All warfare is based on deception.
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
1. Today, an occasion to honor D-Day....the Sixth of June, 1944.
While the events that led up to this attack are fascinating by themselves, this OP centers on the location of the invasion.
Why Normandy?
Why not Calais?
Even before consideration of the effects of the bombings, the German high command knew that if the Allies established a foothold on the Continent, on 'Fortress Europa,' the war would be lost. At this point, the Germans had very little hope of victory.
2. "Planning for the operation began in 1943. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a substantial military deception, codenamed Operation Bodyguard, to mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings. The weather on D-Day was far from ideal, but postponing would have meant a delay of at least two weeks, as the invasion planners set conditions regarding the phase of the moon, the tides, and the time of day that meant only a few days in each month were deemed suitable. Hitler placed German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in command of German forces and of developing fortifications along the Atlantic Wall in anticipation of an Allied invasion."
Normandy landings - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
3. " Germans along the coast of France were already aware of the huge buildup of American troops, ships and equipment in southern England. They knew a crossing was coming at some point the only question was where and when.
Rommel and members of the High Command, including his superior, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, Commander of Army West, thought the Allies would probably land at Calais, the narrowest distance between southern England and the coast of France." The History Place - Defeat of Hitler: D-Day Invasion
4. Fieldmarshall von Rundstedt explains why he believes the Allied attack will aim at Calais, rather than 200 miles north, at Normandy:
a. "Calais is the strategic linchpin of the Channel coast. If the enemy secures a beachhead at Calais, he can turn to the east and be a few days' march from the Ruhrgebiet, our industrial heartland.
b. Another reason why Calais makes sense militarily- the Channel is the narrowest there. The enemy will be able to pour men and materiel into Calais four time faster that he would at Normandy or Brittany.
c. There are three excellent deep water ports in the Pas de Calais area: Boulogne, Calais, and Dunkirk. The enemy needs ports. It is my belief that the first goal of the invaders will be to seize a major port and reopen it as quickly as possible, for without a major port the enemy cannot supply his troops.
d. Normandy presents the enemy with many problems. The distance across the Channel is much greater. At some points, high cliffs stand between the beaches and the mainland. The closest harbor is Cherbourg, at the tip of a heavily defended peninsula. Even if he takes Cherbourg, he knows we would render it useless before surrendering it.
e. But the most logical argument against a strike at Normandy, is its geographic location. It is too far to the west. Even if the enemy succeeds in landing at Normandy, he runs the risk of being pinned down and strategically isolated. He must fight us all the way across France before even reaching German soil."
From the novel "The Unlikely Spy," by Daniel Silva.
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
1. Today, an occasion to honor D-Day....the Sixth of June, 1944.
While the events that led up to this attack are fascinating by themselves, this OP centers on the location of the invasion.
Why Normandy?
Why not Calais?
Even before consideration of the effects of the bombings, the German high command knew that if the Allies established a foothold on the Continent, on 'Fortress Europa,' the war would be lost. At this point, the Germans had very little hope of victory.
2. "Planning for the operation began in 1943. In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a substantial military deception, codenamed Operation Bodyguard, to mislead the Germans as to the date and location of the main Allied landings. The weather on D-Day was far from ideal, but postponing would have meant a delay of at least two weeks, as the invasion planners set conditions regarding the phase of the moon, the tides, and the time of day that meant only a few days in each month were deemed suitable. Hitler placed German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in command of German forces and of developing fortifications along the Atlantic Wall in anticipation of an Allied invasion."
Normandy landings - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
3. " Germans along the coast of France were already aware of the huge buildup of American troops, ships and equipment in southern England. They knew a crossing was coming at some point the only question was where and when.
Rommel and members of the High Command, including his superior, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, Commander of Army West, thought the Allies would probably land at Calais, the narrowest distance between southern England and the coast of France." The History Place - Defeat of Hitler: D-Day Invasion
4. Fieldmarshall von Rundstedt explains why he believes the Allied attack will aim at Calais, rather than 200 miles north, at Normandy:
a. "Calais is the strategic linchpin of the Channel coast. If the enemy secures a beachhead at Calais, he can turn to the east and be a few days' march from the Ruhrgebiet, our industrial heartland.
b. Another reason why Calais makes sense militarily- the Channel is the narrowest there. The enemy will be able to pour men and materiel into Calais four time faster that he would at Normandy or Brittany.
c. There are three excellent deep water ports in the Pas de Calais area: Boulogne, Calais, and Dunkirk. The enemy needs ports. It is my belief that the first goal of the invaders will be to seize a major port and reopen it as quickly as possible, for without a major port the enemy cannot supply his troops.
d. Normandy presents the enemy with many problems. The distance across the Channel is much greater. At some points, high cliffs stand between the beaches and the mainland. The closest harbor is Cherbourg, at the tip of a heavily defended peninsula. Even if he takes Cherbourg, he knows we would render it useless before surrendering it.
e. But the most logical argument against a strike at Normandy, is its geographic location. It is too far to the west. Even if the enemy succeeds in landing at Normandy, he runs the risk of being pinned down and strategically isolated. He must fight us all the way across France before even reaching German soil."
From the novel "The Unlikely Spy," by Daniel Silva.
