Countdown to D-Day

by Peter Margaritis

  After the meeting, Milch breaks the news to his staff. With a big smile, he chimes, “It will be the most evil torture you can imagine. Just picture for yourselves a large high-explosive bomb falling on London every half-hour, and nobody knowing where the next one will fall! Twenty days of that will have them all folding at the knees!”

  ***

  At his headquarters, Generalfeldmarschall Rommel chairs a conference on defensive measures for the Netherlands. Attending from that area are Generalleutnant von Wühlisch and Vizeadmiral Kleikamp.1 They go over Rommel’s plans, the little progress made so far, and problems faced on a number of subjects. They include units deployed, possible reserves, obstacle construction, areas flooded and possible additions, and of course, the minefields. Rommel’s staff by now are thorough, and every point is covered in detail.

  After the conference, they have a nice lunch with the field marshal as ever being the gracious host. Although he is charming to his guests, Rommel is still vexed over the lack of development so far in their area. He notes this later in his report.

  Rommel then gets together with Gause, and they discuss Gause’s phone conversation the day before with Warlimont at Berchtesgaden. The subject again had been the displacement of the reserve panzers. Warlimont had once again defended von Rundstedt’s theories about inland deployment, and that the units had to be trained by the organization designed for that purpose—Panzer Group West.

  Rommel sees that he somehow has to get through to these idiots that, once the Allies are ashore, they will stay there, and no Panzergruppe will be able to budge them—not in the face of overwhelming aerial superiority and massive naval gunfire support.

  Owing to the continuing disagreement over this issue, Warlimont had suggested that the two commands meet and thrash it out between themselves. Rommel comments on the futility of that idea. The old Prussian has already made up his mind, and Rommel will not be able to budge him.

  A couple positive things, Gause points out. First, Warlimont promised to send him a copy of the letter he sent to Blumentritt, outlining OKW’s reasons for siding with OB West. Second, he agreed to pass on Rommel’s request that he be allowed to see the Führer on his progress so far. It is a fair request, both in light of the situation, and because of the fact that, as a field marshal, he has the right to ask for a personal audience at any time. True, von Rundstedt will see it for what it is—an end around his immediate superior—but at this point, their choices are limited. Rommel knows he is right, but he does not want history to bear that out at their expense.

  To take his mind off this panzer thing, Rommel and a few of his senior officers go out with guns that afternoon, 2 somewhere near Melun. This is more than just an “armed promenade” for him now. Frustrated, he wants to shoot something.

  They employ a couple of French farmers and their dogs as game drivers. Rommel of course brings his Elbo. It is a warm afternoon, so they leave their topcoats in the vehicles and start off. The hunters line up and slowly move through the brush. The dogs eventually sniff out a couple wild boars and chase the animals towards the advancing hunters. Three times the boars get close, but each time they somehow escape between a few of the amateurs in the line before any of them can raise their shotguns and shoot.

  Tired, sweaty, dirty, and scratched in a few places from thorns that have pierced their trousers, but still determined to shoot something, the men doggedly continue on with the hunt. Eventually, struggling through yet another dense thicket, several of the hunters come out in a grassy meadow. There, off in the distance, they spot a stately 12-point buck.

  The sight of this magnificent animal takes their breath away. How arrogantly it struts in their presence! Silently, General Meise takes aim, and Admiral Ruge cocks his own automatic rifle. But at the last moment, the field marshal waves at them to lower their weapons. Perplexed, they just stare at him. He grabs his Wehrmacht hunting license, waves it at them, and then points to it. He is trying to let them know that the animal is out of season. The hunting season for stag had ended back at the beginning of February.

  Uncertain what to do, they stand in place, weighing in their consciences the implications of what he has imparted to them against the idea of bagging such a prize. Finally, he calls out to them:. “It’s the closed season,” he says.

  They stare at him. “The season’s closed,” Rommel repeats louder, his voice now startling the deer. It bounds away. Ruefully, the rest of them watch the beautiful animal disappear into the forest. The field marshal’s sense of fair play has cost them several delicious roasts.

