D-day Equipment and Strategy

In 1944, the United States war effort in Europe was just starting to pick up. Even though the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor occurred just three years prior, the growing power of the Third Reich could not be ignored. During this time, France was already occupied by Nazi Germany and Hitler's war machine was on the path of conquering all of Eurasia. In an attempt to combat this immense threat, the U.S. formulated a plan to engage the German forces through an invasion of Normandy. This bloody offensive would be remembered in infamy as D-Day. Shortly before this violent clash of U.S. and German forces, the inexperienced men of the United States Third Army was given an encouraging and inspiring speech by the four star general George S. Patton.

On June 6th 1944, the U.S. and allied forces executed an amphibious assault named Operation Neptune, commonly known as D-Day, along the north-western coastline region of France. The operation covered in this paper will discuss a key battle during the Invasion of Normandy. The Invasion of Normandy was a successful operation focused towards German-occupied Western Europe during World War II. This paper will also cover a brief history and key points of The Battle of Omaha Beach. Critical reasoning and battle analysis will be expressed through what intelligence assets were applied, utilized and available during the time era. The analysis outcome will lead to an expressed alternative ending on The Battle of Omaha Beach. A detailed explanation of how intelligence assets could have been used to change the course of the battle will defend the explained alternative ending discussed. The main points of discussion will include Adolf Hitler’s decision to move most of his tank divisions and infantry units 150 miles north to Calais, the significance of the highly effective group known as the French Resistance and a famous illusionist Jasper Maskelyne.

The invasion of D-Day is the largest joint sea born invasion in the history of the world. Although very well planned, the amphibious landings were a gamble made by the Allied forces to gain foothold in Europe. Every American has heard about the Allied invasion of German-occupied Western Europe on D-Day. However, how many Americans stop and think about how much planning, preparation and luck that went into making it the success that it is remembered for? I will attempt to depict what it took to conquer the Normandy beaches using historical and military facts that make it such an iconic event in the world’s history still today.

The most common weapon used in the trenches by the British were rifles. The rifles that the British used were robust and were ideal for the harsh conditions in the trenches. This rifle was called the bold action rifle which could fire 15 rounds per minute and could kill a person from 1400 meters away. Machine guns in WW1 needed approximately 4-6 men to work it, they also had to be on a flat surface. The machine guns had roughly the firepower of 100 guns. The artillery

Each soldier had objectives to complete that would make the invasion from the sea go a bit easier. One way the paratroopers led to the success of Normandy was how they captured French towns and cities. This aided the Allies because a lot of said towns and cities could have been communication centers. With these towns taken, it would be easier to send and receive messages. Also, the towns could connect major roadways to one another. When supplies such as trucks with ammo and other useful equipment came through, they could easily get to where they were needed. Another way that the paratroopers led to the success of the invasion was how they took or destroyed gun batteries and cannons that would be able to fire down onto the beaches or the ships that supported the landings. With the weapons still intact, the Germans could cause a lot more casualties to the invading force than what really happened Finally, the paratroopers led to success at Normandy by taking important roadways and bridges. After the initial invasion happened, tanks and supplies would need a way to get inland quickly and easily if the Germans managed to blow up the bridges, these important supplies wouldn’t be able to go over the rivers and canals without waiting for a new, unreliable one to be built. In conclusion, the paratroopers were a major factor to the invasion and was one of the biggest

inadequate communication; lack of supporting firepower; and in the final hour before the raid, absolute

Throughout all of history the United States have always found themselves in the midst of a conflict between other nations. One of the more significant conflicts that the U.S. intervened in is World War II. “World War II was the largest armed conflict in human history. Ranging over six continents and all the world's oceans, the war caused an estimated 50 million military and civilian deaths, including those of 6 million Jews” (World War II 1). World War II officially began when the Germans invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Poland was a country that was guaranteed military assistance from France and Great Britain if Germany were to attack. If Hitler were to invade Poland he would not only have to fight against the British and French, but he would also have to fight against the Soviets. Therefore, in order for Hitler to prevent fighting a two front war he needed to create an agreement between Germany and the Soviet Union. This agreement was called the Nonaggression Pact, which was agreed on August 23, 1939. This agreement stated that in the future neither country would declare war on each other. As a result of this Pact, Hitler was free to invade Poland without worrying about the Soviet Union. Subsequently, on September 3, 1939, France and Britain declared war on the Germans. This marked the beginning of World War II. However, the United States will not decide to enter into the war until December 7, 1941 when the United States is bombed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii by the

