Countdown to D-Day

by Peter Margaritis

  Unfortunately, hapless German pilots who are shot down in aerial combat are also meeting the same angry mobs convinced the fliers are the enemy, and are often having to fight off crowds brandishing shovels and pitchforks.

  The leaders discuss what to do with these captured airmen and whether the Reich should allow this type of vigilante violence. Göring favors it, although he insists that those enemy airmen who actually fire on civilians be executed in the traditional way: by firing squad, and near the area where they came down. The problem, he tells the Führer, is that they have to actually identify the airmen who commit these intolerable acts as distinct from those flying over the Reich in other functions, such as escort duty or reconnaissance.

  After some discussion, Hitler decides that enemy pilots can be executed immediately if they have committed special heinous acts, such as firing on German airmen in parachutes, or strafing civilians or public transport. Göring stresses though, that downed enemy airmen not committing these acts should not be subject to execution but treated in accordance with the Geneva Convention.

  He still has some chivalrous respect for the enemy in the air, left over from when he served as a pilot in World War I.

  Today, SHAEF holds a large day-long conference in the Victorian “model room” of St. Paul’s School in London. The narrow, circular hard wooden risers are crammed with all levels of officer ranks from all varieties of service. In attendance on the lowest bench is King George VI himself, along with Prime Minister Churchill, Eisenhower, and all the top SHAEF commanders.

  The purpose of the conference is to finalize all operational plans for the upcoming landing, scheduled to begin in three weeks. Many officers are for the first time meeting the other commanders that they will soon be coordinating their efforts with, in some cases sitting side by side with them. Everyone present knows what is at stake, and they all appreciate the critical importance of this epic operation. The tension in the room is understandably heavy.

  Eisenhower, their military leader, is the first to speak. His warm tones and encouraging words inspire them all. He is followed one by one by his deputy commanders, and the morning goes on.

  In the afternoon, the king himself addresses them with a short, unrehearsed address, followed by a stirring speech from Winston Churchill. Because many there know of his past reluctance to endorse the landing, he now tries to put on a show of support, growling with a slight hint of a smile, “Gentlemen, I am hardening towards this enterprise. “

  In the evening, an exhausted Rommel writes to Lucie about his phone call with the Führer:

  He [Hitler] was in the best of humors and did not spare his praise of the work we’ve done in the West. I now hope to get on a little faster than we have been doing.

  Pausing, he finds himself thinking about the invasion date. He is puzzled, because it is now mid-May. He just cannot see what the Allies were waiting for; and such mysteries bother him greatly. He writes:

  Mid-May already, and still nothing doing, although a pincer attack seems to have started in Italy, which may well be the prelude for the great events of the spring or summer.

  So why have the Allies not started in the West? The weather is perfect. Tides are right. What are they waiting for? They must be waiting for something else. To be better prepared? Or maybe for the start of the Russian offensive, which was probably going to begin in another six weeks or so. He continues:

  I’ve been away for a couple of days, talking to the officers and men. It’s quite amazing what has been achieved in the last few weeks. I’m convinced that the enemy will have a rough time of it when he attacks, and ultimately achieve no success.

  He thinks about his tours taking him away from his headquarters and adds:

  I can’t take many more big trips now because one never knows when the invasion will start. I believe only a few more weeks remain until things start here in the West.

  A few more weeks would make it early June.

  1While Ruge documents this call as having been made today, David Irving records it as being on the 16th and states that Rommel initiated the call. Rommel perhaps may have initiated the sequence by first calling the Berghof and asking to speak to the Führer at his earliest convenience.

  2About a week later, 84th Corps would report that its own defense construction program was only half complete.

