Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel, born on November 15, 1891, was a German Generalfeldmarschall (field marshal) during World War II. He joined the local Infantry Regiment at 18 and became the center of his life. The extent of Rommel’s involvement in the military’s resistance against Hitler or the 20 July plot is difficult to ascertain, as most of the Rommel myth or the Rommel legend is a phrase used by historians for the common depictions of German Generalfeldmarschall Erwin Rommel as an apolitical figure.
Romme was a mountain infantry man in World War I and perfected the art of the rapid surprise attack. After the failure of Hitler’s attempt on his life on July 20, 1944, Rommel’s contacts with the conspirators had come to light. Hitler did not want the spectacle of a popular general put on trial (and executed) for opposing him. Rommel had connections many of the conspirators of the 20 July Plot to assassinate Hiter and sue for peace with the Allied governments.
Erwin Rommel was Germany’s most famous commander of World War II, known as the Desert Fox. He rose to the rank of field marshal and earned fame at home and abroad for his leadership of the Normandy Conspiracy. The primary military conspirators were General Friedrich Olbricht, Major General Henning von Tresckow, and Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. Most historians believe Rommel knew of the plot but was not involved. However, Rommel had been moving away from Hitler and wanted him to step down.
📹 Erwin Rommel: The General Who Defied Hitler
He served in World War I and World War II…he’s still one of Germany’s most respected military leaders…and yet he never even …
📹 The reason Germany failed on D-Day (Ft. Jonathan Ferguson)
Adolf Hitler was looking forward to D-Day. His plan was simple. Reinforce the western defences, launch a furious counterattack, …
Hello everyone. We’ve been experimenting with a bit of a podcast (a few people were asking for audio versions so they can get Biographics while doing other things)! Fair warning: none of these are new biographies, but rather me having a bit more of a free form chat around the script. I’d love to know what you think, if these are useful, wanted etc :). Thanks, Simon. Links: iTunes: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/biographics-history-one-life-at-a-time/id1450405839?mt=2 Sitcher: stitcher.com/podcast/biographics-history-one-life-at-a-time Website: biographics.blubrry.net/ RSS: biographics.blubrry.net/feed/podcast/ Spotify: open.spotify.com/album/6N9PS4QXF1D0OWPk0Sxtb4 Trolled people: open.spotify.com/show/0JzjzwJcRqFZ3BcACtahh8?si=MG5HSm1oT0GTNm_r8_HQcg
My grandfather fought with the Australians against Rommel in North Africa. He had nothing but praise for Rommel. I understand that Commonwealth soldiers were happy to go along with the “Desert Fox” myth to hide their own shortcomings when coming up against superior German tactics and battlefield skill, but still, my grandfather’s admiration seemed genuine.
fun fact: Erwin Rommel led the first attack on my country( Belgium) where 1 regiment of Chasseurs ardennais, managed to stop him for 14 days. Their regiment was only 40 men strong, while Rommel had difficulties defeating them with his panzer division. After the Belgian troops were captured he asked where the rest of the men were. The Belgians answered that there were no others, Rommel actually congratulated them on such a good defense.
U.S. tank teams, today, still follow strategies developed by Rommel. In fact, during operation “Iraqi Freedom,” Iraqi prisoners captured by U.S. tank units were surprised that U.S. tanks contained photos of Rommel. When the Iraqi prisoners asked of their captures,” Why would they keep a photo of their former enemy?” The U.S. soldiers replied, “This photo is why you’re a prisoner in my tank and not the other way around.” *Correction edit thanks to an observation reply: the incident described occurred during operation “Desert Storm” and not “Iraqi Freedom.”
The German soldier of World War II deserves more respect and honor. The vast majority of them were humans like you and me victims of a criminal system that sent them into combat. Like any army, the punishment for not fighting in a time of war was death. A shitty situation for the German soldier who may have not agreed with Hitler but still held by law to do his duty. In fact they fought for their families, for their home country and most notably for their comrades next to them! i’m inspired and fascinated by this great and mighty army. And I think it’s terrible that they get so little respect!
I honestly think if Rommel had been born in France, England, or America he would’ve been regarded as one of the greatest generals of all time. Even more than he is now, it’s simply the fact that he fought for Germany (not the Nazis) that he isn’t outright praised. I do, however, agree with the sentiment he shouldn’t receive praise because of his allegiance but that he can still be considered a great general.
I’ve seen three kinds of people in this comment section who are well aware of history. The first are angered at the fame and notoriety that is rewarded to this man. The next are upset at the shortcomings given to him in this article or its title. And the last are merely grateful to have it exist. I would like to count myself a member of that lady group.
My father (royal navy) told me people could not understand how the desert fox could go through the desert so fast. Because he would move his army faster then the rate of his supply chain. My dad said it was found latter that he would hide and burry hid his fuel, food, water and ammunition in the sand and went back to pick it up in aid of his advance. I read someplace the US navy Seals do the same in their black opps.
