Countdown to D-Day

by Peter Margaritis

  The ground war would drag on for weeks, turning into the “material slugfest” that Rommel feared might happen. On the other hand, four factors worked against the Allies: the fierce determination of the panzers, the natural defense of those maddening cross-sections of hedgerows, Field Marshal Montgomery’s failure to take Caen on D-Day, and Rommel’s personal direction. The Allies had established a bridgehead, but could not go further.

  The events at Normandy quickly became enmeshed with the other distant warfront issues. Rome had been liberated, and the Allies were moving up the Italian boot. And the Russian summer offensive, which started as expected in late June, rolled forward and in the end, all but destroyed an entire army group. And Rommel’s relationship with the Führer was about to become toxic.

  The Allies, led by General Patton’s fiery August offensive, finally did break out of the beachhead. Defeat in the West was now a foregone conclusion.

  1A war of attrition, where fresh men and material come in on one side and leave the battlefield either dead or wounded on the other.

  Glossary

  Ia. Generalstabsoffizier—The First General StaffOfficer in a unit headquarters. The chief Operations officer, he is in charge of the Operations Division, overseeing command and control of the command’s sub-units. He also is responsible for leadership, training, transportation, housing, anti-aircraft defenses, writing the war diary, situation analysis, and maps. Equivalent to the US Army’s G-3.

  Ib. Generalstabsoffizier—The Second General Staff Officer in a unit headquarters, the Chief Supply and Transportation Officer. He is in charge of the Supply and Quartermaster Division. He oversees all matters relating to supply, replenishment, movement of supplies, rations, ammo, and the movement of wounded and prisoners.

  Ic. Generalstabsoffizier—Third General Staff Officer in a unit headquarters, the chief Intelligence officer. He oversees all matters relating to intelligence, including gathering it and presenting it. Also in charge of discipline. Equivalent to the US Army’s G-2.

  IIa. Generalstabsoffizier—Chief Personnel Officer (Adjutant), responsible for all personnel.

  IIb. Generalstabsoffizier—Responsible for all enlisted personnel, and the bureaus of the unit staff.

  Abteilung—A widely used generic term for a battery, battalion, department, branch, or special unit. Often referred to a detachment or improvised battlegroup put together for a special set of operations. In the German Army, it was usually a battalion, especially in the armored, cavalry, and artillery branches.

  Abwehr—The Wehrmacht’s Intelligence security service that specialized in various aspects of counterintelligence.

  Admiral Kanalküste—Naval Command Headquarters for the Pas-de-Calais area, located in Calais. Originally Marinebefehlshaber Kanalküste, it was renamed in 1943. It consisted of four naval commands: Pas-de-Calais (at Wimille), Seine-Somme (Le Havre), Normandy (Cherbourg), and Kanalinseln (island of Jersey).

  Alarmstufe I &—Alert Levels I & II. Full alert for an army unit.

  Armeegruppe—A small, sometimes ad hoc army group, usually a command of one large army and some odd units or two small adjacent armies. It often fell under the auspices of the area Heeresgruppe. Because it was smaller or temporary, an Armeegruppe did not rate the full administrative support a Heeresgruppe was given.

  Armeekorps (AK)—An army (usually infantry) corps that had two or more divisions and attachéd units.

  Atlantikwall—Hitler’s famed Atlantic Wall, built to thwart any Western Allied invasion.

  Aufgang Kommandos—Straggler and roundup collection units.

  Ausführun (Ausf.)—Modification series, version, or variant. Each major German weapon (aircraft, tank, etc.) model underwent various modifications and updates as the war progressed; these changes were grouped into different series editions; thus, a PzKw III, Ausf C, was a Mark III tank, Modification Series C.

  Befehlshaber—A unit commanding officer. Often the title for a large command, unit, or area. For instance, the Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote (BdU) was the Commander-in-Chief of the Submarine Force (GrossßAdmiral Dönitz).

  Belgisches Gatter—”Belgian gate.” 1½- to 3-ton two-meter-high barricade gates used as underwater obstacles. They were constructed of heavy steel angles and plates, mostly built before the war to be used as tank obstacles. They were set up in the breakers along a beach to tear out the bottoms of landing craft.

