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WWI II: Amphibious Warfare -
The Normandy Campaign
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©
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WWI II: Amphibious Warfare - The Normandy Campaign |
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"You will enter the continent of Europe and, in conjunction with the other United Nations, undertake operations aimed at the heart of Germany and the destruction of her armed forces." Order given to General Dwight D. Eisenhower by Combined Chiefs of Staff, February 12 1944 | |
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"Remember this is an invasion, not the creation of a fortified beachhead."
Winston Churchill, April 7, 1944 Quoted in: Jane Penrose, ed. The D-Day Companion
"Four years after the rescue at Dunkirk of that gallant defeated army | without which nucleus the forces of liberation could never have been rebuilt the United Nations returned yesterday to the soil of France." The Times (London), June 7, 1944 Quoted by Dan Plesch, "The Only Hope of the World" The Tribune, June 10, 2004 |
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Lesson Objectives
• Build a foundation for understanding the complexity and potential of the amphibious assault as a military maneuver. • Develop an appreciation for the magnitude and significance of the Normandy invasion (Operation Overlord). • Understand the importance of deception in Operation Overlord. • Analyze Operation Overlord as a logistics operation. |
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Study Guides
• Why are amphibious assaults considered such high risk operations? • What lessons were learned from the Dieppe raid (1942)? • Why did the Allies select Normandy as the site of the invasion of Northern Europe? • What was Eisenhower's greatest concern as planning for Overlord began? as planning progressed? as the operation began? • Why was deception important to the success of Overlord? Describe some of the deception techniques used. • Describe the logistic considerations in the planning and execution of Overlord. • Describe the role of technology in overcoming some of the challenges of Overlord. |
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Assignment
Readings: Operation Overlord Wikipedia • READ: Introduction and Sections 1-3 and 5. "The Significance of Overlord" Carlo D'Este Speech to the Eisenhower Institute 29 April 2004 • Alternate cached version (slow loading but easier to read). "Bad weather could have scuppered D-Day" John Keegan The Daily Telegraph (London) July 6, 2004 Animated Map of Normandy Beaches (June 6, 1944) "The Normandy Landings" The War Times Journal Animated Map of Normandy Campaign (June-August 1944) War & Conflict: World War II BBC Mulberry Harbors Normandy 1944 Encyclopedia Britannica Phoenixes, Mulberries, Whales, Lobnitzes, Corncobs and Role of Tugs at Normandy Harbor on D-Day U.S. Maritime Service Veterans • This short article shows the complexities of assembling the artificial harbors. Equipment & Defenses at Normandy (Alt) Normandy 1944 Encyclopedia Britannica • NOTE: Some of the equipment illustrations are annimated. Enjoy! Supplemental Resources: From Gallipoli to D-Day Peter Hart World War Two BBC • Good discussion of the British lessons from Gallipoli campaign (1915) as applied to Operation Overloard. Development of Amphibious Assaults in WW II Larry Parker Military History Online, 2005 World War Two BBC • An extensive portal containing links to excellent articles and multimedia on WW II. Dwight David Eisenhower: The Centennial U.S. Army Center for Military History March 16, 1990 • Scan the material on Esienhower's life down to "Supreme Commander." • READ: "Supreme Commander" (entire section) Leaders & Generals Normandy 1944 Encyclopedia Britannica Normandy Campaign Maps (detailed) Library of Congress "Plans and Preparations for the Invasion" Chapter 2 The War in Western Europe, Part 1 (June to December 1944) Department of Military Art and Engineering West Point, NY: US Military Academy, 1952 "The Technical Services in OVERLORD" The US Army in WW II: The Technical Services (extracts) US Army Center for Military History |
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