Allied Normandy landing operation. "heroic landing" of the Allies in Normandy. Landing and establishing a bridgehead

"Many battles claim to be the main battle of the Second World War. Someone believes that this is the battle near Moscow, in which the fascist troops suffered their first defeat. Others believe that this should be considered Battle of Stalingrad, it seems to the third that the battle on the Kursk Bulge was the main one. In America (and recent times and in Western Europe) no one doubts that the main battle was the Norman landing operation and the battles that followed. It seems to me that Western historians are right, although not in everything.

Let's think about what would happen if the Western allies once again hesitated and did not land troops in 1944? It is clear that Germany would have been defeated anyway, only the Red Army would have ended the war not near Berlin and on the Oder, but in Paris and on the banks of the Loire. It is clear that it would not have been General de Gaulle, who arrived in the train of the Allies, who would have come to power in France, but one of the leaders of the Comintern. Similar figures would be found for Belgium, Holland, Denmark and all other large and small countries Western Europe(how they were found for countries of Eastern Europe). Naturally, Germany would not have been divided into four occupation zones, therefore, a single German state would have been formed not in the 90s, but in the 40s, and it would not be called the FRG, but the GDR. In this hypothetical world, there would be no place for NATO (who would enter it except the USA and England?), but the Warsaw Pact would unite all of Europe. Ultimately cold war, if it had taken place at all, it would have had a completely different character, and would have had a completely different outcome. However, I am not at all going to prove that everything would have been exactly this way and not otherwise. But there is no doubt that the results of World War II would have been different. Well, the battle, which largely determined the course of post-war development, should rightfully be considered the main battle of the war. That's just a battle to call it a stretch.

atlantic wall
This was the name of the German defense system in the west. According to films and computer games, this shaft appears to be something very powerful - rows of anti-tank hedgehogs, followed by concrete pillboxes with machine guns and guns, bunkers for manpower, etc. However, remember, have you ever seen a photograph somewhere in which all this could be seen? The NDO's best-known and widely replicated photograph shows landing barges and American soldiers plodding waist-deep in water, taken from the shore. We were able to track down the photos of the landing sites you see here. Soldiers land on a completely empty shore, where, apart from a few anti-tank hedgehogs, there are no defensive structures. So what was the Atlantic Wall anyway?
For the first time this name sounded in the autumn of 1940, when four long-range batteries were built on the Pas de Calais coast in a short time. True, they were intended not to repulse the landing, but to disrupt navigation in the strait. Only in 1942, after the unsuccessful landing of the Canadian Rangers near Dieppe, the construction of defensive structures began, mainly all in the same place, on the English Channel coast (it was assumed that this was where the Allies would land), while for the rest of the sections, labor and materials were allocated according to the residual principle. There was not so much left, especially after the intensification of allied air raids on Germany (it was necessary to build bomb shelters for the population and industrial enterprises). As a result, the construction of the Atlantic Wall was completed in general by 50 percent, and even less directly in Normandy. The only sector more or less ready for defense was the one that later received the name of the Omaha bridgehead. However, he did not look at all like it is depicted in a game well known to you.

Think for yourself, what is the point of placing concrete fortifications on the very shore? Of course, the guns installed there can fire on landing craft, and machine-gun fire can hit enemy soldiers as they trudge waist-deep in water. But the bunkers standing right on the shore are perfectly visible to the enemy, so that he can easily suppress them with naval artillery. Therefore, only passive defensive structures are created directly at the water's edge (minefields, concrete gouges, anti-tank hedgehogs). Behind them, preferably along the crests of dunes or hills, trenches are torn off, and dugouts and other shelters are built on the reverse slopes of the hills, where the infantry can wait out the artillery attack or bombardment. Well, even further, sometimes a few kilometers from the coast, closed artillery positions are created (this is where you can see the powerful concrete casemates that we love to show in the movies).

Approximately according to this plan, the defense in Normandy was built, but, I repeat, its main part was created only on paper. For example, about three million mines were put up, but according to the most conservative estimates, at least sixty million were needed. The artillery positions were mostly ready, but the guns were far from being installed everywhere. I'll tell you this: long before the start of the invasion, the French Resistance movement reported that the Germans had installed four 155-mm naval guns on the Merville battery. The firing range of these guns could reach 22 km, so that there was a danger of shelling warships, so it was decided to destroy the battery at any cost. This task was entrusted to the 9th Battalion of the 6th Parachute Division, which had been preparing for it for almost three months. A very accurate model of the battery was built, and the battalion fighters attacked it from all sides day after day. Finally, D-day came, with great noise and din, the battalion captured the battery and found there ... four French 75-mm cannons on iron wheels (from the First World War). Positions were indeed made for 155-mm guns, but the Germans themselves did not have guns, so they put what was at hand.

It must be said that the arsenal of the Atlantic Wall generally consisted mainly of captured cannons. For four years, the Germans methodically dragged there everything that they got from the defeated armies. There were Czech, Polish, French and even Soviet guns, and many of them had a very limited supply of shells. The situation was approximately the same with small arms, either captured or decommissioned on the Eastern Front got into Normandy. In total, the 37th Army (namely, it accounted for the brunt of the battle) used 252 types of ammunition, and 47 of them were long out of production.