  Sometimes working for the old man was a real pain.

  1Fifty-one-year-old Generalleutnant Heinz-Hellmuth von Wühlisch was chief of staff to General Christiansen, the Luftwaffe general commanding the combined German forces in the Netherlands.Forty-eight-year-old Vizeadmiral Gustav Kleikamp commanded all naval forces in the Netherlands(see note for February 24).

  2Admiral Ruge wrote that this hunt took place a day earlier, on the 4th.

  Monday, March 6

  It is early morning, and Rommel is back on the road again. This time he is off on another four-day tour to the west, his destinations the coasts of Normandy and Brittany. With him are his chief of staff, his chief engineer, and of course, Ruge, his naval advisor. Interestingly, the areas slated for his inspection this time are not his choice.

  Last Saturday, they received a wire from OKW detailing the Führer’s hunch about Normandy and Brittany at the day’s war conference. The message had come over the communications teleprinter:

  THE FÜHRER… CONSIDERS NORMANDY AND BRITTANY TO BE PARTICULARLY THREATENED BY INVASION, BECAUSE THEY ARE VERY SUITABLE FOR THE CREATION OF BEACHHEADS.

  Rommel was to inspect and re-evaluate these areas at once—thoroughly. What more can he do than he is not already doing? It is bad enough that Berlin is not cooperating with him about furnishing troops and supplies. Now with this message, they are critiquing him as well. Still, a prod from the Führer... Shaking his head, the field marshal phones General Marcks, commanding the 84th Corps along the Calvados coast and partially up the Cotentin peninsula. The corps commander was told he was going to join him on this trip.

  After a breakfast of omelets, whipped cream, and fresh coffee, the entourage leaves at 8 a.m. Traveling northwest along the right bank of the Seine, the motorcade crosses over the Mantes bridge and then continues downriver to the coast. There they start inspecting units of Generalmajor Reichert’s 711th Grenadier Division.1 Holding the extreme left flank of von Salmuth’s Fifteenth Army, the 711th defends the shore between the mouth of the Seine and the Orne River—some two dozen kilometers of coastline.2 Rommel is told that a little over four kilometers of this sector is already strewn with effective minefields—about six thousand mines for every kilometer of shoreline.

  Again, Rommel finds here a coastal unit that has taken the liberty of doing some “independent testing.” A 300-ton vessel was steered into an obstacle test area to see how effective the underwater obstacles were. The vessel had pushed through, either bending, breaking, or plowing under the wooden stakes. No one had expected much more, since the vessel was relatively large and the stakes did not have any mines attachéd to their tops. In a similar test though, using a lighter, 10-ton vessel, the boat ended up stranded on the obstacles.

  Rommel calls a halt to all these tests. He declares the last one is good enough. Actually, he wants the men to quit wasting time and get back to installing more obstacles. Besides, to make the stakes really effective, they need mines attachéd to them. The trouble is, the only effective ones that are available for this task are land mines, and though they are supposed to be waterproof, no one knows if they will be able to survive the constant exposure to water and the incessant pounding of the offshore waves.

  Moving west, the inspection party crosses the Orne River and goes into Seventh Army’s sector. They travel into the 716th Division’s area, which holds the extreme right flank of Marcks’ 84th Corps, and meet its commander, Gener
almajor Richter.3 They note that only some of the coastal artillery positions have been completed so far, and observe how the holes for the obstacle stakes are being installed efficiently with water jets. In some areas though, where the bottom is densely packed, good old-fashioned pile driving is necessary.

  Marcks takes the opportunity to again point out to Rommel that the 716th has some twenty kilometers of shoreline to cover—far too much, especially if this happens to be where the enemy decides to land and concentrate their forces. Richter tells Rommel how he has brought this problem up before. Clearly, another unit is needed to help defend this part of the coast.

