Europe in 1944
Europe in 1944, before Operation Overlord, was a battlefield divided between a defensive but still formidable Germany, a Soviet Union on the offensive in the East, and Western Allies ready to open a second front in France to hasten the fall of the Third Reich. The war was at a decisive turning point, and the stakes were the liberation of occupied Europe. Here are some key dates from the first six months of 1944.
- January 4, 1944 – The Red Army invades Poland
- January 22 – Allied landing at Anzio, Italy
- March 3 – Soviet offensive in Ukraine
- March 19 – Hungary is occupied by Germany
- April 2 – Entry of the Red Army into Romania
- April 13 – Leclerc’s 2DB arrives for England
- May 9 – Liberation of Sevastopol by the Soviets
- June 4 – Capture of Rome by the Americans
- June 5 – French SAS parachute into Brittany
- June 6 – Allied landings in Normandy
Actors and forces present
Allied forces of Operation Overlord
On the eve of the start of Operation Overlord, three million soldiers, including 1,7 million Americans, were gathered in England: 39 divisions, including 20 American, 14 British, 3 Canadian, 1 Polish and 1 French. The air force had 11 aircraft including 600 fighters and 3 bombers; finally, nearly 500 ships of all types were ready to set sail for France. Operation Neptune, the naval assault of Overlord, was to allow the approach of five naval forces to the five landing beaches chosen from a staging area at sea (off the Isle of Wight) called Piccadilly Circus. Six divisions were to land at dawn on June 5, the 000re, 4e and 29the American infantry divisions, the 50the and 3the British divisions and finally the 3rde Canadian division. Three other airborne units are to jump during the night of the 5th to the 6th on the two wings of the landing zone; the 6e British Airborne and 82e and 101the American AirborneA total of 170 men were to be joined quickly by 000 other divisions on D+13, then 1 others on D+17.
The German Supreme Command in the West
Hitler had long been waiting for the landing in the West. The results of the Tehran Conference, leaked, confirmed this news for the spring of 1944: the invasion would come from the English Channel. Von Rundstedt, who commanded the land forces in the West, representing the old German army, had little confidence in the effectiveness of the Atlantic Wall and, like Hitler, dismissed the idea of a Normandy landing. His command was divided into two army groups: the Army Group G south of the Loire, led by General von Blaskowitz, and the gArmy Group B, in the north, entrusted to Field Marshal Rommel since January 15, 1944. While von Rundstedt counted on the constitution of reserve forces thrown against the attacker, Rommel believed that the Allies would have to be pushed back into the sea in the first hours. The Atlantic Wall would then have to play a decisive role. And for him, it was the Normandy area that was the most dangerous. The armored forces were held by General von Schweppenburg, but only Hitler could decide on their engagement, like Krancke's navy or Speerle's air force. These dysfunctions and the centralizing aspect of the command around Hitler alone would be cruelly felt during the first days of operations in Normandy.
German forces in Normandy on June 6
Since his arrival on the Western Front, Field Marshal Rommel, who was in charge of inspecting the Atlantic Wall, had been constantly calling for reinforcements. Now convinced that the landing would take place in Normandy, Hitler sent him new troops to the Cotentin Peninsula in May 1944 (91e division and 6e parachute regiment) and a division stationed in Eure (12e SS). At the same time, units already in place moved closer to the future landing beaches (352e division). With six infantry divisions and two armored divisions (21e and 12the SS), the enemy has become even more formidable. But the division of command desired by Hitler, which deprives the Western Command (including Rommel) of reserve units, sows confusion among the German generals and weakens their means of action. For its part, the Luftwaffe, which has not had control of the air for a long time, can barely field more than 500 aircraft in Normandy.
The Atlantic Wall
Field Marshal von Rundstedt, who commanded the German land forces in the West, had to defend nearly 5 km of coastline. As early as June 000, the Germans had been content with coastal defenses between Calais and Boulogne, in preparation for the invasion of Great Britain. From December 1940, an exclusively defensive strategy was adopted, as the danger could come from the West. Construction of the Atlantic Wall began in early 1941 around the main ports and in Nord-Pas-de-Calais with the construction of submarine bases, batteries, bunkers, barracks, and radar stations. The stated objective of 1942 concrete points was, however, far from being achieved on the eve of D-Day. Only 15 structures had been completed by the end of 000.
In January 1944, Rommel, in charge of inspecting the Wall on the French coast, quickly highlighted the flaws in the defense system. In just a few months, he had more than 4 structures and 000 obstacles of all kinds built on the beaches and inland areas. In Normandy, 500 structures, 000 obstacles, and two million mines were in place before June 2. Despite this effort to make up for lost time, some structures were still not completed at the time of the D-Day landings. And the strategic differences between Rommel and von Rundstedt only slowed down the defense of the French coastline.
