Countdown to D-Day

by Peter Margaritis

  9Air Force operations chief of staff.

  10Forty-five-year-old Generalmajor Karl Koller was a highly decorated pilot who had seen action in World War I. He later served as Hugo Sperrles’ chief of staff for Luftflotte 3, and had been in on the planning for Unternehmen Seelöwe. He survived the war and died in his hometown of Glonn on December 22, 1951.

  11Twenty-nine-year-old Dietrich Pelz (also spelled in some sources as Peltz), was the Angriffsführer England and commander of IX Fliegerkorps. Although he was promoted from colonel to Generalmajor in October 1943, the rank would not take effect until May 1944. He survived the war, eventually achieving the rank of General der Luftwaffe. He died in Munich on August 10, 2001.

  12Attack Leader, England. This was a special air combat command ordered by Hitler and created by the Luftwaffe in early March, 1943 (just after a series of devastating RAF bombings on Berlin, Munich, and Stuttgart) to carry out offensive bombing raids against Great Britain. The unit itself was eventually merged into the IX Fliegerkorps some four months later, but Pelz kept the title.

  13The Heinkel 177 was Germany’s only successful strategic bomber developed in World War II. With a crew of six, it could carry a 6,000kg bomb load at a speed of 500km/hr, and had a range of 1,500km. The model was fraught with a number of design and mechanical problems in its development and early deployment, especially with its two engines; so much so, the crews cynical nicknamed it the Luftwaffefeuerzeug—The “Air Force lighter.”

  14Trialen 105 was a specially developed German explosive, almost twice as powerful as typical British explosives. It consisted of 15% RDX (hexogen cyclonite), 70% TNT, and 15% powdered aluminum to increase the blast effects.

  15Lit. “Vengeance force,” a reference to Hitler’s innovative, technologically new revenge weapons that were to be launched against the English civilian population in retribution for the Allied bombings of Germany. See Glossary.

  Thursday, December 2

  Feldmarschall Rommel’s special train is en route to Denmark so that he may begin inspection of the Atlantic Wall. The train is not on any time schedule, so it progresses at a leisurely rate.

  As they travel northward, the field marshal and his HeeresgruppeB.z.b.v command have several sessions during the day to map out their inspection schedule and to discuss what they will be looking for regarding defensive construction.

  That evening, the train pulls into the Silkeborg1 railroad station for the night. There they are joined by their new naval advisor, Vizeadmiral Friedrich Ruge. He and Oberst!leutnant Queissner are the only senior officers in the staff that are not army officers like the others. They will soon pick up the nickname of Hilsfvölker—auxiliary tribes.

  Rommel and his staff welcome the admiral on board, and that evening, they all enjoy a luxurious dinner. Afterwards, they relax in their conference car for the rest of the evening.

  ***

  Tonight, for the fifth time in a month, Berlin is subject to a British air raid. Over two thousand tons of bombs fall onto the capital. Still, Propaganda Minister Goebbels, overseeing the city’s defense, remains upbeat about Germany’s plight. Tonight he writes in the weekly magazine Das Reich:

  When the skies darken and there is scarcely a gleam of light, then the people’s gaze turns unbidden to the Führer. He is the rock in the surging seas of time.

  CBS radio host Edward R. Murrow though, who is riding along as an observer in a Lancaster bomber, literally sees the air raid differently. Tomorrow on his show, he will describe it in detail. Near the end of it, he will observe, “Men die in the sky while others are roasted alive in their cellars. Berlin last night wasn’t a pretty sight. In about 35 minutes it was hit with about three times the amount of stuff that ever came down on London in a night-long blitz.”

  1On the Danish mainland, about 240km west-northwest of Copenhagen.

  Friday, December 3

  Some 460 British bombers again pounded Berlin last night. Reichsmarschall “Meier” Göring is once again the source of bitter ridicule. Today though, he is striking back. Today he signs the orders for the new blitz on England. Unfortunately, because of the pressing war effort in the East and in Italy, Pelz and Koller will need time to amass enough night bombers to launch any kind of air offensive. Still, Göring tells them to proceed. Dubbing the plan “ Unternehmen Steinbock,”1 he commands that every possible Heinkel, Junkers, and Dornier bomber be scrounged up for the campaign. The Reichsmarshal himself will travel to Paris in a few days to organize the operation himself, and to push his subordinates there to get the required aircraft together.

  Of course, while in the French capital, he will spend several days partaking of the city’s delights and picking up some rare art treasures. Then it will be back to Carinhall2 for an elegant Christmas and New Year with his family.

  ***

  Today, Generalfeldmarschall Rommel’s special train reaches the coast in Denmark. He and his staff leave the train and go to a central conference center. There, the field marshal and his command staff attend a number of informative introductory lectures and planning sessions by area senior commanders. General von Hannecken3 starts off at 8 a.m. with a welcome and a general lecture on what to expect when the enemy invades. He is followed by a report on the Kriegsmarine by Admiral Wurmbach4, who lists a small force of a few minesweepers and patrol boats. The Luftwaffe liaison then gives a report on his air order of battle, which includes a complement of a few fighters, some bombers, and a number of training aircraft.