I think what made Erwin Rommel so historic was that he didnt serve the Nazis. He served his country. He earnest respect even from his enemies and he was truly on the wrong side of history. It makes me wonder if he survived, the stories he would have told. He had honour and he is at least remembered fondly for that.
Erwin Rommel made it to Field Marshall, the youngest in the German Army; his stealth tactics disconcerted his enemies on the field. I don’t believe he participated in the attempt on Hitler’s life (July 20, 1944) although he had contact with some of the officers involved. A shame that such an honorable officer didn’t survive the war.
When I still went to university I always used to park my car on the Erwin Rommel Straße (street). The city keeps arguing about whether having a street named after a Wehrmacht general is okay or not okay. Personally I think we could go without it. He may have been a good military leader and arguably wasn’t a Nazi himself but there are so many great people in German history whose names deserve to be honored and who need more attention paid to them than he does.
You know, maybe it was good that he died, after all. Who knows what could have happened to him if he survived the war? Maybe he could have gone through a traumatic experience and have a change of heart for the worse. This is just a bad conspiracy theory, but I briefly thought of Two-Face’s quote: You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.
Yes, Simon… I am binge-watching. The one remarkable thing about Erwin Rommel: He had the respect of his enemies. My husband, who is ex-Army said to me: “You may not agree with your enemy soldier’s politics, but you have to recognise the brilliance of his strategies and tactics. And LEARN from them”.
This is a very good article about a man who is quite hard to judge. On the one hand, Rommel was an anti – Semite, but on the other hand he was never involved in the murdering of Jews. My grandfather was a “desert rat” as Rommel called the British soldiers in East Africa, but he admired Rommel and considered him to be an excellent Field Marshall.
Thank you sir, for a most interesting article on Erwin Rommel. Some decades ago I & my family visited the “Rommel Museum” (before ‘Corona) in ‘Villa Lindenhof’ Herrlingen, Blaustein, which was very interesting; I would recommend visiting it, after ‘Corona.’ And, as said, Rommel was NOT a Nazi, he was just a skilled Military Man, who reached the position of General, owing to his insights!
It is important to know that Rommel was NOT a Nazi. He was a soldier in the German Reichswehr of the Kaiserreich, the Army of the Weimar Republik and the Third Reich, but first he was a German soldier not fighting for a political system or party but for Germany. He also did not intent to kill Hitler but he suggested to arrest Hitler and bring him to justice in a courtroom. Today there are many people who want to make every German a Nazi including Rommel who wasn´t one or General Ludendorff who since the late 1920s fought against Hitler.
As an interesting side note, both Rommel’s supply problems in Africa and the trouble moving troops to the Normandy front was due in part to the efforts of the British special forces. The first was the result of blowing up a bridge in Greece, the second was the sabotage of the train cars used to transport tanks, and blocking roads and destroying bridges.
During the Homeland War in Croatia, General Janko Bobetko suddenly entered our bunker one evening and saw us drinking wine from the same vessel. We thought: now we have perished and he just said: is it a good wine and took the offered vessel from which we drank and took a good sip. He was our Rommel in the first years of the war.
It would be fascinating to see an alternate timeline where Rommel fully committed to removing Hitler and to ending the War. As a popular General, he could very well have gained the support of the Army and instead of an assassination, staged a coup d’etat to remove Hitler from his position and assume control of the government. He’d then be in a position to reach out to the Allies and negotiate a peaceful resolution. Given the atrocities committed by the Nazi party, the only way for Rommel to not find himself facing War Crimes would be to condemn everyone in Hitler’s inner circle and make their actions known to the world. Granted he may not necessarily make it out of the war without facing some consequences but I’d like to think the Allies would agree if anyone should be in charge of Germany during the typical post war chaos, it’s best you have someone the people know and trust.
It is interesting to listen to this website in general but my attention was hightening when I heard the name Rommel. Remembering the name from somewhere back in my head. As you mentioned Weingarten, my hometown, I was surprised. Continuing I was a bit shocked that even tho I know school was teaching us a bit of Erwin Rommel it was far less that anything here. Interesting non the less to refresh some local history after all that time!
his death was a bit mysterious. he wasn’t forced to commit suicide because he tried to kill Hitler. actual there are many theories to what has happened. say that it was because he gave up after losing in Normandy, some say he publicly blamed Hitler for not letting him use his strategy which was to have tanks on the shores. all in all he was one of the greatest generals.
Rommel wasn’t as afraid of Patton and his tank battalions. Rommel was terrified of facing Simon Whistler alone on the battlefield. He knew that his tank projectiles were ineffective when shot at Mr. Whistler and receiving a direct hit. Mr. Whistler would sometimes run at the tanks while being hit by the shells, reach the tanks and pick them up and destroy them by throwing the tank into orbit. Rommel tried to convince Hitler to declare an unconditional surrender when Mr. Whistler entered the fray. He knew that once Mr. Whistler joined the fight, the war was most certainly lost.
