 airfield divisions. They united in two army groups, "B" and "G", and were subordinate to the command "West". Army Group B (commanded by Field Marshal E. Rommel), located in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, included the 7th, 15th armies and the 88th separate army corps - a total of 38 divisions. Army Group G (commanded by General I. Blaskowitz) as part of the 1st and 19th armies (11 divisions in total) was located on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and in southern France.

In addition to the troops that were part of the army groups, 4 divisions formed the reserve of the West command. Thus, the greatest troop densities were created in northeastern France, on the coast of the Pas de Calais. In general, the German units were scattered throughout France and did not have time to arrive on the battlefield in time. So, for example, about 1 million more soldiers of the Reich were in France and initially did not participate in the battle.

Despite the relatively large number of German soldiers and equipment deployed in the area, their combat effectiveness was extremely low. 33 divisions were considered "stationary", that is, they either did not have vehicles at all, or did not have the required amount of fuel. About 20 divisions were newly formed or recovered from the fighting, so they were only 70-75% manned. Many tank divisions also lacked fuel.

From the memoirs of the Chief of Staff of the West Command, General Westphal: “It is well known that the combat effectiveness of the German troops in the West by the time of the landing was much lower than the combat effectiveness of the divisions operating in the East and in Italy ... A significant number of formations located in France ground forces, the so-called "stationary divisions", were very poorly equipped with weapons and vehicles and consisted of older soldiers ". The German air fleet could provide about 160 combat-ready aircraft. As for the naval forces, Hitler's troops had at their disposal 49 submarines, 116 patrol ships, 34 torpedo boats and 42 artillery barges.

The Allied forces, commanded by future US President Dwight Eisenhower, had 39 divisions and 12 brigades at their disposal. As for aviation and navy, in this aspect the Allies had an overwhelming advantage. They had about 11 thousand combat aircraft, 2300 transport aircraft; over 6 thousand combat, landing and transport ships. Thus, by the time of the landing, the overall superiority of the allied forces over the enemy was 2.1 times in people, 2.2 times in tanks, and almost 23 times in aircraft. In addition, the Anglo-American troops constantly brought up new forces on the battlefield, and by the end of August they already had about 3 million people at their disposal. Germany, however, could not boast of such reserves.

Operation plan

The American command began to prepare for a landing in France long before "D-Day"(the original landing project was considered 3 years before it - in 1941 - and had the code name "Roundup"). In order to test their strength in the war in Europe, the Americans, together with the British troops, landed in North Africa (Operation Torch), and then in Italy. The operation was postponed and changed many times because the United States could not decide which of the theaters of war was more important for them - the European or the Pacific. After the decision was made to choose Germany as the main rival, and on pacific ocean limited to tactical protection, the development plan began Operation Overlord.

The operation consisted of two phases: the first received the code name "Neptune", the second - "Cobra". "Neptune" assumed the initial landing of troops, the capture of coastal territory, "Cobra" - a further offensive deep into France, followed by the capture of Paris and access to the German-French border. The first part of the operation lasted from June 6, 1944 to July 1, 1944; the second began immediately after the end of the first, that is, from July 1, 1944, until August 31 of the same year.

The operation was prepared in the strictest secrecy, all the troops that were supposed to land in France were transferred to special isolated military bases that were forbidden to leave, information propaganda was carried out regarding the place and time of the operation.

In addition to the troops of the United States and England, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand soldiers took part in the operation, and French resistance forces were active in France itself. For a very long time, the command of the allied forces could not determine exactly the time and place of the start of the operation. The preferred landing sites were Normandy, Brittany and the Pas de Calais.

Everyone knows that the choice was stopped at Normandy. The choice was influenced by such factors as the distance to the ports of England, the echelon and power of the defensive fortifications, and the radius of action of the aviation of the allied forces. The combination of these factors determined the choice of the Allied command.

The German command, until the very last moment, believed that the landing would take place in the Pas de Calais area, since this place is closest to England, which means that it takes the least time to transport goods, equipment, and new soldiers. In Pas de Calais, the famous "Atlantic Wall" was created - an impregnable line of defense of the Nazis, while in the landing area the fortifications were hardly half ready. The landing took place on five beaches, which received the code names "Utah", "Omaha", "Gold", "Sord", "Juno".

The start time of the operation was determined by the ratio of the level of the tide of water and the time of sunrise. These factors were considered to ensure that the landing craft did not run aground and did not receive damage from underwater barriers, it was possible to land equipment and troops as close to the coast as possible. As a result, the day the operation began was June 6, this day was called "D-Day". The night before the landing of the main forces behind enemy lines, a parachute landing was thrown, which was supposed to help the main forces, and immediately before the start of the main attack, the German fortifications were subjected to a massive air raid and Allied ships.

Operation progress

Such a plan was developed at headquarters. In fact, things didn't quite work out that way. The landing force, which was dropped behind German lines the night before the operation, was scattered over a vast territory - over 216 square meters. km. for 25-30 km. from capture objects. Most of the 101st, which had landed near Sainte-Mare-Eglise, disappeared without a trace. The 6th British division was also unlucky: although the paratroopers landed were much more crowded than their American comrades, in the morning they came under fire from their own aircraft, with which they could not establish contact. The 1st division of the US troops was almost completely destroyed. Some of the tank ships were sunk before they even made it to shore.

Already during the second part of the operation - Operation Cobra - the Allied aviation struck at its own command post. The advance went much slower than planned. The bloodiest event of the entire company was the landing on Omaha Beach. According to the plan, early in the morning, German fortifications on all beaches were subjected to shelling by naval guns and air bombing, as a result of which the fortifications were significantly damaged.

But on the Omaha, due to fog and rain, the ship's guns and aircraft missed, and the fortifications did not receive any damage. By the end of the first day of the operation, the Americans lost more than 3 thousand people on Omaha and were unable to take the positions planned by the plan, while on Utah during this time they lost about 200 people, took the right positions and united with the landing. Despite all this, on the whole, the landing of the Allied troops was quite successful.

