Operation Overlord (The overall invasion plan)

The Atlantic Wall (Gr Atlantikwall) was an extensive system of coastal fortifications built by the German Third Reich during the Second World War along the western coast of Europe (1942-44) in order to defend against an anticipated Anglo-American invasion of the continent from Great Britain. Fritz Todt, who had designed the Siegfried Line (Westwall) along the Franco-German border, was the chief engineer employed in the design and construction of the wall's major fortifications. Thousands of forced laborers were impressed to construct these permanent fortifications along the B ...

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The Battle of Normandy was fought in 1944 between the German forces occupying Western Europe and the invading Allied forces as part of the larger conflict of World War II. Sixty years later, the Normandy invasion, codenamed Operation OVERLORD, remains the largest seaborne invasion in history, involving almost three million troops crossing the English Channel from England to Normandy in then German-occupied France. The main Allied forces came from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, but a total of twelve nations contributed units, the rest being Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, ...

Including:

• Battle of Normandy - Prelude
• Battle of Normandy - Allied preparations
• Battle of Normandy - German preparations
• Battle of Normandy - The Allied invasion plan
• Battle of Normandy - German defenses
• Battle of Normandy - The landings
• Battle of Normandy - The French Resistance
• Battle of Normandy - Airborne landings
• Battle of Normandy - Sword Beach
• Battle of Normandy - Juno Beach
• Battle of Normandy - Gold Beach
• Battle of Normandy - Omaha Beach
• Battle of Normandy - Pointe du Hoc
• Battle of Normandy - Utah Beach
• Battle of Normandy - After the landings
• Battle of Normandy - Chronology
• Battle of Normandy - Political considerations
• Battle of Normandy - Aftermath and strategic appraisal
• Battle of Normandy - Notes
• Battle of Normandy - Documentaries
• Battle of Normandy - Dramatizations
• Battle of Normandy - Sources
• Battle of Normandy - Bibliography

Read more here: » Battle of Normandy: Encyclopedia - Battle of Normandy

Battle of Normandy - Allied preparations. After the 1941 German invasion of the Soviet Union (Operation Barbarossa), the Soviets had done the bulk of the fighting against Germany on the European mainland. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill had committed the United States and United Kingdom to opening up a "second front" in Europe to aid in the Soviet advance on Germany ...

See also:

Battle of Normandy, Battle of Normandy - Prelude, Battle of Normandy - Allied preparations, Battle of Normandy - German preparations, Battle of Normandy - The Allied invasion plan, Battle of Normandy - German defenses, Battle of Normandy - The landings, Battle of Normandy - The French Resistance, Battle of Normandy - Airborne landings, Battle of Normandy - Sword Beach, Battle of Normandy - Juno Beach, Battle of Normandy - Gold Beach, Battle of Normandy - Omaha Beach, Battle of Normandy - Pointe du Hoc, Battle of Normandy - Utah Beach, Battle of Normandy - After the landings, Battle of Normandy - Chronology, Battle of Normandy - Political considerations, Battle of Normandy - Aftermath and strategic appraisal, Battle of Normandy - Notes, Battle of Normandy - Documentaries, Battle of Normandy - Dramatizations, Battle of Normandy - Sources, Battle of Normandy - Bibliography

Read more here: » Battle of Normandy: Encyclopedia II - Battle of Normandy - Prelude

With Allied troops having made slow progress in Normandy through most of June and July, the US 12th Army Group under General Omar Bradley started to make rapid progress at the beginning of August, thanks to the success of Operation Cobra. By August 4 the German front facing the 12th Army Group had largely collapsed. A small but fierce German counter-offensive (Operation Lüttich) was launched on August 7 at Mortain. This was a feeble attempt at halting the Allied breakthrough by cutting off Patton's Third Army forces. With the aid of ...