Personnel
Now let's talk about who exactly had to repel the invasion of the Anglo-Americans. Let's start with the command staff. Surely you remember the one-armed and one-eyed Colonel Staufenberg, who made an unsuccessful attempt on Hitler. Have you ever wondered why such a disabled person was not fired outright, but continued to serve, albeit in the reserve army? Yes, because by the 44th year, the requirements for fitness in Germany were significantly reduced, in particular, the loss of an eye, a hand, severe concussion, etc. were no longer grounds for dismissal from the service of senior and middle officers. Of course, there would be little use for such monsters on the Eastern Front, but it was possible to plug holes with them in the units stationed on the Atlantic Wall. So about 50% of the command staff there belonged to the category of "limited fit."

The Fuhrer did not bypass his attention and the rank and file. Take, for example, the 70th Infantry Division, better known as the "White Bread Division". It consisted entirely of soldiers suffering from various kinds of stomach diseases, because of which they had to constantly be on a diet (naturally, with the start of the invasion, it became difficult to follow a diet, so this division disappeared by itself). In other units, there were entire battalions of soldiers suffering from flat feet, kidney disease, diabetes, and so on. In a relatively calm environment, they could carry out rear service, but their combat value was close to zero.

However, not all soldiers on the Atlantic Wall were sick or crippled, there were quite a few quite healthy ones there, only they were over 40 years old (and the fifty-year-olds served in the artillery at all).

Well, the last, most amazing fact - there were only about 50% of native Germans in infantry divisions, while the rest was all trash from all over Europe and Asia. It is a shame to admit it, but there were many of our compatriots there, for example, the 162nd Infantry Division consisted entirely of the so-called "Eastern Legions" (Turkmen, Uzbek, Azerbaijani, etc.). The Vlasovites were also on the Atlantic Wall, although the Germans themselves were not sure that they would be of any use. For example, the commander of the Cherbourg garrison, General Schlieben, said: "It is very doubtful that we will be able to persuade these Russians to fight for Germany in France against the Americans and the British." He was right, most of the eastern troops surrendered to the allies without a fight.

Bloody Omaha Beach
American troops landed on two sites, "Utah" and "Omaha". On the first of them, the battle did not work out - in this sector there were only two strong points, each of which was defended by a reinforced platoon. Naturally, they could not offer any resistance to the 4th American division, especially since both were practically destroyed by naval artillery fire even before the landing began.

By the way, there was an interesting incident that perfectly characterizes the fighting spirit of the Allies. A few hours before the start of the invasion, airborne assault forces were landed in the depths of the German defenses. Due to pilot error, about three dozen paratroopers were dropped on the very shore near the W-5 bunker. The Germans destroyed some of them, while others were taken prisoner. And at 4.00 these prisoners began to beg the commander of the bunker to immediately send them to the rear. When the Germans asked what was so impatient for them, the brave warriors immediately reported that in an hour artillery preparation from the ships would begin, followed by a landing. It is a pity that history has not preserved the names of these "fighters for freedom and democracy" who gave the hour for the beginning of the invasion in order to save their own skins.

Let us return, however, to the Omaha bridgehead. There is only one landing area in this area, 6.5 km long (steep cliffs stretch for many kilometers to the east and west of it). Naturally, the Germans were able to prepare it well for defense; on the flanks of the site there were two powerful bunkers with guns and machine guns. However, the cannons from them could only fire at the beach and a small strip of water along it (from the sea side, the bunkers were covered with rocks and a six-meter layer of concrete). Behind a relatively narrow strip of the beach, hills began, up to 45 meters high, along the crest of which trenches were dug. This whole system of defense was well known to the Allies, but they hoped to suppress it before the landings began. Fire on the bridgehead was to be carried out by two battleships, three cruisers and six destroyers. In addition, field artillery was supposed to fire from the landing craft, and eight landing barges were converted into rocket launchers. In just thirty minutes, more than 15 thousand shells of various calibers (up to 355 mm) were to be fired. And they were released ... into the world like a pretty penny. Subsequently, the allies came up with many excuses for the low effectiveness of shooting, here there was heavy seas, and predawn fog, and something else, but one way or another, neither the bunkers, nor even the trenches were damaged by shelling.

Allied aviation acted even worse. An armada of Liberator bombers dropped several hundred tons of bombs, but none of them hit not only the enemy fortifications, but even the beach (and some bombs exploded five kilometers from the coast).

Thus, the infantry had to overcome a completely undamaged enemy defense line. However, the troubles for the ground units began even before they were on the shore. For example, out of 32 amphibious tanks (DD Sherman), 27 sank almost immediately after launching (two tanks reached the beach under their own power, three more were unloaded directly onto the shore). The commanders of some landing barges, not wanting to enter the sector shelled by German guns (the Americans in general have a much better sense of duty, and indeed all other feelings, have a much better instinct for self-preservation), threw back the ramps and proceeded to unload at depths of about two meters, where most of the paratroopers successfully drowned .

Finally, at the very least, the first wave of troops was landed. It included the 146th sapper battalion, whose fighters were supposed, first of all, to destroy concrete gouges so that they could start landing tanks. But it wasn’t there, behind every gouge lay two or three brave American infantrymen, who, to put it mildly, objected to the destruction of such a reliable shelter. The sappers had to lay explosives from the side facing the enemy (naturally, many of them died in the process, out of 272 sappers 111 were killed). To help the sappers in the first wave, 16 armored bulldozers were attached. Only three reached the shore, and only two of them were able to use the sappers - paratroopers hid behind the third and, threatening the driver, forced him to stay in place. It seems that there are quite enough examples of "mass heroism".

