Codeword Overlord

by Nigel West

  2. From Brest to Nantes we were escorted by General Wilhelm Fahrmbacher, commander of the 28th Army, who is completely responsible for the defence of that region. At La Rochelle we were guided by General Gallencamp, who is responsible for defences there; He commands the 80th Army Corps. Also, we were inspecting harbours, men in charge in the army, navy and war services explained everything to us, and when we were wined and dined we always had the chance to talk with the right people – those who could answer our questions.

  Part II

  1. All the German fortifications on the French coast are very close to the shore and it is very clear that the Germans plan to smash any enemy attempt to land as close to the edge of the water as possible. The forts around naval bases, built in excellent and effective positions, defend the coasts, and even the smallest forts are invested so that they can hold out independently for a very long time. They are supported by very large Reserve Units which can be moved to the central theatre. Defence is thorough from the army groups down to the regiments, which are directly in charge of defending the coasts. Were the enemy successful in making a partial landing, crossfire from mutually supporting defence posts and the appearance of mobile forces would annihilate the invaders. The scheme of lateral firepower and mobile units is the basic concept behind Germany’s defence in the West. Furthermore, in order to avoid needless damage to fortifications and losses in men and materiel, by the shelling and bombing by the enemy and to attain the maximum effect from a minimum number of soldiers performing defence work, even individual machine-gun nests are, without stint, strengthened with ferroconcrete. However, at the same time the German defenders have the capacity to counter-attack when the enemy attempts an invasion. Moreover, camouflaging has been carried out very thoroughly and everything possible has been done for the protection of tanks – practical experience gained since the war began has served the Germans well. This overall scheme is similar to defences evident at the West Wall behind the Franco–German border, but the quality of the Atlantic Wall fortifications is ever so much better.

  2. The whole coast fortified by the Germans is very vast and, now particularly when we have evidence of the high quality of the [enemy] air strength, should the enemy gather together a powerful fleet and attempt to land, it cannot be expected that the invaders could be stopped everywhere along the line. Nevertheless, even if some of the enemy succeeds in getting ashore, it would not be easy for them to smash the counter-attack of the powerful German Reserves, who can rally with lightning speed. I think that we may well calculate that even though the American and British forces, for a short time, establish a bridgehead, under the present circumstances it would be utterly impossible for them to form any new second front in France of any consequence. In spite of the fact that the areas which I have just inspected are areas regarded as [corrupt text] the way they are so efficiently prepared deepens this feeling of confidence. Moreover, the Germans are actively expanding the engineering work. When one realises what a good job has been done, together with what the Germans are still doing and going to do, we can see what a hard time the enemy would have.

  3. What pleased me most on this tour was the morale and military spirit of the soldiers. Just to give you an example, the older veteran officers of the last war always treated the higher-ranking, younger officers with great kindness and spoke well of them. The soldiers garrisoning the fortresses, already past forty, treated the weapons they have been given with care and confidence. I could see from many examples how cheerfully they carried out their military responsibilities. Everywhere I engaged in easy-going chat with the soldiers …

  4. I am not able to give you much of a general picture concerning the effect of Anglo-American air raids. The streets of Lorient and St Nazaire were destroyed up to 90 percent and in other important ports not only were the metropolitan areas damaged, but also the harbour installations. We actually saw that. However, the fact that submarine bunkers stood as firm as a rock and the fact that the buildings housing the German command received hardly any damage raise doubts about enemy bombing ability and policy. Why on earth should the Americans and British not strike submarine bunkers? Why on earth did they not strike other important German facilities while they were under construction? The Germans told me that it was a damned good thing that the bombings of Lorient scared off so many useless Frenchmen from the forts. Last April the floodgates at St Nazaire were destroyed by an attack but the inconvenience was short-lived. New and powerful concrete floodgates have now been fitted.

