Tag: Bernard Montgomery

Posted on

The Double Cross System

This week we celebrate the successful Allied invasion of Europe on the Normandy beaches of northern France. On 6 June (Thursday), it will be the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the beginning of the Allied push into Germany.

I will be giving a one-hour on-line presentation this Thursday for Bonjour Paris (see below). I decided to reprint our 2018 blog on Operation Double Cross that happens to be my presentation topic. Our discussion will expand the story of Operation Double Cross. I hope you can join us on Thursday.

Join Stew Ross for a Discussion on 

France Today

“REMEMBERING D-DAY: 

Operation Double Cross”

Thursday, 6 June 2024

11:30 – 12:30 (EST) 

Click here to watch the trailer for the presentation.

An inflatable “dummy” M4 Sherman tank. Photo by anonymous (c. 1943). PD-U.S. Government. Wikimedia Commons.
An inflatable “dummy” M4 Sherman tank. Photo by anonymous (c. 1943). PD-U.S. Government. Wikimedia Commons.

Register Now:  Click here.

BONJOUR PARIS  is a digital publication dedicated to all things Paris.  Visit the web-site here.

Undoubtedly, many of you have heard the story of the fake army which was used to deceive Hitler and his generals into planning for a cross channel invasion (across the Strait of Dover to Pas de Calais). It is true but the story is somewhat more complex and as wartime documents seven decades old are declassified, historians are only now able to fill in missing gaps and answer why Hitler reacted the way he did to the Normandy invasion.

Did You Know?

Did you know that 1st Lt. Paul Chaufty was a P-47 Thunderbolt pilot who was flying an armed reconnaissance mission on 13 August 1944 when he was shot down over the French villages of Ciral and Saint-Ellier-les-Bois? It was the day Allied armies were liberating Ciral. Lt. Chaufty bailed out of the plane, but his parachute never opened, and he fell to his death in a field. A mile away, the plane crashed.

Marie Bastien was fourteen at the time and watched the young pilot’s plane come down. The following day, her father found the body and brought Chaufty’s remains back to the farm where he was buried wrapped in his parachute. Four days later, the pilot’s remains were removed and buried in a temporary military cemetery before final relocation to the Fairview Cemetery in Carthage, New York.

Marie never forgot her experience watching Lt. Chaufty fall to his death. She vowed to keep his memory alive and over the years, discussed this with her daughter who eventually reached out to Lt. Chaufty’s family. One week ago, Marie, her daughter, and members of the Chaufty family stood in the village of Saint-Ellier-les-Bois as a plaque honoring Paul Chaufty was unveiled.

Thanks to one woman’s tenacity, a brave American’s legacy will not be forgotten.

 

Locals erected a makeshift American flag marking the site where Chaufty's plane crashed in near the village of St. Elliers Les Bois, France. (NBC News)
Locals erected a makeshift American flag marking the site where Chaufty’s plane crashed in near the village of St. Elliers Les Bois, France. (NBC News)

Deception strategies were used by the Allies and Germans against one another throughout World War II. However, by 1942, the Americans and British held the upper hand: intelligence was gained through the top secret Ultra program by decrypting German messages using the Nazi military Enigma machine at Bletchley Park. Deception methods created primarily by British intelligence were becoming increasingly complex and successful. As Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin agreed in late 1943 on plans for an invasion of Europe, the Allies came up with the largest deception plan to date to be used against the Nazis.

Bletchley Park. Photo by Magnus Manske (2005). PD-GNU Free Documentation. Wikimedia Commons.
Bletchley Park. Photo by Magnus Manske (2005). PD-GNU Free Documentation. Wikimedia Commons.
Four rotor German naval Enigma. Photo by Magnus Manske (2005). Bletchley Park. PD-GNU Free Documentation. Wikimedia Commons
Four rotor German naval Enigma. Photo by Magnus Manske (2005). Bletchley Park. PD-GNU Free Documentation. Wikimedia Commons

Operation Bodyguard and Fortitude

Operation Bodyguard was the American and British-led umbrella deception plan to mislead the Germans into thinking the inevitable invasion of Europe would take place at a location other than the real invasion site. Additionally, the plan was to deceive Hitler about the actual date, time, and size of the assault force. It was formulated in 1943 once the Allies agreed to a 1944 invasion date.

