First published in Great Britain in 2007 by Osprey Publishing, Midland Hause, West Way, Botley, Oxford OX2 OPH, UK 443 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016, USA
© 2007 Osprey Publishing Ltd, Oxford, and Rosen Book Works Inc., New York. All rights reserved.
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ISBN 978 1 84603 056 7
Page layout by Osprey Publishing Map by The Map Studio Originated by United Graphics Pte Ltd, Singapore Printed in China through Bookbuilders
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10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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•
Who's who
3
World War 2, 1939-1945
4
Fighting Back
4
The Allies are Coming
6
The D-Day Invasion
8
The Beginning of the End
44
Glossary
46
For More Information
47
Index and Website
48
General Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) was Commander-in-Chief of SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force) and in charge of all Allied troops in the European Theater. After the war, he was twice elected President of the United States.
Field Marshall Erwin Rommel (1891-1944) was relieved from command of the famed "Afrika Korps" before their final defeat in North Africa. He was transferred to France where he was tasked with building coastal defenses against the anticipated Allied Invasion.
Field Marshall Bernard Law Montgomery (18871976) was commander of the British Eight Armythe famous "Desert Rats" who defeated Rommel in North Africa. After this success, he was appointed to be Eisenhower's chief deputy in planning Operation Overlord.
Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) was leader of Germany and commander of German forces from 1944. Convinced of his divine right to lead Germany to power over all, Hitler began his conquering of Europe in Poland in 1939.
3
Even after World War 1 (1914-1919), there were strong hostilities between many nations. The United States worked to build good relations with other countries to avoid fighting another war. However, other nations were becoming aggressive toward their neighbors. In 1936, Italy invaded Ethiopia. Japan attacked China in 1937. In 1938, Germany took control of Austria and Czechoslovakia. In 1939, Germany invaded Poland. France and England responded by declaring war on Germany. The
After the British Expeditionary Force had been evacuated from the European mainland ill 1940, the German Army had gained control of the bulk of Western Europe. From that time forward, all operations against the Nazis had been limited to areas away from the German homeland. British, and later, American forces were both confined to operations in Northern Africa and, after a seaborne assault, Crete, Sicily, and finally, Italy. In the East, the Russians were fighting against Hitler's main forces practically on their own. It was clear that it would be necessary to open a second front in Europe if only to reduce the pressure on the Russians.
United States had avoided fighting in the growing worldwide conflict, but on December 7, 1941, Japan attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. America was at war. For the next four years, the United States and its allies fought Germany and the other Axis forces on land, sea, and in the air. One of the most decisive campaigns was the D-Day invasion, in 1944, the beginning of the Allies' plan to take back Europe. Its outcome was so important that many historians call this campaign the turning point of the war. •
... The North coast of France was dotted with concrete gun fortifications. The Germans were heavily sheltered when firing the guns, such as shown here, and this proved deadly for the Allies on D-Day. (NARA)
Planning for an invasion began as early as 1943 and, ~q.fter eliminating the option of going through the Balkans or continuing through Italy, it was agreed that an attack upon Northern France offered the best
4
... Planning for the invasion was a massive undertaking. Every available spa<;:e in England, UK, was used to store vehicles, such as these Cromwell and Churchill tanks, and the equipment needed for the attack. (IWM)
chance of success-and the shortest route to the German homeland. The Americans, at first, wanted to stage two amphibious assaults-one on Northwestern France, and a second along the French Mediterranean. However, it was decided that there just weren't enough men and equipment to make this work.
They then looked at the Pas de Calaisacross the narrowest point of the English Channel. It had the advantage of a good port and offered the shortest route into Germany-through the Low Countries. However, it was also the most obvious target and the one the Germans were working hard to secure and protect. The next most likely place was Normandy. The Bay of Seine offered some shelter from bad weather and there were enough beaches that were suitable for assault by sea. Normandy was also probably less heavily defended than Calais . Normandy did not have any large ports but the British had already begun to develop an artificial harbor that would be enough to move men and machines until a more substantial port could be seized. The first draft of the "Overlord" plan was completed in July 1943 and quickly approved by the combined Allied Chiefs of Staff. Full planning began at once. Senior American commanders on D-Day were, left to right, LIGen Omar Bradley, MajGen Leonard Gerow, Gen Dwight Eisenhower and Gen J. Lawson Collins. (NARA)
....