  The inspection party finally quits around 6 p.m. They travel back eastward to the 716th’s divisional headquarters in Caen. There they have a conference and discuss today’s observations. They talk about mine shortages and whether or not land mines will remain functional if exposed to water for long periods. Rommel discusses with Marcks and Richter the long sector that the 716th must cover.

  Rommel decides that more men are needed, so he gives his staff specific instructions. The experienced 352nd Infantry Division, presently located inland around St. Lô, is to move north to the coast and take up the left half portion of this stretch of beach between the Orne and Vire Rivers. Deployment will start with the repositioning of the division’s artillery regiment, the 352nd. The move is scheduled to begin some ten days hence.

  The order will turn out to be one of the most important that he will give in this last year of his life.

  After the meeting, the officers sit down to dinner at the town’s officers’ quarters. Unfortunately, Rommel’s evening is spoiled afterward by another report of still another offshore “obstacle test.” He is told of the test that General Dollman’s men had run a week before, thrusting a captured 120-ton British landing craft onto some offshore wooden stakes. The craft had smashed through the stakes with relative ease, pulverising their tops.4 More wasted time and resources. Rommel reacts angrily to the report. Retiring early, he stomps off to his quarters in a nearby Hôtel.

  The two resolute guards outside his door make absolutely sure that the fuming field marshal is not disturbed.

  ***

  Today, for the first time, Berlin is bombed in broad daylight. Some 750 American bombers take part in the raid, scoring hits on strategic targets. Later that night, as part of the initial support phase for the invasion, RAF bomber command sends 261 Halifaxes and six Mosquitoes to bomb the railyards at Trappes, some 33km west-southwest of downtown Paris. Later RAF recon photos will confirm some 190 hits directly on the tracks, as well as massive damage to rolling stock, engines, sheds, electric lines, and footbridges.

  1The title of “Grenadier” was seldom used and often given to these static or bodenständig divisions as a matter of prestige. This term was to partially conceal the fact that they were reorganized with less than would be given the standard infantry division. A grenadier division was as a rule comprised of six infantry battalions instead of the normal nine (two per regiment, instead of three), with the addition of a “füsilier” battalion to replace the recon unit. The basic rifle companies were smaller, and the division listed only three battalions of artillery instead of four. However, Marcks beefed up those along the Seine Bay with several coastal artillery batteries. The 711th’s three regiments(the 731st, 744th, and 763rd) included a couple Russian battalions from the Caucasus.

  2Presumably Marcks, coming east from St. Lô, joined him here.

  3Fifty-two-year-old Generalmajor Friedrich-Wilhelm Richter.

  4See entry at the end of March 1.

  Tuesday, March 7

  Generalfeldmarschall Rommel is on tour again, this time along the Calvados coast with General Meise and Admiral Ruge. This is the second day of his inspection, ordered by the Führer to re-evaluate the Normandy coastal defenses. After breakfasting in the Caen Hôtel, he and his entourage are off at 7:30 a.m. They first travel northeast to Ouistreham, then onward to the Orne River estuary. General Marcks is once again with them, along with Generals Richter and von Schlieben.1

  They travel westward from one shore position to another, inspecting the beach obstacles that are going up: wooden stakes, Belgian gates, Czech hedgehogs, tetra- hedrons—the group takes it all in. Construction along this area is lagging, mainly owing to lack of materials. They observe that a couple of areas have been flooded.

  Overall, the work appears satisfactory, although Rommel sees a number of areas for improvement. For one thing, along the sandy area just west of the Orne’s mouth, there is nothing put down as yet. The unit responsible for this point is currently working with another unit. Rommel curtly orders each battalion to start improvements on its own sector. And those minefields are to be made much wider than the present 1,000 meters. If they run out of mines, they can fill in the back sections with dummy mines. Marcks listens to him and takes notes. When Rommel asks him if he will see that these details get done soon, Marcks assures him that they will do their best.

  They move on. He constantly makes observations and his group takes notes on his comments about the different positions. At Quineville, they see an extensive belt of rollerbocks positioned to thwart any movement off the beach. The belt, the group is told, is about 5km long. Rommel tells Marcks to pass along his congratulations to the men.

