Lesson 18: Preparation for D-Day May 1944.

Question 1

The aim of Operation Overlord

Answer 1

remained a surprise
The aim - liberate north-western Europe from Nazi occupation and
force the Germans back to Germany

If Overlord failed, the Allies would have to wait several more years to
try another invasion and Russia would continue to bear the brunt of
the fighting.
* If Overlord was a success, the Germans would suffer their greatest
blow yet and the end of the war would be in sight.

Normandy region,due to its proximity to the
English coast and its long, sloping beaches.

Question 2

• The preparation for Operation Overlord (equipment/men) 6th June 1944

Answer 2

Equipment and men included:
* 150,000 men in the initial invasion force (with almost 2 million in Britain
waiting to join after the initial attacks
* 6000 ships and landing craft
* 50,000 tanks and vehicles
* 11,000 planes

Question 3

• The preparation for Operation Overlord (Fortitude – what was it?)

Answer 3

mass deception campaign called Operation Fortitude
Aim of Fortitude = make the Germans believe that the location of the Allied
offensive into western Europe was going to be anywhere but Normandy
* A fake US Army Group was created that was based in south-east Britian making it
look as though an invasion was planned for the Pas de Calais region.
* Fake landing equipment was created to make the Germans believe that the Allies
were stronger than the Germans had originally thought.
* Double agents provided false information to the Germans on the Allied
preparations.
* Fake radio signals and messages were sent to confuse the German’s who
intercepted the messages
* Actors were paid to have conversations in pubs near military bases where they
would discuss plans openly to pass on misinformation to any German spies.

Question 4

The preparation for Operation Overlord (Fortitude – what was its impact?)

Answer 4

Hitler and the German High Command were tricked by Fortitude.
* As of late May 1944, Hitler confirmed that he believed an invasion was going to
take place at the Pas de Calais region in a telegram to the Japanese.
Hitler had taken the bait and was fully convinced

Question 5

Strength of German defences on French coast

Answer 5

If German troops were placed in the correct location they
would outnumber the Allied forces by a ratio of 10-to-1.

expected that an invasion would come
at some point along the French coast. Therefore, they
had invested huge sums of money into building
defences known as the ‘Atlantic Wall’.
* The ‘Atlantic Wall’ defences were commanded by
Rommel.
* It was 3900km long.
* Comprised of 6.5 million mines, thousands of concrete
bunkers and pillboxes containing machine guns and fast
firing artillery, and thousands of anti-tank and anti-ship
beach obstacles.