A British history buff went in search of buried treasure and stumbled upon a forgotten German bunker believed to be responsible for American losses on D-Day. A British World War II enthusiast has uncovered a vast German defensive position overlooking the Normandy beaches, which, he says, was largely responsible for heavy American losses on D-Day.
How did the Germans defend D-Day?
There were also inland defenses. The German army flooded fields (to drown paratroopers, this worked very well) they also had the natural defenses of the Normandy hedgerows, these proved weaknesses in the allied tanks and perfect for ambushes.
What were the best German divisions in D-Day?
Waffen-SS formations were regarded as the best German forces in Normandy. Most were deployed in the British sector, but the Americans faced 2nd SS Panzer Division and 17th SS Panzergrenadiers. The quality of German infantry divisions varied greatly.
What happened to the German hosts on D-Day?
When the visitors finally did arrive, however, showing up suddenly one fine morning in the late spring of 1944, all those carefully laid plans fell apart. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, the German hosts botched the reception. They failed to show their unwanted guests the door, and in the end, the invaders moved in permanently.
Did German bunkers contribute to D-Day losses?
A British history buff went in search of buried treasure and stumbled upon a forgotten German bunker believed to be responsible for American losses on D-Day. A British World War II enthusiast has uncovered a vast German defensive position overlooking the Normandy beaches, which, he says, was largely responsible for heavy American losses on D-Day.
How did the Germans defend D-Day?
Back in 1943, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was handpicked by Hitler to lead the German army's defense of the Normandy region. He began by fortifying the Atlantic Wall in Normandy with more machine gun bunkers, millions of beachfront landmines, and by flooding inland marshes to trap Allied paratroopers.
What was the strength of the German defense on D-Day?
about 225,000 menTake an average strength for a German army of about 225,000 men, throw in independent units and support personnel and we can call it one million men, enough to man 58 divisions.
How many German defenders were on D-Day?
More than 156,000 Allied ground troops stormed the beaches. In wave after wave of thousands of landing ships, more than 156,000 Allied infantrymen stormed the five beaches. Facing them were around 50,000 Germans troops.
Were German prisoners shot on D-Day?
Likewise, it is an established fact that German soldiers, and particularly those in the Waffen SS, shot prisoners. The artillery fire from both sides and the Allied bombing attacks transformed Normandy into a moonscape.
How good was the German army in ww2?
The firepower of a German infantry division far exceeded that of a French, British, or Polish division; the standard German division included 442 machine guns, 135 mortars, 72 antitank guns, and 24 howitzers. Allied divisions had a firepower only slightly greater than that of World War I.
How many German soldiers were killed on D-Day?
German casualties on D-Day have been estimated at 4,000 to 9,000 men. Allied casualties were documented for at least 10,000, with 4,414 confirmed dead.
What was Hitler's response to D-Day?
“The news couldn't be better,” Hitler said when informed of the invasion, according to historian Mr. Ambrose. But Hitler's morning lie-in was a tremendous error. Or rather his sleep, plus the inflexibility of the German command system, significantly weakened the German response to the oncoming Allied forces.
What German units were in Normandy?
Pages in category "German units in Normandy"1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler.9th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)I SS Panzer Corps.II SS Panzer Corps.2nd Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich.9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen.10th SS Panzer Division Frundsberg.More items...
What was Germany's response to D-Day?
The German Response to. D-Day. By the spring of 1944 Germany had been dominant in western Europe for four years. After defeat in France in 1940 Britain had been too weak to intervene in Europe. In 1942 and 1943 Anglo-American forces concentrated on offensives in North Africa and the Mediterranean, which ruled out a return to northern Europe.
What was the best German force in Normandy?
An SS NCO being searched by a US soldier during Operation 'Cobra'. Waffen-SS formations were regarded as the best German forces in Normandy. Most were deployed in the British sector, but the Americans faced 2nd SS Panzer Division and 17th SS Panzergrenadiers.
How many tanks did the Panzer Group West have?
Defeat of the Allies would hinge on the nine panzer divisions and one panzergrenadier division in theatre, with a total of over 1,400 tanks and self-propelled guns. They were held in an armoured reserve called Panzer Group West, commanded by General Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg. For administrative purposes they came under OB West, but von Rundstedt had no direct control over them. These divisions represented the real striking force in the German order of battle, but authority over their deployment and use had become a major bone of contention.
How many German tanks were left in Normandy?
Twenty-five out of 38 German divisions had been utterly destroyed. The rest had been reduced to shattered remnants. In total, the Germans suffered 290,000 casualties in Normandy, including 23,000 dead, 67,000 wounded and around 200,000 missing or captured. Some 2,000 tanks had been committed to the battle, but the panzer divisions were left with about 70 tanks between them.