Well, then we begin solid riddles. In any source devoted to the events on the Omaha bridgehead, there are necessarily references to two "fire-breathing bunkers on the flanks", but none of them says who, when and how suppressed the fire of these bunkers. It seems that the Germans fired, fired, and then stopped (perhaps this was the case, remember what I wrote above about ammunition). Even more interesting is the situation with machine guns firing at the front. When the American sappers smoked out their comrades because of the concrete gouges, they had to seek refuge in the dead zone at the foot of the hills (in some ways this can be considered an offensive). One of the squads hiding there discovered a narrow path leading to the summit.

Cautiously advancing along this path, the foot soldiers reached the crest of the hill, and found completely empty trenches there! Where did the Germans defending them go? But they were not there, in this area the defense was occupied by one of the companies of the 1st battalion of the 726th grenadier regiment, which consisted mainly of Czechs, forcibly drafted into the Wehrmacht. Naturally, they dreamed of surrendering to the Americans as soon as possible, but you must admit, throwing out a white flag even before the enemy attacks you is somehow undignified even for the descendants of the good soldier Schweik. The Czechs lay in their trenches, from time to time firing a line or two towards the Americans. But after a while, they realized that even such formal resistance was holding back the enemy’s offensive, so they collected their belongings and retreated to the rear. There they were finally taken prisoner to the general pleasure.

In short, having shoveled through a pile of materials devoted to the NDO, I managed to find one single story about a military clash at the Omaha bridgehead, I quote it verbatim. "E Company, which landed in front of Colleville, after a two-hour battle, captured a German bunker on a hilltop and took 21 people prisoner." All!

The main battle of World War II
In that summary I told only about the first hours of the Normandy landing operation. In the days that followed, the Anglo-Americans had to face many difficulties. There is also a storm that practically destroyed one of the two artificial ports; and supply confusion (field hairdressers were delivered to the beachhead very late); and the inconsistency of the actions of the allies (the British launched an offensive two weeks earlier than planned, obviously, they were less dependent on the presence of field hairdressers than the Americans). However, the opposition of the enemy among these difficulties is in the very last place. So should this be called a "battle"?"

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The article briefly outlines the history of the Normandy landings, the largest amphibious operation carried out by the Allies during World War II. This operation led to the creation of a second front, which brought Germany closer to defeat.

Preparation and necessity of the operation
Negotiations between the USSR, Britain and the United States on joint military operations were conducted from the beginning of the German attack on Soviet Union. The occupation of European territories, the acquired military experience, the devotion of the troops to their Fuhrer made the German war machine almost invincible. From the very beginning, the USSR suffered defeats, giving up territory to the enemy and incurring heavy human and material losses. A serious threat was created to the very existence of the state. In Stalin's correspondence with Churchill, the question of help constantly arises, which, however, hangs unanswered. Britain and the United States limit themselves to Lend-Lease aid and declarations of boundless faith in the victory of the Soviet troops.
The situation changes somewhat after the conference in Tehran (1943), where cooperation agreements were worked out. However, a radical change in the plans of the allies takes place in 1944, when the Soviet Union, having won decisive victories, begins a steady offensive against the West. Churchill and Roosevelt understand that victory is only a matter of time. There is a danger of the spread of Soviet influence throughout Europe. The allies finally decide to open a second front.

Operation plans and balance of power
The landing in Normandy was preceded by a long preparation and careful development of all the details. The place for landing (the coast of the Bay of Senskaya) was chosen specifically taking into account the complexity of its implementation (indented coast and very high tides). The Anglo-American military command was not mistaken in its calculations. The Germans were preparing for an offensive in the area of ​​the Pas de Calais, considering it ideal for the operation, and concentrated the main antiamphibious forces in this area. Normandy was very weakly defended. T. n. the "impregnable Atlantic wall" (a network of coastal fortifications) was a myth. In total, by the time of the landing, the Allied forces were confronted by 6 German divisions, staffed by 70-75%. The main and most combat-ready forces Germans were on the Eastern Front.
Before the start of the operation, the Anglo-American forces numbered about 3 million people, which also included Canadian, French, and Polish formations. Allied forces had a threefold superiority in equipment and weapons. Dominance in the air and at sea was overwhelming.
The landing in Normandy was named "Overlord". Its implementation was led by General Montgomery. The supreme command over all expeditionary forces belonged to the American General D. Eisenhower. The landing was to be carried out on a section 80 km wide and divided into western (American) and eastern (English) zones.
The operation was preceded by a lengthy training of troops through exercises and training in conditions as close to reality as possible. The interaction of various types of troops, the use of camouflage, and the organization of defense against counterattacks were practiced.

Landing and fighting in June 1944
According to the original plans, the landing in Normandy was to take place on June 5, but due to unfavorable weather, it was postponed to the next day. On June 6, an intensified artillery bombardment of the German defense line began, reinforced by the actions of the air forces, which practically did not meet resistance. The fire was then moved inland, and the Allies began to land. Despite stubborn resistance, numerical superiority allowed the expeditionary forces to capture three large bridgeheads. During June 7-8, an increased transfer of troops and weapons was carried out to these areas. On June 9, an offensive began to unite the occupied territories into a single bridgehead, which was carried out on June 10. The expeditionary force already consisted of 16 divisions.
The German command carried out the transfer of forces to eliminate the offensive, but in insufficient numbers, since the main struggle was still unfolding on the Eastern Front. As a result, by the beginning of July, the Allied bridgehead was increased along the front to 100 km., In depth - up to 40 km. An important moment was the capture of the strategic port of Cherbourg, which later became the main channel for the transfer of troops and weapons across the English Channel.