Then the second phase was successfully launched Operation Overlord, within which such cities as Cherbourg, Saint-Lo, Caen and others were taken. The Germans retreated, throwing weapons and equipment to the Americans. On August 15, due to the mistakes of the German command, two tank armies of the Germans were surrounded, which, although they were able to get out of the so-called Falaise Cauldron, but at the cost of huge losses. Then, on August 25, Allied forces captured Paris, continuing to push the Germans back to the Swiss borders. After the complete cleansing of the French capital from the Nazis, Operation Overlord was declared completed.

Reasons for the victory of the allied forces

Many of the reasons for the Allied victory and the German defeat have already been mentioned above. One of the main reasons was the critical situation of Germany at this stage of the war. The main forces of the Reich were concentrated on the Eastern Front, the constant onslaught of the Red Army did not give Hitler the opportunity to transfer new troops to France. Such an opportunity appeared only at the end of 1944 (Ardennes offensive), but then it was already too late.

The best military-technical equipment of the Allied troops also had an effect: all the equipment of the Anglo-Americans was new, with full ammunition and a sufficient supply of fuel, while the Germans constantly experienced difficulties in supply. In addition, the Allies constantly received reinforcements from British ports.

An important factor was the activity of the French partisans, who quite well spoiled the supply of German troops. In addition, the allies had a numerical superiority over the enemy in all types of weapons, as well as in personnel. Conflicts within the German headquarters, as well as the misconception that the landing would take place in the Pas de Calais and not in Normandy, led to a decisive Allied victory.

Operation value

In addition to showing the strategic and tactical skill of the Allied commanders and the courage of the rank and file, the Normandy landings also had a huge impact on the course of the war. "D-Day" opened a second front, forced Hitler to fight on two fronts, which stretched the already dwindling German forces. This was the first major battle in Europe in which American soldiers proved themselves. The offensive in the summer of 1944 caused the collapse of the entire Western Front, the Wehrmacht lost almost all positions in Western Europe.

Representation of the battle in the media

The scale of the operation, as well as its bloodshed (especially on Omaha Beach), led to the fact that today there are many computer games and films on this topic. Perhaps the most famous movie was the masterpiece of the famous director Steven Spielberg "Saving Private Ryan", which tells about the massacre that occurred at Omaha. This topic was also covered in "The longest day", television series "Brothers in Arms" and many documentaries. Operation Overlord has featured in more than 50 different computer games.

Even though Operation Overlord was carried out more than 50 years ago, and now it remains the largest landing operation in the history of mankind, and now the attention of many scientists and experts is riveted to it, and now there are endless disputes and debates about it. And it's probably clear why.

Both the flight from the European continent () and the landing in Normandy ("Overlod") are very different from their mythological interpretation ...

Original taken from jeteraconte in Allied landings in Normandy... Myths and reality.

I AM I think that every educated person knows that on June 6, 1944, there was an allied landing in Normandy, and finally, a full-fledged opening of a second front. T Only the assessment of this event has different interpretations.
Same beach now:

Why did the Allies last until 1944? What goals were pursued? Why was the operation carried out so incompetently and with such sensitive losses, with the overwhelming superiority of the allies?
This topic was raised by many and at different times, I will try to tell in the most understandable language about the events that took place.
When you watch American movies like: "Saving Private Ryan", games " Call of Duty 2" or reading a Wikipedia article seems to describe greatest event of all times and peoples, and it was here that the whole Second World War was decided ...
Propaganda has always been the most powerful weapon. ..

By 1944, it was clear to all politicians that Germany and its allies had lost the war, and in 1943, during the Tehran Conference, Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill roughly divided the world among themselves. A little more and Europe, and most importantly France, could become communist if they were liberated by Soviet troops, so the allies were forced to rush in order to catch the pie and fulfill their promises to contribute to the common victory.

(I recommend reading the "Correspondence of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR with the Presidents of the United States and Prime Ministers of Great Britain during the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945" released in 1957, in response to the memoirs of Winston Churchill.)