Where did the Germans weaken?
The Germans remained weakest in the west of the Allied lodgement area, where the decisive breakout was now set to occur. After clearing the Cotentin peninsula and capturing Cherbourg, which finally fell on 27 June, the US First Army had begun a push towards the vital road junction of St-Lô. The Germans had again exploited the difficult bocage terrain to exact a heavy toll of the advancing Americans. St-Lô fell on 19 July but bad weather postponed further US operations until 25 July when Operation ‘Cobra’ was finally launched. It was the main US offensive. The Germans could field only seven weakened infantry and parachute divisions, supported by 2nd SS Das Reich, Panzer Lehr (re-located from the Caen sector) and the remnants of 17th SS Panzergrenadier Division.
Where was the German SdKfz 250?
A wrecked German SdKfz 250 half-track in the village of Christot. Allied fighter bombers took a heavy toll of German tanks, vehicles and horse draw transport during the retreat of the Seventh and Fifth Panzer Armies from Normandy.
What did Hitler say about the war?
Hitler declared: ‘Once defeated the enemy will never again try to invade’. A victory would allow him to redeploy his forces to the East, to ‘revolutionise the situation there…’. He went on: ‘the whole outcome of the war depends on each man fighting in the West, and that means the fate of the Reich as well!’.
What was the bunker that was responsible for the American losses on D-Day?
A British history buff went in search of buried treasure and stumbled upon a forgotten German bunker believed to be responsible for American losses on D-Day. A British World War II enthusiast has uncovered a vast German defensive position overlooking the Normandy beaches, which, he says, was largely responsible for heavy American losses on D-Day.
Where was the D-Day complex located?
After extensive research in European archives, Sterne found contemporary maps that pinpointed the site of the complex, on high ground above Omaha beach at the western end of the D-Day frontline.
What did Sterne find in the Germans?
But Sterne found some personal belongings including boots, spectacles and small bottles of medicine.
What was the task of the Allied troops in Normandy?
Behind the beaches, Allied airborne troops were tasked with capturing key railroad strong points, bridges and artillery that may be firing on the beaches the morning of the invasion . At around 6:00 AM, Allied troops began hitting the beaches on the Normandy coast and on the morning of June 6th, roughly 130,000 Allied troops would go ashore in ...
When did the Normandy invasion happen?
Overview map of the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1914 during World War II:
Why was the German response so slow?
For this reason and other reasons, many due to the Byzantine command structure of the German army , the German response was slow and especially German armored response was slow. For this reason, the Allies were able to make significant inroads on the first day, and they were able to expand their beachhead over the coming days.
Where is the British 3rd Division?
The British 3rd Division is shown traveling from Newhaven on the southern coast of the United Kingdom to Sword Beach on the northern coast of France. The U.S. 82nd and 101st airborne divisions are shown traveling from inland of the United Kingdom to the Cotentin Peninsula in northern France. The British 6th Airborne Division is shown traveling ...
Who was the commander of the Germans at Calais?
force under the command of General George Patton was still to come.
Where was the 6th Airborne Division?
The British 6th Airborne Division is shown traveling from inland of the United Kingdom to the Orne River on the northern coast of France. Beginning in May 1944, allied armies in the Southern United Kingdom had begun preparations for the invasion of fortress Europe.
What gun do you need for a tank turret?
You'll find a Tobruk - mabe for a tank turret, othe sources talk about a 50mm AT-gun.
What was the AT-ditch on WN 66?
Between WN 66 and 68 was an AT-ditch. A concrete wall sealed off the road leading
What was the shelter for the radio man?
They had a concrete shelter and observation post that was connected to a bunker for the radio man.
Who was the leader of the Allies during the D-Day invasion?
Allied leaders Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill and commanding Allied general General Dwight D. Eisenhower began planning the D-Day invasion soon after the United States entered World War II. The Allies knew that opening a Western European front was critical to spreading the German forces thin. The only remaining questions were where the invasion would happen and when.
What would Rommel's strategic preparations help the Nazis inflict?
Rommel’s strategic preparations would ultimately help the Nazis inflict terrible Allied casualties on D-Day. In fact, if Hitler had listened to all of Rommel’s ideas, the D-Day invasion may have been a full-on disaster for the Allies.
What was the turning point of the war in Europe?
But thanks in large part to a brilliant Allied deception campaign and Hitler’s fanatical grip on Nazi military decisions, the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944 became precisely the turning point that the Germans most feared.
What was Operation Fortitude?
