United States Army in World War II
European Theater of Operations

Cross-Channel Attack

Gordon A. Harrison


. . . to Those Who Served


CONTENTS

Forward vii
Introductory Note viii
Preface ix
Chapter          Page
I. THE ROOTS OF STRATEGY 1-45
The Common Ground 1
General Marshall's Project 13
"Action in 1942--Not 1943" 21
The Period of Indecision (July-December 1942) 32
The Casablanca Conference 38
II. OUTLINE OVERLORD (JANUARY-JULY 1943) 46-82
Organization for Planning 46
Size and Shape of the Attack 54
Landing Craft Requirements 59
Allotment of Resources, May 1943 63
The COSSAC Plans 70
III. OVERLORD IN BALANCE (AUGUST-DECEMBER 1943) 83-127
Strategy Reviewed: The Quebec Conference 83
Landing Craft Again 100
Questions of Command 105
The Cairo-Tehran Conferences 117
IV. THE GERMAN ARMY IN FRANCE, 1940-1943 127-157
Organization of the West 128
Impact of the Russian and Mediterranean Fronts 140
Rebuilding the Western Defenses 148
V. OVERLORD REVISED 158-197
U.S. Organization and Training for the Assault, January 1944 158
The ANVIL-OVERLORD Debate 164
The NEPTUNE Plans 173
VI. PRELIMINARY OPERATIONS 198-230
The French Resistance 198
The Combined Bomber Offensive 207
The Bombing of French Railroads 217
VII. GERMAN DEFENSE MEASURES, 1944 231-268
OKW Policy in 1944 231
Organization for Combat 236
Command and Tactics 242
The Defense on the Eve of Invasion 258
VIII. THE SIXTH OF JUNE 269-335
The Invasion is Launched 269
The Airborne Assault 278
Hitting the Beaches 300
The D-Day Beachhead 321
IX. THE V CORPS LODGMENT (7-18 JUNE) 336-385
Securing the Beachheads 336
Junction Between V and VII Corps 351
The Caumont Gap 366
Towards St. Lô 376
X. THE CAPTURE OF CHERBOURG (8 JUNE-1 JULY) 386-449
Securing the North Flank 386
Attack to Cut the Peninsula 396
Hitler Intervenes 408
Advance to the Cherbourg Landfront 416
The Fall of Cherbourg 422
End of a Phase 438
Appendix      
A. DIGEST OF OPERATION OVERLORD 450
B. DIRECTIVE TO SUPREME COMMANDER, ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE 457
C. HITLER DIRECTIVE NO. 40 459
D. HITLER DIRECTIVE NO. 51 464
E. CHRONOLOGY OF MAIN PLANNING PAPERS FROM 1 JANUARY 1944 468
F. COMPARATIVE FIRE POWER OF THE U.S. AND GERMAN 1944-TYPE INFANTRY DIVISIONS 470
G. DIVISIONS AVAILABLE TO GERMANY ON 6 JUNE 1944 471
H. TABLE OF EQUIVALENT RANKS 472
I. RECIPIENTS OF THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS 473
J. BASIC MILITARY MAP SYMBOLS 477
GLOSSARY 479
CODE NAMES 485
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 487
INDEX 495
  CHARTS  
1. Simplified Command and Planning Organization for European Operations as of May 1942 3
2. German Chain of Command in the West, May 1944 244
3. Luftwaffe Command in the West 245
4. German Naval Command in the West 245
  MAPS  
1. Situation in Europe, 6 June 1944 268
2. German Counterattack in the Cotentin 296
3. 4th Infantry Division, 6 June 1944 305
4. German Counterattack on Carentan, 13 June 1944 366
5. Coumont Gap, Morning 10 June 1944 370
6. The la Fière Bridgehead, 9 June 1944 397
Maps I-XXV are in inverse order inside back cover
I. Cosmopolitan World Map (Rand McNally and Company).  
II. OVERLORD Area.  
III. The Final OVERLORD Plan.  
IV. Development and Lodgment.  
