Transcript operation market garden, september, 1944

D-DAY
OPERATION OVERLORD: THE ALLIED INVASION
OF NORTHWESTERN EUROPE
JUNE, 1944
PLANNING FOR “D-DAY”
• LATE 1943-EARLY ‘44:
– ALLIED LEADERS HAVE DECIDED TO BEGIN PREPARATIONS
FOR AN INVASION OF N.W. EUROPE
– ALLIED LAND, AIR, & NAVAL UNITS ARE MOVED TO ENGLAND
FOR TRAINING
– SO WHAT?
• UNITS ARE WITHDRAWN FROM OTHER
OPERATIONAL AREAS
• EX: ITALY & N. AFRICA
– WHY?
• MANY OF THEM HAVE COMBAT EXPERIENCE AGAINST
GERMANS
• MANY ARE FAMILIAR W/ AMPHIBIOUS TACTICS
• RESULT?
– MASSIVE TROOP INCREASE IN ENGLAND
– GERMANS ARE ALERTED TO COMING INVASION
PLANNING FOR D-DAY
• PROBLEM:
•
•
– GERMANS KNOW ALLIED INVASION WILL BE
ACROSS THE ENGLISH CHANNEL
– QUESTION? WHERE WILL THE INVASION LAND
HITLER: CONVINCED INVASION WILL BE AT
NARROWEST POINT ACROSS THE CHANNEL (the
“Pas de Calais”)
RESULT?
– HITLER WON’T ALLOW REINFORCEMENTS MOVED
INTO NORMANDY
– ANY TROOP MOVEMENT MUST HAVE HIS PERSONAL
APPROVAL
– RESULT? GERMAN TROOP NUMBERS IN
NORMANDY ARE NOT AS STRONG AS POSSIBLE
OPERATION OVERLORD
• JUNE 6, 1944
• GOAL:
– ALLIED INVASION OF NORTHERN EUROPE
– MASSIVE AMPHIBIOUS & AIRBORNE INVASION
– TO ESTABLISH AN ALLIED ”BEACHHEAD” IN N. FRANCE
• WHO? ALLIES (156,000 TROOPS, 4,000 LANDING CRAFT, 6000
SHIPS, 11,000 PLANES)
– U.S.:
• U.S. ARMY: AIRBORNE, AIR CORPS, INFANTRY, RANGERS
• U.S. NAVY
• U.S. COAST GUARD
– BRITS.:
• ARMY: AIRBORNE, INFANTRY
• R.A.F.
• ROYAL NAVY
– CANADIANS: INFANTRY
– FREE FRENCH: INFANTRY, NAVY
• WHERE? NORMANDY BEACHES, FRANCE
• GERMANS EXPECTED ATTACK TO ARRIVE IN DIFFERENT PART OF FRANCE
• WHY?
– GEORGE S. PATTON USED AS “DECOY”
– HITLER WOULD NOT ALLOW REINFORCEMENTS MOVED TO
NORMANDY
HITLER’s
ATLANTIC WALL,
1944
ALLIED ASSAULT AREAS, NORMANDY, 1944
OPERATION OVERLORD
U.S. WAR
DEPARTMENT
PULBIC SERVICE
POSTER, 1944
U.S. “DAKOTA” C-47 TRANSPORT PLANE
DAKOTA C-47 & RE-ENACTORS, PRESENT-DAY
U.S. AIRBORNE TROOPERS PREPARE FOR DROP, D-DAY
U.S. AIRBORNE DROP, NORMANDY, JUNE 6, 1944
U.S. AIRBORNE DROP, ST. MERE-EGLISE, NORMANDY, JUNE 6, 1944
ST. MERE-EGLISE, NORMANDY, FRANCE, PRESENT-DAY
U.S. ARMY ASSAULT AREAS, D-DAY
UTAH BEACH, POINTE-DU-HOC, AND OMAHA BEACH
POINTE-DU-HOC, NORMANDY
POINTE-DU-HOC, NORMANDY
U.S. ARMY 2nd
RANGER
BATTALION
SCALING
POINTE-DU-HOC
CLIFFS,
JUNE 6, 2014
U.S. ARMY RANGER
TRAINING ON CLIFFSCALING LADDER,
1944
U.S. ARMY 2nd RANGERS ASSAULT POINTE-DU-HOC
POINTE-DU-HOC, NORMANDY, FRANCE
WWII GERMAN BEACH OBSTACLES, NORMANDY
U.S.
INFANTRY
APPROACH
OMAHA
BEACH,
NORMANDY
JUNE 6,
1944
U.S ARMY SECOND WAVE ASSAULTS OMAHA BEACH
BRIGADIER GENERAL
THEODORE ROOSEVELT, JR.
U.S. 4th INFANTRY DIVISION,
RECIPIENT – MEDAL OF HONOR
CLOCKWISE
FROM TOP LEFT:
4TH INFANTRY
DIV.,
1ST INFANTRY
DIV.,
29TH INFANTRY
DIV.