Rommel became disillusioned with Hitler towards the end of the war and outwardly disagreed with him and his decisions at times. He never shared Hitler’s anti-Semitic viewpoint, and always treated his opponents and even POWs with respect. He was a man that even the Allies respected because of his brilliant tactics. Even Patton had a copy of his book I believe. Rommel wanted to negotiate a surrender to Allied forces, believing it to be the best option. And after Rommel was executed and the war was over, his son Manfred befriended General Patton and Montgomery’s sons and worked to establish peace between Germany and the Allies.
There was a guy in my church, a Romanian, who had been conscripted into the German army a the beginning of WW ll. He was Rommel’s driver in Africa. He said Rommel, like himself, was not a Nazi. Rommel was just a German officer. The fellow I knew asked Rommel– when it was looking very bleak– why he didn’t just leave. “Why don’t you?” Rommel asked. “I didn’t need another hint!” Joe told me. He was in the US before he was 21.
“He also wanted to bring more tanks closer to the coast, but no one agreed with him.” Untrue. Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt argued that an invasion could only be defeated by a defense in depth, with armored reserves positioned well inland so that they could be deployed to wherever the invasion came, and launch counter-offensives to drive the invaders back. There were several problems with this, particularly the lack of fuel for rapid movements of armor, the Allied air superiority which enabled them to disrupt the transport system, and the increasingly effective sabotage efforts of the French resistance. Hitler wasn’t convinced and so sent Erwin Rommel to hasten the construction of the Atlantic wall instead.
My father went ashore in Normandy on D Day. He fought thru France and into Austria. He told us the Panzer Division was formidable. Captured Panzer troops became man servants for the American soldiers during the war and he respected them. Most of all these men wanted to come to the US even if it was as prisoners. They wanted to serve their time and become Americans after that. My father said many did.
What would have been one of the greatest battles of the war would have been between Rommel and Patton, without Montgomery involved. In addition, I am glad he was pulled away from the defense set up of the Atlantic Wall. In another book I have read, he was disgusted by the weak defenses and had them greatly increased. If he would have finished his defense plans, D-day would have been a disaster in 1944. Although an enemy of the Allies, he was respected and still is.
Erwin Rommel wasn’t a Nazi at all. He was a regular soldier under the wrong leader and at the wrong time. He wasn’t involved in the July Plot, an attempt to kill Adolf Hitler led by Colonel Von Stauffenberg. Rommel did know the plot, but he refused to get involved in it. He was a widely-respected soldier. R.I.P Erwin Rommel.
Ive always held Rommel in high regard. I view him much like Robert E. Lee of the American Confederacy, in that he did his duty for his soldiers and his country, not his leaders. It would have been interesting to hear his perspectives after the war, presuming there were no war crimes for which Rommel would have to answer.
History remembers him as mostly an honorable general. A military man who wasnt an ideologue. He was respected by his enemies and allies alike. His forced suicide was a recognition of his military prowess. Even the nazi high council realized that he wasnt one who they could simply “disappear ” . In fact he was given a state procession with full military salute. This was of course partly out of expediency but also a true show of respect. Politics dictate that the most be gained from any display and his served the dual purpose. He traded his life for the safety of his family, a pact the nazis abided by….the only such case that history records to my knowledge. There is also no solid evidence of him betraying his loyalties, another mark of his “honorable ” reputation.
My father landed on sword beach 2nd wave in, he was a royal engineer, R force, his hobbies were Motorcycles even to the point were he was a dispatch rider, riding out in occupied France setting up dummy tanks to deceive the Germans as in Dover before D day. A quiet man, when i was child you would always find him in his workshop tinkering with his bikes, to the point the local people and kids would bring thair bikes if they had a problem to which my dad would always fix for nothing, sadly dad passed away quietly at home in 2020, R.I.P dad, a great man and a fantastic father, thank you to all the veterans who are a generation never to be forgotten.
Utah beach. . . a lot of roads named after American soldiers who died there. My girlfriend and I were heading for Juno Beach on our touring bicycles when she developed a shifting problem which was beyond my capability to repair. We managed to make our way to Caen, where we found a bike shop. In my very limited French, I explained the situation. The mechanic dropped everything, tackled Leona’s bicycle, and repaired the gear shifting situation. I was wearing my Maple Leaf cycling jersey. When I asked “combien?” (How Much?) he replied “Rien. Canadian”. (Nothing, Canadian). We overnighted in a hotel near the bike shop; the next morning (a very wet one) we visited the Canadian Cemetery at Beny sur Mer, and then Juno Beach which we had missed the day before. As a Dutch born Canadian (born during the occupation), I have a great appreciation for the Canadians who fought and died for me.
Because the Fuhrer needed his beauty sleep…”Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops,” Eisenhower wrote. “My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone.” -Dwight D. Eisenhower Supreme Allied Commander. This was his other speech. D-Day was never a guarantee..
My grandfather was with the British Expeditionary Force and he was pushed into the sea at Dunkirk where he swam out to a ship back to England. He returned to Normandy 3 days after D-Day in a Sherman recovery tank. He was injured near the end of the war and missed all the celebrations. He was a great man.