Now let's try to figure out what really happened and how. First of all, I decided to go and see with my own eyes the terrain, and assess what kind of difficulties the troops landing under fire had to overcome. The landing zone occupies about 80 km, but this does not mean that paratroopers landed on every meter throughout these 80 km, in fact it was concentrated in several places: "Sord", "Juno", "Gold", "Omaha Beach" and Pointe d'oc.
I walked this territory along the sea, studying the fortifications that have survived to this day, visited two local museums, shoveled a lot of different literature about these events and talked with residents in Bayeux, Caen, Saumur, Fécamp, Rouen and others.
It is very difficult to imagine a more mediocre landing operation, with the complete connivance of the enemy. Yes, critics will say that the scale of the landing is unprecedented, but the mess is the same. Even according to official sources, non-combat losses! accounted for 35%!!! from total losses!
Reading "Wiki", wow, how many Germans opposed, how many German units, tanks, guns! By what miracle did the landing succeed?
The German troops on the Western Front were spread in a thin layer over the territory of France, and these units performed mainly security functions, and many of them could only be called combat ones conditionally. What is the division nicknamed the "White Bread Division" worth. An eyewitness, the English author M. Shulman, says: “After the invasion of France, the Germans decided to replace Fr. Walcheren an ordinary infantry division, division, personnel, which suffered from stomach diseases. Bunkers on about. Walcheren was now occupied by soldiers who had chronic ulcers, acute ulcers, wounded stomachs, nervous stomachs, sensitive stomachs, inflamed stomachs - in general, all known gastritis. The soldiers vowed to stand to the end. Here, in the richest part of Holland, where white bread, fresh vegetables, eggs and milk abounded, the soldiers of the 70th Division, nicknamed the "White Bread Division", expected the imminent Allied offensive and were nervous, for their attention was equally divided between the problematic threat with side of the enemy and real stomach upsets. The elderly, good-natured Lieutenant-General Wilhelm Deiser led this division of invalids into battle ... Terrifying losses among senior officers in Russia and North Africa were the reason that he was returned from retirement in February 1944 and was appointed commander of a stationary division in Holland. His active service ended in 1941 when he was discharged due to heart attacks. Now, being 60 years old, he did not burn with enthusiasm and did not have the ability to turn the defense about. Walcheren in the heroic epic of German weapons.
In the German "troops" on the Western Front there were invalids and cripples, to perform security functions in good old France, you do not need to have two eyes, two arms or legs. Yes, there were full-fledged parts. And there were also, collected from various rabble, like the Vlasovites and the like, who only dreamed of surrendering.
On the one hand, the allies gathered a monstrously powerful group, on the other hand, the Germans still had the opportunity to inflict unacceptable damage on their opponents, but ...
Personally, I got the impression that the command of the German troops simply did not prevent the Allies from landing. But at the same time, he could not order the troops to raise their hands or go home.
Why do I think so? Let me remind you that this is the time when a conspiracy of the generals against Hitler is being prepared, secret negotiations are underway, the German elite about a separate peace, behind the back of the USSR. Allegedly due to bad weather, aerial reconnaissance was stopped, torpedo boats curtailed reconnaissance operations,
(More recently before this, the Germans sank 2 landing ships, damaged one during exercises in preparation for the landing and another was killed by "friendly fire"),
command flies to Berlin. And this at a time when the same Rommel knows very well from intelligence about the impending invasion. Yes, he might not have known about the exact time and place, but it was impossible not to notice the gathering of thousands of ships!!!, preparations, mountains of equipment, training of paratroopers! What more than two people know, the pig knows - this old saying clearly captures the essence of the impossibility of hiding the preparations for such a large-scale operation as the invasion of the English Channel.
Let me tell you some interesting things. Zone landings Pointe du Hoc. It is very famous, a new German coastal battery was supposed to be located here, but old French 155 mm guns, 1917, were installed. Bombs were dropped on this very small area, 250 pieces of 356 mm shells were fired from the American battleship Texas, as well as a lot of shells of smaller calibers. Two destroyers supported the landings with continuous fire. And then a group of rangers on landing barges approached the coast and climbed the sheer cliffs under the command of Colonel James E. Rudder, captured the battery and fortifications on the coast. True, the battery turned out to be made of wood, and the sounds of shots were imitated by explosives! The real one was moved when one of the guns was destroyed during a successful air raid a few days ago, and it is his photo that can be seen on the sites under the guise of a gun destroyed by the Rangers. There is a claim that the rangers still found this moved battery and ammunition depot, oddly not guarded! Then they blew it up.
If you ever find yourself on Pointe du Hoc , you will see what used to be a "lunar" landscape.
Roskill (Roskill S. Fleet and War. M .: Military Publishing House, 1974. Vol. 3. S. 348) wrote:
“More than 5,000 tons of bombs were dropped, and although there were few direct hits on the gun casemates, we managed to seriously disrupt enemy communications and undermine his morale. With the onset of dawn, defensive positions were attacked by 1630 “liberators”, “flying fortresses” and medium bombers of the 8th and 9th air formations of the US Air Force ... Finally, in the last 20 minutes before the approach of the assault waves, fighter-bombers and medium bombardiers bombed directly on the defensive fortifications on the coast ...
Shortly after 05.30, naval artillery brought down a hail of shells on the coast of the entire 50-mile front; such a powerful artillery strike from the sea had never been delivered before. Then the light guns of the advanced landing ships entered into action, and, finally, just before the hour "H", tank landing ships armed with rocket launchers moved to the shore; conducting intense fire with 127-mm rockets into the depths of defense. The enemy practically did not respond to the approach of the assault waves. There was no aviation coastal batteries did not cause any harm, although they fired several volleys at the transports.
A total of 10 kilotons of TNT, this is equivalent in power to the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima!
Yes, the guys who landed under fire, at night on wet rocks and pebbles, climbed a steep cliff, are heroes, but ... The big question is how many Germans survived, who were able to resist them, after such air and art processing? Rangers advancing in the first wave 225 people ... Losses killed and wounded 135 people. Data on the losses of the Germans: more than 120 killed and 70 captured. Hmm... Great battle?
From 18 to 20 guns from the German side with a caliber of more than 120 mm fired against the landing allies ... In total!
With the absolute dominance of the allies in the air! With the support of 6 battleships, 23 cruisers, 135 destroyers and destroyers, 508 other warships. 4798 ships participated in the attack. In total, the Allied fleet included: 6,939 ships for various purposes (1213 - combat, 4126 - transport, 736 - auxiliary and 864 - merchant ships (some were in reserve)). Can you imagine a volley of this armada along the coast in a section of 80 km?
Here's a quote for you:

In all sectors, the Allies suffered relatively small losses, except ...
Omaha Beach, American Landing Zone. Here the losses were catastrophic. Many drowned paratroopers. When 25-30 kg of equipment is hung on a person, and then they are forced to land into the water, where it is 2.5-3 meters to the bottom, fearing to come closer to the shore, then instead of a fighter, you get a corpse. At best, a demoralized person without a weapon... The commanders of the barges carrying amphibious tanks forced them to land at depth, being afraid to come close to the coast. In total, out of 32 tanks, 2 floated ashore, plus 3, which, the only captain who was not afraid, landed directly on the shore. The rest drowned due to rough seas and the cowardice of individual commanders. On the shore and in the water there was complete chaos, the soldiers were confusedly rushing along the beach. The officers lost control of their subordinates. But still, there were those who were able to organize the survivors and begin to successfully resist the Nazis.
It was here that Theodore Roosevelt Jr., son of President Theodore Roosevelt, fell heroically., who, like the deceased Yakov, the son of Stalin, did not want to hide in headquarters in the capital ...
Losses killed in this area are estimated at 2,500 Americans. The German corporal machine gunner Heinrich Severlo, later nicknamed "The Omaha Monster", applied his talents to this. He is from his heavy machine gun, as well as two rifles, being in a strong pointWiderstantnest62 killed and wounded over 2,000 Americans! Such data make you think, if he hadn’t run out of ammunition, would he have shot everyone there ??? Despite huge losses, the Americans captured the empty casemates and continued the offensive. There is evidence that certain sections of the defense were handed over to them without a fight, and the number of prisoners captured in all areas of the landing was surprisingly large. But why is it surprising? The war was coming to an end and only the most fanatical followers of Hitler did not want to admit it ...