  Blitzsperren—Lit. “Lightning fields.” Special minefields to be quickly laid by all available vessels and bombers as soon as the invasion was impending.

  Berghof-—Lit. “Mountain House/Villa.” Hitler’s mountain retreat on the Obersalzberg mountain in Bavaria, a few thousand feet above the town of Berchtesgaden.

  bodenständige—Static. An informal term used to denote German infantry divisions serving in France that had very limited field mobility. Created under Field Marshal von Rundstedt’s reorganization of 1942, this type of division was used for coastal defense, garrison, or occupational duties. A static division was similar in makeup to the German standard triangular infantry division, in that it consisted of nine infantry battalions. However, they were smaller in size and made up of second-rate or third-rate troops, such as POWs, overage conscripts, “liberated” foreigners (who often could not even speak German), or recovered casualties. A bodenständige division did not have a recon battalion, only three (not the customary four to six) artillery battalions (non-motorized), and very little (if any) transport.

  Brigadeführer—SS rank of brigadier general (equivalent to German Army Generalmajor).

  Chef der Generalstab—A unit’s chief of staff.

  Ersatz—Reinforcement, replacement, or substitute.

  Fallschirmjäger—A paratrooper. Parachute units were equipped with the latest weapons and played a critical role against the Allies in 1944, functioning as ad hoc battle groups. By then, their role was limited to being élite assault units, due to the crippled nature of the Luftwaffe. However, they still kept the honorary designation of being airborne.

  Feldgrau—Lit. “Field gray.” Nickname for the average German soldier; derived from the color of their uniforms.

  Feldwebel—German Army rank of sergeant.

  Feste Plätze—Fortified area. Commanded by a Fortified Area Commandant. Essentially equivalent to a fortress, as specified in Führer Order No. 11, March 8, 1944.

  Festung—Fortress.

  Fingerspitzengefuehl—A strange, sixth sense that gave one the ability to discern upcoming danger, a hidden problem, or even an enigmatic change to take advantage of a situation. Supposedly, Rommel had it on the battlefield.

  Flak—Short for Flugzeugabwehrkanone. An anti-aircraft gun or unit. Flak units were created at the beginning of the war to deliver concentrated zones of anti-aircraft fire, either at key positions or in urban areas. A Flak Regiment (FlakR) usually became mobile (Stürm), comprised of three or more Flak battalions.

  Flugzeug—Aircraft.

  Freiherr—German aristocratic title of Baron.

  Fremde Heeres West—Foreign Armies West. The intelligence branch of the Army High Command, responsible for determining enemy ground order of battle, and the main intelligence source for lower commands.

  Führer—Lit. “Leader.” As an adjoining word, it referred to a unit leader or commander. Used alone, in the Third Reich, it was reserved exclusively for the German commander-in-chief, Adolf Hitler. This title referred to him as the supreme head of the Nazi Party, the German state, and of course, the armed forces. His complete formal title was Der Führer und Oberst!e Befehlshaber der Wehrmacht des Grossdeutschen Reichs.

  Führerbefehl—A direct order from Adolf Hitler. It carried the highest priority and importance, to be executed immediately.

  Führerhauptquartier (FHq)—Hitler’s main field headquarters, which included his entourage, his command staff, and all the extra personnel that travelled with him. Quasi-mobile by necessity, they traveled back and forth with him from Berlin to the Berghof, to Rastenburg.

/>   Führersonderzug—Hitler’s special train, mordantly code named Amerika. Sometimes serving as an advance command post when Hitler was traveling, it was pulled by two locomotives and included an armored Flak car at each end.

  Führungsblitz—An emergency command phone call, taking priority over any other telephone line/ call then being placed.

  Gauleiter—The leader or highest-ranking Nazi official in a region (Gau), responsible for all matters of politics and economics, labor mobilization, and civil defense.

  Geheime Staatspolizei (Gestapo)—The Reich’s infamous secret police, responsible for investigating and pursuing attempts against the state and safeguarding it against traitors. Established by Hermann Göring in 1933, it was taken over a year later by Himmler, who was given the title of Reichführer. Over the course of the next eleven years, it became the most feared and hated state organization in the world.