My father landed in Normandy on D-Day+19. When he hit the beaches the front lines were barely a mile away. His group was tasked with cutting down the hedge rows so the heavy equipment could pass through. Snipers were a constant danger. He said he had no trouble understanding the Germans. Both his parents spoke plattdeutsch even though all were born in the U.S.
I visited the American cemetery in Normandy and it’s beautiful. But, what really moved me was the British cemetery in Bayuex. The inscriptions on the markers were far more personal and heartbreaking. It really gave me a sense of how horrific a loss to the families it was. D-Day was a “success”, but many died also. I’m grateful to all these men who helped liberate Europe from the Nazis.
My great uncle Junius Severeid was part of the Sherbrooke Fusiliers and was tasked with landing ahead of D-Day landing to clear the way for the troops. I’m not sure where he landed, but regretfully he died a few days after the big day. He was a sniper up in a tree and was hit with a German flamethrower. I am fortunate to have his medals. May he and the countless others who paid the ultimate sacrifice rest in peace.
At Omaha Beach, parts of the Mulberry harbour are still visible, and a few of the beach obstacles remain. A memorial to the U.S. National Guard sits at the location of a former German strongpoint. Pionte du Hoc is little change from 1944, with the terrain covered bunkers still in place. The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial is nearby, in Colleville-sur-Mer. A museum about the Utah landings is located at Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, and there is one dedicated to the activities of the U.S. airmen at Sainte-Mere-Eglise. Two German military cemeteries are located nearby.
My homeboy was a ranger and landed at Normandy to fight in the hedge rows. Raised on the homestead with nothing but family and work, we defeat our enemies from one fight to another eternally. My homeboy returned to his sweet spot here in the Louisiana Purchase to fight his daily battles for 65 more years. Realistic fighters never lose. R.I.P. J.R.
I have read Stephen Ambrose’s amazing book ‘Pegasus Bridge’ many times and in it are interviews with the men at the bridge. One account is of the tank that got destroyed. From all accounts the tanks first brought to bare on the British paratroopers were captured French tanks, so not Tigers and not the normal panzer mk2 & 3. As for the tank that was destroyed, the man responsible, Sergeant Thornton, states he fired three PIAT shells at the tank. The first two failed to explode and with just one left and the tank already passing his hidden position he fired the last shell and hit the rear of the tank where extra fuel canisters and ammo had been stored. When that all exploded, taking the tank with it, the explosion was big enough to fool the Germans into thinking the paratroops had anti-tank guns.
I own a second home just South of St Lo, around 50 miles south of Cherbourg. The roads away from the D-Day beaches are marked with markers showing the progress of the Road To Liberty. Even now 80 years after D-Day there are still so many reminders of this important battle-front and how it changed the course of the war so decisively. Over the years we have visited and paid our respects at all of the Cemeteries, visited pretty much all of the museums, visited the gun batteries and cliff-top re-inforced gun emplacements and spent time at places like Pegasus Bridge (which is a full history lesson itself in one short battle) I’m a Brit aged 57. I was born 22 years after VE day in 1945. I grew up in NW England in the aftermath of WW2 where there were still bombed out remnants of buildings and clear scars of war, and yet, my parents never spoke about the war and it was never taught as a subject in school. The only indicator that a great world war had taken place were the Sunday afternoon war movies on TV
A single reason? Isn’t it reasons? 1. Broken codes – The Allies knew what The Enemy knew. 2. Deception – The Enemy was convinced the attack would occur elsewhere. 3. Confusion – The Enemy didn’t have a clear picture nor understanding of what was going on. 4. Indecision – No one wanted to wakeup mr. mustache. 5. Command and Control – mr mustache was calling the shots. 6. Leadership – Rommel, who designed the defenses, wasn’t on the scene. 7. Manpower & material – Were these in short supply at the landing sites? 8. The Fat Lady was on the stage – It was just a matter of time.
Proud to be from Waterbury, Conn- the brass capital of the world- where the factories ran 24/7/365 churning out munitions for the War Effort. You cant understand or appreciate the dedication of your elders until you grow older and see how your own life challenges pale in comparison. The Greatest Generation.
The account of the German soldier who states he killed 1000 – 2000 soldiers on D-Day aren’t just strongly contested, they are ludicrous to anyone thinking logically. The beach itself is six miles long and landing took place all along it. Yes, some units were landed incorrectly and bunched up, but even so this German was at one fixed position on the day and would have only had hundreds of soldiers storming ashore in front of him. Although total casualties sustained by the 1st and 19th infantry divisions were hard to corroborate it has been stated that the Americans lost around 2000-2500 men, but only around a third to a half of those were killed. In any way you look at it is is impossible for this one German to have done what he stated.
Bad weather in most of June on the Atlantic coast of France was always a given, which meant “No invasion would happen before late in June at the earliest”. Concealing the possibility of a short early June unusual good weather break being a possibility to achieve a full surprise Allied landing, was a card well played.
