United States Army in World War II
European Theater of Operations

The Supreme Command

Forrest C. Pogue

CMH Publication 7-1

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF MILITARY HISTORY
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WASHINGTON, D.C., 1954

Library of Congress Catalog Number: 53-61717

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C., 20402


. . . to Those Who Served


CONTENTS

Forward ix
Note on the History of the European Theater of Operations

x
Preface

xi
Biographical Sketches 1
Chapter     Page
I. The Supreme Commander 23
    The Selection of the Supreme Commander 23
    The New Commander 33
II. The Coalition Command 36
    Heads of Governments 36
    Combined Chiefs of Staff 37
    The Supreme Commander and His Subordinates 41
    The Organization of the Subordinate Commands 45
    The Supreme Commander's Directive 49
III. The Nature of SHAEF 56
    Contributions of AFHQ 56
    Contributions of COSSAC 58
    The Chief Deputies 60
IV. The Machinery of SHAEF 66
    The Powers Reserved to SHAEF 66
    The Operations Division 68
    The Intelligence Division 71
    Administration 73
    Civil Affairs 75
    Publicity and Psychological Warfare 84
    The Special Staff Divisions 91
    Political Officers 95
    Committees 96
    Locations of SHAEF 96
V. Planning Before SHAEF 98
    Early Background 98
    Allied Planning and Preparation in 1943 102
    The COSSAC Plans 105
VI. SHAEF Revises Plans for the Attack 107
    Strengthening and Widening the Assault and the Postponement of ANVIL 108
    Increase of Airborne Units in the Assault 118
    The Revised Plan 121
VII. SHAEF's Air Problems, January-June 1944 123
    Problems of Command 123
    Railway Bombing Plan 127
    CROSSBOW 134
    Effect of the Air Program 136
VIII. Relations With the Occupied Countries 138
    Allied Liaison Machinery 138
    Civil Affairs Agreements 139
    Troubled Relations With the French Committee 140
IX. Final Preparations for the Invasion 158
    Intensified Air Efforts Against the Enemy 158
    Propaganda Efforts Against the Enemy 161
    Security for the Operation 162
    The Patton Episode 164
    Exercises and Maneuvers 166
    The Decision To Go 166
X. D Day to the Breakout 171
    Unfolding of the Grand Design 171
    The Enemy 175
    Allied Command 180
    The Battle for Caen 183
XI. The Breakout and Pursuit to the Seine 192
    The Allied Situation in Late July 192
    The German Situation 193
    Plans for the Breakout 196
    The COBRA Operation 199
    Hitler Outlines His Plan 201
    Eisenhower Prepares for Action 203
    The Mortain Counterattack 206
    Closing the Falaise Gap 208
    Withdrawal to the Seine 215
XII. The Campaign in Southern France 218
    The Second Phase of the ANVIL Controversy 218
    The Landings and the Advance 227
XIII. Relations With the French, June-September 1944 231
    Civil Affairs 231
    Command of the French Resistance Forces 236
    Activities of French Resistance, June-August 1944 237
    The Liberation of Paris 239
XIV. The Pursuit Stops Short of the Rhine 244
    The Situation at the End of August 244
    Allied Plans for an Advance to the Rhine 249
    Logistical Reasons for the Halt 256
XV. Command Reorganization, June-October 1944 261
    The Ground Forces 261
    The Air and Naval Forces 269
    Shifts in Locations of Supreme Headquarters 275
XVI. Fighting In the North 279
    Background of Operations in the Netherlands 279
    The MARKET-GARDEN Operation 284
    Discussion of Future Operations 288
    The Battle for Antwerp 298
XVII. The Battles of Attrition, September-December 1944 302
    The Enemy Regroups 302
    October Battles 304
    Plans To End the War Quickly 307
    The November Offensive 310
    Allied Strategy Re-examined 312
    Action in December 317
XVIII. Relations With Liberated Countries 319
    Relations With France 319
    Relations With Belgium 328
    Relations With the Netherlands 334
    Allied Public Information Activities in the Liberated Countries 336
    Other Aid to Liberated Peoples 337
XIX. Program For Germany 339
    Efforts To Induce German Surrender 339
    Military Government of Germany 346
XX. The Winter Counteroffensives 359
    The German Plan 359
    Allied Estimate of Enemy Intentions 361
    The Attack 372
    Preparations for an Allied Attack 385
    The Allies Take the Initiative 393
    The Attack in Northern Alsace 397
    The Question of Strasbourg 398
    6th Army Group Counterattack 402
    Effects of the German Counteroffensive 404
XXI. The Battle for the Rhineland 405
    Russian Plans 405
    Formulation of Allied Strategy 407
    General Eisenhower's Replies 409
    Discussion of Strategy by the Combined Chiefs 413
    Looking Toward the Rhine 417
    German Difficulties 418
    SHAEF Establishes a Forward Headquarters 419
    Allied Operations, January-February 1945 420
    The Crossing of the Rhine in the North 427
XXII. The Battle for the Ruhr 434
    A Change of Plans 434
    Encircling the Ruhr 436
    The Ruhr Pocket 439
XXIII. The Drive to the Elbe 441
    Shall It Be Berlin? 441
    The Area and the Enemy 447
    The Nature of the Pursuit 448
    Operations in the North 449
    The Main Thrust to the Elbe 451
    6th Army Group Operations 454
XXIV. The Drive to the Elbe (Continued) 457
    Aid for the Netherlands 457
    The Stuttgart Incident 459
    Avoiding Clashes With the Russians 461
    The End of Hitler 469
XXV. The German Surrender 475
    Early Peace Feelers 475
    Doenitz Appraises the Situation 478
    Piecemeal Surrenders 480
    Preliminary Talks with SHAEF 483
    Surrender at Reims 485
    Ceremony at Berlin 490
XXVI. The Last Phase 495
    Initial Measures 495
    Disarming the German Forces 497
    The Final German Surrenders 502
    Disarming the Enemy in Denmark and Norway 508
    Closing Out Supreme Headquarters 511
 
