Chapter 191 Volume 6 Chapter 1 D-Day [1]

D-Day landing June 6th I report to the House of Commons Important news from Stalin June 11th His call June 11th Enemy deployments on the Atlantic Wall Germany's alarm system is paralyzed Rundstedt's mistake June 10th I Tour of the beach and lunch with Montgomery Tour of the British warship Kelvin Congratulatory telegram to General Marshall On June 14th I sent separate calls to Stalin and Roosevelt. Years of preparation and planning for the largest amphibious operation in history culminated on June 6, 1944, the day the offensive was launched.On the eve of landing, the huge fleet and escort ships sailed from the Isle of Wight to the coast of Normandy along the mine-swept Channel waterway [2] without the enemy noticing.The heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force attacked the enemy's coastal defense artillery built in concrete bunkers, dropping 5,200 tons of bombs.The U.S. Air Force followed at dawn with medium bombers and fighter-bombers, bombing other fortifications ashore.In twenty-four hours on June 6, Allied air forces made 14,600 sorties.Our air superiority was so great that during the day the enemy sent out only about a hundred sorties against our attacking beachheads.Three airborne divisions began to land at midnight. The British Sixth Airborne Division landed northeast of Caen to seize the bridgehead on the river between the city and the sea. At the same time, two American airborne divisions landed north of Carentin. Assist the sea landing force to attack the beach and intercept the enemy's reserve army from entering the Cotentin Peninsula.Although in some locations the airborne divisions were spread out more widely than originally planned, all objectives were achieved.

[1] The date of the attack.translator [2] refers to the English Channel.translator At dawn, large and small ships began to enter the predetermined positions one after another, preparing to attack. The scene at that time was like a review ceremony.Immediate enemy resistance was limited to an attack by a few torpedo boats, which sank a Norwegian destroyer.Even when our navy began shelling, counterattacks from the enemy's coastal defense batteries were blind and ineffective.There is no doubt that our side has completed a tactical surprise attack.Landing craft and support ships carry infantry, tanks, self-propelled artillery, and a variety of weapons, as well as engineer demolition teams that clear obstacles on the beach, etc., and they are all organized to advance to the beach, including D‧D‧tanks (amphibious tanks) However, it was the first time that this kind of tank appeared on a large scale in battle.Due to the bad weather the day before, the sea was still rough, so many amphibious tanks sank midway.

The cannons and rockets installed on the destroyers and landing craft bombarded the beachhead fortifications continuously. At the same time, the battleships and cruisers farther away in the sea suppressed the artillery fire of the enemy's coastal defense batteries.Resistance on the ground was weak, and enemy mortar and machine-gun fire did not mount until the first landing craft were within a mile of shore.The lapping waves and half-surfacing obstacles and mines put the landing craft at great risk, and many were destroyed after unloading their troops, but the troops continued to advance.

No sooner had the first infantry landed than they charged upon their objective, making great progress in every direction except one.At Omaha Beach, northwest of Bayeux, the U.S. Fifth Army met fierce resistance.By an unfortunate coincidence, this sector had only recently been guarded by a full German division.Our Allies fought fiercely all day long, without being able to gain any foothold; and it was not until the seventh day, after losing several thousand troops, that they could advance inland.The progress made during the first two days of the assault was considered very satisfactory, although we did not achieve all that we had achieved, especially as Caen was still firmly in enemy hands.

A group of German U-boats from the ports of the Bay of Biscay risked everything and drove at high speed on the surface of the sea, trying to hinder our attack.We have made full preparations for this.The entrance to the west coast of the English Channel is guarded by a large number of aircraft, forming our first line of defense.The naval fleet covered the landing behind them. These German submarines were bombarded by heavy artillery fire from our defense forces and suffered a disastrous defeat.In the decisive first four days, six submarines were sunk by our Air Force and six were damaged.They failed in the slightest to affect the attacking escort ships, which continued on to their objective with minimal loss.After that, German submarines were more cautious, but no more successful than in the past.