Mini museum between drop zones :

View of Pont d'Oc from above, funnels, remains of fortifications, casemates.

View of the sea and rocks in the same place:

Omaha Beach sea view and landing area:

"Second front". For three years it was opened by our soldiers. That's what the American stew was called. And yet the "second front" existed in the form of aircraft, tanks, trucks, non-ferrous metals. But the real opening of the second front, the landing in Normandy, took place only on June 6, 1944.

Europe as one impregnable fortress

In December 1941, Adolf Hitler announced that he would create a belt of giant fortifications from Norway to Spain and this would be an insurmountable front for any enemy. This was the Führer's first reaction to the US entry into World War II. Not knowing where the landing of the allied troops would take place, in Normandy or elsewhere, he promised to turn all of Europe into an impregnable fortress.

It was absolutely impossible to do this, however, for another year no fortifications were built along the coastline. And why was it done? The Wehrmacht was advancing on all fronts, and the victory of the Germans by themselves seemed simply inevitable.

Start of construction

At the end of 1942, Hitler now seriously ordered the construction of a belt of structures on the western coast of Europe, which he called the Atlantic Wall, in a year. Nearly 600,000 people worked on the construction. All of Europe was left without cement. Even materials from the old French Maginot line were used, but it was not possible to meet the deadline. The main thing was missing - well-trained and armed troops. The Eastern Front literally devoured the German divisions. So many units in the west had to be formed from the elderly, children and women. The combat effectiveness of such troops did not inspire any optimism in the commander-in-chief on the Western Front, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt. He repeatedly asked the Fuhrer for reinforcements. Hitler eventually sent Field Marshal Erwin Rommel to help him.

New curator

The aged Gerd von Rundstedt and the energetic Erwin Rommel did not get along right away. Rommel did not like that the Atlantic Wall was only half built, there were not enough large-caliber guns, and despondency reigned among the troops. In private conversations, Gerd von Rundstedt called the defenses a bluff. He believed that his units should be withdrawn from the coast and attack the Allied landing site in Normandy after. Erwin Rommel strongly disagreed with this. He intended to defeat the British and Americans right on the shore, where they could not bring reinforcements.

To do this, it was necessary to concentrate tank and motorized divisions off the coast. Erwin Rommel declared: “The war will be won or lost on these sands. The first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive. The landing of troops in Normandy will be included in military history as one of the most unfortunate thanks to the valiant German army." In general, Adolf Hitler approved of Erwin Rommel's plan, but left the panzer divisions under his control.

The coastline is getting stronger

Even under these conditions, Erwin Rommel did a lot. Almost the entire coast of French Normandy was mined, and tens of thousands of metal and wooden slingshots were installed below the water level at low tide. It seemed that an amphibious landing in Normandy was impossible. The barrier structures were supposed to stop the landing craft so that the coastal artillery had time to shoot at enemy targets. The troops were engaged in combat training without interruption. There was not a single part of the coast left that Erwin Rommel would not have visited.

Everything is ready for defense, you can rest

In April 1944, he would say to his adjutant: "Today I have only one enemy, and that enemy is time." All these worries so exhausted Erwin Rommel that in early June he went on a short vacation, however, like many German military commanders on the west coast. Those who did not go on vacation, by a strange coincidence, ended up on business trips far from the coast. The generals and officers who remained on the ground were calm and relaxed. The weather forecast until mid-June was the most unsuitable for the landing. Therefore, the Allied landing in Normandy seemed something unrealistic and fantastic. Heavy seas, squally winds and low clouds. No one guessed that an unprecedented armada of ships had already left English ports.

Great battles. Landing in Normandy

The Normandy landings were called "Overlord" by the Allies. Literally translated, it means "ruler". It became the largest landing operation in the history of mankind. The landing of the allied forces in Normandy took place with the participation of 5,000 warships and landing craft. The commander-in-chief of the allied forces, General Dwight Eisenhower, could not postpone the landing because of the weather. Only three days - from June 5 to June 7 - there was a late moon, and immediately after dawn - low water. The condition for the transfer of paratroopers and landing on gliders was a dark sky and moonrise during landing. The low tide was necessary for the amphibious assault to see the coastal barriers. In stormy seas, thousands of paratroopers suffered from seasickness in the cramped holds of boats and barges. Several dozen ships could not withstand the assault and sank. But nothing could stop the operation. The landing in Normandy begins. The troops were to land at five places along the coast.

Beginning of Operation Overlord

At 0:15 on June 6, 1944, the sovereign entered the land of Europe. The operation was started by paratroopers. Eighteen thousand paratroopers scattered across the lands of Normandy. However, not everyone is lucky. About half ended up in swamps and minefields, but the other half completed their tasks. Panic broke out in the German rear. Communication lines were destroyed, and, most importantly, undamaged strategically important bridges were captured. By this time, the marines were already fighting on the coast.

The landing of American troops in Normandy was on the sandy beaches of Omaha and Utah, the British and Canadians landed on the sites of Sword, June and Gold. Warships fought a duel with coastal artillery, trying, if not to suppress, then at least to distract it from the paratroopers. Thousands of allied aircraft simultaneously bombed and stormed German positions. One English pilot recalled that the main task was not to collide with each other in the sky. The advantage of the Allies in the air was 72:1.