  5. In connection with an Anglo-American attempt to establish a second front, the enemy hopes that the French will co-operate and is doing everything possible to wheedle French resistance. Therefore, the peace and order of interior France and the way the people think will have a great effect on whether the United Nations invasion succeeds or not. From what the Army and SS leaders told me and from my own impressions, I think that the French have recently been encouraged by events to engage in more active opposition (sabotage of railways and murders, for example), stimulated mainly by Communists and British agents. This is much more evident than it was when I made a trip of inspection during the autumn of 1941. In general, however, the French are still apathetic and, while they are co-operating only reluctantly in the German war effort, there will not be enough resistance put up by the French to hinder Germany in carrying out effective countermeasures in the event the Anglo-Americans attempt an invasion.

  Part III

  The Strait of Dover area is given first place in the German Army’s fortification scheme and troop dispositions, and Normandy and the Brittany peninsula come next. Other parts of the coast are regarded with less significance. Although the possibility of an Anglo-American landing on the Iberian Peninsula, followed by a crossing of the Pyrenees, is not altogether ruled out, no special defences have been constructed for this area. Instead, mobile forces are held in reserve at Narbonne and other strategic points and these are prepared to hold the mountain passes in the Pyrenees should an emergency arise.

  Disposition of German Forces

  Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt in Paris has a dual role. As Commander-in-Chief of Army Group D he controls the forces in the Netherlands (headed by General Friedrich Christian Christiansen), the 15th Army (General Hans von Salmuth), the 7th Army (General Friedrich Dollmann), the 1st Army (General Johannes Blaskowitz), and the 19th Army (General von Rodenstern). At the same time as Supreme Commander of the Armies in the West, he controls the forces commander by the Chief of the Military Government in Belgium and France (Generals Alexander von Falkenhausen and Heinrich von Stulpnagel, respectively), and the 3rd Air Fleet (Field Marshal Hugo Sperrle), and Naval Group West (Admiral Theodore Krancke).

  The coastal defence divisions are distributed as follows:

  A Netherlands Defence Army (covering the Netherlands down to the south of the Rhine) – 4 divisions.

  B 15th Army (covering the area extending from the mouth of the Rhine to the west of Le Havre) – 9 divisions.

  C 7th Army (extending thence to the southern bank of the Loire) – 8 divisions.

  D 1st Army (extending thence to the Spanish border) – 4 divisions.

  E 19th Army (covering the French Mediterranean coast) – 6 divisions.

  One third of these divisions have three regiments each and the remaining two-thirds have two regiments each; the latter, however, are being gradually brought up to full strength, that is, three regiments each. The coastal defence divisions have a static role, but divisions which constitute the general reserve are shared by other fronts. For example, two divisions from this general reserve were recently sent to the Eastern Front. The size of this general reserve varies according to circumstances but at present it is made up as follows: six infantry divisions, four panzer divisions, five motorized divisions. In addition three reserve panzer divisions are being sent from Germany, two airborne divisions from Italy, and a number of infantry divisions from other fronts. These infantry divisions, however, have suffered heavily and requ
ire rest and refit on arrival in France. Some of the divisions are under the direct control of the Army Group and are distributed along the lines of communication in such a way that they can be rushed anywhere by vehicle (in the Netherlands by bicycle) at short notice. The forces under the Military Governors are garrison troops and consist of 25 battalions in Belgium and 17 regiments.

  Insert

  Recruit training schools for various branches of the armed forces have been moved from Germany to France and they are now busy with the work of training. There is a cadre unit which maintains a constant flow of tank troops for twelve independent tank battalions (Tigers and Panthers). There are also ten depot divisions training troops sent to France and several field divisions are now being formed from their ranks. These are not, however, under Field Marshal von Rundstedt’s command; they come under General Friedrich Fromm in Germany.

  The total number of German forces under the Supreme Commander of the Armies in the West, including naval and air forces, is 1,400,000.

  Coastal Defence Support

  In areas around the principal harbours and naval bases which I inspected (viz. Brest, Lorient, St Nazaire, La Rochelle and Bordeaux) defence works have been specially strengthened and fortified zones have been established to meet attack by land, sea and air. Each of these defence zones is under a fortress commander with unified control over all three services.