At noon on the 6th of June I asked the House of Commons to be formally informed that Rome had been liberated by Allied forces under General Alexander, the news of which had been released the previous evening.The House of Commons was extremely excited about the landings in France, which everyone knew was underway.Instead, I spent ten minutes talking about the war in Italy, praising the Allied troops there.And so, after leaving the MPs in a state of anxiety for a moment, I continued: I also have to announce to this House that last night and early this morning we have begun the first of a series of massive landings on the Continent of Europe.This liberating offensive was aimed at the French coast.A vast fleet of more than four thousand ships, together with several thousand smaller ships, passed through the straits.Intensive airborne landing operations have been successfully carried out behind the enemy lines.Beach landing operations are underway at various locations at this time.Most of the artillery fire from coastal batteries has been suppressed.Some obstacles built by the enemy along the coast are not as difficult to destroy as imagined.The British and American allied forces have about 11,000 front-line aircraft support, which can be called at any time according to operational needs.Of course, I can't get into the details.Field reports were coming in at a rapid pace.So far, commanders involved in the operation report that everything is proceeding according to plan.What a great plan!This large-scale military operation is undoubtedly unprecedentedly difficult and complicated.From the point of view of sea and air combat, it involves issues such as tide, wind direction, wave and visibility, and it also involves the joint operation of the sea, land and air forces with a high degree of close cooperation under circumstances that cannot be fully foreseen in the past and present.

A real tactical raid is in sight, and we hope that in the course of the battle, we will continue to surprise the enemy one after another.The battle which has now begun will continue to increase in size and intensity for many weeks to come.I don't want to speculate on its development, but I might as well say this: the Allied forces were completely united. There is camaraderie between us and our American friends.He has complete confidence in the Supreme Commander General Eisenhower and his deputies, and in General Montgomery, the commander of the expeditionary force.As far as I have seen with my own eyes, the enthusiasm and morale of the troops that have embarked and set off in the past few days are very high.Nothing that could be done in terms of equipment, expertise, or advance planning was ever neglected, and the Commanders, and the American and British Governments in which they served, were engaged with the utmost determination in opening up this great cause. All work on the new battlefield.

In the afternoon, I thought it necessary to inform Stalin of the situation. June 6, 1944 Everything started off very well.Mines, obstacles and ground emplacements have mostly been overcome.The airborne was successful, and on a massive scale.The infantry landing is progressing rapidly, and many tanks and self-propelled artillery have been brought ashore.The weather forecast often turns positive. He called back immediately with a very important piece of welcome news. Marshal Stalin to Prime Minister June 6, 1944 After receiving a call, I learned that Operation Overlord had started and succeeded.

We share the joy and wish greater success. The Soviet summer offensive, organized in accordance with the agreement of the Tehran Conference, will begin before mid-June at an important section of the front line.The general offensive of the Soviet army will be gradually launched as the troops turn to the offensive one after another.From the end of June to July, the various offensive operations will converge into the general offensive of the Soviet army. The progress of the offensive operation shall be notified at any time. When Stalin's telegram arrived, I was sending him a more comprehensive telegram on our progress.

Prime Minister to Marshal Stalin June 7, 1944 As of noon today (7th), I am very satisfied with the situation.Only one beach where the American troops landed encountered serious difficulties, but this has now been overcome. An airborne force of 20,000 men has landed safely behind the two flanks of the enemy's front, and has established contact with the sea landing forces of the United States and Britain.Our side suffered only minor losses while crossing.We had estimated the loss to be about 10,000 people.By tonight, most of our 250,000 troops, including a considerable number of armored units (tanks), are expected to land together, or be transported by special ships or swim ashore by themselves.Tank units that swam ashore on their own suffered heavy losses, especially on the American front, as the waves overturned several amphibious tanks.Now we must expect a strong counter-offensive, but we expect to outnumber the enemy in terms of armor strength, and as soon as the clouds clear we certainly expect to have an overwhelming superiority in the air.