Building on success in July 1945
The Germans continued to consider the landing in Normandy a distraction and waited for the landing of the main forces in the Pas de Calais area. The actions of partisan detachments in the rear of the German army intensified, mainly from the members of the French Resistance. The main factor that did not allow the German command to transfer significant forces for defense was the powerful offensive of the Soviet troops in Belarus.
Under these conditions, the Anglo-American troops gradually moved further and further. On July 20, Saint-Lo was taken, on the 23rd - Caen. July 24 is considered the end of Operation Overlord. The Allied bridgehead included an area measuring 100 by 50 km. A serious base was created for conducting further military operations against fascist Germany in the west.

Significance of the Normandy landings
The irretrievable losses of the Allied troops in Operation Overlord amount to about 120 thousand people, the Germans lost about 110 thousand. Of course, these figures cannot be compared with the losses on the Eastern Front. However, albeit belatedly, the opening of the second front nevertheless took place. The new area of ​​operations pinned down German troops that could be deployed as a last resort against the advancing Soviet army. Thus, the final victory was won earlier and with fewer losses. The second front was of great importance as a symbol of the unity of the allied forces. The contradictions between the West and the USSR receded into the background.

Operation Overlord

Many years have passed since the famous Allied landing in Normandy. And disputes still do not subside - did the Soviet army need this help - after all, the turning point in the war has already come?

In 1944, when it was already clear that the war would soon come to a victorious end, a decision was made on the participation of allied forces in World War II. Preparations for the operation began as early as 1943, after the famous Tehran Conference, at which he finally managed to find a common language with Roosevelt.

Bye Soviet army fought fierce battles, the British and Americans carefully prepared for the upcoming invasion. As English military encyclopedias say on this subject: “The Allies had sufficient time to prepare the operation with the care and thoughtfulness that its complexity required, they had the initiative and the opportunity to freely choose the time and place of landing on their side.” Of course, it is strange for us to read about “sufficient time”, when thousands of soldiers died every day in our country ...

Operation Overlorod was to be carried out both on land and at sea (its marine part was codenamed Neptune). Her tasks were as follows: “To land on the coast of Normandy. Concentrate the forces and means necessary for a decisive battle in the region of Normandy, Brittany, and break through the enemy defenses there. With two army groups to pursue the enemy on a wide front, concentrating the main efforts on the left flank in order to capture the ports we need, reach the borders of Germany and create a threat to the Ruhr. On the right flank, our troops will link up with the forces that will invade France from the south."

One involuntarily marvels at the caution of Western politicians, who took a long time choosing the moment for the landing and postponing it day after day. The final decision was made in the summer of 1944. Churchill writes about this in his memoirs: “Thus, we approached an operation that the Western powers could rightfully consider the culmination of the war. Although the road ahead might be long and hard, we had every reason to be confident that we would win a decisive victory. The Russian armies expelled the German invaders from their country. Everything that Hitler had so quickly won from the Russians three years earlier was lost to them with enormous losses in men and equipment. Crimea was cleared. The Polish borders were reached. Romania and Bulgaria were desperate to avoid revenge from the eastern victors. From day to day, a new Russian offensive was to begin, timed to coincide with our landing on the continent.
That is, the moment was the most opportune, and Soviet troops everything was prepared for the successful performance of the allies ...

combat power

The landing was to be carried out in the north-east of France, on the coast of Normandy. The Allied troops should have stormed the coast, and then set off to liberate the land territories. The military headquarters hoped that the operation would be successful, since Hitler and his military leaders believed that landings from the sea were practically impossible in this area - the coastline was too complicated and the current was strong. Therefore, the Normandy coast area was weakly fortified by German troops, which increased the chances of victory.

But at the same time, Hitler did not think in vain that an enemy landing on this territory was impossible - the Allies had to rack their brains a lot, thinking about how to carry out a landing in such impossible conditions, how to overcome all difficulties and gain a foothold on an unequipped coast ...

By the summer of 1944, significant allied forces were concentrated in the British Isles - as many as four armies: the 1st and 3rd American, 2nd British and 1st Canadian, which included 39 divisions, 12 separate brigades and 10 detachments of the English and American marines. air force were represented by thousands of fighters and bombers. The fleet under the leadership of the English Admiral B. Ramsey consisted of thousands of warships and boats, landing and auxiliary ships.

According to a carefully worked out plan, the naval and airborne troops were to land in Normandy over a stretch of about 80 km. It was assumed that 5 infantry, 3 airborne divisions and several detachments of marines would land on the coast on the first day. The landing zone was divided into two areas - in one, American troops were to operate, and in the second, British troops, reinforced by allies from Canada.

The main burden in this operation fell on navy, which should have carried out the delivery of troops, provided cover for the landing and fire support for the crossing. Aviation should have covered the landing area from the air, disrupted enemy communications, and suppressed enemy defenses. But the infantry, led by the English General B. Montgomery, had to experience the most difficult ...

Judgment Day

The landing was scheduled for June 5, but due to bad weather, it had to be postponed for a day. On the morning of June 6, 1944, the great battle began...

Here is how the British Military Encyclopedia describes it: “Never has any of the coasts suffered what the coast of France had to endure this morning. In parallel, shelling from ships and bombardment from the air were carried out. Along the entire front of the invasion, the ground was cluttered with debris from the explosions; shells from naval guns punched holes in the fortifications, and tons of bombs rained down on them from the sky... shore."

In the roar and explosions, the landing began landing on the shore, and by evening, significant allied forces appeared on the territory captured by the enemy. But at the same time they had to suffer considerable losses. During the landing, thousands of servicemen of the American, British, Canadian armies were killed ... Almost every second soldier was killed - such a heavy price had to be paid for the opening of a second front. Here is how the veterans remember it: “I was 18. And it was very hard for me to watch the guys die. I just prayed to God to let me come home. And many did not return.

