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Thoughts on D-day

Discussion in 'Western Europe 1943 - 1945' started by A.GREG, Mar 21, 2001.

  1. A.GREG

    A.GREG Member

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    Why do you think D day was influencial, or pivitol in any way? And if you have any other thought about D-day, post them here as well, I would like to read them.
     
  2. Ron

    Ron Member

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    D-Day is so influential in my mind because...it was the begining of the end for Hitler. It was a show of force never again shown in the history of man...and involved many nations working together in order to work. Such a showing of force and good verses evil is just facinating!
    An analogy would be...the allies based in England were like a gun pointed at germany's head...and D-Day was when they pulled the trigger, everything depended on if germany was able to dodge the bullot. But they didn't so thus all germany's hope of ending the war on some sort of positive note was "killed"
     
  3. Killjoy

    Killjoy Member

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    I once watched an old war film during which a Geman General said of the Normandy landings: "A two-front war! The old nightmare!!"

    A second sizeable land-based force was something Germany could not possibly hope to stand against.
    As it was, she was being trounced by Crazy Ivan in the East, and we could debate all the live-long day as to whether or not she could have prevailed against Russian armies alone...
    Adding the Anglo-Franco-Americo-'All-else-O' forces to the fray sealed the fate of the "thousand year Reich" by throwing at it a weight of arms too great to possibly prevail against.

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    Novus Ordo Seclorum
     
  4. PzJgr

    PzJgr Drill Instructor

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    The end of Hitler was earlier on, D-Day was the coup de grace.

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    "They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. But in modern war there is nothing sweet or fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason."
     
  5. Jackson

    Jackson Member

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    For most of the French and English, and Americans, with the exception of North Africa, were working on the offensive. They had been ed and shelled in their homelands, beaten back to the sea, and on D-Day, they were going back to take France back, and then strike into Germany.

    Also, it was such a pivotal moment for Military Intelligence and Planning. The Germans thought that Patton would definitely lead the invasion of France, so they built up their defenses in Italy. However, Patton was used as a decoy and Ike hit 'em hard.

    Field Marshall Rommel: "Normandy! Normandy!??" (From The Longest Day)

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    "Goddamn it, you'll never get the Purple Heart hiding in a foxhole! Follow me!"
    - Captain Henry P. "Jim" Crowe (Guadalcanal, January 13, 1943)
     
  6. A.GREG

    A.GREG Member

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    How did Germany not know that Patton was a decoy? I mean the play obviously worked perfectly, but such a large force moving in from the Atlantic should not have been that hard to noitce.
     
  7. A.GREG

    A.GREG Member

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    With radar developed, it shouldn't have been such a problem to find the allied forces coming into Normandy.
     
  8. Jackson

    Jackson Member

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    Well, Patton was a decoy along with a lot of his army in Italy. Also, the Allies were feeding the Germans misinformation that the landing would come out Pas de Calais (I think) in France.
     
  9. USSBOWFINSS-287

    USSBOWFINSS-287 Member

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    Patton was the "perfect" decoy!!! Germany was so sure that Patton would be the one to lead the invasion....that we simply "gave them what they wanted" and fed them information to throw them off the real invasion at Normandy!!!

    Did we "miss the boat" so to speak by leaving Monty in? It can be argued that he wasn't aggressive enough early on...but I think we were helped even more by Hitler...as he wouldn't release the Panzers which would have (likely) pushed us back into the Channel!! Since no one wanted to wake "Der Furher" up...we were able to progress further inland! (Although the "bocage" was anything but easy!)
     
  10. A.GREG

    A.GREG Member

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    I guess the attack on Normandy from the allies was pretty "perfect" decoy becuase it was the bgininning of the end of Hitler and Germany.
     
  11. USSBOWFINSS-287

    USSBOWFINSS-287 Member

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    I know that there are several books that cover the "deception" of the Allies as it pertains to D-Day...although, at my advanced age of 36, I am experiencing "brain farts" with increasing frequency!!! :(

    I shall see what I can locate and post the info for the rest of ya!
     
  12. Major Destruction

    Major Destruction Member

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    British counter-espionage had convinced the Germans that Gen. Patton would lead the invasion.

    The deception was this.

    Patton's Third Army had been massing in Kent for the real assault via the Pas de Calaise which provided the shortest distance between UK and France.
    The D-Day landings in Normandy were only a ruse.

    In fact, Patton's Third Army was only canvas models of tanks, trucks, landing craft etc, plus a small force of radio operators who were able to mimic the radio traffic of an entire army solely for German consumption.

    While the Germans waited for Patton's non-existant Third Army to invade, Patton's First Army was already fighting in Normandy.
    By preventing the Germans opportunity to move their forces to the invasion beaches from Calaise, the deception allowed a safe landing for the Allied invaders.

    Once the German Command knew the truth and tried to counter the main invasion, the Allied Air Forces had gained control of the sky and were able to make any daytime movement of German vehicles impossible.
     
  13. Wittmann

    Wittmann Member

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    The germans knew the allies were coming but they didn't know were. And because most of the radar instalations were destroyed it was dificult to detect the enemy. The allies also launched decoy attacks on D-Day so the germans didn't know what to think. (On their radar it often looked like large bomber formations were coming. This was the result of a single plane throwing out bits of aluminium. That made large spot on the radar). The weather also helped the allies as the germans pulled al their reconaissance troops (planes and boats) back to the mainland to get shelter against the storm.
     
  14. C.Evans

    C.Evans Expert

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    Why I think D-Day was so influential? Because of the massive forces invloved for this invasion. The massive prepartions alond with the massive deception practices invloved. Plus the Germans somewhat believeing what they found on that British corpse (the man who never was).

    Another thing is that all the German commanders had to operate with their hands "tied" behind their backs--thanks to the superior never at fault supreme commander, Uncle Adolf himself.
     

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