  3Some sources, including Speidel himself a number of times, claim that Speidel and Rommel were also at an earlier meeting at a home near St. Germain—possibly the one where the christening took place. At that meeting, Rommel and von Rundstedt discussed with their chiefs of staff what might be done about Hitler and how. Rommel supposedly agreed to von Stülpnagel’s plan for Hitler to be arrested, in exchange for the Allies stopping the bombing of Germany; but he also, according to accounts, insisted that no attempt to kill Hitler must be made. Supposedly, he also authorized a further meeting with Mayor Strölin and Baron von Neurath. Whether this meeting actually occurred is questionable.

  Tuesday, May 16

  Today, Allied Intelligence learns that the élite 6th Parachute Regiment under veteran Major Baron von der Heydte and the 91st Air Landing Division under General Falley are being moved to Normandy. The analysts begin to wonder if the landing site location has been compromised.

  On the other hand though, an intercept of an enemy transmission to Tokyo from Japanese Ambassador Baron Oshima1 two days ago is a gold mine of information. He tells of an informal dinner that he attended, in which he had a chance to talk with Admiral Dönitz. Oshima reports that the Kriegsmarine commander, bringing up the subject of the invasion, let out a planned strategy, confiding in him:

  My own belief is that the domestic and international position of both [Great Britain and the US] is such that they cannot avoid attempting an invasion. However, if a second front is not attempted, Germany plans to transfer powerful forces to the Eastern Front, relying on the strength of the West Wall and striking back at the enemy by other means.2

  In other words, Germany would carry out in reverse the maneuver they had pulled off in 1917 when Russia had collapsed, shifting large numbers of units from one front to the other. The West, Dönitz inferred to Oshima confidently, would be dealt with “by other means”; with the “vengeance weapons. The V-1 production is in full swing, and the V-2 not far behind. “

  The report states that as they chat, the German admiral opens up even more. He adds:

  Recently, I received a report from Marshal Rommel, regarding his inspection of various areas, including the fortifications along the Atlantic coast. Rommel is confident that Germany will be able to repulse the enemy no matter when or where they attempt to land. As a matter of fact, we Germans hope that the attempt will begin as soon as possible. Since England and the US possess very superior air forces, the German Army naturally expects them to carry out “carpet-bombing” attacks, but is confident that the German defense organization can easily weather such a bombardment.

  Dönitz adds that, understandably, Hitler is reluctant to send any more reinforcements to the East until the invasion is thwarted.

  Tomorrow, the information in this intercept will be given to the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.

  Rommel stays at his château today to do more paperwork. He keeps a close eye on the latest situation reports, looking for any signs of an impending enemy operation. Bombing raids yesterday hit the V-weapons sites again, as well as a railroad yard at Somain.3 Many aircraft were reported over the Loire River and over Liège in Belgium—possibly on reconnaissance missions.

  Around noon, a special visitor shows up: General Bayerlein, Rommel’s old friend from North Africa, now commanding the Panzer Lehr Division.4 Having completed its part in the occupation of Hungary, the division had started back on May 1, with Bayerlein getting promoted from Generalmajor to Generalleutnant. The return trip was arduous. The railroads had taken a beating by Allied bombers, and their undersized, overworked locomotives strained to pull the heavy cars laden with the division’s armor. There were many del
ays, once because a coupling broke and the rear section of the train was left rolling along. The division finally completed its return to France a fortnight later, setting up in several parks and forests some 45km from Chartres, hidden by day from Allied aircraft. Now Bayerlein is visiting his old boss.

  They celebrate Bayerlein’s promotion over refreshments and talk over old times. Then they venture outside for a walk in the park. They discuss the reserve panzers, and the Führer’s continued vacillation between Rommel’s theory of “hit them on the beaches” and Geyr’s theory of “wait until they’re ashore and hit them inland.” Rommel reflects on those panzer generals who once commanded on the Eastern Front.

  “Our friends from the East cannot imagine what they’re in for here,” Rommel says. The generals who had fought there had faced an enemy low on technology and aptitude, but having great numbers of uneducated men, that could therefore use mass frontal tactics and overwhelming numbers. This was not the case in the West though, and Rommel knew that, being one of the few field marshals who had experience fighting the Americans and British.