“I tried to help at least someone: I quickly injected and wrote on the forehead of the wounded man that I had injected him. And then we collected the fallen comrades. You know, when you're 21, it's too hard, especially if there are hundreds of them. Some bodies surfaced after a few days, weeks. My fingers went through them…”

Thousands of young lives were cut short on this inhospitable French coast, but the task of command was completed. On June 11, 1944, Stalin sent a telegram to Churchill: “As you can see, the mass landing, undertaken on a grandiose scale, was a complete success. My colleagues and I cannot but admit that the history of warfare knows no other such enterprise in breadth of conception, grandeur of scale and mastery of execution.

The allied troops continued their victorious offensive, liberating one town after another. By July 25, Normandy was practically cleared of the enemy. The Allies lost 122,000 men between June 6 and July 23. The losses of the German troops amounted to 113 thousand people killed, wounded and captured, as well as 2,117 tanks and 345 aircraft. But as a result of the operation, Germany found itself between two fires and was forced to wage war on two fronts.

Until now, disputes continue whether it was necessary for the participation of the allies in the war. Some are sure that our army itself would have successfully coped with all the difficulties. Many are annoyed by the fact that in Western history textbooks it is very often said that the Second world war in fact, the British and American troops won, and the bloody sacrifices and battles Soviet soldiers not mentioned at all...

Yes, most likely, our troops would have coped with the Nazi army on their own. Only it would have happened later, and many more of our soldiers would not have returned from the war ... Of course, the opening of the second front hastened the end of the war. It is only a pity that the Allies took part in hostilities only in 1944, although they could have done it much earlier. And then the terrible victims of the Second World War would be several times less ...

I I think that every educated person knows that on June 6, 1944, there was an allied landing in Normandy, and finally, a full-fledged opening of a second front. T evaluation only this event has different interpretations.
Same beach now:

Why did the Allies last until 1944? What goals were pursued? Why was the operation carried out so incompetently and with such sensitive losses, with the overwhelming superiority of the allies?
This topic was raised by many and at different times, I will try to tell in the most understandable language about the events that took place.
When you watch American movies like: "Saving Private Ryan", games " Call of Duty 2" or you read an article on Wikipedia, it seems that the greatest event of all times and peoples is described, and it was here that the whole second world war was decided ...
Propaganda has always been the most powerful weapon. ..

By 1944, it was clear to all politicians that the war was lost by Germany and its allies, and in 1943, during the Tehran Conference, Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill roughly divided the world among themselves. A little more and Europe, and most importantly France, could become communist if they were liberated by the Soviet troops, so the allies were forced to rush to catch the pie and fulfill their promises to contribute to the common victory.

(I recommend reading the "Correspondence of the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR with the Presidents of the United States and Prime Ministers of Great Britain during the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945" published in 1957 in response to the memoirs of Winston Churchill.)