Great article, my great uncle Thomas Gallagher drove an Ambulance off one of the British landing craft on D-day, he served as a medic in WW2 and went on to take part in Operation Market Garden. After the war he served as a Dectective Sergeant in the CID. He was one of my heroes as a kid. Lest we forget.
The film clips in this article is a marvelous supplement to the Stephen Ambrose book I’ve just read about D-Day. That book went into tremendous details about the preparations and landings of D-Day; which told of broad accounts of combat units and was interspersed with personal stories of hardships, gallantry, and tragedies.
Ok, this is what I do not understand. First, Rommell gets his ass chased out of Northern Africa and then to Sicily and then to Normandy to meet the allies on D-Day. Second, Rommell should have been relived from duty after the African campaign. Third, why is history always praising Rommell as being such a great general when he failed in the previous two I just mentioned? I don’t get it.
11:00 The two entangled paratroopers must’ve been terrified, getting stuck while in the air. Looks like a training exercise, not the actual drops though. It might even be three. Two canopies open, one is twisted up with its owner dangling from the other paratroopers. Maybe one deployed a reserve, if they even had one? On screen, just above and left of centre, for about 2 seconds.
22:16 The Germans sent A LOT more armoured divisions than that. A map on June 30th for Operation Overlord shows at least 7 Panzer divisions stationed around Caen. Alongside the 21st, Panzer Lehr and the 12th SS there was the 1st SS Panzer division, 9th SS Panzer division, 2nd SS Panzer division plus the Heavy Panzer battalions of the 102nd SS, 101st SS and the 503rd.
My understanding of the US casualties on D-Day was attributed more to German mortars than machine gun fire. The MG42 was an iconic weapon – no doubt. The US M60 MG of Vietnam time period was based on the MG42 design. The feed tray covers are almost identical. But I doubt a single MG Gunner claim of a thousand casualties – interested to know here he was positioned and the casualty rate of the units in his sector.
The world hated Hitler, and commiserated with Stalin. Hitler conquered half of Europe and the rest of the world declared war against him. Stalin conquered half of Europe and the world sent him greetings. To ensure that Hitler could not hold on to the conquered European countries, the West sank German ships, bombed German cities, and then landed a massive and powerful army on the European continent. To enable Stalin to conquer and hold on to the other half of Europe, the West gave Stalin hundreds of warships, thousands of war planes and tanks, hundreds of thousands of the world’s best vehicles, and millions of tons of its best fuel and ammunition, and supplies. Viktor Suvorov, Soviet GRU defector.
18 U boats were ordered to sink the Allied ships off of Normandy. No ships were sunk. But the U boats were sunk with the top secret homing torpedo named Mark 24, code named “FIDO”. FIDO was first used in March, 1943. It was hugely successful. That’s why the supplies for the invasion began being shipped to England in April, 1943.
Montgomery always said there would be a three month fight in Normandy. He said Paris by D plus 90. He did better. He was 400km beyond that and liberating Brussels, Belgium on September 3rd. However, it wasnt only Caen that was taken well behind it’s initial schedule. St Lo was as well. One of the main reasons why Caen dragged on into July was because Bradley’s US 1st Army gave up on St Lo in June due to the bocage. The fact that the Americans gave up applying any real pressure on St Lo after a while meant that all German panzer divisions sent to Normandy concentrated around Caen and none were needed to deploy to the St Lo frontage. When the Americans finally applied pressure on St Lo in July the Germans sent 2nd SS and Panzer Lehr to defend that sector. Had the Americans done this in June then the Germans would have had to lessen the concentration of their armour around Caen and disperse it over a wider frontage.
I am really surprised that the guy reading the original letters in this vid is not wearing gloves. Due to the oil in the skin, paper is easily destroyed over time. Oddly, later on, he is seen wearing gloves to show two metal helmets, lol. Usually at a museum handling rare, important or perishable items gloves are insisted upon.
Overall, this was a wonderful overview of the Normandy invasion. As was necessary for a article of this length, some of the details were left out, such as the fuel line laid under the canal that supplied the tanks and trucks over the course of the entire operation. I’m glad that he did mention the contribution of the resistance movement in delaying the movement of the German reserve units. That is a point that is frequently not included in similar articles.
I don’t understand how there can be so many D-Day veterans at this point attending these anniversary events. 2024-1944 is 80. Soldiers were 18 minimum. So they’re at least 98 years old. Being that old is rare. I’m starting to wonder if they just walk into a random care home and invite them to come dressed in medals
I am a military historian. I am not certain I will learn much new, but I really like Jonathan Ferguson, keeper of firearms and artillery at the Royal Armouries museum in the UK, which houses a collection of thousands of iconic weapons from throughout history, so I will watch. 11:04 is wrong. It is a myth that I too believed until two days ago, when I listened to Al Murray’s and james Holland’s podcast where Jim gave the actual numbers in one of the D-Day episodes. They were not actually widely scattered. It was, however, very dark, and thus 300 m equates “widely” cause you cannot see where you are or where your mates are. Thus giving rise both to confusion and the myth. Also, there were very few MG42s defending; it was mostly French, Czech and Polish MGs. The DDs on other beaches did well; Utah the land provided lee for the wind, and on the Commonwealth Beaches it was the Navy that was responsible for when to release them, and they thought the sea was too high, and sailed further in. On the US beaches, it was the Army, and they knew nothing of sailing so let them loose to far out.