See also:

Falaise pocket, Falaise pocket - Prelude, Falaise pocket - South, Falaise pocket - North, Falaise pocket - Inside the pocket, Falaise pocket - The aftermath, Falaise pocket - External link

Read more here: » Falaise pocket: Encyclopedia II - Falaise pocket - Prelude

An important part of Neptune was the isolation of the invasion routes and beaches from any intervention by the German Navy - the Kriegsmarine. The responsibility for this was assigned to the Royal Navy's Home Fleet. There were two principle perceived German naval threats. The first was surface attack by German capital ships from anchorages in Scandinavia and the Baltic. This didn't materialise since, by mid-1944, the battleships were damaged and the cruisers were used for training and, in any case, there were fuel shortages. The inact ...

See also:

Operation Neptune, Operation Neptune - Participants, Operation Neptune - Operation Gambit, Operation Neptune - Naval screen, Operation Neptune - Definition

Read more here: » Operation Neptune: Encyclopedia II - Operation Neptune - Naval screen

British 11th Armoured Division Guards Armoured Division 43rd Wessex Infantry Division 6th Guards Tank Brigade German ...

See also:

Operation Bluecoat, Operation Bluecoat - Background, Operation Bluecoat - Forces, Operation Bluecoat - Progress of the Battle, Operation Bluecoat - Outcome, Operation Bluecoat - Notable Actions, Operation Bluecoat - Context

Read more here: » Operation Bluecoat: Encyclopedia II - Operation Bluecoat - Forces

At a meeting with General Montgomery on July 10th, the Second Army commander, General Miles Dempsey proposed the Goodwood plan. This was the same day Montgomery approved Operation Cobra. Goodwood's starting point was the inescapable fact that the British Army was incapable of replacing its high Infantry losses at the rate they were taking casualties in Normandy. On the other hand, the Second Army had three armored divisions ashore (the 7th Armoured Division, Guards Armoured Division, and 11th Armoured Division with a surplus of tanks. ...

See also:

Operation Goodwood, Operation Goodwood - Background, Operation Goodwood - Planning, Operation Goodwood - Execution, Operation Goodwood - Effects

Read more here: » Operation Goodwood: Encyclopedia II - Operation Goodwood - Planning

The original planning for the Normandy campaign, once the initial D-Day invasion was successful, envisioned a rapid Allied build-up of forces in a steadily-expanding bridgehead. Specific objectives such as towns, ports and airfields served as guidelines to operations. Eventually the Allies sought a mobile battle in which their advantages in numbers, tactical air power, armor, mechanized infantry and logistics would be brought to bear. They wished to avoid ...

See also:

Operation Cobra, Operation Cobra - Background, Operation Cobra - Planning, Operation Cobra - The Effect of the British Breakout Attempt: Goodwood, Operation Cobra - Pre-Attack Phase, Operation Cobra - Initial Attack July 24-27, Operation Cobra - Breakthrough and Breakout July 27-August 4, Operation Cobra - Effects

Read more here: » Operation Cobra: Encyclopedia II - Operation Cobra - Background

Operation Tonga - Operation Coup-de-Main. The initial assault was carried out by 181 soldiers -- four platoons of D and two of B Companies, 2nd Ox & Bucks -- in six Horsa gliders, led by Major John Howard. The operation is frequently referred to as Operation Coup de Main, although since coup-de-main is a term frequently used for a swift pre-emptive strike it is not clear if ...

See also:

Operation Tonga, Operation Tonga - The Plan, Operation Tonga - The Battle, Operation Tonga - Operation Coup-de-Main, Operation Tonga - Reinforcing the Bridges, Operation Tonga - The Merville Battery, Operation Tonga - The River Dives Bridges, Operation Tonga - Defensive Positions, Operation Tonga - Aftermath

Read more here: » Operation Tonga: Encyclopedia II - Operation Tonga - The Battle

The Ranger battalion was comanded by Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder. The plan called for the three companies of Rangers to be landed by sea at the foot of the cliffs, scale them using ropes, ladders, and grapples under enemy fire, and engage the enemy at the top of the cliff. This was to be carried out before the main landings. The Rangers trained for the cliff assault on the Isle of Wight, under the direction of British Commandos. Despite initial setbacks due to weather and navigational problems, resulting in a 40-minute delay ...