5
~ German forces
-+-
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U.S. forces British and Canadian forces Allied advance, 2359 hours 6 June Allied objective, 2359 hours 6 June
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The Germans were aware that an Allied invasion of France was coming. Field Marshall Erwin Rommel had been given command of the French beaches in late 1943 and took action to fortify and protect all the beaches, to stop any invasion before the enemy could gain a foothold. .&. Limited resources slowed work and by the A scene from Omaha Beach on the first middle of 1944, much remained to be done. morning of the Allied invasion. The Allies had Worse, the Allies had made a concerted used every available resource to make the effort to disrupt the German meteorology attack a success. (NARA) service. This meant that the German commanders had incomplete weather Warships began a fierce bombardment of information and thought the weather would German positions, joined by aircraft. Despite . this, German fire and pre-set obstacles took be too poor for an invasion in early June. Meanwhile, General Eisenhower, after their toll on the seaborne troops. Many cancelling June 5 as the invasion date, died without ever reaching the beaches and, decided to move forward on June 6. As the once ashore, many more found themselves Allies had complete weather information, he trapped by heavy German fire. Omaha Beach was the worst. Tank knew that he would have a few days of decent support should have been provided by DO weather in which to mount his assaults. The Allied invasion now started with (Dual Drive) tanks sent in along with the the deployment of airborne elements. The troops. However, most of the tanks sank American 82nd and 101st Divisions in the heavy seas. The Americans found and the British 6th and 1st Parachute themselves under continuous fire and the Regiments were sent into France on the attack at Omaha was in doubt. Success of the night of 5 July-their job was to secure the reinforcements and good leadership on the battlefield by blowing up bridges over rivers beach managed to save them and they finally on enemy approach roads, and hold key made a breakthrough to higher ground. Meanwhile, landings at Sword, Gold, bridges to allow troops from the seaborne invasion force access inland once they were Juno, and Utah Beaches were successful. German opposition was light and off the beaches. Meanwhile, the largest Allied fleet ever allowed the Allies to break through the assembled began to disembark its troops existing defenses and, by the end of the on beaches off the coast of France. day, begin to move inland, hooking up with airborne units as they moved. LEFT Allied forces landed on the French coast A beachhead had been establishedon five beaches, Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and and the Allies were firmly launched in their Sword. The plan was simple-defeat the Axis forces, and take back Europe. crusade to reconquer Western Europe.
7
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14
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15
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l'HE I?ROPPING OF RAMPS SE~MS A SIGNAL.. FOR CONCENTRATEI? ANI? MURI?EROUS GERMAN MACHINE-GUN FIRE.
24
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33
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43
The invasion of Normandy and the opening of a second front in Europe was the greatest disaster Hitler and the German Army had ever experienced. Aside from the presence of attacking Allied forces in Europe, it also cut the Germans off from the French Atlantic ports. This also meant an end to the German U-Boat war in the Atlantic. Worse, the loss of the French coast deprived the Luftwaffe of their early warning radar systems, allowing Allied bombers easier access to the German cities. Later, as French airfields were captured, it also meant full-time Allied fighter bombings, and support for their troops.