Memories of a German ace

On the morning and afternoon of June 6, the Luftwaffe offered no resistance to the coalition troops. Only two German pilots appeared in the landing area, this is the commander of the 26th Fighter Squadron - the famous ace Josef Priller, and his wingman.

Josef Priller (1915-1961) got tired of listening to confusing explanations of what was happening on the shore, and he flew out on reconnaissance. Seeing thousands of ships at sea and thousands of aircraft in the air, he ironically exclaimed: "Today is truly a great day for the pilots of the Luftwaffe." Indeed, never before have the Reich Air Force been so powerless. Two planes swept low over the beach, firing cannons and machine guns, and disappeared into the clouds. That's all they could do. When the mechanics inspected the plane German ace, it turned out that there were more than two hundred bullet holes in it.

Allied assault continues

The Nazi navy did a little better. Three torpedo boats in a suicide attack by the invasion fleet managed to sink one American destroyer. The landing of the Allied troops in Normandy, namely the British and Canadians, did not meet with serious resistance in their areas. In addition, they managed to safely transport tanks and guns ashore. The Americans, especially in the Omaha section, were much less fortunate. Here the defense of the Germans was held by the 352nd division, which consisted of veterans fired on different fronts.

The Germans let the paratroopers to four hundred meters and opened heavy fire. Almost all the American boats approached the shore east of the given places. They were swept away by a strong current, and thick smoke from fires made it difficult to navigate. The sapper platoons were almost destroyed, so there was no one to make passes in the minefields. The panic began. Then several destroyers came close to the shore and began to hit the German positions with direct fire. The 352nd Division did not remain in debt to the sailors, the ships were seriously damaged, but the paratroopers under their cover were able to break through the German defenses. Thanks to this, in all areas of the landing, the Americans and the British were able to move several miles forward.

Trouble for the Fuhrer

A few hours later, when Adolf Hitler woke up, Field Marshals Wilhelm Keitel and Alfred Jodl cautiously reported to him that the Allied landings seemed to have begun. Since there were no exact data, the Fuhrer did not believe them. Panzer divisions remained in their places. At this time, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was sitting at home and also did not really know anything. The German military leaders lost their time. The attacks of the following days and weeks yielded nothing. The Atlantic Wall collapsed. The allies entered the operational space. Everything was decided in the first twenty-four hours. The Allied landing in Normandy took place.

Historic D-Day

A huge army crossed the English Channel and landed in France. The first day of the offensive was called D-day. The task is to gain a foothold on the coast and drive the Nazis out of Normandy. But bad weather in the strait could lead to disaster. The English Channel is famous for its storms. In a matter of minutes, visibility could drop to 50 meters. Commander-in-Chief Dwight Eisenhower required a minute-by-minute weather report. All responsibility fell on the chief meteorologist and his team.

Allied military assistance in the fight against the Nazis

1944 World War II has been going on for four years now. The Germans occupied all of Europe. British allied forces Soviet Union and the US needs a decisive blow. Intelligence reported that the Germans would soon begin to use guided missiles and atomic bombs. An energetic offensive was supposed to interrupt the plans of the Nazis. The easiest way is to go through the occupied territories, for example through France. The secret name of the operation is "Overlord".

The landing in Normandy of 150,000 Allied soldiers was scheduled for May 1944. They were supported transport aircraft, bombers, fighters and a flotilla of 6 thousand ships. The offensive was commanded by Dwight Eisenhower. The date of the landing was kept in the strictest confidence. At the first stage, the landing in Normandy in 1944 was to capture more than 70 kilometers of the French coast. The exact areas of the assault on the German troops were kept a closely guarded secret. The Allies chose five beaches from east to west.

Commander-in-Chief's Alerts

May 1, 1944 could potentially become the start date for Operation Overlord, but this day was abandoned due to the unavailability of the troops. For military and political reasons, the operation was postponed to the beginning of June.

In his memoirs, Dwight Eisenhower wrote: "If this operation, the landing of the Americans in Normandy, does not take place, then only I will be to blame." At midnight on June 6, Operation Overlord begins. Commander-in-Chief Dwight Eisenhower personally visits the 101st Air Division just before the flight. Everyone understood that up to 80% of the soldiers would not survive this assault.

"Overlord": a chronicle of events

The airborne landing in Normandy was to be the first to take place on the shores of France. However, everything went wrong. The pilots of the two divisions needed good visibility, they were not supposed to drop troops into the sea, but they did not see anything. The paratroopers disappeared into the clouds and landed a few kilometers from the collection point. Then the bombers had to clear the way for the amphibious assault. But they did not fix their goals.

12,000 bombs were to be dropped on Omaha Beach to destroy all obstacles. But when the bombers reached the coast of France, the pilots found themselves in a difficult situation. There were clouds all around. The bulk of the bombs fell ten kilometers south of the beach. Allied gliders were ineffective.

At 3.30 in the morning the flotilla headed for the shores of Normandy. A few hours later, the soldiers boarded small wooden boats to finally get to the beach. Huge waves rocked small boats like matchboxes, in the cold waters of the English Channel. Only at dawn did the Allied amphibious landing in Normandy begin (see photo below).

Death awaited the soldiers on the shore. There were obstacles around, anti-tank hedgehogs, everything around was mined. The Allied fleet bombarded the German positions, but strong storm waves interfered with aimed fire.

The first landed soldiers were waiting for the furious fire of German machine guns and cannons. Soldiers died by the hundreds. But they continued to fight. It seemed like a real miracle. Despite the most powerful German barriers and bad weather, the largest landing force in history began its offensive. Allied soldiers continued to land on the 70-kilometer coast of Normandy. In the afternoon, the clouds over Normandy began to dissipate. The main obstacle for the allies was the Atlantic Wall, a system of permanent fortifications and rocks that protect the coast of Normandy.