See also:

Pointe du Hoc, Pointe du Hoc - The target, Pointe du Hoc - The attack, Pointe du Hoc - Media, Pointe du Hoc - Today

Read more here: » Pointe du Hoc: Encyclopedia II - Pointe du Hoc - The attack

The Germans had adequately prepared their Atlantic Wall defences along the obstacle-strewn beach, and the gentle downward slope gave them an excellent field of fire. The German 352nd Division defending Omaha Beach was one of the better trained German units in the area. About half of the swimming Sherman DD Tanks intended to give armoured support swamped and sank before reaching shore, due to adverse weather conditions and deployment orders that were inappropriate for such conditions -- half the tanks were launched as planned, from 6 kilomete ...

See also:

Omaha Beach, Omaha Beach - Bloody Omaha, Omaha Beach - Breakthrough, Omaha Beach - Famous names at the beach, Omaha Beach - Dramatizations

Read more here: » Omaha Beach: Encyclopedia II - Omaha Beach - Bloody Omaha

The World War II Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is situated on a cliff overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel in Colleville-sur Mer, France. It is just east of St. Laurent-sur-Mer and northwest of Bayeux about one hundred and seventy miles west of Paris. The cemetery is located on the site of the temporary American St. Laurent Cemetery, established by the U.S. First Army on June 8, 1944, the first American cemetery on European soil in World War II. The cemetery is at the north end of its one half mile access road and ...

See also:

World War II Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, World War II Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial - History, World War II Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial - Location, World War II Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial - Description, World War II Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial - Miscellaneous, World War II Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial - External link

Read more here: » World War II Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial: Encyclopedia II - World War II Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial - Description

The majority of the designs were modified forms of the Churchill tank which had good performance over difficult ground or the Sherman tank which was available in large numbers. Among the many specialist vehicles and their attachments were: Crocodile - A Churchill tank converted into a flame tank by fitting a flame-thrower in place of the hull machine gun. An armoured trailer, towed behind the tank, carried 400 Imperial gallons (1,800 litres) of fuel. The flamethrower had a range of over 120 yards (110 metres ...

See also:

Hobart's Funnies, Hobart's Funnies - History, Hobart's Funnies - The Menagerie, Hobart's Funnies - Post-World War Two

Read more here: » Hobart's Funnies: Encyclopedia II - Hobart's Funnies - The Menagerie

Fortitude South was conducted with the intention of persuading the Germans that an invasion would come to the Pas de Calais - a logical strategic choice for an invasion since it was the closest part of France to England. While it was hoped that this would reduce the number of troops in the Normandy area at the time of the invasion, even more important was to dissuade the Germans from reinforcing the Normandy battleground in the days immediately after the invasion. To this end the Allies hoped to convince the Germans that the Normandy invasion, when it occurred, was a diversio ...

See also:

Operation Fortitude, Operation Fortitude - Fortitude North, Operation Fortitude - Fortitude South, Operation Fortitude - Operation Quicksilver, Operation Fortitude - Double Agents, Operation Fortitude - Myths, Operation Fortitude - Reasons for success, Operation Fortitude - Quotes

Read more here: » Operation Fortitude: Encyclopedia II - Operation Fortitude - Fortitude South

Fortitude South has become hedged about with a number of myths and errors. To correct the most important of these: 2. Fortitude was NOT devised or developed either by the London Controlling Section, the key deception planning element for the British Chiefs of Staff, or by the "Twenty (XX) Committee". Fortitude North was devised, and its conduct supervised, by a section of Eisenhower's SHAEF operations staff known as "Ops (B)." Fortitude South was devised, and its conduct supervised, by Colonel David Strangeways, the chief deception officer for General Montgomery's 21st Army Group, which was ...