Alli~S
German infantrymen 'captured by the on D-Day were taken to prisoner of war camps in England. Most were between 18 and 19 years old. (NARA)
•
Once the Allies captured French airfields, they began full-time bombings of German troops across France and Germany. This destruction of resources helped lead to the end for Germany. (IWM)
As the Allies advanced through France, the Russians broke through more enemy lines and began a succession of attacks into the eastern flank of the German Reich. German industry, bombed by the Allies and denied resources by the loss of key areas, began to falter. France had provided more than half the food needed by the German armies- as the Allies took back France these supplies were
44
lost to the Germans. The loss of other French resources meant that much-n.eeded weapons and equipment were not delivered quickly enough to the frontline units. The' German army began to retreat, contracting their defensive lines until they stood on the banks of the Rhine itself. By early 1945, Allied bombers were smashing through the German railway system, cutting off food and supplies to the interior of the country. Soon after, the Allied armies moved into German territory both from the east and the west. By April
25, Russian and American troops had met in several parts of Germany. The war was lost and, on April 30, Adolf Hitler committed suicide. It had taken just 10 months from the first moment the first Allied troops touched the ground in occupied France until Germany surrendered. The war in Europe was over. The final collapse of Germany happened once American and Soviet forces met each other in central Germany on April 21, 1945. (AKG Berlin)
45
People or countries that give support to each other. amphibious Coordinated land, sea and air forces organized for invasion. Large guns that are artillery m'ounted, A military attack that assault involves direct fighting. To remove water from a bail boat by using a container to scoop up and throw the water overboard. A large group of military battalion troops. bombardment An attack that of heavy gunfire. deployment To a~0nge a military unit, especGiHY~ a wide position. diligent Steady, energetic effort. emplacement A place that has been prepared by the military for weapons. Position usable as a base foothold for further advance. fortification A building created to defend or strengthen a place or position. glider An aircraft similar to an airplane but without an engine. allies
A conflict between two parties which usually leads to warfare. infantry The branch of an army trained to fight on foot. instrumental Being a vital part of getting something done. The act of sending armed invasion forces to another country in order to take it over. liberation The act of setting . someone or somewhere free. The largest land mass of a mainland country or continent relative to surrounding islands. An area of wetland, or marshland marsh. A person trained to give medic emergency medical help. meteorology A science that deals with the atmosphere and. especially with weather and weather forecasting. paratrooper A soldier trained to jump from an airplane. To strengthen or support reinforce by additional assistance. Attacking with artillery. shelling spearhead The leading force in getting something done. suppress To stop something from happening.
hostilities
46
ORGANIZATIONS
FOR FURTHER READING
The National World War II Museum 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130
Parry, Dan, D-Day: The Dramatic Story of the World's Greatest Invasion, BBC Books, 2004 Bowman, Martin, Remembering D-Day:
USA 001 (504) 527 6012 Website: http://www.ddaymuseum.org/ D-Day Museum Clarence Esplanade, Southsea P053NT 01144 23 9229 6905 Website: http://www.ddaymuseum.co.uk/
Personal Histories of Everyday Heroes,
HarperCollins, 2004 Richard Holmes. The D-Day Experience: From Invasion to the Liberation of Paris. London:Cariton Books, 2004 Bryan Perrett, D-Day (My Story),