Hitler's “Atlantic Wall” was an extremely long wall (length wise) and was no easy task to get through. The military had to pass anti-tank guns, mines, belgian gates (anti-tank gates), and anti-landing craft obstacles. Those were just the weapons there was also plenty of soldiers armed and ready to fight. Now the anti-tank guns were not in plain sight in fact they were actually disguised as houses and watchtowers as lighthouses. The nazis would make entire fake towns just to deceive its intruders.

This event occurred on June 6th, 1944, where the American and British armies landed on Normandy France beaches. This landing was not only the biggest amphibious operation in history, but the most thoroughly planned and practiced (Ambrose, pg. 48). 170,000 soldiers prepared for this operation through months of practice, whether they were American, Canadian, or British. In attempt to cease the offenses, Hitler built the Atlantic Wall. The Atlantic Wall consisted of reinforced concrete forts, trenches, minefields, and anti-landing craft devices of all kinds, and it was backed up by panzer(tank) divisions and was manned by battle-hardened Nazis (Ambrose, pg. 48).

munitions of war, and placed at our disposal great reserves of trained fighting men. The tide

The Germans had deployed the 352nd infantry division in a defensive doctrine on Omaha beach , Normandy. In hopes of

In the beginning of the war the weapon of choice for the support troops was the M1 Carbine. The carbine was half the weight and held a less powerful cartridge than its brother, the M1 Garand. They

The whole war had led up to this day, especially since the plans for the invasion were being made even as early as 1942 or 1943, after the Soviet Union requested help to relieve pressure on their military in Eastern Europe following the Battle of Stalingrad, where they and Romania lost over 250,000 men combined. The thoughts of a soldier who had been fighting all throughout World War II would have probably consisted of, one, wanted to go home already, but two, thinking that nothing could be worse than what they had already experienced. They knew in their minds that they were ready for this mission, and had the plans of the military backing up their claims of definite victory. A soldier would, of course, hold their personal doubts and fright, but when counted among many fellow troops willing to fight for the same cause as their own, they can’t help but feel the collective morale of their comrades and themselves. This personal morale was only boosted by the genius work of WWII’s commanders’ skills in speech. The day before the actual attack, General Eisenhower gave his men a motivational speech they’d never forget. An excerpt from the speech: “Soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the Allied Expeditionary Force! You are about to embark upon the greatest crusade toward which we have striven these many months. The eyes of the world are upon you.” Though General George Patton also gave his own speech that day, I won’t bore you with another quote (though Patton was far from a boring individual). Instead, you should now be able to reflect on how important morale was for the forces getting ready to siege Normandy. The Allied troops were physically and mentally prepared, while the Germans in Normandy, if anything, had lost morale as they believed there was nothing to do when stationed in that

to go to war and win this by landing on dangerous beaches where the Axis Powers are waiting for

This mission command analysis evaluates the battle of Team Desobry at the town of Noville, Belgium. These events took place 18-19 December 1944, and later impacted the battle fought at Bastogne during World War II. It is the goal of this review to discuss and analyze three mission command principles displayed during this battle: Create shared understanding, exercise disciplined initiative, and the acceptance of prudent risk. One of the main characters that took part in this story was the 20th Armored Infantry Battalion, 10th Armored Division. The commanding officer of this element was Major William R. Desobry. During the events of World War II, the German forces were trying to gain control of the Ardennes to cut off the allies’ supply lines in order to isolate British forces from the American troops. A pivotal task for German forces to attain this goal was to gain access and take control of the Belgian town of Bastogne. However, an important strategic stepping stone to get there was Noville, which is just seven kilometers northeast of Bastogne. Two main reasons made Noville such a critical location for the Germans: First, it had a junction of roads that were important for displacement of German forces to the West. Second, it provided an alternative road to access Bastogne from the north.1