  Next, the commanding officer of the army Coastal Artillery Regiment 1805 gives a report on his battery, and the local director of the OT6 then gives his report too.

  Following a short lunch, the reports continue, starting with Generalleutnant Wolff, the Luftwaffe administrative commander for this area, giving a summary of enemy air activity in the area; then a number of reports on ground units. Rommel is told that there are six divisions on the Jutland peninsula. Unfortunately, one is just being organized, three are “grenadier” training divisions, and the one panzer reserve division hardly deserves the title, listing only a few wildly assorted older model tanks. The last ground unit covered is a Luftwaffe field division, currently being trained to move by bicycle.

  Overall, the forces in the area are woefully small. Fortunately, there is little likelihood that the enemy will land here, mainly because it is out of the immediate range of their fighters.

  The long reports continue on into the evening. They finally finish around 9 p.m., and Rommel’s group wearily return to their special train. Over dinner, they plan their route and their routine for the next few days. They outline what they will look for, and what points they will want to analyze.

  Rommel of course is given the spacious main bedroom. General Gause and Admiral Ruge are assigned sleeping rooms in a parlor car adorned with a mysterious Cyrillic script, lending credence to the theory that the previous owner was some Balkan ruler. This will have them guessing for days. That and of course, the function of that strange bell in the bathroom that can be rung while on the toilet…

  Tomorrow, they will start their inspections.

  1“Operation Capricorn,” so named because the offensive was to begin in January, and because it also happened to be Göring’s astrological sign.

  2Carinhall is Göring’s expansive hunting estate, located northeast of Berlin in the Schorfheide forest. It was named after his first wife, who was Swedish. Stricken with tuberculosis, Carin died of a heart attack on October 17, 1931.

  3Fifty-four-year-old General der Infanterie Hermann von Hannecken, the Wehrmacht Supreme Commander in Denmark.

  4Fifty-two-year-old Vizeadmiral Hans-Heinrich Wurmbach, commanding the naval forces in Denmark.

  5The regiment was equipped with three batteries of captured French 105 cm guns. The 1st at Thisted had four, the 2nd at Varde had six, and 3rd at Hjørring had two.

  6Organization Todt, a paramilitary government construction force. See Glossary.

  Saturday, December 4

 
Generalfeldmarschall Rommel and his staff are ready to start their inspection of the Atlantic Wall in Denmark. He has begun here mostly because it had been suggested to him; a logical choice, since Denmark is geographically at the top of the Western Theater. It is the furthest point north open to invasion; excluding of course, Norway.

  This morning, despite a long day of briefings yesterday, he and his staff are up early, and their first inspection has been scheduled for 8 a.m.1 While they were sleeping in the night, their special train had moved to their point of departure: Esbjerg. This is Denmark’s only significant port on the west coast of the Jutland peninsula. If the Allies do decide to land in Denmark, this will be a likely target.2

  Rommel comes into the dining car for breakfast. Ruge, his naval advisor, is already seated at the table. The other staff members remain standing until the field marshal has sat down. While they are being waited on, Ruge notices an odd red spot on the field marshal’s face. He comments on it and asks the field marshal how he got it.

  Rommel smiles. “That spot,” he confesses somewhat sheepishly, “always seems to appear after I’ve used hot water.” The staff officers nod in response. Thinking about it, Rommel concludes, “I suppose that now my staff will know whenever I’ve washed my face.” The officers chuckle at this.

  Over breakfast, they go over their itinerary for the day. Rommel has given strict instructions that the workers here are to continue on with their tasks. Only the local commanders are to take time to report to him.

  They are still in the dining car at 7:55, but just five minutes later, the dining car has been cleared; except for Admiral Ruge who, suddenly realizing he is alone, jumps up and rushes outside, barely getting the last seat in the fairly appreciable auto procession to their first stop.

  They travel to Esbjerg to inspect the fortifications around it. Rommel notes with satisfaction a 200mm naval battery in place. They continue on.

  That afternoon, the vehicles cross over by ferry to the northern tip of Fanö Island, which faces Esbjerg’s harbor. After a nice lunch from a field kitchen, the entourage gets to observe a landing exercise on a wide, open, flat beach. Rommel notes with a frown how a large number of men could under ideal circumstances land in such an area and be able to quickly move inland. Because there is a shortage of weapons here to defend the area, he instructs his staff to take notes on creating wooden obstacles to counter any amphibious and air landings.

  Rommel makes some more quick observations of the coastline. They quit work around 4 p.m. and retire to their special train to have dinner, go over their notes, and discuss the day’s activity.

  1Times listed in this work are given in German Central Time (GCT), rather than British Double Summer Time (BDST, also sometimes abbreviated to DBST), which most American and British sources use. The idea for establishing British Summer Time (BST) began during World War I, when it was thought that if it was still light outside at 11 p.m., men would continue working, rather than go to the pub.