  General der …—The rank of general; equivalent to the US Army rank of lieutenant general. This rank required specifying the individual’s specialty. Types included: Infanterie (Infantry), Artillerie (Artillery), Kavallerie (Cavalry), Panzertruppen (Armored), Pioniere (Engineers), Flakartillerie (Anti-Aircraft), Luftwaffe (Air Force), and Fallschirmtruppen (Paratrooper).

  Generalfeldmarschall (shortened form Feldmarschall)—Field marshal. This historic title was the highest rank possible in the Wehrmacht; equivalent to the US Army rank of General of the Army. A field marshal supposedly had the rare privilege of being able to request a private, personal audience with Hitler whenever he desired.

  Generalleutnant—German rank of lieutenant general; equivalent to US major general.

  Generalmajor—German rank of major general; equivalent to US Army rank of brigadier general.

  GeneralOberst!—German rank of colonel general; equivalent to US Army rank of four-star general.

  Grenadier—An historic German term often used for heavy infantry units, originally referring to the task and type of weapon carried, in this case hand-thrown explosives (early grenades). Later in the war, most German regular infantry regiments were reclassified as grenadier in the hopes of increasing morale by alluding to their élite counterparts of the past.

  Gruppe—A force of units. An army Gruppe could be an ad hoc formation of variable size. A large army group was called a Heeresgruppe, a smaller or ad hoc one (smaller staffs, usually temporary in nature) was called an Armeegruppe.

  Gruppenführer—SS rank of major general (equivalent to an Army Generalleutnant).

  Hauptmann—German Army captain.

  Heer—The German Army organization.

  Heeresgruppe—Army group. An army command consisting of two or more armies.

  Heeresküstenartillerie—Army coastal artillery. A term created in 1940, used to supplement their naval counterparts along the coastline of the Atlantic Wall.

  Heereswaffenamt (HWaA)—The Armaments Office of the German Army. Located in Berlin, it was created in 1919 to develop and oversee production of German weaponry.

  Hilfswillige—Auxiliary volunteers (non-German), mostly foreign prisoners of war (usually from Russia) forced into uniform and service for the Reich, unlike foreigners who “volunteered” (Freiwilligen). The “Hiwis” were used only reluctantly, often limited to auxiliary duties, such as supply or defense preparation.

  Hitlerjugend(HJ)—The ‘Hitler Youth.” A paramilitary youth association created and strictly controlled by the Nazi Party in 1933 to indoctrinate and motivate male teenagers into Nazi culture and ideals, preparing them for military service, especially into the SS (Schutzstaffel). They were unfortunately also used to provoke, torment, and otherwise discriminate against various groups targeted by Nazi doctrine.

  Kampfgruppe—Battlegroup. A loosely assigned unit created from improvised combat units of various sizes. They were usually named after their commanders.

  Kanalküste—The coastal area of the English Channel nearest England at the Dover Straits.

  KMA—Küstenminen A (Coastal Mine, Model A). Of simple design, it was used in shallow areas. It consisted of a concrete base in which a 75kg charge was placed. Above it was set a metal tripod and a triggering device.

  Konteradmiral—A rank in the German Navy, equivalent to a US Navy rear admiral.

  Kriegsgefangener—A prisoner of war.

  Kriegsmarine—The German Navy.

  Küstenartillerie—Coastal artillery unit.

  Landser—The common German soldier; equivalent to the American GI.

  Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler (LSAH or LSSAH)—”Life Guard” or “Body Guard.” Title of the 1st SS Panzer Division. Organized and commanded by Sepp Dietrich in 1940, it adopted as its divisional symbol a skeleton key over a shield in his honor (“Dietrich” in German means “skeleton key,” or “lock pick”), and also perhaps symbolizing with it their ability to overcome or “unlock” any position they attack.

  Luftflötte—Air Fleet. Corresponding to a numbered American air force, it was a major, self-sustaining military unit in the Luftwaffe. It consisted of up to a thousand aircraft, with its own supply, maintenance, transport, and administrative units. The Luftwaffe consisted of several Luftflötten, each comprised of two to four Fliegerkorps.

