LESSON TERM EURO WHAT TO LEARN FRIDAY THE 3RD OF OCTOBER

READ AND ABSORB :)) 

D DAY SESSION 3

LANDING OR BOMBING

WHAT ARE THE OTHER STRATEGIES POSSIBLE ? WHO SHOULD WE ATTACK FIRST ?

STEP 1 WHY choose germany and not japan ?

 

THE AMERICANS MIGHT HAVE CHOSEN TO REGARD THE CAMPAIGN IN Europe as a diversion  from their struggle against the main enemy japan.

Still they were persuaded to commit their  chief strength  in the west .

Not only that but it was the americans who were impatient to confront the germans while the British right up to the eve of D day were haunted by the greatest misgivings about doing so

Chruchill was in favor of another alternative landing in Portugal

Churchill was very uneasy about the whole operation up to feb 1944

«  it may well be the most ghastly disaster of the whole war « »Chrurchill

So there were Dissensions between the warlords.if the americans had not been that resolute it would never have happened before 1945.

Still from the beginning  Roosevelt and his chief of staff asserted from the beginning the priniciple of Germany first

THEY ACCEPTED THAT GERMANY WAR-MAKING POWER WAS BY FAR THE MOST DANGEROUS AND THAT FOLLOWING HER COLLAPSE THEN JAPAN WOULD FOLLOW

So they decided on A CROSS CHANEL INVASION

THE BRITISH ACCEPTED ANVIL, THE LANDING IN THE SOUTH OF France AS WELL AS OVERLORD  (the d day plan) 

THE TWO PLANS WERE PROPOSED TO STALIN AT THE TEHERAN CONFERENCE IN 1943 SO ANY BREACH WOULD BE A BETRAYAL OF THE RUSSIANS

 

STEP 2 WHY NOT CHOOSE THE AIR ONLY

THE MAIN CONCERN OF OPERATION OVERLORD WAS TO ENSURE THAT THE FULL AIR FORCE WAS AVAILABLE TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE FORCES ON THE GROUND

ATTACK ON INDUSTRIAL CENTRES

EISENHOWER INTENDED TO USE THE BOMBERS TO PARALYZE THE FRENCH RAILWAY SYSTEM TO HAMPER GERMAN MOVEMENT OF REINFORCEMENT TO LOWER NORMANDY . this plan was nicknamed  THE TRANSPORTATION PLAN

 

 

 

 

 

STEP 4 WHERE TO LAND ? why choose normandy ?

a)      DISCUSSION : where would you land ? Why not pas de calais ?

THE ATLANTIC WALL

THE ATLANTIC WALL WAS 3 500 MILES LONG RUNNING  FROM NORWAY TO DENMARK AND ACROSS THE NETHERLANDS BELGIUM AND France  TO THE BAY OF B ISCAY

IT WAS FORTIFIED WITH CONCRETE DEFENCES MANNED BY THE GERMA ARMY

THE MOST OBVIOUS PLACE FOR A LANDING WOULD HAVE BEEN  CALAIS IN NORTHERN France JUST 25 MILES ACROSS THE CHANNEL FROM THE BRITISH PORT OF DOVER So they decided to land in the area that was the longuest distance across the channel : the beaches of normandy to surprise the enemy.

BUT THE: beaches had to be within range of air support flying from england

The army had to be resupplied once it landed so needed to have an area where unloading operations could take place.

The Pas de calais was the  Shortest route to the heart of germany but too heavily defended 

The cotentin would have been too easy for the germans to bottle up the invaders within the peninsula  and the marshes( les marais) there  made it unpractical

And Brittanywas too far away beyond the reach of dominant air cover

 

SO Why normandy ?

1)     Fortifications there were not too strong

2)     the area was away from the Great german reserve forces.

3)      The  normandy area offered a number of suitable beaches on which to land.

4)     The radius of air cover ( effectively the range of a spitfire 150 miles ) was limited enough

 

BUT normandy had no deepwater ports so how to get fresh supplies.

This had led the germans to believe that normandy was not a threat  as an invasion site.

But what they did not anticipate is that   the french ports could be  be attacked by the rear and then captured after a successful landing on the beaches

 

 

STEP 6 THE ATLANTIC WALL AND ROMMEL BEACH DEFENSES / OBSTACLES

 

 1 )WHY DID THEY BUILD A WALL ?

Rommel believed that the « war would be won on the beaches « 

 3) THE ELEMENTS OF DEFENCE 

READ THE FOLLOWING TEXT .THEN PUT THE VARIOUS ELEMENTS OF DEFENSE IN THE APPROPRIATE SPOTS

On every beach that was remotely suitable for an amphibious landing Rommel built defenses.

Offshore, the German’s first line of defense consisted of mines anchored in the Channel.

The tidal-flat obstacles began with so-called belgian gates

 

 the belgian  gates

Next at about 100 meters out from the high-water mark, a band of heavy logs were driven into the water at an angle pointed seaward, with mines lashed to the tips of some of the logs.

At about 70 meters from shore , the main belt of obstacles featured hedgehogs :.They could rip out the bottom of any landing craft.

Rommel bestrode France like a colossus.he could and did flood the countryside by damming the rivers or letting in the sea.

The obstacles forced the Allies to choose between risking their landing craft on a full tide or coming in on low but rising tide and thus giving the german soldiers an opportunity to cut down the first waves of attackers as they struggled  to get all the way up the beach.