  The inspection party moves up the Cotentin peninsula. Here the construction is lighter. Rommel wants a number of improvements made there.

  Soon it is time for lunch. They dine at a soldiers’ mess hall just outside the main port of Cherbourg. From there, it is off to the west side of the peninsula, southward to Carteret, about halfway down.2 Rommel is concerned about all the possible open landing areas he sees. And this side of the peninsula is not too heavily defended. True, a landing here would be open to the weather elements coming off the ocean from the west, including a gusty storm. And this area is further from England, which would make air support harder. But a small support landing here coordinated with a large one on the eastern side was entirely possible. Rommel barks some orders. Pencils scribble as more notes are taken.

  Rommel continues his inspection. Most of the units he finds inland he orders moved to the coast. He notes several areas needing obstacles; others that are suitable for mines. Small units are to create Widerstandsnesten3 that overlook the various coves and inlets. His officers write down seemingly endless observations.

  They continue southward and inland to the old Norman town of Coutances. It is here that Marcks’ area of responsibility ends. He bids them farewell and leaves them as they press on into the area defended by General Erich Straube’s 74th Corps.4 They continue on southward: Granville, around the tip of Mont-St.-Michel Bay, past the mouths of the Sienne, See, and Selune rivers.

  The cars have to detour at one point, because the coastal road has been mined. Rommel approves of this measure, although locals have complained. They bypass the road and travel westward until they can get back on the main highway, now somewhat inland.

  Passing south of the port of St. Malo, they cross the Rance River into Dinan. Turning north, they travel along the river and, long after sunset, they pull into the town of Dinard, just on the western side of the Rance’s mouth, opposite St. Malo. The tired group arrives at General Straube’s elaborate headquarters at Villa Mond, a stunning château once owned by a British politician.5

  They check into their quarters, and a short time later, the staff are shown a display of a special, priceless dinnerware collection. They marvel at the exhibit of exquisite china, superb crystal, and fashionable sterling silver set in beautiful showcases. The collection features a special section of famous Sèvres china, vases, and special pottery.6 The hosts are only too happy to give tours of the priceless items along the hallways, and Gause is only too happy to assist with the tour, hoping to entertain the field marshal with the displays to take his mind off work. He shows the group a number of exquisite examples, verbally admiring each one. Carefully picking up a priceless vase, he holds it out for Rommel to s
ee.

  The field marshal, tired from the trip, has graciously suffered through the displays, polite but noticeably lacking in enthusiasm—until looking at the vase, a sudden thought strikes him.

  “Porcelain!” he exclaims in wonder. “Meise, why don’t we use china for our landmine casings?” After all, porcelain is non-metallic, so it would not be picked up by mine detectors. And being waterproof, the mine should hold up to being moderately handled.

  His staff, absorbed by the artistry of the exhibitions, are surprised at his remark. They move on, and Gause resumes his descriptions. Rommel though, is still pondering his idea. After Gause mentions some of the newer products the company is now making, Rommel snickers, turns to Ruge and Meise and comments with a grin, “Maybe they could manufacture mines for us.”

  Gause, startled at this blasphemy of art, manages to continue, his comments more to himself now. The field marshal is a hopeless case. His staff officers shake their heads and smile as they all walk on.

  Rommel finally goes to bed at 10 p.m., while his staff stay up for a few drinks around the fireplace.

  That evening, General Marcks starts a letter home to his wife and vents his frustration over Rommel’s roughshod methods:

  These visits are very strenuous, because Rommel is a fanatic and it’s impossible to do too much on the schemes he’s thought up, like the gigantic minefields.

  1Fifty-year-old Generalmajor Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben commanded the 709th Grenadier Division.

  2The town merged with Barneville-sur-Mer in 1964, and is now referred to as Barneville-Carteret.

  3Strong, often isolated self-contained resistance points surrounded by minefields and usually manned by a platoon or company.