Now let's try to figure out what really happened and how. First of all, I decided to go and see with my own eyes the terrain, and assess what kind of difficulties the troops landing under fire had to overcome. The landing zone occupies about 80 km, but this does not mean that paratroopers landed on every meter throughout these 80 km, in fact it was concentrated in several places: "Sord", "Juno", "Gold", "Omaha Beach" and Pointe d'oc.
I walked this territory along the sea, studying the fortifications that have survived to this day, visited two local museums, shoveled a lot of different literature about these events and talked with residents in Bayeux, Caen, Saumur, Fécamp, Rouen and others.
It is very difficult to imagine a more mediocre landing operation, with the complete connivance of the enemy. Yes, critics will say that the scale of the landing is unprecedented, but the mess is the same. Even according to official sources, non-combat losses! accounted for 35%!!! from total losses!
We read "Wiki", wow, how many Germans opposed, how many German units, tanks, guns! By what miracle did the landing succeed?
German troops on the Western Front were smeared in a thin layer across the territory of France, and these units performed mainly security functions, and many of them could only be called combat. What is the division nicknamed the "White Bread Division" worth. An eyewitness, the English author M. Shulman, says: “After the invasion of France, the Germans decided to replace Fr. Walcheren an ordinary infantry division, division, personnel, which suffered from stomach diseases. Bunkers on about. Walcheren was now occupied by soldiers with chronic ulcers, acute ulcers, wounded stomachs, nervous stomachs, sensitive stomachs, inflamed stomachs - in general, all known gastritises. The soldiers vowed to stand to the end. Here, in the richest region of Holland, where white bread was in abundance, fresh vegetables, eggs and milk, the soldiers of the 70th Division, nicknamed the "White Bread Division", anticipated the imminent Allied offensive and were nervous, for their attention was equally divided between the problematic threat from the enemy and real stomach upsets. The elderly, good-natured Lieutenant General Wilhelm Deiser led this division of invalids into battle ... Terrifying losses among senior officers in Russia and North Africa, were the reason that he was returned from retirement in February 1944 and appointed commander of a stationary division in Holland. His active service ended in 1941 when he was discharged due to heart attacks. Now, being 60 years old, he did not burn with enthusiasm and did not have the ability to turn the defense about. Walcheren in the heroic epic of German weapons.
In the German "troops" on the Western Front there were invalids and cripples, to perform security functions in good old France, you do not need to have two eyes, two arms or legs. Yes, there were full-fledged parts. And there were also, collected from various rabble, like the Vlasovites and the like, who only dreamed of surrendering.
On the one hand, the allies gathered a monstrously powerful group, on the other hand, the Germans still had the opportunity to inflict unacceptable damage on their opponents, but ...
Personally, I got the impression that the command of the German troops simply did not prevent the Allies from landing. But at the same time, he could not order the troops to raise their hands or go home.
Why do I think so? Let me remind you that this is the time when a conspiracy of the generals against Hitler is being prepared, secret negotiations are underway, the German elite about a separate peace, behind the back of the USSR. Allegedly due to bad weather, aerial reconnaissance was stopped, torpedo boats curtailed reconnaissance operations,
(More recently before this, the Germans sank 2 landing ships, damaged one during exercises in preparation for the landing and another was killed by "friendly fire"),
command flies to Berlin. And this at a time when the same Rommel knows very well from intelligence about the impending invasion. Yes, he might not have known about the exact time and place, but it was impossible not to notice the gathering of thousands of ships!!!, preparations, mountains of equipment, training of paratroopers! What more than two people know, the pig knows - this old saying clearly captures the essence of the impossibility of hiding the preparations for such a large-scale operation as the invasion of the English Channel.
Let me tell you some interesting things. Zone landings Pointe du Hoc. It is very famous, a new German coastal battery was supposed to be located here, but old French 155 mm guns, 1917, were installed. Bombs were dropped on this very small area, 250 pieces of 356 mm shells were fired from the American battleship Texas, as well as a lot of shells of smaller calibers. Two destroyers supported the landings with continuous fire. And then a group of rangers on landing barges approached the coast and climbed the sheer cliffs under the command of Colonel James E. Rudder, captured the battery and fortifications on the coast. True, the battery turned out to be made of wood, and the sounds of shots were imitated by explosives! The real one was moved when one of the guns was destroyed during a successful air raid a few days ago, and it is his photo that can be seen on the sites under the guise of a gun destroyed by the Rangers. There is a claim that the rangers still found this moved battery and ammunition depot, oddly not guarded! Then they blew it up.
If you ever find yourself on Pointe du Hoc , you will see what used to be a "lunar" landscape.
Roskill (Roskill S. Fleet and War. M .: Military Publishing House, 1974. Vol. 3. S. 348) wrote:
“More than 5,000 tons of bombs were dropped, and although there were few direct hits on the gun casemates, we managed to seriously disrupt enemy communications and undermine his morale. With the onset of dawn, defensive positions were attacked by 1630 “liberators”, “flying fortresses” and medium bombers of the 8th and 9th air formations of the US Air Force ... Finally, in the last 20 minutes before the approach of the assault waves, fighter-bombers and medium bombardiers bombed directly on the defensive fortifications on the coast ...
Shortly after 05.30, naval artillery brought down a hail of shells on the coast of the entire 50-mile front; such a powerful artillery strike from the sea had never been delivered before. Then the light guns of the advanced landing ships entered into action, and, finally, just before the hour "H", tank landing ships armed with rocket launchers; conducting intense fire with 127-mm rockets into the depths of defense. The enemy practically did not respond to the approach of the assault waves. There was no aviation, and the coastal batteries did not cause any harm, although they fired several volleys at the transports.
A total of 10 kilotons of TNT, this is equivalent to the power atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima!
Yes, the guys who landed under fire, at night on wet rocks and pebbles, climbed a steep cliff, are heroes, but ... The big question is how many Germans survived, who were able to resist them, after such air and art processing? Rangers advancing in the first wave 225 people ... Losses killed and wounded 135 people. Data on the losses of the Germans: more than 120 killed and 70 captured. Hmm... Great battle?
From 18 to 20 guns from the German side with a caliber of more than 120 mm fired against the landing allies ... In total!
With the absolute dominance of the allies in the air! With the support of 6 battleships, 23 cruisers, 135 destroyers and destroyers, 508 other warships. 4798 ships participated in the attack. In total, the Allied fleet included: 6,939 ships for various purposes (1213 - combat, 4126 - transport, 736 - auxiliary and 864 - merchant ships (some were in reserve)). Can you imagine a volley of this armada along the coast in a section of 80 km?
Here's a quote for you:

In all areas, the Allies suffered relatively small losses, except ...
omaha beach, american zone landings. Here the losses were catastrophic. Many drowned paratroopers. When 25-30 kg of equipment is hung on a person, and then they are forced to land into the water, where it is 2.5-3 meters to the bottom, fearing to come closer to the shore, then instead of a fighter, you get a corpse. At best, a demoralized man without a weapon... The commanders of the barges carrying amphibious tanks forced them to land at depth, afraid to come close to the coast. In total, out of 32 tanks, 2 floated ashore, plus 3, which, the only captain who was not afraid, landed directly on the shore. The rest drowned due to rough seas and the cowardice of individual commanders. On the shore and in the water there was complete chaos, the soldiers were confusedly rushing along the beach. The officers lost control of their subordinates. But still, there were those who were able to organize the survivors and begin to successfully resist the Nazis.
It was here that Theodore Roosevelt Jr., son of President Theodore Roosevelt, fought heroically., who, like the deceased Yakov, the son of Stalin, did not want to hide in the headquarters in the capital ... (Theodore Roosevelt Jr.measures a month later from a heart attack).
Losses killed in this area are estimated at 2,500 Americans. The German corporal machine gunner Heinrich Severlo, later nicknamed "The Omaha Monster", applied his talents to this. He is from his easel machine gun, as well as two rifles, while in the strongholdWiderstantnest62 killed and wounded over 2,000 Americans! Such data make you think, if he hadn’t run out of ammunition, would he have shot everyone there ??? Despite huge losses, the Americans captured the empty casemates and continued the offensive. There is evidence that individual sections of the defense were handed over to them without a fight, and the number of prisoners captured in all areas of the landing was surprisingly large. But why is it surprising? The war was coming to an end and only the most fanatical followers of Hitler did not want to admit it ...
Some rangers claim that French civilians fought against them... Several French residents accused of shooting at American forces and assisting the Germans as artillery observers were executed...
But weren't these residents killed, and after all, everything said is just a cover for American war crimes?
(Source: Beevor, Antony. "D-Day: The Battle for Normandy." (New York: Penguin, 2009), p106)

Mini museum between landing zones:

View of Pont d'Oc from above, funnels, remains of fortifications, casemates.