The 741 battalion DD tanks – they were half way in on their 6km run, they tried to steer straight to the target but had a strong cross current and swell that swamped their sides and sank them but most crew had time to abandon, if they had sailing knowledge they would have steered more WITH the side current and so land a bit off target – other DD tank landings went correctly
@1:30 Great article but your “right” and “left” comment on the landing beaches was confusing as in the map shown, the “right” is the East of the map and that’s where the Brits and Commonwealth landed, while on the “left” or West of the map, is where the US forces landed. If you were to show arrows during the whole description indicating direction then yes, the Brits and Commonwealth are on the left and the US on the right, but that’s not clear from this image.
I made to Normandy a couple of summers ago. Only had 4 days; could have spent 4 weeks or more. Only had time to visit some of the American sites, like Omaha and Utah and also Angoville and Brecourt Manor. Had a nice chat with the daughter of Michel de Villavieille. St. Marie du Mont was very interesting. Wish I could have gone to all the beaches and museums. I would love to visit the Imperial War Museums some day. The next summer I made it to Bastogne. Wish I go spend a lot more time over there……
Percy Hobart was the architect of the German blitzkrieg. The British military thought it to be ineffective because he was trying to replace calvary. When it rampaged through north Africa his unit pushed the Germans back and he was finally called back to get the alies ready for d-day. The unsung hero of D-Day, Sir Percy Hobart!
My grand pa was a member of the 29th Infantry Division, (The Blue and Grey Division) and was among the first wave to land on Omaha on D-Day. He rarely ever spoke about the war, and when he did, it usually was something that him and his buddies done when they wre able to goof around. If he did mention anything about combat, every thing about him would change. He would just become completley blank. He would sound like he was just an observer, never mentioning any thing that he done. I took a great interest in WWII, and if he mentioned anything about it, I hung on to every word. I have a box with his ribbons, some documents, a commemorative plaque, some pictures and letters home. That box is one of my most treasured possessions.
The Allies had already invaded Italy, and although slow going, had a foothold and were advancing. They have examined the reasons why Rommel’s panzers were not brought up more quickly, why Normandy was not considered an invasion point, and on and on for German mistakes. The Allied thrust was enormous, and thousands of troops had been withdrawn from Italy, which was left undermanned and under equipped, to produce an effort which was almost insurmountable. It was the culmination of years of planning, and there was always the possibility of failure, which haunted Eisenhower, but the Allied effort was deep with men, munitions and equipment.
Knew a guy who went there on day 3 when it was over. He said that “the battle was over but not the war.” The Germans tried to repel the invasion until the end of July and that’s when they retreated back to Germany. And the Germans fought it all the way. He said that, “Under those circumstances, in order to survive, one has go into high gear 24/7. One had to learn very fast. If one could survive for two weeks, his chances were improved of living through it. New recruits were at high risk of getting killed.” He said, “When you pulled the pin on a grenade you had to let the timer run down a couple of seconds, because Germans use to pick up a grenade thrown at them and throw it back in the direction it came from.” He knew of one situation, where a soldier threw himself on the grenade that was thrown at his unit. He said the guy probably figured, “‘I’ll pick up the tab, why should everybody go?” Another told me that sometimes they use to come up against an army comprised of teenagers and sometimes children as young as 11. All fitted out with with uniforms. They were more than willing. “They saw it as an adventure, kids have no sense.” My mother told me that everyone was jubilant when the war ended. It meant an end to the telegrams reporting that a son, father, grandfather, nephew, cousin, uncle, husband, boyfriend, fiancée, the kid down the street was MIA, dead, a POW, was wounded, was missing an arm or leg(s). It was horrible to see the Western Union guy in the neighborhood and one could see the stress the Western Union guy was going through.
I’m stopping this wonderful mini-documentary at the point at which the PIAT is being discussed. Here in Bermuda a Spanish fleet were turned away by a single shot from a cannon when they thought the same as the Germans, that they would inevitably face a barrage of shot that would be devastating. However that one shot was the very last one on the whole island; if the Spanish had persevered we may be speaking that language today lol.
