LESSON TERM EURO WEDNESDAY THE 9 TH OF OCTOBER

 

LESSON TERMINALE EURO WEDNESDAY THE 9 TH OF OCTOBER

GOAL : THE MATERIAL

OPERATION FORTITUDE

WORDS OF THE DAY

(to) prevail = (to) dominate

Ex : the prevailing circumstances = the current circumstances

on The flip side= on the other hand

(to) stem from = (to) come from  = (to) arise from( venir de / sortir de)

The silver bullet= the best solution

Needless to say that …. ( il n'est pas nécessaire d'a jouter ..)

(to) fool someone= (to) con someone= (to) dupe someone = to deceive someone = to bamboozle someone =(to) outsmart someone = (to) mislead someone

(to) bury ( enterrer)

to eavesdrop on someone  ( épier ) 

they eavesdroppped on the germans = they intercepted their communications 

(to) keep it under wrap = (to) keep it a secret = (to) conceal it

A barrack 

a landing craft ( un vaisseau de débarquement) 

fake = artificial = fictitious 

 

STEP 1 turn and tell RECAP

 

1. Where to go next ? paris ? other cities ?
2. Low tide or high tide ?
3. Landing alone or other types of operations before ?
4. Once landed how to ensure supplies ?
5. Type of boats to take the men on shores
6. One military commander or only one suprême commander ?
7. Do we involve the French or not ? do we involve the french resistance ?
8. How many men ?

 ANSWERS 

6.Where to go next ? paris ? other cities ?

FIRST THEY HAD TO CONQUER CHERBOURG TO USE IT AS A HARBOUR FOR FUTURE SUPPLIES. BUT THEN THEY INTENDED TO GO STRAIGHT TOWARDS PARIS TO ENSURE THAT NO BACKING ( RENFORTs)  COULD BE SENT TO NORMANDY TO REINFORCE THE GERMAN TROOPS.

 

7.     Low tide or high tide ?

IT COULD NEITHER BE LOW TIDE WHICH WOULD MEAN A LONG STRETCH OF BEACH TO BE COVERED BEFORE ACCESSING THE GERMAN DEFENCES . BUT IT COULD NOT BE HIGH TIDE AS WELL BECAUSE THEN THE SOLDIERS WOULD HAVE DROWNED ON JUMPING FROM THE BOATS WITH THE HEAVY MATERIAL THEY WERE CARRYING ON THEIR BACK.

SO IT HAD TO BE IN THE MORNING IN JUNE FOR THE TIDE NOT TO BE TOO HIGH BUT STILL SUFFICIENT ENOUGH TO ENSURE THAT THE BOATS COULD REACH THE SHORE FROM AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE.

 

8.     Landing alone or other type of operations before ?

TO DES TROY ANY ROADS THAT COULD HAVE ALLOWED THE GERMAN BACKUP TO REACH THE BEACHES THEY HAD TO DESTROY RAILWAYS AND MAIN COMMUNICATION ROADS LONG BEFORE THE OPERATIONS.

 THEIR BOMBINGS HAD TO BE EXTENSIVE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE GERMANS DID NOT PINPOINT  THE ACTUAL  LOCATION  OF THE LANDING AND STILL BELIEVED THAT IT WOULD OCCUR IN PAS DE CALAIS.

MOREOVER ON THE VERY DAY OF THE OPERATION SOME PARATROOPERS WERE DROPPED AROUND THE MAIN BRIDGES IN NORMANDY TO GET CONTROL OF THEM AND PREVENT ANY REINFORCEMENT REACHING THE BEACHES.

9.     Once landed how to ensure supplies ?

THEY IMPLEMENTED A WHOLE OPERATION NICKNAMED OPERATION TRANSPORTATION .

ALL THE NECESSARY SUPPLIES WERE BROUGHT TO THE BEACHES VIA MULBERRY HARBOUR

 

10. Type of boats to take the men on shores

THEY NEEDED MASSIVE SHIPS TO BRING SOLDIERS AND SUPPLIES CLOSER TO THE NORMANDY SHORES.