  The fortified zones surrounding the naval bases conform for the most part to established principles of fortification. The important feature of the defence lines is that they are not arranged in one continuous and connected line but are arranged to enable even the smallest unit to operate independently. In other areas strongpoints have been constructed in large numbers all along the coast, the gaps between these strongpoints being closed by obstacles (mainly land mines). Each strongpoint is equipped with various types of arms and normally has three weeks’ supply of foods so that it can conduct an independent defence. Running all the way behind the permanent line of fortification is a series of field works being constructed as support positions.

  The caliber of heavy naval guns in use in the areas I inspected ranged from 36 to 17 centimeters, but 15 and 12 centimeter anti-aircraft guns as well as a large number of anti-tank guns of various calibers. Although the small arms included a large number of captured weapons (French, Belgian, Czech, Russian and Dutch) most of the weapons are of new design, including automatic hand-grenade throwers (which throw at a rate of 120 per minute) and flamethrowers installed in casemates. The principal feature of these weapons is that they can all be concentrated to fire on one object at the same time, whether at sea or on land. For example, the anti-aircraft and anti-tank guns can be fired at warships at sea, and the fortress guns can be fired at tanks. (I was greatly impressed by this feature of German firepower during a practice night firing at La Baule when all the guns fired out to sea together.)

  Responsibility of Command

  The Western Naval Command comprises the area which extends from the mouth of the Rhine to the Franco–Spanish border (excluding, however, the Netherlands which comes under a separate naval command) and the Mediterranean. This area is divided into three sections, namely the English Channel, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean (which includes the coast of the Italian Riviera as well as the coast of Southern France). Each of these sections is under the command of a naval chief, who in turn has two or three sea commanders under him. A sea commander is responsible for naval operations and defence in the waters assigned to him. He is obligated to cooperate with the Army during land action.

  The Army Group Commander, in addition to commanding his own Army Group, exercises control over the naval and air forces, the forces of the Military Governors, and those of the Todt Organisation in his defence zone, not only in the actual conduct of operations, but in the various preparations for defence. Unit commanders below the rank of Division Commander have power to command only in operational matters which concern their units directly.

  The fortifications were begun in April 1942. Locations were decided by the garrison commanders in their respective areas, designs were made by military fortification experts, and construction was carried out by the Todt Organisation. The fortifications were completed in June or July this year, but, as I already stated, the Germans are now strengthening them. Since, from a small number of Germans, the workers used by the Todt Organisation have been mostly foreign, chiefly French, secret information about the fortifications leaks out to the enemy, as even the Germans realize.

  APPENDIX III

  FUSAG COMPONENTS

  British Fourth Army

  British 2nd Airborne Division (Fictional, based at Bulford Camp, Wiltshire)

  British VII Corps

  US 5th Infantry Division (Notional, based in Iceland)

  British 80th Infantry (Reserve) Division (Notional, based in southern England)

  7th, 9th & 10th US Ranger Battalions (Notional, based in Iceland)

  British II Corps

  US Fourteenth Army (Fictional, based at Little Waltham, Essex)

  US 9th Airborne Division (Notional, based at Leicester, consisting of the 523rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, the 196th and 199th Glider Infantry Regiments)

  US 21st Airborne Division (Notional, based at Fulbeck, Lincolnshire, consisting of the 521st Parachute Infantry Regiment, the 277th and 278th Glider Infantry Regiments)

  US XXIII Corps (Notional, based at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk)

  US 11th Infantry Division (Notional, based at Bury St Edmunds, consisting of the 178th, 352th and 392nd Infantry Regiments)

  US 48th Infantry Division (Notional, based at Woodbridge, Suffolk, consisting of the 80th, 95th and 146th Infantry Regiments)

  US 25th Armoured Division (Notional, based at East Dereham, Norfolk, consisting of the 72nd, 73rd and 74th Tank Battalions and the 498th, 499th and 500th Armoured Infantry Battalions)

  XXXVII Corps (Notional, based in Chelmsford, Essex)

  US 17th Infantry Division (Notional, based at Hatfield Peverel, consisting of the 293rd, 336th and 375th Infantry Regiments)

  US 59th Infantry Division (Notional, based in Ipswich, consisting of the 94th, 139th and 171st Infantry Regiments)

  NOTES

  The German records consist of Helmut Arntz’s collection of FHW reports, retained by the US First Army, and OKW Lagebericht for 1944 recovered by the US Seventh Army from a cave in Thuringia in April 1945.