Just some factoids for perusal – D-Day stands for ‘Disembarkation Day’ – although many use ‘Debarkation Day’. The date of any amphibious landing was known as ‘D-Day’ – and there were many in WWII, particularly in the Pacific. The actual putting troops ashore via landing craft on June 6, 1944 was code-named ‘Operation Neptune’ – with naval forces being the primary concern. Operation Neptune was an operation that was part of ‘Operation Overlord’. Overlord was the code-name for the initial large scale lodgement in France (not mainland Europe as is widely taught – that would have been ‘Operation Shingle’ – the invasion of Italy at Anzio on Jan. 22, 1944 – Shingle ended June 4th, two days before Neptune, with the liberation of Rome) and it’s goal was the seizure and occupation of Northern France. D-Day, August 15, 1944 was the invasion of Southern France – code-named ‘Operation Dragoon’. Some more trivia – ‘Overlord’ and ‘Dragoon’ were initially planned for the same day – with Overlord initially known as ‘Operation Sledgehammer’, and Dragoon code-named ‘Operation Anvil’ and would have been the largest military operation in all history. The Americans wanted it – Churchill didn’t. But Dragoon was extremely successful, with US units liberating all of Southern France and going through the Belfort Gap in just 4 weeks before being ordered to stop. This fact and lost history has always perplexed me.
IMHO the key was the allied weather station on Iceland which indicated to the allies that unpredicted in Europe a weather window was going to occur allowing favorable weather for the invasion that the Germans were unaware of and therefore were surprised and unprepared when the weather improved and the invasion kicked off.
I’d argue D-Day was, in fact, a turning point int he war. A huge one. Landing 156k troops and their equipment in one day was overwhelming to the Germans. In less than a month, there was over a million Allied troops in France. Add some French resistance and paratroopers in the rear and that marked the beginning of the end for the German forces.
John, it’s always good to see who used which weapons, tactics, and who was in charge of what and whom. Is the MG-42 that the German Army used with devastating effects on the Allied Landings the same thing many soldiers termed ” Hitler’s Buzzsaw ” due to the terrifying sound the weapon made ? Or was it the MG-40 called that name ? I’m just curious, I’m an amateur historian, and I adore studying history ; particularly events that changed the world !
A main problem was the Weapean Mix of polish, french and tschesch guns at all units. The famous WN62 had watercooled polnische Maschinengewehre Modell 1917 (Ckm wz. 30) Mg 34 and only 2 Mg 42 like presented and 2 captured tschechische 7,65-cm-Geschütze. The Atlantik Wall was an rest ramp of all europ armys This were 3. Class Units. It is a mirakle that the “landsers” hold out for 6-10 hours
D-Day was a turning point in the war. I don’t understand how it isn’t being seen that way here. Before, the Germans, while holding back very significant resources from the eastern Front, now understood that with the allies on the shire, they had to not only commit those resources, but actually needed to divert some from the east. It also, as soon as it happened, took the attention of the high command and Hitler, both of which had to split their attention, devoting less thought to the east. So from the first day of the invasion, the war had a turning point. This was, after all, vastly more important an event than the battle at Kursk, which many mistakenly think was a turning point, but which was really just another losing battle against the Soviets, though a large one.
I read where Rommell visited Omaha Beach before the invasion and was not at all satisfied with their defensive setup, making the soldiers add more obstacles and many more mines. I think that if he hadn’t visited when he did that, we (the Americans, Canadians, English, and all other allied soldiers in the invasion) would not have lost as many people as we did.
11:24 Floyd and Lt. Spiers – names I know from the one and only, best war adaptation of all time, “Band of Brothers”. Had to mention it as I didn’t see any mention of it yet, and I started perusal the show from someone’s comments online years ago. Do yourself a favour and give it a watch if you’ve never seen it. RIP to the greats.
Germany lost the day they let the Brits retreat from Dunkirk. Hitler’s twisted admiration for the Royals, made him think that such a gesture would may one day make the UK allies of Germany or perhaps remain neutral, so he defied his generals advice on finishing off Englands ground forces. This overestimation of Englands grace, let them regroup and reform their infantry divisions for D Day, many of whom survived Dunkirk, and had a raging hard on for payback.
My great grandfather yuri was a red army captain who used mostly an smg but picked up a comrades sniper defending stalingrad and my great grandmother anya was a red army medic who helped allies with medical treamtrnt especially with soldiers who were badly injured but she always told me when i was only a few months old how tough it was during the war but she appreciated the opportunities she got at helping those who were hurt
As far as possible immediate re-enforcements were concerned, yes, the ‘Calais distraction’ was practical on D-Day and for weeks afterwards. ‘Distraction’ because the Fortitude South, aka FUSAG in Kent with suitable intel kept Hitler thinking that’s were the main attack could come from. However, the deception plans, including Fortitude North and South, were actually very widely ranged and all in some ways contributed to lessening either the number of troops present at the landing locations or in parallel, helped ensure enemy troops were well dispersed away from the landing area, for example in Norway and even as far as Greece, I believe. So just to say, or infer, that it was purely the Calais distraction which made the difference is only one part of the picture. We actually had the Germans worrying about threats from various directions although they obviously realised that a key one was likely to occur within easy, or relatively easy reach, of the UK. i think we even had them considering the possibility of a major attack in the Bay of Biscay. The germ of the Mulburry idea is said in some quarters to have originated from Churchill because of the difficulties of the landings in the Dardanelles in WWI, for which he was responsible. That’s only having got as far as 2:04..