View of the sea and rocks in the same place:

Omaha Beach sea view and landing area:

The worst, apart from
lost battle,
this is a won battle.

Duke of Wellington.

Allied landings in Normandy, Operation Overlord, "Day D" (eng. "D-Day"), Norman operation. This event has many different names. This is a battle that everyone knows about, even outside the countries that fought in the war. This is an event that claimed many thousands of lives. An event that will go down in history forever.

general information

Operation Overlord- a military operation of the Allied forces, which became the operation-opening of a second front in the West. Held in Normandy, France. And to this day it is the largest landing operation in history - more than 3 million people were involved in total. Operation started June 6, 1944 and ended on August 31, 1944 with the liberation of Paris from the German invaders. This operation combined the skill of organizing and preparing for combat operations of the Allied troops and the rather ridiculous mistakes of the Reich troops, which led to the collapse of Germany in France.

The goals of the belligerents

For Anglo-American troops "Overlord" set the goal of delivering a crushing blow to the very heart of the Third Reich and, in conjunction with the offensive of the Red Army along the entire eastern front, to crush the main and most powerful enemy from the Axis countries. The goal of Germany, as a defending side, was extremely simple: not to allow the Allied troops to land and gain a foothold in France, to force them to suffer heavy human and technical losses and throw them into the English Channel.

The forces of the parties and the general state of affairs before the battle

It is worth noting that the position of the German army in 1944, especially on the western front, left much to be desired. Hitler concentrated the main troops on the eastern front, where the Soviet troops won one after another. The German troops were deprived of a unified leadership in France - constant changes in senior commanding officers, conspiracies against Hitler, disputes about a possible landing site, and the absence of a unified defensive plan did not contribute to the success of the Nazis.

By June 6, 1944, 58 Nazi divisions were stationed in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, including 42 infantry, 9 tank and 4 airfield divisions. They united in two army groups, "B" and "G", and were subordinate to the command "West". Army Group B (commanded by Field Marshal E. Rommel), located in France, Belgium and the Netherlands, included the 7th, 15th armies and the 88th separate army corps - a total of 38 divisions. Army Group G (commanded by General I. Blaskowitz) as part of the 1st and 19th armies (11 divisions in total) was located on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and in southern France.

In addition to the troops that were part of the army groups, 4 divisions formed the reserve of the West command. Thus, the greatest troop densities were created in northeastern France, on the coast of the Pas de Calais. In general, the German units were scattered throughout France and did not have time to arrive on the battlefield in time. So, for example, about 1 million more soldiers of the Reich were in France and initially did not participate in the battle.

Despite the relatively large number of German soldiers and equipment deployed in the area, their combat effectiveness was extremely low. 33 divisions were considered "stationary", that is, they either did not have vehicles at all, or did not have the required amount of fuel. About 20 divisions were newly formed or recovered from the fighting, so they were only 70-75% manned. Many tank divisions also lacked fuel.

From the memoirs of the Chief of Staff of the West Command, General Westphal: “It is well known that the combat capability of the German troops in the West by the time of the landing was already much lower than the combat capability of the divisions operating in the East and Italy… vehicles and consisted of older soldiers ". The German air fleet could provide about 160 combat-ready aircraft. As for the naval forces, Hitler's troops had at their disposal 49 submarines, 116 patrol ships, 34 torpedo boats and 42 artillery barges.

The Allied forces, commanded by future US President Dwight Eisenhower, had 39 divisions and 12 brigades at their disposal. As for aviation and navy, in this aspect the Allies had an overwhelming advantage. They had about 11 thousand combat aircraft, 2300 transport aircraft; over 6 thousand combat, landing and transport ships. Thus, by the time of the landing, the overall superiority of the Allied forces over the enemy was 2.1 times in terms of people, 2.2 times in tanks, and almost 23 times in aircraft. In addition, the Anglo-American troops were constantly bringing up new forces on the battlefield, and by the end of August they already had about 3 million people at their disposal. Germany, however, could not boast of such reserves.

Operation plan

The American command began to prepare for a landing in France long before "D-Day"(the original landing project was considered 3 years before it - in 1941 - and had the code name "Roundup"). In order to test their strength in the war in Europe, the Americans, together with the British troops, landed in North Africa (Operation Torch), and then in Italy. The operation was postponed and changed many times because the United States could not decide which of the theaters of war was more important for them - the European or the Pacific. After the decision was made to choose Germany as the main rival, and in the Pacific to limit itself to tactical protection, the development plan began Operation Overlord.

The operation consisted of two phases: the first received the code name "Neptune", the second - "Cobra". "Neptune" assumed the initial landing of troops, the capture of coastal territory, "Cobra" - a further offensive deep into France, followed by the capture of Paris and access to the German-French border. The first part of the operation lasted from June 6, 1944 to July 1, 1944; the second began immediately after the end of the first, that is, from July 1, 1944, until August 31 of the same year.

