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Along
the Atlantic Wall: Rommel's Last Battle
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Along the Atlantic Wall: Rommel's Last Battle
by Jeremy Gypton
Introduction
During the small hours of 6 June 1944, three Allied
Airborne divisions, two American and one British, dropped behind German coastal
defenses across the Normandy region of Northwest France. The main thrust of the
invasion, codenamed Overlord, would begin just after dawn with massive landings
on five separate beaches, thousands of air sorties, and the support of naval
artillery. More than 8 divisions and other attached units, comprised of over
150,000 men(1),..
The Truth Revealed
The Desert Fox, soon after
beginning his tour, began to see past the façade of the Atlantic Wall, and
recognized the need for sweeping changes. German troops had mostly been
concerned with occupying France, and less so with preparing and training for
fighting off an invasion. The true makeup of Wehrmacht forces defies the
stereotype of the efficient, well-equipped army of Nordic supermen so often
perpetuated in film and novels...
Rommel's Efforts
Upon taking his new post and
setting up his headquarters in France, Rommel set to work attempting to
implement the changes he saw as essential. Von Rundstedt’s desire to prepare
for a decisive inland battle, coupled with Hitler’s demands for heavy
fortifications at certain points along the coast had resulted in a disjointed
series of efforts...
The Attack
The airborne drops and glider
assaults were first, and the American drops were nowhere near as organized as
hoped. Having flown a difficult course from England, once German flak gunners
opened fire on the C-47’s the formations broke apart and troops were scattered
over a huge area, mostly far off from their designated drop zones, and often
times mixed with other units...
Conclusion
All in all the landings and
the airborne drops that preceded them were successful, if unexpectedly
challenging in some places and easier in others. “The overall result…was that
the Allies had breached Hitler’s ‘Atlantic Wall’ and won themselves a foothold
on…Europe.”(41) Rommel’s fears of an Allied thrust through too-thin coastal
defenses seemed to have come true. With some defenders along the coasts already
overrun on D-Day, and others holding on until their ammunition ran out, the
first line of defense – the beach – was compromised...
Along the Atlantic Wall: Rommel's Last Battle by:
Jeremy Gypton
Copyright © 2002 Jeremy Gypton
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