The soldiers began to climb the coastal cliffs. The Germans fired on them from above. By the middle of the day, the Allied troops began to outnumber the fascist garrison of Normandy.

An old soldier remembers

Private American Army Harold Gaumbert, 65 years later, recalls that closer to midnight, all machine guns fell silent. All Nazis were killed. D-Day is over. The landing in Normandy, the date of which is June 6, 1944, took place. The Allies lost almost 10,000 soldiers, but they captured all the beaches. It seemed that the beach was flooded with bright red paint and scattered bodies. Wounded soldiers were dying under the starry sky, while thousands of others moved forward to continue the fight against the enemy.

Continuation of the assault

Operation Overlord has entered its next phase. The task is to liberate France. On the morning of June 7, a new obstacle appeared before the Allies. Impenetrable forests have become another obstacle to attack. The intertwined roots of the Norman forests were stronger than the English ones on which the soldiers trained. The troops had to bypass them. The Allies continued to pursue the retreating German troops. The Nazis fought desperately. They used these forests because they learned to hide in them.

D-Day was just a battle won, the war was just beginning for the Allies. The troops the Allies encountered on the beaches of Normandy were not the elite of the Nazi army. The days of heavy fighting began.

The scattered divisions could be defeated by the Nazis at any moment. They had time to regroup and replenish their ranks. On June 8, 1944, the battle for Carentan began, this city opens the way to Cherbourg. It took more four days to break the resistance of the German army.

On June 15, the Utah and Omaha forces finally united. They took several cities and continued their offensive on the Cotentin Peninsula. The forces united and moved in the direction of Cherbourg. For two weeks, the German troops offered the most severe resistance to the Allied. On June 27, 1944, Allied troops entered Cherbourg. Now their ships had their own port.

Last attack

At the end of the month, the next phase of the Allied offensive in Normandy, Operation Cobra, began. This time the target was Cannes and Saint Lo. The troops began to advance deep into France. But the Allied offensive was opposed by serious resistance from the Nazis.

A French resistance movement led by General Philippe Leclerc helped the Allies enter Paris. Happy Parisians welcomed the liberators with joy.

On April 30, 1945, Adolf Hitler committed suicide in his own bunker. Seven days later, the German government signed a pact unconditional surrender. The war in Europe was over.

World War II. 1939–1945 Story great war Shefov Nikolai Alexandrovich

Allied landings in France

Allied landings in France

On June 6, 1944, the landing of allied troops began on the northwestern coast of France, in Normandy. The impending invasion was impossible to hide. Therefore, the main question was where the landing would begin. The line of the French coast, which was over 2 thousand km, gave ample opportunities for choosing a landing area. This forced the Germans to disperse their limited forces on a broad front.

The time and place of the landing were kept in deep secrecy. For example, in coastal areas where troops were ready to invade, access was closed to the civilian population. Active work was carried out on disinformation regarding the invasion area. German intelligence failed to obtain the necessary information about the time and place of the landing. As a result, the German leadership did not have accurate information. It expected the Allied landings in the area of ​​the Pas de Calais, where the distance between England and the mainland was minimal. The main forces were concentrated here, as well as the most fortified part of the so-called "Atlantic Wall" - a system of defensive structures on the French coast. Other areas were much weaker protected.

The coast of Northern France, Belgium and Holland was defended by the German Army Group "B" under the command of Field Marshal Rommel as part of the 7th and 15th armies and the 88th separate corps. The general command of the German troops in the West was carried out by Field Marshal K. von Rundstedt. The Allied expeditionary forces under the command of General G. Montgomery were united in the 21st Army Group (1st American, 2nd British, 1st Canadian armies).

The balance of forces and means of the parties on the eve of the Allied landing in Normandy

The table shows that the allies had an overwhelming superiority in forces. The table takes into account German troops that could be brought in to repel the landing, including from other regions of France. But with air supremacy of allied aviation and active actions it was extremely difficult for the French partisans to do this. However, the Allied troops were not landed in France at the same time.

The Allied landing in Normandy (Operation Overlord) came as a complete surprise to the German command. On the night of June 6, under the cover of massive air strikes north of Carentan and northeast of Cannes, two large airborne assault forces (up to 18 thousand people) were landed, which tried to block German communications.

With the onset of dawn, aircraft and Allied ships bombarded the northern coast of Normandy with a hail of bombs and shells. They suppressed the German batteries, destroyed fortifications, swept away barbed wire, destroyed minefields and damaged communication lines. Under the cover of this powerful fire, landing craft approached the shore.

On the morning of June 6, amphibious assaults were landed on the 100-kilometer stretch between the Orne River and the eastern part of the Cotentin Peninsula. They captured 3 large bridgeheads with a depth of 2 to 9 km. Over 6,000 warships, transport and landing craft were used for the landing. Thanks to successful action surface ships and aviation, the Germans failed to use their superiority in submarines to prevent the delivery of troops and supplies. By the end of June 6, the Allies landed 156 thousand soldiers on the coast, and also delivered more than 20 thousand pieces of equipment to the captured bridgeheads. It was the largest landing operation of World War II.

The German forces in the area were far from sufficient to offer serious resistance to the numerically superior Allied formations. In addition, the German command did not immediately understand the situation, continuing to consider the landing in Normandy a diversionary maneuver. Hitler, convinced that the main landing force would soon land in the Pas de Calais, forbade at first the advance of large reserves into Normandy.

This preconceived notion was firmly held by the German high command for several days. When it finally became clear that it was a serious large-scale operation, precious time was lost. The Allies entrenched themselves in the bridgeheads, and the Germans had very little chance of knocking them out of there with the existing balance of forces and means.