  “It’s not a matter of fanatical hordes to be driven forward in masses against our line, with no regard for casualties and little recourse to tactical craft,” he says. “Here we are facing an enemy who applies all his native intelligence to the use of his many technical resources, who spares no expenditure of material, and whose every operation goes its course, as though it had been the subject of repeated rehearsal.” Rommel goes on. “Dash and doggedness alone no longer make a soldier, Bayerlein. He must have sufficient intelligence to enable him to get the most out of his fighting machines. And that’s something these people can do. We found that out in Africa.” Bayerlein, fresh from operations in the East, agrees.

  Rommel hesitates, frustrated. “You have no idea how difficult it is to convince these people,” he says, referring to the General Staff again. “At one time, they looked on mobile warfare as something to keep clear of at all costs; but now that our freedom of maneuver in the West is gone, they’re all crazy after it. Whereas, in fact, it’s obvious that if the enemy once gets his foot in, he’ll put every anti-tank gun and tank he can into the bridgehead and let us beat our heads against it, like he did at Medenine.”5

  Rommel continues, sensing that he is on to something. “To break through such a front, you have to attack slowly and methodically, under cover of massed artillery; but we, of course, thanks to the Allied air forces, will have nothing there in time. The day of the dashing cut-and-thrust tank attack of the early war years is past and gone. And that goes for the East too, a fact which may, perhaps by this time, have gradually sunk in.” He is reflecting his negative feelings—the hopelessness that he feels about winning the war, especially in the light of the overwhelming enemy in the East, and the awesome technology and material resources of the West…

  That evening, Ambassador Abetz6 comes for dinner. They have a nice discussion over a generous meal. Abetz was once a teacher, just like Rommel’s father. They talk about life in the occupied Vichy zone, and about Marshal Pétain. Abetz confesses somewhat sheepishly that, although Vichy is some 400km south-southeast of the capital, he spends most of his time in Paris. Rommel nods thoughtfully.

  A couple hours later, Abetz bids goodbye and leaves. Rommel retires, wondering about the upcoming invasion.

  ***

  Today Adolf Hitler, mesmerized by what undoubtedly in his mind will be the devastating effects that his soon-to-be-operational V-1 program will have on England, decrees that the beginning of the air assault will be coordinated with a number of air raids and an artillery assault of British coastal towns by the long-range channel guns. The primary V-1 objective will be, of course, his top political target, London. This new unstoppable air offensive is set to start around June 2; the exact time this will all begin will be decided upon by von Rundstedt, who will send out the code word “ Rumpelkammer”—”Junk Room.”

  ***

  This morning, General Blaskowitz arrives at his new army group headquarters. He has chosen a château in the tiny village of Rouffiac-Tolosan on the Garônne River, about six kilometers from the lovely city of Toulouse and roughly halfway between the headquarters of his two armies, the First and the Nineteenth.

  He has a private discussion with his chief of staff, Generalleutnant Heinz von Glydenfeld, about how they will implement OKW’s expectations for an improved defense. He then listens as the chief of staff gives him a brief rundown of his new staff.

  That afternoon they are called together. Blaskowitz, about to address them for the first time at their new headquarters, faces them. He wants to tell them exactly how he feels and convey to them the importance of the situation. He begins by welcoming them to their new command, then gets right to the point. He tells them that he expects them to fully cooperate with each other, to mesh together as a good team. That will be critical when the time comes. He stresses that they do not have much time and their resources are quite limited. They will have to be effective and resolute, not worrying about the little stuff. Red tape is to be kept to a minimum.

  “Remember,” he says, “that bureaucratic work is non-productive and not conducive to success. Your emphasis should be on priorities and efficiency, and not on amenities.”

  Now warmed up, he proceeds confidently. Their first priority, of course, is their men. To do that, they have to work with them daily and communicate with them on their level. Commanders must have enough leeway to use initiative; the basics of good leadership.