The operation was prepared in the strictest secrecy, all the troops that were supposed to land in France were transferred to special isolated military bases that were forbidden to leave, information propaganda was carried out regarding the place and time of the operation.

In addition to the troops of the United States and England, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand soldiers took part in the operation, and French resistance forces were active in France itself. For a very long time, the command of the allied forces could not determine exactly the time and place of the start of the operation. The preferred landing sites were Normandy, Brittany and the Pas de Calais.

Everyone knows that the choice was stopped at Normandy. The choice was influenced by such factors as the distance to the ports of England, the echeloning and power of the defensive fortifications, the range of the Allied forces' aviation. The combination of these factors determined the choice of the Allied command.

The German command, until the very last moment, believed that the landing would take place in the Pas de Calais region, since this place is closest to England, which means that it takes the least time to transport goods, equipment, and new soldiers. In Pas de Calais, the famous "Atlantic Wall" was created - an impregnable line of defense of the Nazis, while in the landing area the fortifications were hardly half ready. The landing took place on five beaches, which received the code names "Utah", "Omaha", "Gold", "Sord", "Juno".

The start time of the operation was determined by the ratio of the level of the tide of water and the time of sunrise. These factors were considered to ensure that the landing craft did not run aground and did not receive damage from underwater barriers, it was possible to land equipment and troops as close to the coast as possible. As a result, the day the operation began was June 6, this day was called "D-Day". The night before the landing of the main forces behind enemy lines, a parachute landing was thrown, which was supposed to help the main forces, and immediately before the start of the main attack, the German fortifications were subjected to a massive air raid and Allied ships.

Operation progress

Such a plan was developed at headquarters. In fact, things didn't quite work out that way. The landing force, which was dropped behind German lines the night before the operation, was scattered over a vast territory - over 216 square meters. km. for 25-30 km. from capture objects. Most of the 101st, which had landed near Sainte-Mare-Eglise, disappeared without a trace. The 6th British division was also unlucky: although the paratroopers landed were much more crowded than their American comrades, in the morning they came under fire from their own aircraft, with which they could not establish contact. The 1st division of the US troops was almost completely destroyed. Some of the tank ships were sunk before they even made it to shore.

Already during the second part of the operation - Operation Cobra - the Allied aircraft struck at their own command post. The advance went much slower than planned. The bloodiest event of the entire company was the landing on Omaha Beach. According to the plan, early in the morning the German fortifications on all the beaches were fired upon by naval guns and bombed by aircraft, as a result of which the fortifications were significantly damaged.

But on the Omaha, due to fog and rain, the ship's guns and aircraft missed, and the fortifications did not receive any damage. By the end of the first day of the operation, the Americans lost more than 3 thousand people on Omaha and were unable to take the positions planned by the plan, while on Utah during this time they lost about 200 people, took the right positions and united with the landing. Despite all this, on the whole, the landing of the Allied troops was quite successful.

Then the second phase was successfully launched Operation Overlord, within which such cities as Cherbourg, Saint-Lo, Caen and others were taken. The Germans retreated, throwing weapons and equipment to the Americans. On August 15, due to the mistakes of the German command, two tank armies of the Germans were surrounded, which, although they were able to get out of the so-called Falaise Cauldron, but at the cost of huge losses. Then, on August 25, Allied troops captured Paris, continuing to push the Germans back to the Swiss borders. After the complete cleansing of the French capital from the Nazis, Operation Overlord was declared completed.

Reasons for the victory of the allied forces

Many of the reasons for the Allied victory and the German defeat have already been mentioned above. One of the main reasons was the critical situation of Germany at this stage of the war. The main forces of the Reich were concentrated on the Eastern Front, the constant onslaught of the Red Army did not give Hitler the opportunity to transfer new troops to France. Such an opportunity appeared only at the end of 1944 (Ardennes offensive), but then it was already too late.

The best military-technical equipment of the Allied troops also had an effect: all the equipment of the Anglo-Americans was new, with full ammunition and a sufficient supply of fuel, while the Germans constantly experienced difficulties in supply. In addition, the Allies constantly received reinforcements from British ports.

An important factor was the activity of the French partisans, who quite well spoiled the supply of German troops. In addition, the allies had a numerical superiority over the enemy in all types of weapons, as well as in personnel. Conflicts within the German headquarters, as well as the misconception that the landing would take place in the Pas de Calais and not in Normandy, led to a decisive Allied victory.

Operation value

In addition to showing the strategic and tactical skill of the Allied commanders and the courage of the rank and file, the Normandy landings also had a huge impact on the course of the war. "D-Day" opened a second front, forced Hitler to fight on two fronts, which stretched the already dwindling German forces. This was the first major battle in Europe in which American soldiers proved themselves. The offensive in the summer of 1944 caused the collapse of everything Western Front, Wehrmacht lost almost all positions in Western Europe.

Representation of the battle in the media

The scale of the operation, as well as its bloodshed (especially on Omaha Beach), led to the fact that today there are many computer games films on the subject. Perhaps the most famous movie was the masterpiece of the famous director Steven Spielberg "Saving Private Ryan", which tells about the massacre that occurred at Omaha. This topic was also covered in "The longest day", television series "Brothers in Arms" and many documentaries. Operation Overlord has featured in more than 50 different computer games.

Even though Operation Overlord was carried out more than 50 years ago, and now it remains the largest landing operation in the history of mankind, and now the attention of many scientists and experts is riveted to it, and now there are endless disputes and debates about it. And it's probably clear why.