Nevertheless, thanks to the gradual pulling up of reinforcements, the number of German troops was brought in the next few days to three infantry and one tank division. This allowed them to put up a stubborn resistance. But it could not hold back the superior forces of the allies, who, with the support of naval artillery and aviation, managed to establish a connection between the bridgeheads. By June 10, one bridgehead was created from them, which had over 70 km along the front and 10-17 km in depth. By June 12, the number of troops on it reached 327 thousand people, 5400 aircraft, 104 thousand tons of military equipment and equipment. It was almost impossible for the Germans, who did not have serious support from tanks, aviation and artillery, to drop such a mass of people and equipment into the sea. The main efforts of the German troops were now aimed at delaying the Allied advance as long as possible and preventing them from breaking out into the operational space.

The bridgehead, meanwhile, expanded. On June 18, the US 7th Corps reached the west coast of the Cotentin Peninsula. As a result of this operation, the port of Cherbourg, located on the northern tip of the peninsula, was isolated. By June 21, the Americans approached Cherbourg and, after powerful air preparation, began an assault on the fortress. On June 27, its garrison laid down their arms.

Shortly after the Allied landings in Normandy, the Germans began bombarding England with their new weapon, the V-1 cruise missiles. Hitler went to great expense for three years developing a program for the production of long-range missiles, the target of which was to be London and the southern English ports. In mid-June 1944, the first shelling of London took place. At the end of the summer, an even more powerful V-2 rocket appeared. In seven months, the Germans fired 1,100 V-2 rockets at London, and 1,675 rockets at Liege and Antwerp. However, the new weapon did not give the effect that the leaders of the Reich had hoped for, and could not seriously affect the course of the war.

By the end of June, the bridgehead on the coast of Normandy reached 40 km in depth and 100 km in width. There were 875 thousand soldiers and 23 airfields on it, where a significant part of the allied aviation was relocated. The bridgehead now had the large port of Cherbourg, which, after restoration (in the first half of July), began to play a significant role in supplying the allied forces in France.

18 German divisions operated against the bridgehead on a front of 100 km. It was a very high defense density. However, these German divisions were short of personnel and combat equipment, and also suffered serious damage from powerful artillery and air strikes. Still, Hitler did not dare to sharply increase his forces in Normandy because of the fear of a second landing in the Pas de Calais. The Germans did not have large reserves in France. The main forces of the Wehrmacht fought on the Eastern Front, where a powerful offensive began at that time. Soviet troops in Belarus. By July 1, the German command was forced to state that it had not been possible and would not succeed in coping with the enemy grouping in Normandy.

However, the attempts of the allies to expand the bridgehead in July ran into stubborn resistance from the German units. From June 25 to July 25, the front in Normandy moved only 10-15 km. The most fierce battles in July turned around the road junctions - the towns of Saint-Lo and Cannes. The complete superiority of the allies in the air was combined with a clear interaction between the army and aviation. Here is how General Arnold describes the advance of American troops on Saint-Lo: “Fighters and fighter-bombers, maintaining the most direct communication and operating under general command, flew ahead, hitting military targets. Maintaining direct radio contact with the tanks, the fighters patrolled over our tank columns in constant combat readiness. Officers from the ground called in fighter planes to bombard or fire on artillery or tanks that got in the way. The pilots warned tank commanders about anti-tank traps."

Lacking air support, the German troops nevertheless were not going to retreat and fought steadfastly. They created a defense in depth, provided with a large number of anti-tank weapons. Despite the air support of 2000-2200 bombers, it was possible to take this resistance center only after numerous attacks. Saint Lo fell on 18 July.

On the same day, the most powerful tank attack was carried out near Cannes. Three Allied armored divisions took part in it at once. They went on the offensive after intense bombing attacks by 2,000 bombers. These blows were so powerful that most of the prisoners, stunned by explosions, could not even answer questions for almost a day. It seemed that the allies were doomed to the success of a breakthrough and access to the operational space. However, the defense of the Germans turned out to be much more deeply echeloned than the allied command assumed. Cannes held out for another three days and fell on 21 July after heavy fighting. By July 25, the allies reached the line of Saint-Lo, Caumont, Cannes.

This ended Operation Overlord. The Allies lost about 122 thousand people in it, the Germans - about 117 thousand people. The slow advance of the allied armies in July did not justify the high hopes that arose after the successful landing. The bridgehead captured during the operation in Normandy (up to 110 km along the front and a depth of 30-50 km) was 2 times smaller than that which was planned to be taken according to the plan of the operation. However, in conditions of absolute air supremacy, the Allies were able to freely concentrate sufficient forces and means on it to conduct a major offensive operation.

The difficult position of the Germans at the front was exacerbated by the disorganization of their high command. The landing of the allies in Normandy and the defeat of the German troops in Belarus caused political crisis in Germany. He expressed himself in an attempt coup d'état, which was organized by the military dissatisfied with Hitler. The conspirators intended to physically eliminate the Fuhrer, seize power, and then make peace with all countries of the anti-Hitler coalition.

The assassination of the head of the Third Reich was assigned to Colonel Staufenberg. On July 20, he left a briefcase with a time bomb in the room where Hitler held a meeting. But the explosion caused only minor damage, and the Fuhrer survived. The plot failed. Its organizers were captured and shot. The Stauffenberg case had a negative impact on the morale of the German officer corps, giving rise to fear of reprisals in its ranks.

Meanwhile, the allies were preparing to go on a decisive offensive. To do this, they had 32 divisions, 2.5 thousand tanks and 11 thousand aircraft. They were opposed by 24 German divisions, which had about 900 tanks, which had weak air cover. The offensive began on the morning of July 25 with powerful air preparation. 4,700 tons of bombs were dropped on the area of ​​the alleged breakthrough (8 km deep and 1.5 km wide). Using this knockout bombing strike, the allied divisions rushed forward. By the end of the third day of fighting, the German defense was broken through to the entire tactical depth (15–20 km).