2. Late last night, near the city of Caen, our newly landed armored forces fought with fifty tanks belonging to the enemy's 21st Armored Infantry Division. As a result, the enemy retreated.The British 7th Armored Division is now pouring into the field, which must give us the upper hand in a few days.The current question is: how many tanks can the enemy bring out to deal with us within the next week?The weather forecast on the strait does not seem to cause any hindrance to our continued landing.Indeed, the weather seems more promising than ever.All commanders are convinced that in this actual landing operation, the circumstances are better than we expected. Three ‧ top secret.We are planning to build two large man-made harbors very soon on the wide, sandy bay beaches of the Seine estuary.A harbor like this had never been seen before.Large ocean-going ships can use the many piers in this port to unload their cargo and provide supplies for combat troops.This was by no means unexpected to the enemy, and allowed the build-up of Allied forces to continue regardless of changes in the weather.We hope to take Cherbourg early in this military operation. 4. On the other hand, the enemy will quickly gather heavy troops, and the battle will continue, and the scale will also increase day by day.Nonetheless, we hope that by the thirtieth day of the offensive, some twenty-five divisions, together with their corps-directed units, will be able to position themselves so that both wings of the second front will be at sea, and that at least three good ports of Cherbourg will be in place. and two man-made harbours.This front will continue to be supplemented and expanded, and we hope to include the Brest peninsula in the future, but all this depends on the degree of risk of war, and you are familiar with this, Marshal Stalin. V. We hope that the success of this landing operation and the victory at Rome, the fruits of which are yet to be plucked from the Germans who have been cut off, will be given to you brave warriors who had to bear the full weight of the enemy For encouragement, no one outside your country knows this burden better than I do. 6. When I arrived here dictating the telegram, I received your congratulations on the successful start of Operation Overlord. In your telegram, you talked about the Soviet summer offensive.For that I express my heartfelt thanks to you.I think you will notice: We never asked you a single question because we have complete confidence in you, your country and your army. Stalin telegraphed back: June 9, 1944 Received a call on June 7th, thank you for telling me about the smooth launch of Operation Overlord.We all salute you and the brave British and American troops, and wish you warm wishes for further success. Preparations for the summer offensive of the Soviet army are coming to an end.Tomorrow | June 10 | The first phase of our summer offensive will begin on the Leningrad front. I immediately relayed the news to Roosevelt. Stalin called again on June 11 to say: Obviously, the large-scale landing operation planned in the original plan has all been successful.My colleagues and I cannot help admitting that there has never been a comparable enterprise in the history of warfare, in terms of size, grandeur of layout, and brilliant execution of plans.As is well known, Napoleon's attempt to force the Channel had failed ignominiously.The hysterical Hitler boasted for two years that he would cross the Strait by force, but he could not make up his mind even by making a hint of an attempted threat.Only our allied forces have honorably and victoriously carried out their grand plan to force the Channel.History will record this feat as a crowning achievement. The word grandiose is a translation from the original text of the Russian telegram sent to me.I think Stalin probably meant to say majestic.In any case, the atmosphere is completely congenial. Let us study what we now know about the enemy's dispositions and plans. Marshal Rundstedt, with sixty divisions, was commanding the coastal defenses of the entire Atlantic Wall, from the Low Countries to the Bay of Biscay, and from Marseilles to the coast of southern France.Under him, Rommel guarded the coast from Holland to the Loire.Nineteen divisions of his Fifteenth Army held the area around Calais and Boulogne.Seventh Army had nine infantry divisions and one armored division in Normandy.On the entire Western Front, ten armored divisions spread like eagles' wings between Belgium and Bordeaux.It is strange that the Germans, who were on the defensive at that time, should repeat the mistakes of the French in 1940 and spread out their most powerful counter-offensive weapons! 【1】It is also translated as Bren.translator When Rommel took command in late January, he was dissatisfied with the defensive arrangements he had seen; thanks to his efforts, the situation improved considerably.Along the coast there is a circular defense line of concrete fortifications, with numerous mines and various obstacles that are difficult to overcome, especially below the deep water mark.Stationary artillery was aimed at the sea, and field artillery held the beaches.Although they don't have a complete second line of defense, they have set up solid fortifications in the rear villages.Rommel was not satisfied with the progress made, and if he had had more time our task might have been more difficult.We didn't destroy many concrete fortifications in the beginning, neither sea nor air bombardment, but the soldiers stationed at the fortifications were knocked out by us, so we weakened their firepower and destroyed their radars. Germany's alarm system has been completely paralyzed.From Cal to Guernsey Island, the Germans originally had no less than 120 sets of main radar equipment used to detect our convoy and direct the artillery fire of their coastal batteries.These radar installations are organized into forty-seven stations.They were all spotted by us; we attacked with rocket-firing planes so successfully that by the eve of the offensive there were not even one-sixth of the radar