June 6, 1944. If the Invasion Had Failed

[Weatherman2020]

On June 5, 1944, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower composed this message to be issued to the press in the event the D-Day invasion failed. Thanks to one of his clerks who rescued it out of the trashcan we know of its existence.

”Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops… If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone."


That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is leadership.

 

[gipper]

We don’t have leadership like that anymore.

 

[rightwinger]

If the invasion had failed, we would have fallen back and regrouped for a year. We would have continued the Italian campaign

The Soviet forces would have continued without us and eventually captured Germany alone

The West would look much different

 

[Weatherman2020]

If the invasion had failed, we would have fallen back and regrouped for a year. We would have continued the Italian campaign

The Soviet forces would have continued without us and eventually captured Germany

The West would look much different

We put everything we had available in the European theater into the Normandy landings. And years of deception making the Germans put dozens of Divisions in the wrong locations. Most likely the Soviets would have taken all of Europe except Italy and Greece.

 

[rightwinger]

We put everything we had available in the European theater into the Normandy landings. And years of deception making the Germans put dozens of Divisions in the wrong locations. Most likely the Soviets would have taken all of Europe except Italy and Greece.

We would have continued our bombings and crippling Germany’s industry, fuel and infrastructure.

Would have left Germany open for a Soviet invasion

 

[JoeMoma]

Perhaps the first nukes would of been deployed against Germany instead of Japan.

 

[martybegan]

If the invasion had failed, we would have fallen back and regrouped for a year. We would have continued the Italian campaign

The Soviet forces would have continued without us and eventually captured Germany

The West would look much different

If the invasion had failed, more than likely the Wehrmacht would have moved at least 20-30 divisions east, which would not have defeated the Russians, but would have slowed them down. All of the production that went into the Battle of the Bulge would have also been sent East, also aiding in the German defense of their eastern border.

Which might have resulted in Berlin getting the first Atomic Bomb and not Hiroshima.

 

[martybegan]

We would have continued our bombings and crippling Germany’s industry, fuel and infrastructure.

Would have left Germany open for a Soviet invasion

Even with our bombing ongoing German production was still increasing until the very last few months of the war, due to loss of the Ruhr as well as loss of the eastern areas at the same time allied bombing continued.

 

[rightwinger]

Perhaps the first nukes would of been deployed against Germany instead of Japan.

I don’t think we would have nuked Germany

We considered Japan as sub human

 

[Weatherman2020]

We would have continued our bombings and crippling Germany’s industry, fuel and infrastructure.

Would have left Germany open for a Soviet invasion

Do you see anyone in office or military leadership taking full responsibility for a major failure?

That’s what’s lacking today.

 

[rightwinger]

If the invasion had failed, more than likely the Wehrmacht would have moved at least 20-30 divisions east, which would not have defeated the Russians, but would have slowed them down. All of the production that went into the Battle of the Bulge would have also been sent East, also aiding in the German defense of their eastern border.

Which might have resulted in Berlin getting the first Atomic Bomb and not Hiroshima.

I don’t think they could have

We would not have surrendered and would merely regroup for a future invasion

Germany would still have to defend France

 

[Weatherman2020]

I don’t think we would have nuked Germany

We considered Japan as sub human

Actually we rightly believed the Japanese would never surrender. And the post Hiroshima coup attempt by the military validates that belief.

 

[gipper]

We put everything we had available in the European theater into the Normandy landings. And years of deception making the Germans put dozens of Divisions in the wrong locations. Most likely the Soviets would have taken all of Europe except Italy and Greece.

My father was stationed in southern England with thousands of other GIs at that time. He said no one could get any sleep at night because of constant sorties taking off and landing around him.

He and his unit landed weeks later at le havre, which had been bombed heavily to fool the Germans. He said the locals were not happy, as many civilians were killed.

 

[martybegan]

I don’t think we would have nuked Germany

We considered Japan as sub human

What better way to show the Soviets "we got the bomb and you don't" than nuking a city in their supposed sphere of operations.

Plus Germany didn't have the whole Emperor thing so nuking Berlin wouldn't have had the same moral stigma as taking out Tokyo and the Emperor.

Plus you do realize the Japanese at the time were just as racist as we were?

 

[Weatherman2020]

My father was stationed in southern England with thousands of other GIs at that time. He said no one could get any sleep at night because of constant sorties taking off and landing around him.

He and his unit landed weeks later at le havre, which had been bombed heavily to fool the Germans. He said the locals were not happy, as many civilians were killed.

An estimated 15,000 French civilians were killed in the invasion.

 

[martybegan]

I don’t think they could have

We would not have surrendered and would merely regroup for a future invasion

Germany would still have to defend France

If the invasion had failed, from what?

A failed invasion would have left behind divisions worth of equipment and supplies (usable in part by the Germans) as well as made the French and other conquered countries think the Germans might be able to pull this off.

It's all speculative, but one could imagine Stalin thinking he could get a better deal negotiating with Germany than keeping on fighting once he cleared Soviet territory of German forces.

 

[rightwinger]

It's all speculative, but one could imagine Stalin thinking he could get a better deal negotiating with Germany than keeping on fighting once he cleared Soviet territory of German forces.

I don’t think so

By 1944, Germany was in full retreat
Stalin was in an unconditional surrender mood, plus we were continuing to supply him

 

[HenryBHough]

What if Xiden had been president then?

Awwwwww, Du weißt es verdammt gut, liebes kleines Kind!
Und es würde dir gefallen, oder du würdest in einem Lager sterben.
Aber du weißt das und du wünschtest es wäre es, Nazi-Fortschrittlicher!

 

[jwoodie]

I don’t think we would have nuked Germany

That is what the B-36 bomber was designed for.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

If the invasion had failed, we would have fallen back and regrouped for a year. We would have continued the Italian campaign

The Soviet forces would have continued without us and eventually captured Germany alone

The West would look much different

You'd love that