BUT THEN THEY CREATED FLAT BOATS CALLED HIGGINS BOATS WHICH HAD A FLAT BOTTOM TO GET AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE TO THE BEACHES.

 THEY ALSO USED AMPHIBIOUS BOATS WHO COULD GET ON LAND AFTER FLOATING ON SEA.

11. One military commander or only one suprême commander ?

TO PREVENT ANY FALLING OUT / ROWS  THEY DECIDE TO NAME ONE SUPREME COMMANDER IN CHARGE OF ALL THE OPERATIONS : THUS GENERAL EISENHOWER WAS NOMINATED.

CHURCHILL WAS CONSULTED BUT THE FINAL DECISIONS WERE MADE BY EISENHOWER

12. Do we involve the French or not ? do we involve the french resistance ?

THEY INVOLVED THE RESISTANCE ASKING THEM TO ORGANISE CAMPAIGNS OF SABOTAGE TO PREVENT ANY REINFORCEMENT COMING FROM THE RAILWAYS .

THEY ALSO ASKED THEM TO ORGANISE THE RESISTANCE ON THE GROUND AND TO FIND SUPPORT WITHIN THE FRENCH CITIZENS.

BUT OTHERWISE THEY DID NOT INFORM THE FRENCH ABOUT THE LANDING FOR FEAR OF LEAKS ( des fuites )

STEP 2  TURN AND TELL THE ATLANTIC WALL 

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 ?

 ANSWERS 

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

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) 

 STEP 3

NOW THAT YOU HAVE ESTABLISHED YOUR PLAN OF ACTION YOUR MISSION IS TO FOOL THE ENEMY. SO WHAT WOULD YOU DO ?

- create a fake army assigned to the dover area right opposite calais to confirm the belief on the part of the Germans that the attack would occur int he Pas de calais region .

-design a plan where the resistance and the intelligence services would spread spurious / fictitious information that would deceive the Germans

- devise rubber fake tanks which would be inflatable as well as other military equipment such as carboard figurines and fake barracks .From the air the Germans would be convinced that the Allied forces were much stronger than first thought .Moreover once again this hoax would be located close to dover and thus substantiate = confirm the German theory of an invasion in the pas de Calais region

- the use of spies and double agents was rife / widespread within the allied forces.

- a Hero from the war General Patton was even appointed at the head of that phony army to deceive the german command.

PLAN  1 OPERATION FORTITUDE : A MAP

Under the Fortitude "story", the Allies intended to invade both Norway and Pas de Calais.

Fortitude North was aimed at German forces in Scandinavia and based around the fictional BRITISH FOURTH ARMY , based in EDINBURGH . The Allies created the illusion of the army via fake radio traffic  and leaks through double agents.

Fortitude South employed similar deception in the south of England, threatening an invasion at Pas de Calais by the fictional 1st U.S. Army Group  led by US GENERAL PATTON

 OPERATION BODYGUARD 

OPERATION BODY GUARD IS THE NAME GIVEN TO THE OPERATION WHICH WAS MEANT TO FOOL THE GERMANS AS TO THE DATE AND LOCATION OF THE LANDING IN NORMANDY .

1.A VIDEO OF THE SECRET WEAPONS : the inflatable devices :WHAT DID YOU UNDERSTAND ?

A video showing the inflatable devices : (1) 1944 D-day Secret Gadgets! - YouTube

 THE VIDEO CAN BE SEEN HERE :

https://www.pearltrees.com/private/id85107896?access=470b37a76aa.512a4b8.a4b824908f94a2c7c0c5cd033f673e50

2.TO FURTHER YOUR KNOWLEDGE ANOTHER FULL VIDEO

 https://edpuzzle.com/media/62601f7a1bb0e442cab0568c

 

2.a A QUIZ ON OPERATION FORTITUDE 

  https://edpuzzle.com/media/62601f7a1bb0e442cab0568c

 HERE ARE THE WORDS THAT I FIND INTERESTING 

EDPUZZLE VIDEO OPERATION FORTITUDE vocabulary list

A military camp

Jammed packed = overcrowded = full of military personnel

An unmitigated disaster = a complete disaster

Be tricky = be complicated

The most ambitious decption plan ( a deception = une tromperie)

They would not pretend that there would be NO invasion because that was impossible but they would  deceive the germans as to the location of the landing and the number of soliiers involved.