stations operational.Those that were still usable were tricked by a false tinfoil we called windows [1], which mistook the enemy for a convoy east of Fécamp, and thus prevented the enemy from Can detect real landing operations.Near the town of Caen, a radar set was still alive and well and detected the British approach, but since its report was not confirmed by any other radar station, the Radar Mapping Center dismissed it.That's not the only threat we've overcome.Encouraged by the success of covering the passage of the giant ships Scharnhorst and Gneisenauer two years ago, the enemy has built more radio jamming stations in an attempt to thwart our night fighter ships. , and the radar signatures on which many of our airborne units depended to determine the correct landing bearing; but these jamming stations were also detected, and Bomber Command conducted several highly concentrated air strikes.They were all wiped out, while our radio and radar equipment remained intact.It may be mentioned here that all Allied efforts in radio warfare in preparation for the attack on Launch Day belonged entirely to the British. [1] See Volume IV, page 257 | page 9; Volume 5, page 459. (The page number of the original book, the same below. Translator) It was indeed remarkable that this massive and long-planned attack took the enemy by surprise both in time and in place.The German High Command had reports that the weather had been too bad for amphibious operations that day, and they had received no recent reports from the Air Force of the massing of thousands of ships along the English coast.On the morning of June 5, Rommel left his headquarters to visit Hitler in Berchtesgaden, and he was still in Germany when the offensive began.They disagreed with each other about which line the Allied forces would attack.Rundstedt has always believed that our main offensive will start by crossing the Strait of Dover, because it is the shortest sea route and the best shortcut to penetrate into the hinterland of Germany.Rommel and Rundstedt had long been on the same page, but Hitler and his staff seemed to have received intelligence that Normandy might become a major battleground. 【１】 [1] Blumentritter, "Von Rundstedt", 218th | 9 pages. Even after our side had landed, they were still dubious.In order to consider whether to deploy the two armored divisions stationed closest to the Normandy peninsula to reinforce the front line, Hitler lost the opportunity to waste the whole day when his safety was at stake.German intelligence vastly overestimated the number of divisions and available shipping on the British mainland.According to their own estimates, the Allied forces have sufficient strength to engage in a second large-scale landing, so Normandy may only be a prologue and auxiliary landing operation.On June 19, Rommel reported to von Rundstedt that a large-scale attack was expected on the channel front, on both sides of the Cape Graynose, that is, between the Somme and Le Havre. login action. 【１】 [1] See Chester Wilmott's "The Struggle for Europe", page 318. He repeated the warning a week later.In this way, it was not until the third week of July, six weeks after the start of the offensive, that the enemy transferred the reserves of the Fifteenth Army from the south of the Pas-de-Calais to join the battle.All the measures taken by our side to confuse the enemy before and after the day of the offensive are aimed at creating this kind of confusion.The achievement of these measures was astounding and had far-reaching consequences in war. On June 10, Admiral Montgomery reported that he was fully established on shore and ready for interviews, so I took my special car to Portsmouth with Smuts, Brooke, General Marshall and Admiral King. .All the chiefs of staff of the United States armed forces flew to the United Kingdom on June 8 to make important military decisions in emergency situations.A British destroyer and an American destroyer awaited us.Smuts, Brooke, and I boarded the first destroyer, and General Marshall and Admiral King, with their staff, boarded the second destroyer. We crossed the channel and arrived safely at the various places on the front line to which we were respectively destined.As we climbed out of the landing craft, Montgomery greeted us on the beach with a confident smile.His army was already seven or eight miles inland.Artillery and activity were minimal at the time.it's clear.We drove through our little but fertile territory in Normandy.It is indeed a pleasure to see the prosperity of the country.The fields are full of lovely yellow and white cows basking or roaming.The residents seemed very relaxed and happy, well nourished, and waved to us enthusiastically.Montgomery's headquarters were in a villa about five miles inland, surrounded by lawns and lakes.We had lunch together in a tent facing the enemy.The general was in high spirits all the time.I asked him how far the real line of fire was from us.He replied about three miles.I asked him again if there was a continuous line of defense.He said: no. So, what is there to stop the German armored soldiers from suddenly breaking in and breaking up our lunch?He said he didn't think they would come.The staff officer told me that the villa had been heavily bombed the night before, and that there were indeed several craters just around it.I said to the general: It would be too risky if he kept doing this.In war everything can be done sporadically, or for a short time, and habituation, repetition, or delay should always be avoided if possible.In fact, he moved after two days, but only after he and his staff suffered another hardship. The weather is still sunny.And aside from the occasional air-raid siren and flak fire, there appears to be no war there.We made a real inspection of our limited bridgehead.I looked with special interest at the local ports of Pol-Ann-Besan, Coursell, and Woolstrand.These little ports have not been given much importance in our plans for this great sea attack.But they proved to be a most valuable harvest, and soon the unloading of about two