  Luflande—Air landing unit. Similar to a paratroop or airborne unit, but usually delivered mostly by glider, and in doing so, capable of taking aboard small air transportable mobile units (such as personnel cars and small artillery pieces).

  Luftwaffe—The German Air Force.

  Major—German Army major, equivalent to its US counterpart.

  Marinegruppenkommandos West—Naval Supreme Command Headquarters, Western Theater (Naval Group West). A naval command over all surface naval units in Western Europe; the U-boats were controlled directly by Großadmiral Karl Dönitz through the Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote (BdU).

  Materialschlacht—A war of attrition and supplies. In 1944, Rommel was worried that if the Allies made it ashore, the struggle for France would turn into this, a production war that Germany could not hope to win.

  Militärbefehlshaber—The Army military governor of an occupied territory. In Western Europe, there were two: Militärbefehlshaber in Belgien und Nordfrankreich (Belgium and Northern France, General von Falkenhausen), and Militärbefehlshaber (in) Frankreich (France, General von Stülpnagel).

  Minengranaten—”Mine shells.” A simple type of anti-invasion device in which an artillery shell is imbedded along a cliff over a target area. If the shell is disturbed or the surrounding rock hit, the shell falls and explodes below.

  Mufti—A military expression referring to civilian attire worn by someone who normally wore or was entitled to wear a military uniform. Examples include civilian hat or a scarf.

  Nachrichten-Führer—An army signal corps officer, usually on an army headquarters staff.

  Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiter Partei (NSDAP)—National-Socialist German Workers’ Party. The infamous Nazi Party.

  Nebelwerfer—Lit. “Fog or smoke launcher.” Originally referred to a 100mm mortar that fired a chemical weapon, such as gas or smoke. Unlike in World War I though, gas or chemical attacks were outlawed and never to be used. Thus before the war, these units were modified to operate small mobile rocket launchers for use against concentrations of light infantry. For intelligence purposes, the term remained for these rocket units that replaced the smoke weapons as a ruse to fool the Allies.

  Nussknackermine—”Nutcracker” mine. A type of German ad hoc land explosive, derived from the KMA mine, created by Rommel in February 1944 and later adopted by Naval Group West in the spring.

  Oberbefehlshaber (OB)—Commander-in-Chief, usually referring to a theater or branch of service and not a combat formation. Oversaw far-ranging strategic regions by controlling all troops or forces in a major geographic area.

  Oberfeldwebel—German army rank of master sergeant.

  Oberführer—SS rank, between the ranks of brigadier general and colonel.

  ObergrüppenFührer—SS rank of lieutena
nt general (equivalent to German Army rank of General der Infanterie or General der Panzertruppen).

  Oberkommando (O)—A strategic, high command, such as Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH) for the army, Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine (OKM) for the navy, and Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (OKL) for the air force.

  Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW)—The German Combined Armed Forces Supreme Headquarters. Its location moved to wherever Hitler was currently staying, be it Berchtesgaden, his advance headquarters Wofsschanze I in Eastern Prussia, or Berlin. Whenever he stayed at the Berghof in Lower Bavaria, OKW would be located in and around the nearby town of Berchtesgaden.

  Obermarineberater (OMB)—Chief Naval Advisor.

  Oberst!—German rank of colonel.

  Oberst!leutnant—German rank of lieutenant colonel. Equivalent of lieutenant colonel in the US Army.

  Oberst!ürmbannführer—SS rank of lieutenant colonel, equivalent to army Oberst!leutnant.

  OB West—Oberbefehlshaber West. Supreme Command, Western Theater. As such, Field Marshal von Rundstedt operationally controlled all Wehrmacht forces in Western Europe.

  Organisation Todt (OT)—The Todt labor organization, a paramilitary government construction force that consisted of construction engineers, workers, and foreign civilian workers, often forced into labor (especially towards the end of the war). It was established 1933 under Dr. Fritz Todt, and taken over by Todt’s successor, Albert Speer, in February 1942, after Todt died in a plane crash.

  Östentruppen—Eastern troops. Russian or East European prisoners of war or in some cases, “liberated” soldiers who had been coerced into switching sides to fight for Germany.