  German Central Time was also invariably one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). In comparison, from the summer of 1940 to the summer of 1945, clocks in England were put not just one hour ahead but two hours ahead of GMT for the summer months (Emergency Powers, Defence Summertime Acts SR&O 1040 No. 1883 and SR&O 1944 No. 932). This became known as British Double Summer Time. For the rest of the year and through the winter, Britain remained merely one hour ahead of GMT in what was known as British Summer Time (BST), a practice finally discontinued in 1971.

  Thus, German Central Time (GCT) for this book is one hour behind British Double Summer Time (BDST-1, or DBST-1).

  2The British had done a number of studies of landing here in the late 1890s in case they ever went to war with Germany. Such a landing would a) open a secondary front, b) secure a good seaport, c) allow a raiding party to destroy the Kieler Canal.

  Sunday, December 5

  Today, Rommel continues his inspection of positions from the port of Esbjerg, Denmark northward along the Jutland peninsula. They pass the Ringkøbing Fjord and continue up the western coast, stopping occasionally to take notes.

  They rise, dine in the train, and then depart by auto for the tour. They spend the day inspecting, and finally rejoin their relocated train in the evening.

  B-26 bombers of the US 9th Air Force fly the first mission of Operation Crossbow, the Allied air campaign against the German V weapon sites. Targeted are three V-1 launch sites, including those at Ligescourt and St. Josse au Bois.1 Two hundred bombers have to abort because of bad weather, but 52 make it through to the target.

  1Ligescourt is 51km south-southeast of Boulogne; St. Josse au Bois is 47km southeast of that city.

  Monday, December 6

  Today, the weather is cold and dismal as Generalfeldmarschall Rommel and his staff continue their inspection of the Danish portion of the Atlantic Wall.

  Rommel makes some quick observations of the coastline. Overall, he is not impressed with the defenses he sees. Today he and his party drive to the Hanstholm battery, covering the southern part of the Skagerrak Strait. The huge 600-man battery consists of four 380mm naval guns, each mounted in a 3,000m2 bunker. The site includes its own radar fire control facility and powerhouse.

  Impressed, Rommel and his staff continue touring up the Jutland peninsula.

  Far over their heads, many formations of US Army Air Corps B-17s, B-24s, and B-26s meet stiff flak and fighter resistance as they cross over the coast headed inland, resuming their daylight bombing raids against the Reich. The Flying Fortresses and Liberators, despite having a considerable escort of P-47s and P-38s, are hit hard, and lose a dozen aircraft, The B-26 Marauders, escorted by RAF fighters, fare better. German targets are hit hard, and it is a sure thing that the Allied bombers will return tomorrow.

  Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring is honoring Paris today with his presence. He first meets with his subordinates to plan for Unternehmen Steinbock,” Germany’s retaliatory air blitz against English cities for the recent bombings of Berlin.

  Despite delays in trying to get together a formidable air attack force, the Luftwaffe plan is taking shape. Dietrich Pelz, in charge of the offensive, is putting together an air group that already comprises over 400 aircraft, including seven Gruppen1 of Ju-88s (including a few that have been withdrawn from Italy for this operation). Also integrated into the plan are some other odd formations, including nearly three dozen new long-range He-177 bombers.

  The strikes will consist of a number of short powerful air raids over major cities like London. Göring’s plans called for bomb loads that will be three-quarters composed of incendiary bombs with the last quarter made up of huge blockbusters—sardonically referred to as “English Mixtures.”

  1A German Gruppe consisted of three or four Staffel (squadrons) for a total of 30 to 50 aircraft.

  Tuesday, December 7

  Rommel and his staff continue touring the Danish shore on their initial inspection of the Atlantic Wall. The weather continues cold and with a brisk wind.

  Traveling through the coastal area, they pass dozens of small rustic valleys and hollows. Staring from his automobile at these quaint landscapes, the field marshal remarks on how they remind him of his native Swabia.

  Today they make it to the tip of the Jutland peninsula, reviewing the positions at Skagen. Then they start down the eastern shores of the peninsula. They reach the town of Frederikshavn where they stop for the evening.

  Their routine is becoming simple. In the morning, their train takes them to a start point. From there, they leave at 8 a.m. and travel by auto to inspect the positions. After a short break for lunch, usually delivered by a field kitchen, they continue on until dusk. Then it is back to the train for the night.

  Today, Rommel writes to his wife, Lucie:

  I move about every day, and what I see on my inspections does not satisfy me very much.

  ***

  This morning, General Dwight D. Eisenhower of the United States Army stands on the tarmac of the Al Aoudina
airport in Tunis, watching members of a US presidential delegation, on its way back to the States from the just finished Cairo Conference, deboard their plane. Finally, President Franklin D. Roosevelt himself is hoisted in his wheelchair out of the fuselage and rolled backward down the ramp. Eisenhower and the president shake hands and then get into the rear of the president’s limousine, which is actually an upgraded staff car. After a pause, the president, turns to Eisenhower and tells him, “Well Ike, you are going to command Overlord.”

  It is exactly three years after Pearl Harbor.

  The decision to appoint the overall invasion commander had originally been given to the president by the other Allies, because three quarters of the invasion force would be American. Roosevelt has not made his final decision easily. General George C. Marshall, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff wanted the appointment badly. Roosevelt though, has decided not to give it to him for several reasons.