thousand tons per day was achieved.I savored these welcome facts as we drove or walked through this interesting but narrowly reclaimed territory. Smuts, Brooke, and I sailed home aboard the destroyer Kelvin. Admiral Vienne, who at that time commanded all the flotillas and light ships defending the port of Arromanches, was also on board.He suggested that we should look at how the battleships and cruisers covering the British left flank bombarded the German positions.So we passed between two ships of the line, which fired at the enemy at twenty thousand yards from shore, and a cruiser, which also fired at about fourteen thousand yards from shore.In an instant we were only seven or eight thousand yards from the wooded shore.The bombardment was calm and continuous, but the enemy did not return the artillery.When we were about to turn back, I said to Wei An: We are so close, why don't we fire a few shots at the enemy ourselves before we go home?He said: right!In a minute or two all our cannon were firing upon the silent shore.Of course, we were already within range of the enemy's artillery, so when we opened fire, Wei An immediately turned the destroyer around and drove away at the highest speed.We were quickly out of danger and sailed past the ranks of cruisers and battleships.It was the only time in my life that I was on board a battleship that roared with gunfire, if I may say so.I admire the admiral's adventurous spirit, and Smuts is also pleased.During the four-hour sea voyage back to Portsmouth, I slept soundly.All in all, it was a most interesting and enjoyable day. On the train, we met the Chief of Staff of the United States Armed Forces.They were delighted with what they had seen on the American beachheads and were confident in the execution of our long-planned plans.In a happy mood, we eat together.As we ate, I noticed General Marshall writing, waving his hand, and in a moment he handed me a letter addressed to Admiral Mountbatten, and suggested that we all sign it. June 10, 1944 Today we inspected British and American troops on French soil.We sailed through the massive fleet where landing craft of various types brought more and more men, vehicles and supplies ashore.We clearly see the military deployment that is rapidly unfolding.We exchanged common secrets and helped each other as much as possible.At this moment when you are commanding a difficult campaign, we want to tell you that we are well aware that this astonishing technical measure, and therefore the success of this enterprise, traces its origins to you and your joint operations The progress made by all the staff of the department in the past. Arnold, Brooke, Churchill, Marshall, Smuts. Mountbatten was bound to cherish the compliment.Such a huge and intricate operation, employing every new and ingenious design, could not have been successful without the dedicated efforts of all members of the Joint Operations Headquarters.The Joint Warfare Department was created in 1940 under the leadership of Admiral Keyes, and his successors made great achievements. As soon as I had time, I corresponded with my two great companions. Prime Minister to Marshal Stalin June 14, 1944 I visited the British theater at the front on Monday, as you may have read in the papers.The fighting continued, and we had fourteen divisions fighting on a front about seventy miles long.The enemy fought with thirteen divisions, whose strength was far inferior to ours. The enemy is rushing to reinforce from the rear, but we think our reinforcements by sea will be much faster than the enemy.Stretching almost fifty miles along the coast, this city of ships is obviously not threatened by the air and the submarines that are close at hand. It is a spectacle at first glance!We hope to siege Caen and possibly take prisoners there.Two days earlier the number of prisoners of war had been thirteen thousand, which was greater than our total casualties up to that time.Therefore, it can be said that the enemy's losses are about double that of ours, although we are continuing to take the offensive.Yesterday all parties were making good progress, although the enemy's resistance was strengthened by the participation of strategic reserves.I suppose we are likely to be preparing for a great battle with a million troops on each side, which will last all June and July.Our plan is to have about two million troops there by mid-August. I wish you success in Karelia! On the same day, I wrote a letter to the President on various matters, including de Gaulle's visit to France, which I had arranged without prior consultation with Roosevelt.I also said: On Monday I had a great day at the beach and inland.There are many ships there, stretching along the coast for more than fifty miles.Artificial harbors are more and more able to protect them from the weather, and almost every part of these harbors is successful; and soon the ships will be effectively sheltered from the elements.Our air and anti-submarine forces appear to have ensured a considerable degree of protection for these ships.We fired a few rounds at the Germans from our destroyer, after a very laborious task, and they did not return a single shot, although the range was only six thousand yards. Marshall and King came back in my special car. They saw everything about the U.S. military with their own eyes and felt very relieved. Marshall also sent a moving telegram to Mountbatten, saying that so many new ships were the result of his organization. The whole campaign has a great effect.In one of your earlier telegrams to me you used the word marvelous.I must admit that this is the only word that can describe what I have seen this time, and I am sure your officers will agree with it.The transportation efficiency is astonishingly high, which has never been seen since the war.Much more needs to be done, and I think we need more troops.We are preparing for a battle with a million troops on each side.The Chiefs of Staff are trying to figure out the best way to resolve these issues between the Mediterranean and Operation Overlord. How I wish you were here!