V. Sealing Off the Battlefield  
VI. Order of Battle OB WEST, 6 June 1944.  
VII. Allied Assault Routes, 6 June 1944.  
VIII. The Airborne Assault, 6 June 1944.  
IX. 101st Airborne Division Drop Pattern, 6 June 1944.  
X. 82d Airborne Division Drop Pattern, 6 June 1944.  
XI. V Corps D-Day Objectives.  
XII. OMAHA Beach Assault.  
XIII. The Second British Army on D-Day.  
XIV. German Countermeasures, 6 June 1944.  
XV. V Corps, 7-8 June 1944.  
XVI. VII Corps on D+1.  
XVII. Battle for Carentan and Junction of the Beachheads, 8-12 June 1944.  
XVIII. V Corps Advance, 9-13 June 1944.  
XIX. Kampfgruppe Heintz, 6-11 June 1944.  
XX. Toward St. Lô, 14-18 June 1944.  
XXI. Securing the North Flank, 8-14 June 1944.  
XXII. Attack to Cut the Peninsula, 10-18 June 1944.  
XXIII. The Advance North, 19-21 June 1944.  
XXIV. The Attack on Cherbourg, 22-26 June 1944.  
XXV. The Advance Inland, 6 June-1 July 1944.  
  ILLUSTRATIONS  
1. President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill 7
2. General Marshall 14
3. U.S. Soldiers in Ireland 20
4. Casablanca Conference 39
5. General Morgan 50
6. British Landing Craft on Beach at Dieppe 55
7. German Submarine Under Aerial Attack 85
8. Quebec Conference 89
9. General Montgomery 118
10. Tehran Conference 124
11. Field Marshal von Rundstedt and General Jodl 132
12. German High Command 134
13. Enemy Coast Artillery 139
14. Field Marshal Rommel 150
15. General Eisenhower 159
16. Invasion Training in England 161
17. Assault Training 163
18. Vauville Beach, Spring 1944 178
19. Preinvasion Bombing 195
20. Hitler Leaving Railway Carriage at Compiégne 199
21. V-Bomb Over London, June 1944 216
22. Bombardment of Marshaling Yards 226
23. Results of Air Attacks 229
24. Antilanding Obstacles 251
25. German Mobile Infantry 255
26. Captured German Armor 256
27. Preinvasion Scenes 271
28. Allied Invasion Chiefs 273
29. German Field Commanders 277
30. Parachute Troops 279
31. Hedgerow Country 285
32. Merderet River Crossing 294
33. Crossing the Channel 299
34. Troops on Utah Beach 303
35. Aerial View of Utah Beach on D-Day Morning 306
3. Aerial View of Omaha Beach on D Plus 1 310
37. Terrain on Omaha Beach 312
38. Assault Landings, Omaha Beach 314
39. First Aid on the Beach 316
40. Rangers Scaling the Cliffs at Pointe du Hoe 323
41. Ninth Air Force B-26 Over British Beachhead 331
42. Troops on Utah Beach Under Artillery Fire 343
43. Planes and Gliders Circling Les Forges 346
44. U.S. Commanders 352
45. St. Côme-du-Mont Area 354
46. Carentan Causeway 358
47. Carentan and Hill 30 Area 362
48. Tank Equipped with Hedgerow Cutter 385
49. Crisbecq Fortification 389
50. Azeville Forts 391
51. Quinèville 394
52. La Fiére Causeway 399
53. Tank Entering St. Sauveur-le Vicomte 405
54. Ste. Colombe-Néhou Area 407
55. Seine River Bridge at Mantes-Cassicourt Under Bombardment 409
56. Utah Beach During the Build-up 424
57. Omaha Beach During the Build-up 425
58. Artifical Port at Omaha Beach 427
59. American Artillery in Action Against Cherbourg 433
60. Fort du Roule 435
61. House-to-House Search in Cherbourg 437
62. American Infantry Captain with Cherbourg Prisoners 439


Glossary * Military Map Symbols


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