To make full use of the killing zone, Rommel put his divisions right up close.

On the plateau above, were hundreds of Tobruks , circular concrete-lined holes big enough for a mortar.The Tobrucks were connected by underground tunnels .

 

Big guns were put also in casemates with embrasures that opened down the beach to provide enfilade power .

.To protect the casemates from the real threat, an infantry assault with grenades and flamethrowers, the germans surrounded them with land mines and barbed wire.

Behind the mines and astride the draw ( une ravine) there were antitank ditches ( fossés)

a casemate

 

 

COMPLETE

 

 

Behind the flooded fields Rommel had troops / units stationed in every village and sticking logs into the ground in any open field suitable for a glider landing .To prevent the use of gliders Rommel devised « Rommel’s asparagus : logs driven into the ground topped with shells (obus)  attached by interconnected wires.

 

 AN INCONSISTENT WALL 

 

QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS

 

GROUP QUESTION :

1.who and why did decide to build the wall ?

2. when did they start ?

3.who were the workers building it ?

4.quote Rommel : was he right or wrong ?

5.how did the allies find out about the wall ?

6. why did the allies back away from attacking cherbourg ?

 

1.      WHY DID THE WALL FAIL TO PREVENT THE ALLIES’  LANDING ?

 

GROUP QUESTION :

1.who and why did decide to build the wall ?

HITLER DECIDED TO BUILD THE WALL  BECAUSE IT WOULD ALLOW HIM TO FOCUS MOST OF HIS WAR EFFORT ON FIGHTING THE RUSSIANS WHILE PREVENTING THE BRITISH AND THE AMERICANS FROM LANDING ON THE ATLANTIC COAST.

2. when did they start ?

THEY STARTED DURING THE SUMMER OF 1942 RIGHT ON THE BEGINNING OF THE INVASION ON THE RUSSIAN TERRITORY but the plan was designed in 1941 

3.who were the workers building it ?

THERE WERE 450,000 MEN WHO WERE REQUISITIONED OR WORKING FOR THE GERMAN ENGINEERING GROUP ORGANISATION TODT . THIS GROUP USED FORCED LABOUR COMPOSED OF PRISONERS WHO HAD BEEN OFFERED TO JOIN THE GERMAN ARMY UNDER DURESS OR WERE JUST BEING EXPLOITED SHAMELESSLY.

THE TODT ORGANISATION WAS THE ONE TO ADMINISTER AND CONCEIVE THE DEATH CAMPS.

SOME FRENCH PEOPLE WERE ALSO  FORCED TO WORK FOR THE GERMANS UNDER THE COMPULSORY LABOUR ORGANISATION. THAT IS WHY FROM 1942 SOME MEN JOINED THE RESISTANCE TO AVOID HAVING TO WORK FOR THE GERMANS OR HAVING TO GO AND WORK IN GERMANY.

REQUISITIONED WORKERS COULD LACK MOTIVATION AND TOOK GREAT PLEASURE IN SABOTAGING THE WALL.

4.quote Rommel : was he right or wrong ?

ROMMEL : " if you think that they will come in good weather,by the shortest route and that they will give you fair warning, you are wrong..the allies will land in terrible weather, having chosen the longest itinerary.. the landing will be here in Normandy and that will be the longuest day." 

of course he was spot on but unfortunatly for the germans Hitler did not heed his words ( to heed  = tenir compte de )

5.how did the allies find out about the wall ?

THEY KNEW A LOT THANKS TO THE RESISTANCE

6. why did the allies back away from attacking cherbourg ?

BECAUSE CHERBOURG'S HARBOUR WAS A GUN-STUDDED FORTRESS AND SO HEAVILY DEFENDED.

(to be studded = parsemé de) 

 

 

 

1. Moment of day for the landing  AND WHY ?
2.  THEY USED THE COVER OF THE NIGHT TO DROP PARATROOPERS ON STRATEGIC POSITION. STILL MOST OF THEM FELL FAR FROM THEIR INTENDED TARGET OR DROWN IN SWAMPS AND FIELDS FLOODED BY THE GERMANS OR GOT ENTANGLED IN TREES AND THUS BECAME EASY TARGETS FOR THE GERMAN TROOPS.
3. SO LANDING AT NIGHT PROVED SAFER AND ALSO MORE DANGEROUS FOR THE ALLIED TROOPS. THUS IT AS DECIDED THAT DUSK WAS THE SAFEST FOR THE LANDING TROOPS AS IT ALLOWED THE SOLDIERS TO HAVE A BETTER SIGHT OF THEIR OBJECTIVES WHILE STILL PROVIDING SOME FORM OF COVER BY DIMMINING THE SIGHT .
   
   
4.  
5. Habour or beach

 CHERBOURG HARBOUR WAS THE CLOSEST PORT OF ENTRY BUT WAS TOO HEAVILY DEFENDED TO BE TAKEN FROM THE SEA. IT WOULD HAVE LED TO MASSIVE CASUALTIES.AND THUS IT WAS DECIDED THAT A CAPTURE FROM THE REAR ( l 'arrière)  WAS THE BEST OPTION .

 

STEP 2 HOW MANY MEN : complete the diagram

 

 

STEP 3 SOME CRUCIAL DOCUMENTS FOR THE BAC

 

STEP 4 GETTING READY FOR THE BAC : READ AND SUM UP THE DOCUMENTS FOR YOUR PARTNER

1. A  CHRONOLOGY OF THE EVENTS