  In keeping with his command policies, all of his staff officers are to check out infantry weapons and attend training sessions in close combat. This, he says with a smile, will keep them bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. They chuckle good-naturedly, and he takes that for a good sign.

  He finishes up by telling them that he hopes to see a “noble behavior among his officers, and in working with the subordinate ranks.”

  As they applaud him, he thinks to himself, God help us if we screw up now.

  ***

  Today, the last night air raid against England for Unternehmen Steinbock, 7 Germany’s baby blitz, takes place. This four-month air campaign against the British Isles has done little to affect them: 1,600 people have been killed, with another 2,000 seriously injured—small numbers compared to the hundreds of thousands of casualties that Allied bombers are inflicting upon the Reich.

  In return, almost 500 German bombers and fighters have been lost.

  1Fifty-eight-year-old Baron Hiroshi Ōshima, the Japanese military attaché and ambassador to Germany for some ten years. See the footnote to January 23.

  2SRS 1302, dated May 14, 1944.

  3About 140km southeast of Calais.

  4Both Bayerlein and his biographer, P. A. Spayd, state that the visit took place on the 17th at La Roche-Guyon. But Rommel had left for a two-day inspection tour that morning. So the visit must have either taken place at the christening on the 15th, or on the 16th. Since Bayerlein talks about them walking through the park at La Roche-Guyon, the visit must have been on the 16th.

  5On March 6, 1943, almost three weeks after his victory at Kasserine Pass against the Americans, an uncertain and ailing Rommel, commanding Armeegruppe Afrika, had launched Operation Capri against the British position at Medenine. Montgomery’s position stretched from the town northward some 20km to the sea. The bulk of his position, located northwest of the town, consisted of a dug-in semicircle of six fortified brigades, which included some 400 tanks and 600 anti-tank guns. Rommel, as expected (thanks to intercepted intelligence), feinted in the front and tried to maneuver around the left flank of the perimeter with a small force of tanks and panzergrenadiers. He was stopped cold, and had to give up the attack on the evening of the first day.

  6Forty-one-year-old Otto Abetz, ambassador to the French Vichy Government. Abetz’s duties were many and varied. He was a special advisor to the Gestapo, German adviser to Pétain, oversaw people returning from intern camps, and controlled the media in the occupied zone.


  After the war, Abetz was arrested by the French and charged with a number of war crimes, including overseeing the deportation of thousands of French Jews to concentration camps. In July 1949, he was found guilty and sentenced to prison for 20 years. Like most convicted after the war, he was released early; in his case, April 1954. Four years later, he was killed in an automobile accident in Germany. Some speculate that the accident might have been caused by “persons unknown” in revenge for his activities during the war.

  7Operation Capricorn. See entry for January 21.

  Wednesday, May 17

  In their continuing campaign against German radar and communications sites, the Allied air commands today switch their main focus of attacks to night-fighter control centers and coastal battery fire control installations. By the end of May, some 42 major sites will have been hit.

  This morning, Rommel and his staff prepare again for another inspection tour, this one to the Brittany area. He is a bit concerned about this trip, because he does not want to travel too far away from the Channel, as he had written to Lucie on the 15th. After all, the now-overdue invasion could come at any time.

  They leave at 7 a.m. Under overcast skies, they first cross the Seine by ferry and then move westward, encountering an occasional light rain, welcomed by the farmers after the dry spell. After leaving Caen, they turn west and travel along the Normandy coast. On this trip, Rommel wants to check that Marcks is bringing all of his reserves up forward as he had been ordered. Inspecting the positions of the 352nd Infantry Division along the coast, Rommel notes that two regiments are preparing for a scheduled rotation. In three days, the 914th will come out of reserve and move onto the coastal positions, and the 915th will move off the coast and become the reserve regiment near Bayeux, along with the division’s Füsilier battalion. The latter has been designated as a rapid deployment force, to reinforce any threatened sector Rommel approves.