Scholastic, 2004 Troops huddled inside their LCVP landing craft as they waited to land on Omaha Beach on the morning of D-Day. Each LCVP carried 31 infantrymen and one officer. German forces had already started attacking the beach and soon the fight to get inland would begin. (Howard Gerrard © Osprey Publishing)
T
47
AfrikaKorps 3 Beaches: Gold 6,7,30,31,34 Juno 6, 7, 25, 26, 27, 28, 34 Omaha 6,7, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 32, 34, 35, 36, 42, 47 Sword 6, 7, 34 Utah 6, 7, 32, 34 Bernieres 28, 29 Bradley, Lieutenant General Omar 5, 34 British forces: 1st Parachuie Regiment 7 2nd Kings Light Infantry Regiment' 38 6th Parachute Regiment 7 British Expeditionary Force 4 East Yorkshire Division 31 Green Howards 30 Staffordshire Yeomanry (Queen's Own Royal Regiment) 39 Canadian forces: 1st Hussars 27, Queen's Own Rifles 25, 26, 27, 28 Regina Rifles Regiment 25, 26, 27 Canham, Colonel Charles 36 Chicoski, Rifleman Will 28 Collins, General J I,.awson 5 Cota, General Norman 34, 35, 42 Courseulles 27, 29
DO (dual drive) tanks 7, 20 Desert Rats 3 Dunkirk 30 Eigneberg, Staff Sergeant Alfred 19, 43 Eisenhower, General Dwight D. 3, 5, 7,9,10 Gerow, Major General Leonard 5 Herbert, Lieutenant W. G. 28 Hitler, Adolf 3, 37, 44, 45 Hollis, Sergeant Major 30 Howard, Major John 11, 12,40
Pearl Harbor 4 Petty, Sergeant Bill 32, 33 Pluskat, Major Werner 16, 17 Pointe Du Hoc 33 Rommel, Field Marshall Erwin 3, 7, 8, 33, 41 Roberts, PFC Harry 32, 33 Rudder, Lieutenant Colonel James 32 SeaWall 19 SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force) 3 Stephens, Captain Al1en W. 18
Landing Craft (LCVP) 19, 24, 36,47 La Riviere 31 Latta, Corporal Kermit 10 Legion of Merit 29 Luftwaffe 44
Taylor, General Maxwell D. 13, 14 Tessier, Lance-Corporal 28 Turnbull, Lieutenant Turner 15
Marcks, General Erich 37, Maurice, Lieutenant Colonel 38 Montgomery, Field Marshall Bernard Law 3
US forces: 82nd Division 7 101st Division 7, 13, 14, 15 116th Division 22, 23, 36 741st Tank Battalion 20 Rangers 32, 33, 34
Neuville 15 Operation Overlord 3, 5
Valence, Sergeant Tom 22, 23, Victoria Cross 30
Paratroopers 7, 13, 14, 15
Winters, Captain Richard 15
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NOW AVAILABLE IN OSPREY GRAPHIC HISTORY
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#1 DAY OF INFAMY
#2 THE BLOODIEST DAY
#3 THE EMPIRE FALLS
#4 SURPRISE ATTACK!
ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR
BATTLE OF ANTIETAM
BATTLE OF MIDWAY
BATTLE OF SHILOH
By Steve White ISBN: 978 1 84603 059 8
By Lorry Homo ISBN: 978 1 84603049 9
By Steve White ISBN: 978 1 84603 058 1
By Larry Homo ISBN: 978 1 84603 050 5
#5 ISLAND OF TERROR
#6 GAMBLE FOR VICTORY
#7 FIGHT TO THE DEATH
#8 IRONCLADS AT WAR
BATTLE OF IWO JIMA
BATTLE OF GETTYSBURG
BATTLE OF GUADALCANAL
THE MONITOR VS THE MERRIMAC
By Larry Homo ISBN: 978 1 84603 055 0
By Don Abnett • ISBN: 978 1 84603 051 2
By Lorry Homo ISBN: 978 1 84603 060 4
By Don Abnett ISBN: 978 1 84603 053 6
#9 THE TIDE TURNS
#10 THE WAR IS ON!
#11 HITLER'S LAST GAMBLE #12 DEADLY INFERNO
D-DAY INVASION
BATTLE OF FIRST BULL RUN
BATTLE OF THE BULGE
BATTLE OF THE WILDERNESS
By Doug Murroy ISBN: 978 1 84603 056 7
By Larry Homo ISBN: 978 1 84603054 3
By Bill Coin ISBN: 978 1 84603 057 4
By Don Abnett ISBN: 978 1 846030529
Ship out with the greatest seaborne military invasion in history when over 150,000 Allied soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy with the mission of freeing Nazi-occupied Europe and toppling Hitler's brutal regime. Meet Lieutenant W. G. Herbert and his brave men, who risked their lives to destroy the German stronghold at Bernieres and secure the vital Juno beachhead.
Discover how our ancestors bravely fought for their lives and their countries in Osprey Graphic History. Then use the extra information packed inside to learn about why they fought.