They wanted to confuse the germans

 The army was made up = was invented

 The allies had not men to spare ( to spare = supplémentaire)

They made the german fall for this massive prank ( a prank = une farce)

They had to go big or go home ( go big or go home

A double agent

A network ( un réseau)

Garbo agent bombarded the German embassy with spurious revelations

 Ther Germans trusted garbo although he was a double agent and so believed = swallowed = fell for everything he said about the invasion taking place in pas de calais

 To concoct = to make up = to create

 Secrecy was critical = was essential

They were obsessed about secrecy = security

They needed to be able to read German communication system .

The german used an extraordinarily complex encoding system : enigma

The British assmbled a team of brilliant mathematicians like alan turing at Bletchey Park

 They had a lucky break

 They managed to capture a completely intact encoding machine and a code book so for the rest of the war the British were routinely reading german messages

The intelligence  = the knowledge gained by deciphering the messages may have shortened the war by more than 2 years.

So when the Gemans got the news of the normandy invasion they thought itw as just AN invasion but not THE invasion and sot hey did not take it as seriously as they should have.So most of the men and material remained in the Pas de Calais even after D day  confusing the German response.

It was nothing short of a miracle

A saper ( un démineur)

To come under heavy fire..

 

PLAN 3

TEAM A ENIGMA AND ULTRA

CF VIDEO IN ORDI  d-day-the-secret-war-extra-history-2  at 6’ 53 +

TEAM B OPERATION TITANIC

Operation Titanic was a series of military deceptions carried out by the Allied Nations during the Second World War. The operation formed part of Operation Bodyguard, the cover plan for the Normandy landings in 1944. Titanic was carried out on 5–6 June 1944 by the Royal Air Force and the Special Air Service. The objective of the operation was to drop 500 dummy parachutists in places other than the real Normandy drop zones, to deceive the German defenders into believing that a large force had landed, drawing their troops away from the beachheads and strategic sites such as Caen.

Easily my favorite of the D-Day deceptions, dolls or paradummies were dropped in large clusters further inland, complete with their own little parachutes, to make it look like paratroopers. The Germans would spot these figures from a distance and immediately head toward where they seemed to be landing. Then they would find heaps of these “Ruperts.” (The British called them “Ruperts” and the Americans called them “Oscars.”) Then, when the Nazis would see actual paratroopers coming down, they might not charge over right away or at all, assuming they were being duped by paradummies again.

 

PLAN 4 TEAM C :  CHAFF

The difference in technical abilities between WWI and WWII is pretty staggering and it changed the look of the battlefield in an extreme measure. However, aircraft radar technology was still pretty primitive during the Second World War. In order to mess with the radar on enemy aircraft, a cloud of small pieces of aluminum was dropped into the area. The aircraft radar would simply bounce off the reflection of these foil pieces (called chaff) and the aircraft on the other side of the chaff would basically become invisible.

The “window” of chaff was used by both sides during WWII, neither side realizing that the other one had the capability.

TEAM D THE CODE BREAKER

Navajo Code Word Dictionary

English Word	Navajo Code Word	Literal Translation
Airplanes	Wo-tah-de-ne-ih	Air Corps
Dive Bombers	Gini	Chicken Hawk
Torpedo Plane	Tas-chizzie	Swallow
Observation Plane	Ne-as-jah	Owl

 

 HOMEWORK 

TEST ECRIT : what do you know about the D day landing ? text to be written and to include the answers to the following questions 

1. Location of the landing AND WHY ?
2. Type of weather necessary
3. Type of beaches necessary : pebbles or sand AND WHY ?
4. Moment of day for the landing  AND WHY ?
5. Habour or beach
6. Where to go next ? paris ? other cities ?
7. Low tide or high tide ?
8. Landing alone or other types of operations before ?
9. Once landed how to ensure supplies ?
10. Type of boats to take the men on shores
11. One military commander or only one suprême commander ?
12. Do we involve the French or not ? do we involve the french resistance ?
13. How many men ?