Appendix     Page
A. SHAEF and the Press, June 1944-May 1945 519
B. SHAEF Personnel 529
C. Roster of Key Officers, SHAEF 536
D. Forces Under SHAEF, 1944-45 539
E. Strength and Casualty Figures 542
F. The Supreme Commander's Orders of the Day 545
G. Table of Equivalent Ranks 550
 
GLOSSARY 551
CODE NAMES 554
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 557
Index 571

 
Tables
 
No.   Page
1. Casualties Caused by Flying Bomb and Rocket Attacks on the United Kingdom, 1944-45 252
2. Estimated Casualties in the Ardennes 396
3. U.S. Battle Casualties, Ardennes-Alsace, 16 December 1944-25 January 1945 402
4. Authorized Strength of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, 12 July 1944 533
5. Authorized Strength of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, 1 February 1945 534
6. Authorized Strength of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, 1 April 1945 535
7. Assigned Strength of U.S. Army Forces in European Theater of Operations, July 1944-June 1945 542
8. Battle Casualties of U.S. Army in European Theater of Operations, June 1944-May 1945 543
9. British and Canadian Strengths, Northwest Europe, 1944-45 543
10. Battle Casualties of the British 21 Army Group, D Day to V-E Day 544
11. Battle Casualties of French Army, 8 November 1942-8 May 1945 544

 
Charts
 
No.   Page
1. Allied Organization for Combined Operations, 24 May 1944 38
2. Chain of Command, Allied Expeditionary Force, 13 February 1944 54
3. Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force, 6 June 1944 67
4. Operational Chain of Command, AEF, 1 April 1944 159
5. Operational Chain of Command, AEF, 1 September 1944 262
6. Operational Channels, First Allied Airborne Army, 28 November 1944 270
7. Operational Chain of Command, AEF, 18 December 1944 379
8. Operational Chain of Command, AEF, 27 March 1945 428
9. Operational Chain of Command, AEF, 1 May 1945 455

 
MAPS
 
1. D Day to Breakout, 6 June-24 July 1944 172
2. Campaign in Southern France, 15 August-15 September 1944 226
3. The Arnhem Operation, 17-26 September 1944 285
4. Clearing the Schelde Estuary, 2 October-8 November 1944 299
5. Battle of the Ardennes, 16-26 December 1944 373
6. Battle of the Ardennes, 26 December 1944-28 January 1945 394
7. The Battle of Alsace, 1 January-9 February 1945 399
8. Situation in Europe, 15 January 1945 408
9. Battle of the Ruhr, 28 March-18 April 1945 437
  Maps I-VI Are in Inverse Order Inside Back Cover  
I. Order of Battle OB WEST, 6 June 1944  
II. Breakout and Advance to the Seine, 25 July-25 August 1944  
III. Pursuit to the German Border, 26 August-15 September 1944  
IV. Battle of Attrition, 16 September-15 December 1944  
V. Battle of the Rhineland and Crossing of the Rhine, 8 February-28 March 1945  
VI. Drive to the Elbe, 4 April-7 May 1945  
 

ILLUSTRATIONS
 
General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower Frontispiece
General Morgan 24
General Marshall and Secretary Stimson 26
Conference at Quebec 40
Air Chief Marshal Leigh-Mallory 46
Admiral Ramsay 46
General Brereton 47
General Spaatz 47
General Bradley 50
General Montgomery 50
General Crerar 51
General Dempsey 51
General Devers 57
General Barker 57
Air Chief Marshal Tedder 61
General Smith 63
Air Vice Marshal Robb 64
General Gale 64
General Bull 69
General Whiteley 69
General Nevins 69
Brigadier McLean 69
General Strong 70
General Crawford 73
General Lee 74
General Grasett 82
General Davis 84
General McClure 85
General Cameron 94
General Vulliamy 94
General Kenner 94
General Hughes 94
High-Level Conference 110
Air Attack 133
Air Attack 133
General de Gaulle 148
General Koenig 149
Aerial Reconnaissance 160
U.S. MULBERRY 174
Adolf Hitler 176
Field Marshal Keitel 176
Field Marshal von Rundstedt 178
General Blaskowitz 178
Field Marshal Rommel 195
Field Marshal von Kluge 195
General Patton 205
General Hodges 205
Field Marshal Kesselring 212
Field Marshal Model 212
General Patch 227
General de Lattre de Tassigny 227
General Simpson 265
General Gerow 266
Air Chief Marshal Harris 272
General Vandenberg 272
Trianon Palace Hotel 277
General Doolittle 317
General Juin 398
SHAEF at Reims 420
Admiral Burrough 430
Meeting at the Elbe 453
Surrender at Reims 489
Surrender at Berlin 493
Victory Speech 512
I.G. Farbenindustrie Building 513

Illustrations are from the following sources

J.C.A. Redhead, FRPS, London: page 46 (Leigh-Mallory).
Bassano Ltd., London: page 46 (Ramsay).
British Information Services: page 50 (Montgomery).
Canadian Army: page 51 (Crerar).
Fayer Camer Portraits, London: page 148.
Service Cinéma des Armées, France: page 398.
Walter Stoneman, London: pages 94 (Cameron, Vulliamy, Hughes), 430.
Captured German Photographs: pages 176, 178, 195, 212.

All other photographs are from Department of Defense files.



Transcribed and formatted by Patrick Clancey, HyperWar Foundation