Military historian and author Flint Whitlock says that Operation Fortitude was “the real key to success on D-Day.” To pull off the deception, the Allies created a “dummy army” called the First U.S. Army Group (FUSAG) commanded by none other than Lt. General George Patton. When German spy planes made runs over Southeast England, they saw what looked like the buildup of a massive invasion force. But the regiments of tanks and landing craft were mostly inflatable decoys.
Why were the German dummies rigged?
According to Whitlock, some of the dummies were rigged with explosives to trick German commanders into believing a gun battle was already underway. Other commando troops parachuted in with record players broadcasting the sound of invading Allied tanks and gunfire to draw attention away from the coast.
Did Hitler wake the Führer?
Meanwhile, Hitler slept. His subordinates had been given strict orders not to wake the Führer for any reason. And even when Hitler finally roused himself at 11 or noon, he refused to immediately send reinforcements to Normandy, still blindly confident that the entire D-Day invasion was a diversionary tactic.
Who was the commander of the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Normandy?
The German Air Forces ( Luftwaffe) in the west belong to the 3rd Luftflotte. It is under the command of Marshal Speerle.
What is the German Navy?
The German Navy, Kriegsmarine, refers to the surface and submarine units of the 3rd Reich as well as the coastal artillery batteries. In the spring of 1944, the Kriegsmarine in Normandy was under the orders of two different commands: to the west, the sector of Admiral Walter Hennecke (based in Cherbourg) stretching from the Bay ...
Why is Rommel not in Normandy?
June 6, 1944, Rommel is not in Normandy: he is in Germany to celebrate the birthday of his wife and to get an interview with the Führer. He absolutely wants the armored units to be moved along the Atlantic Wall, but it is too late: the Allies land in Normandy…. Back to the Normandy Landing menu.
What squadrons were in Normandy?
In Normandy, on June 6th, 1944, only squadrons I/Jagdgeschwader (JG) 2 (Richthofen), I/JG 26 and III/JG 26 (Schlageter) as well as the Stabs are present on the spot. Click here to find out more about the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Normandy.
Why did the Germans build the Atlantic Wall?
The Germans have the Atlantic Wall installed to oppose a first line of defense to the Allies; however this structure is limited: it can not alone repel an amphibious attack and the authorities of the 3rd Reich are well aware.
Which army was in the Breton army?
Two armies share this area: the 7th army of General von Salmuth, installed along the Breton coast to the mouth of the Seine, and the 15th army of General Dollmann installed along the coast from Le Havre to the Sum.
Divided opinions on the Panzer issue
No one doubted the seriousness of the Allied air threat; the extent of that threat was experienced at first hand day and night; yet neither von Rundstedt nor the panzer generals agreed with Rommel’s tactics. Indeed, they had quite different views on the Panzer issue.
A fatal decision
Guderian had made a third attempt to make clear to Hitler the danger in Rommel’s arrangement of Panzer forces, but in early May Geyr von Schweppenburg, fearing that Rommel would succeed in winning over von Rundstedt, appealed to Hitler on his own.
The only chance for success
While Rommel, who longed for complete control over his troops, was in a position comparable to Montgomery’s, von Rundstedt’s position was in no way comparable to Eisenhower’s. Not only was von Rundstedt deprived of complete control over his forces, but he had to ask the Navy and Air Force for support when he needed it.
Introduction
Prepping For The Invasion
The Landing
- The D-Day landings on June 6 have become one of our great historical epics, filled with grand and glorious exploits of heroism. Seen from the German perspective, however, the romance vanishes, leaving us with the uninspiring spectacle of a once-proud military force no longer up to the challenge. For years, the Germans had been formulating plans for repelling an Allied landing in t…
The German Reaction
- Things got no better for the Wehrmachtas the day wore on. The landing had come as a complete surprise, and many German commanders were away from their posts. Rommel was spending a day back at home, celebrating his wife’s birthday. Hitler, as was his wont, was sleeping in. General Friedrich Dollmann, Seventh Army commander, had scheduled a planning war-game in Rennes, t…
to The Shore: The Ride of The 21st Panzer Division
- The Germans did manage one counterattack that day. The 21st Panzer Division under General Edgar Feuchtinger opened June 6 deployed 20 miles southeast of Caen (although the general himself, like so many others, was away from the front at the moment). Nevertheless, the division reacted quickly to the Allied air drops, fighting a series of sharp nighttime scraps with British par…
The Longest Day
- June 6, 1944, was the “longest day” alright—for the Germans. Indeed, it was a disaster. The twin rocks of theWehrmacht’s defensive strategy in the west, the Atlantic Wall and the Panzer divisions, were both abject failures. The Allies pierced the wall within the opening minutes of the landing, and only a single Panzer Division managed to head towar...