  Introduction

  1 According to Hans Speidel, the real number of U-boats operational in France on D-Day was just forty. By 29 June that figure had dropped to eight (We Defended Normandy, p.60). However, Kenneth Macksey (Without Enigma, Ian Allan, 2000) suggests the correct figure is fifty-eight, of which fourteen were deployed on 5/6 June. Two were sunk (U-639 and U-995) on D+1, and six damaged. On D+3 a further three submarines (U-373, U-740 and U-970) were sunk. The capture by the destroyer USS Pillsbury of the Type IXC U-505 off Bermuda on D-2 with a complete set of crypto equipment and codebooks, which were delivered to Bletchley Park on 20 June, helped compromise the remainder of the 2nd U-boat Flotilla based at Lorient. Altogether, twenty-four U-boats were sunk during June 1944, mainly by aircraft in the Bay of Biscay.

  Chapter 1

  1 Ludwig Moyzisch was questioned after the war when he was repatriated on the Swedish ship Drottningholm, which delivered him and his wife and two children to Liverpool. Initially, Moyzisch never mentioned CICERO to his MI5 interrogator, Martin Forrest, but confessed in July 1945. His MI5 file is at KV2/168-169.

  2 Maria Molkenteller’s MI5 file is at KV2/1171.

  3 Foreign Ministry documents are in GFM33/412/738.

  4 Walter Schellenberg’s MI5 file is at KV2/95.

  5 Nellie Kapp in CIA monograph Footnotes to Cicero by Dorothy J. Heatts.

  Chapter 2

  1 German Radio Intelligence by Albert Praun, 1950, declassified in 2014. Praun was captured by the French in May 1945 and remained in captivity until June 1947. He died in Munich in March 1975.
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br />   2 Ibid.

  3 On 9 July 1942, tanks of the Australian 9th Division surrounded and captured FAK 621, a forward Afrika Korps intercept station just 600m behind the front line, on the Tel-el-Eisa plateau, taking sixty-nine prisoners and recovering a wealth of cryptographic material and files of past intercept traffic, including evidence that the US military attaché Black Code had been compromised, leading to its replacement. Fellers was promptly withdrawn, given a decoration and replaced by Colonel Sivley, who instructed his assistant, Captain John Brinton, to ensure his ciphers were changed constantly. Also retrieved were copies of the British call sign book for the entire Middle East theatre, dated 1 May and covering the period 21–31 May, and a British map reference code issued on 9 September 1941. Supposedly protected by the Italian Sabratha Division, 621’s loss would have a lasting impact on the quality of SIGINT available to Rommel, even if SCORPION, the German Y Service Enigma 5, gave a detailed review of the enemy’s Y capability. According to Herzfeld, his unit conducted some tactical analysis but relayed enemy signals to cryptanalytic centres in Athens and in Berlin’s Matthäikirchstraße, where specialists, including the legendary Wilhelm Flicke at Lauf, attacked the Allied codes. General Praun claimed the windfall represented ‘the most important booty captured during the breakthrough at El-Alamein’: ‘A quick analysis of this material opened their eyes and led them to introduce immediate reforms. The correction of the mistakes they had made over a period of several years and the thorough reorganization of their radio communication did much to improve their security.’ FAK 621 had been formed in 1942 from the former 3rd Horch Kompanie at Biefeld. Those members of FAK 631 who avoided capture by the Australians in July would be taken prisoner in May 1943 in Tunisia.