Pursuing the retreating German units, the Allied forces entered the operational space. In an effort to stop this breakthrough, the Germans threw their last reserves into battle. But in vain. An attempt by a German counterattack on August 8 in the area of ​​Mortain with the aim of cutting the advancing troops in two failed. A significant role in the failure of the Germans was played by their lack of fuel and massive Allied air strikes on tank columns. Not having reached its goals, the counterattack near Marten turned into a serious problem for the German troops. He delayed their withdrawal while the Allied forces flanked the counterattacking German units.

After the failure of the counterattack near Mortain, a significant part of the German troops stuck west of the Seine was cut off from the main forces and landed in a bag in the Falaise area. Meanwhile, since the beginning of July, Field Marshal Kluge, commander of the German troops in France, was withdrawing his surviving armies beyond the Seine. He sought to quickly escape from the trap in which they found themselves as a result of Hitler's prohibition to move away from their positions. Due to insufficient coordination of the actions of the allies, the main forces of the encircled managed to break through to the east through the corridor between Argentan and Falaise. Although the bulk of the Falaise escaped by August 19, about 50 thousand Germans were still captured, and 10 thousand died in battle.

As a result of the Allied breakthrough from Normandy, the German front in northern France was split in two. His East End continued to retreat to the borders of Germany, and the western group (up to 200 thousand people) was cut off and pressed against the western coast of France. Most of the cut off troops settled in the garrisons of coastal fortress cities. Some of them (in Lorient, Saint-Nazaire, etc.) continued to resist until the end of the war.

On August 16, Hitler removed Kluge from command and appointed Field Marshal Model in his place. But the new commander was unable to improve the situation in any significant way. On August 25, the Allied troops reached the Seine and entered the capital of France, Paris, liberated the day before during a popular uprising. On the eastern bank of the river, a bridgehead was captured in the Evreux region.

On August 15, 1944, during the attack on Paris, the Allies landed a large landing in southern France, between Cannes and Toulon. The US 7th Army landed there under the command of General A. Patch. It consisted of tested units with combat experience in North Africa and Italy. The landing was provided by about 700 warships.

By August 19, the allied forces had created a bridgehead up to 90 km along the front and up to 60 km in depth. Up to 160 thousand people, 2500 thousand guns and 600 tanks were concentrated on it. The Americans learned from their previous landing operations and abandoned the principle of attacking from a systematically prepared bridgehead. Now all the landing troops, wasting no time, moved as far forward as possible.

Located in the south of France, the German 19th Army (10 divisions) was poorly manned and had low combat capability. Its troops, which suffered heavy losses from artillery and air strikes, were nowhere able to offer any significant resistance. They began a hasty retreat to the north, seeking to avoid encirclement and defeat.

Overcoming little resistance, the Allies occupied Marseille and began to advance along the Rhone valley. In 8 days they moved forward 225 km. The German 19th Army retreated to Belfort. By September 10, units of the Allies advancing from the south united in the Dijon area with units of the 3rd American Army. As a result, a united front of the allied forces was formed in the west.

Model's original plan to defend the north bank of the Seine proved unworkable. Having lingered a little at this line, the German army, which retained its combat capability, retreated to a new line of defense near the borders of Germany.

In early September, Field Marshal Rundstedt again took command of the German troops in the west. Field Marshal Model became only the commander of Army Group B. At the same time, General D. Eisenhower headed all the allied ground operations in the west. On the left flank of the Allies, the 21st Army Group under the command of Field Marshal Montgomery (1st Canadian and 2nd British armies) advanced. In the center is the 12th Army Group under the command of General D. Bradley (1st, 3rd and 9th American armies). On the right flank is the 6th Army Group under the command of General D. Divers (7th American and 1st French armies).

Pursuing the retreating German units, the Allies entered Belgian territory. On September 3, they occupied Brussels, and the next day, almost without a fight, they entered Antwerp, where they got completely preserved port facilities. The liberation of France as a whole was completed. The total number of allied troops on its territory by that time exceeded 2 million people. Hitler's dream of an impregnable "fortress Europe" was crumbling before our eyes. The war was approaching the frontiers from where it had come four years ago.

Having received bases in France, the Allies continued their air offensive against Germany. Thus, in June-August, British bomber aircraft dropped about 32,000 tons of bombs on targets in Germany. During the same time, the US 8th Air Force dropped about 67,000 tons of bombs on targets in Germany. These powerful bombardments led to a reduction industrial production in Germany and its satellite countries. Thus, the production of fuel in Germany and its allied states in September amounted to 32 percent of the level of the beginning of the summer of 1944.

During the battle for France, the German troops suffered a crushing defeat. They lost almost half a million people. Allied losses amounted to about 40 thousand people. killed, 164 thousand wounded and 20 thousand missing. By mid-September, the German command had only 100 combat-ready tanks on the western front against 2000 operating in the first echelons of the allied forces, and 570 aircraft (the allies had 14 thousand of them). Thus, the Allied armies outnumbered the Germans 20 times in tanks and almost 25 times in aircraft.

Montgomery was so impressed by these stunning successes that he asked Eisenhower to provide him with enough equipment to carry a breakthrough all the way to Berlin. There was good reason for such optimism. According to the memoirs of the German General Blumentritt, at the end of August 1944, the German front in the west was actually opened. When the Allies approached the German borders in early September, the Germans did not have large troops beyond the Rhine, and nothing could delay the Allied advance deep into Germany.

However, when victory seemed very close, the pace of advance of the allied forces fell sharply. A significant reason for their slowdown was interruptions in the supply of fuel. Allied communications stretched out, and combat units were far removed from the logistics bases. The troops were severely short of fuel.

No less serious brake was the resistance of the German troops. In a critical situation in the first half of September, a thin line of Wehrmacht units remaining in service, at the cost of incredible efforts, covered the path to the Rhine and continued to hold positions until the necessary reserves arrived. As a result of the throw for the Rhine did not work. The Allies had to overcome the last hundred kilometers on the way to this river for almost half a year with great effort and losses.

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