There were many directives under Operation Bodyguard including Operation Cockade, Plan Jael, Operation Quicksilver, and the Torrent Plan. However, the largest and most successful was Operation Fortitude. Read More The Double Cross System

Posted on

Thirty-Six Days and Counting

Today is the 76th anniversary of Operation Neptune or D-Day as it’s commonly known. Neptune was the designated code name for the beach landings. The correct name for the overall invasion of Europe was Operation Overlord.

I’m sure the media and political focus on D-Day will be somewhat muted compared to last year’s anniversary. This year, the attention will be on the 75th anniversary of the end of the war (both VE and VJ days) and the liberations of the occupied countries and concentration camps. Much has been written about the hours leading up to launching the invasion, the experiences of the men during the early morning hours, the eventual success of driving the Germans back, and subsequent breakouts from the beaches. However, one aspect of the invasion seems to get scant, if any, attention.

Allied invasion planners. From left to right: General Bradley, Admiral Ramsay, Air Chief Marshal Tedder, General Eisenhower, General Montgomery, Air Chief Marshal Leigh-Mallory, and General Smith. Photo by anonymous (c. 1944). PD-Expired Copyright. Wikimedia Commons.
Allied invasion planners. From left to right: General Bradley, Admiral Ramsay, Air Chief Marshal Tedder, General Eisenhower, General Montgomery, Air Chief Marshal Leigh-Mallory, and General Smith. Photo by anonymous (c. 1944). PD-Expired Copyright. Wikimedia Commons.

What about the events during the thirty-six days prior to 6 June 1944? I’m specifically referring to the behind the scenes at General Dwight D. Eisenhower’s SHAEF headquarters from 1 May 1944 up to the morning of the invasion. I’ll highlight some of the interesting events that took place on a day-by-day basis leading up to the men landing in Normandy.

Did You Know?

Did you know that it wasn’t until the 1990s that the United States Army determined that African American soldiers during World War II had been denied consideration for the Medal of Honor because of their race?

The day after Christmas 1944, First Lieutenant John R. Fox (1915-1944) of the 92nd Infantry Division – known as the Buffalo Soldiers – saw action in an Italian village. He was part of a small observation squad which volunteered to stay behind as the Germans began to overrun the village. From his position inside a stone tower, Lt. Fox directed the defensive artillery fire on the incoming Wehrmacht forces. At one point, he ordered the artillery to direct its fire on his position. Told by the artillery team the incoming onslaught would kill him, Lt. Fox’s last order was, “Fire it!” Lt. Fox’s sacrifice gave the American forces enough time to regroup, counterattack, and retake the village.

Lt. John R. Fox. Photo by anonymous (date unknown).
Lt. John R. Fox. Photo by anonymous (date unknown).
Destroyed tower which served as the lookout post for Lt. Fox. Photo by anonymous (c. 1945).
Destroyed tower which served as the lookout post for Lt. Fox. Photo by anonymous (c. 1945).

Lt. Fox and six other African Americans were awarded the Medal of Honor on 12 January 1997. Six of the medals were awarded posthumously with Lt. Fox’s widow accepting the honor on his behalf. The citizens of the village of Sommocolonia, Italy erected a monument after the war. It is dedicated to nine men killed during the battle: eight Italian soldiers and Lt. John R. Fox.

1 May 1944

It was the first week in May when the final plan for Neptune was agreed upon. The initial date of the invasion, 1 May 1944, had earlier been postponed by General Eisenhower (1890-1969) and Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976) after they decided to expand the original invasion plan drafted in August 1943 to include five rather than three divisions for the landings, an additional three airborne divisions, and extra landing craft. The revised plan also included specific goals for post-Neptune operations beginning with the break-out from the beaches.

In the months preceding the invasion, elaborate efforts were made to deceive the Germans about the actual landing location. This was called Operation Bodyguard and it was a complete success (Click here to read The Double Cross System). The final plans designated the lodgment or, landing area to be the beaches between the Seine and Loire rivers rather than Pas-de-Calais where Hitler and Rommel were convinced Allied troops would land.

Map of Normandy Breakout, 1 August – 13 August 1944. Photo and map by anonymous (date unknown).
Map of Normandy Breakout, 1 August – 13 August 1944. Photo and map by anonymous (date unknown).

Read More Thirty-Six Days and Counting