Surprised to hear the Omaha DDT tanks being lost to poor weather. There’s a lot of more recent research that indicates the tanks were launched too far out. They drifted with the current and as the tank pilots tried to aim for their intended landing position they brought the tank abreast of the waves and were swamped. The lack of instruction in seamanship skills meant they failed to understand the mistake they were making or ways to correct the early launch.
Ww2 was an incredible time in our history. Insane to think it wasn’t very long ago. I’m glad Hitler was full of himself and didn’t listen to his leaders when he should have. It is scary to think that if he had made some decisions differently idk if it could have won him what he wanted but it could have made it even harder and more drawn out than it already was
The German’s failed on D-Day because air superiority was wrestled away from the Luftwaffe the 6 months prior. P-51B’s and P-38’s started to penetrate deep into Germany by December of 1943. By March of 1944 they were escorting bombers all the way to Berlin & back. In April of 1944 with the introduction of P-51(D)’s and P-38(J)s along with P-47(D) Thunderbolt Germany did not have any answer. All three variants were better in combat than ME109s and WF190s. In the Month of April 1944 Germany lost 17% of its fighter pilots. In May of 1944 they lost another 20% of their fighter pilot force. By the time D-Day arrived there was little to no air resistance by Germany to the invasion. Therefore, the invaders died in the thousands not the 10’s of thousands which would have been the case without air superiority. FYI to all foreign adversaries of the United States….the US will not invade anywhere unless it has air superiority. From Guadalcanal in 1942 onward the US has never invaded unless the skies are cleared of enemy warplanes.
Germany had their Panzer divisions spread out over France instead of concentrated near the coast. 1/3 of the tank batallions was only allowed to move on order from Hitler himself and most of the commanders were scared to wake him with the bad news on the morning of the invasion. Only Omaha beach was defended by actual German soldiers. The other beaches were defended by “the Ostbataillonen”, or ‘East batallions’, pretty much they were Soviet volunteers and POW’s that fought on the German’s side. Also, if Germany had not invaded the Soviet states, but instead had taken the UK, the Allied would have no place to gather and organize men and material
There was no Atlantic Wall at the Normandy beaches. At no point were defenses more than 20% completed. Plus Rommel wanted every gun/solder to have enough ammo for a two day continuous battle. None had more than 3 or 4 hours worth. I also think he wanted to place 12th SS directly behind the 352 division. Why it didn’t happen I don’t know.
I find it odd, how D-Day is rarely presented strategically correct. The purpose of Overlord was what it succeeded in being: The greatest diversion in history. The purpose of D-Day was to divert German attention to the West, which would make Bagration possible (to succeed) in the East. Bagration was the successful Soviet operation to destroy Army Group Centre. Bagration effectively ended German hopes of finding a way to win the war. Stalin had been calling for Overlord for about a year before it happened, and training had started another year before that. D-Day might not be a turning point on its own, but it was half of the decisive war-winning turning point. If find it to be ignoring the strategic importance of D-Day, to not mention the direct connection with Bagration, and the combined importance of the offensives.
One thing that is hardly ever mentioned is the accurate bombing of Utah beach. The bombers flew over the length of the beach and totally wrecked the majority of the beach defenses. On the other beaches, the bombers dropped as they flew over the width of the beach and their bombs landed far inland, destroying empty fields. The heavy cloud cover was the cause…
The German garrison divisions were not generally of “low quality”, their assessment by their own Army was they were average, but fully resourced. They were deliberately “static” divisions, so the main armor backing them up was the Stug III. After a month of warfare the replacement troops provided to these divisions were of poor quality, 16-18 year olds with only a few months of training. This is why those Normandy defense Division gave strong initial resistance to the invasion force, but after weeks of determined combat, the Allied build-up of well trained re-enforcements swept the weaker German replacement troops out of the rest of France very suddenly, after they broke-out of Normandy.
In support of Rommel keeping the tank divisions near the beaches. Yes, they would suffer massively from air attacks, but can you imagine the carnage a single German tank could do on Utah or Omaha? I mean it was already bad enough, and add tanks just going ham on the beaches would have exponentially increased the casualties.
You should read the story of Major Robert Henry Cain VC on YouTube told by Jeremy Clarkson. The way he described Major Caine’s use of the PIAT, he said the British troops hated this gun. It begins at 31:00 Clarkson knows about this …because he married his daughter…. Jeremy Clarkson’s The Victoria Cross: For Valour – the FULL documentary
Is this still a question to be answered? Germany failed, because it wasn’t able to disestablish the beachheads, because it had no air-superiority and because the western allies were willing to throw enough manpower and hardware against it. Don’t get me wrong: I like your articles, but the title is somewhat curious…
A new leader has emerged from Germany as half-jewish Australian which was held in same jail cell as Adolfo Hilter. This was- “Anton Graf von Arco auf Valley”. He did things just before Adolfo did them, seeking to join ‘Thule Society’, practicing anti-Semitic ideas, along with despising Communist & even influencing Goebbels… One man writes book within months of being locked up & the other unknown to history. Most revolution leaders change names- like Cha, Pol Pot or Mao, but not ‘Adolfo Hilter’.