See also:

Operation Fortitude, Operation Fortitude - Fortitude North, Operation Fortitude - Fortitude South, Operation Fortitude - Operation Quicksilver, Operation Fortitude - Double Agents, Operation Fortitude - Myths, Operation Fortitude - Reasons for success, Operation Fortitude - Quotes

Read more here: » Operation Fortitude: Encyclopedia II - Operation Fortitude - Myths

After the early successes of the Battle of Normandy the Allied advance had come very nearly to a halt by early July. The key town of Caen was not taken on the first day as planned and over a month later it was still in German hands. Pre-invasion planning had proposed taking Caen and holding a front east of the Orne river as the pivot point of the Allied advance. Possession of Caen would give the British Second Army a strong piece of defensive terrain and would provide several bridges over the Orne river and Caen Canal. Also, the Colombelles ...

See also:

Operation Goodwood, Operation Goodwood - Background, Operation Goodwood - Planning, Operation Goodwood - Execution, Operation Goodwood - Effects

Read more here: » Operation Goodwood: Encyclopedia II - Operation Goodwood - Background

Although many references state that Operation Neptune refers to the naval operations in support of Operation Overlord, the most reliable references make it clear that Overlord refers to the establishment of a large-scale lodgement in Normandy, and that Neptune refers to the landing phase; i.e. Neptune was the first part of Overlord. According to the D-day museum: "The armed forces use codenames to refer to the planning and execution of specific military operations. Operation Overlord ...

See also:

Operation Neptune, Operation Neptune - Participants, Operation Neptune - Operation Gambit, Operation Neptune - Naval screen, Operation Neptune - Definition

Read more here: » Operation Neptune: Encyclopedia II - Operation Neptune - Definition

Operation Tonga had been a complete success, despite the scattered drop of the parachutists which denied them, at the very best, of 50% of their strength. The arrival of the 6th Airlanding Brigade and other units with the Second Lift, Operation Mallard, did much to consolidate the positions gained on the first night. Subsequent attempts by the 6th Airlanding Brigade to expand the bridgehead southwards by capturing the villages of Escoville and Longueval were unsuccessful, but in spite of frequent battles, the sout ...

See also:

Operation Tonga, Operation Tonga - The Plan, Operation Tonga - The Battle, Operation Tonga - Operation Coup-de-Main, Operation Tonga - Reinforcing the Bridges, Operation Tonga - The Merville Battery, Operation Tonga - The River Dives Bridges, Operation Tonga - Defensive Positions, Operation Tonga - Aftermath

Read more here: » Operation Tonga: Encyclopedia II - Operation Tonga - Aftermath

Pointe du Hoc (often misspelled as "Pointe du Hoe" in official Army documents) is best known for the assault made on it during the World War II Normandy landings, June 6, 1944. The Germans had fortified six 155-mm artillery emplacements on the cliffs which overlooked the landing beaches. These guns would enable artillery fire to be directed over both Omaha and Utah approaches, undoubtedly causing massive casualties in the landing forces. Although bombarded several times from the air and by naval guns, intelligence reports assumed that the fo ...

See also:

Pointe du Hoc, Pointe du Hoc - The target, Pointe du Hoc - The attack, Pointe du Hoc - Media, Pointe du Hoc - Today

Read more here: » Pointe du Hoc: Encyclopedia II - Pointe du Hoc - The target

The assault on Pointe du Hoc has recently been portrayed in the video game Call of Duty 2, in which the player is a member of the 2nd Ranger Battalion and is faced with destroying the artillery battery and fending off the counter-attacks. So far, this is the only video game version of this battle. The movie, The Longest Day, also contains scenes of the assault on the cliffs of Point du Hoc. ...

See also:

Pointe du Hoc, Pointe du Hoc - The target, Pointe du Hoc - The attack, Pointe du Hoc - Media, Pointe du Hoc - Today

Read more here: » Pointe du Hoc: Encyclopedia II - Pointe du Hoc - Media