OPERATION OVERLORD
• ATTACK BEGINS:
– NIGHT, JUNE 5-6: ALLIED AIRBORNE ASSAULT
– 0600, JUNE 6: ALLIED AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT ON
NORMANDY BEACHES
– HEAVY CASUALTIES ON BOTH SIDES:
• ALLIES: 4500 KIA
• U.S.: 2500 KIA
• GERMANS: EXACT FIGURE UNKOWN; 4000 –
9000KIA
– EISENHOWER ALMOST CANCELS ATTACK
GERMAN PROBLEMS:
-GERMANS AT NORMANDY CALL FOR
REINFORCEMENTS
-HITLER CAN’T BE REACHED – REINFORCEMENTS
AREN’T MOVED QUICKLY
– ALLIES TAKE BEACHES – ESTABLISH BEACHHEAD,
MOVE INLAND
BREAKOUT FROM NORMANDY
• June – August, 1944: Allies slowly drive
Germans form Normandy
• August, 1944: Allies seize Paris
• Early Fall, 1944: Allies prepare to:
– Attack German forces in Low Countries
– Move into Germany
RESULT? OPERATION MARKET GARDEN
WHEN? September, 1944
WHAT? MASSIVE ALLIED AIRBORNE/ARMORED ASSAULT INTO
HOLLAND/N.W. GERMANY
OBJECTIVE: SEIZE RHINE RIVER BRIDGES TO LAUNCH ATTACK
INTO GERMANY
RESULT? FAILURE – HEAVY ARIBORNE LOSSES
OPERATION
MARKET GARDEN,
SEPTEMBER, 1944
OPERATION
MARKET
GARDEN
OBJECTIVES,
SEPTEMBER,
1944
THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE
• NOV./DEC., 1944: GERMANS ARE LOSING WAR ON ALL FRONTS
– Eastern Front: Soviets rapidly advancing through Hungary and
Poland towards Germany
– Western Front: U.S./U.K. forces have liberated France and the
Low Countries and have stopped at German border
– Mediterranean Front: German forces have been reduced to
small pockets in N. Italy
– Scandinavia: Germans have withdrawn from Norway and pulled
back into Denmark, N. Germany
• Germany is going to lose war, UNLESS…
– They can win decisive battle, giving
them time to regroup
– They can convince the U.S./U.K. to agree
to an armistice, separate from Russians
THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE
• HITLER ORDERS WINTER OFFENSIVE
• WHERE? THE ARDENNES REGION – FRANCE-BELGIUM•
•
LUXEMBOURG BORDER
WHY THERE?
– U.S. FORCES THERE ARE THINLY SPREAD ON THE
FRONT
– U.S. FORCES THERE ARE UNDERSTRENGTH
– ALLIES THINK GERMANS CAN’T LANUCH A WINTER
OFFENSIVE
GOALS:
– MASSIVE ARMORED/INFANTRY THRUST TO
ANTWERP, BELGIUM
– SPLIT ALLIED FORCES IN TWO
– FORCE ANGLO-ALLIES TO SIGN AN ARMISTICE
GRUPPENFUHRER
JOACHIM PEIPER,
COMMANDING
OFFICER,
1st S.S. PANZER
REGIMENT
DEAD U.S.
TROOPERS,
MALMEDY,
BELGIUM;
MEN WERE
EXECUTED
BY PEIPER’s
S.S. UNIT
WAFFEN-SS
TROOPER,
THE
ARDENNES,
DECEMBER,
1944
NEW YORK TIMES HEADLINE, DEC., 1944
GERMAN “PANTHER” TANK, PRESENT-DAY
GERMAN “KING TIGER” TANK
BATTLE OF THE BULGE (cont’d.)
• DEC., 1944:
•
•
•
•
– GERMANS LAUNCH MASSIVE ASSAULT ON U.S.
FORCES
– 200,000+ TROOPS; 600+ ARMORED VEHICLES
(TANKS, APCs, etc.)
INTIAL ATTACK PUSHES U.S. BACK
FURTHEST GERMAN PENETRATION IS approx. 35-40
Miles
BAD WEATHER PREVENTS ALLIED AIR SUPPORT UNTIL
LATE DEC./EARLY JAN.
JANUARY:
– WEATHER/VISIBILITY IMPROVES
– ALLIED AIR COVER ATTACKS GERMAN SUPPLY LINES
• LATE JAN., 1945: GERMANS WITHDRAW
BATTLE OF THE BULGE (cont’d.)
• FINAL RESULTS:
•
– GERMANS HAVE USED UP THEIR LAST SIZEABLE
RESERVES
– PERMANENTLY ON THE DEFENSIVE – OFFENSIVE
CAMPAIGNS IMPOSSIBLE
– GERMANS WITHDRAW INSIDE GERMAN BORDERS
– CONQUEST OF GERMANY IS INEVITABLE
CASUALTIES:
– GERMANS: 67,000 – 100, 000 (approx. KIA, WIA,
MIA, etc.)
– U.S.: 90,000 (approx. total)
• KIA: 19,000; WIA: 48,000; MIA/POW: 23,000