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Operation OVERLORD (Note: this article describes the planning of Operation OVERLORD. A discussion of the various battles in Normandy can found in separate articles of this website)
The Normandy invasion began when the first pathfinders landed on Norman soil on the night of 5-6 Jun, leading the way for three divisions of airborne troops (including with them the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, fighting with the 6th British Airborne Division.) Early on the morning of 6 Jun 1944, six divisions came ashore, including the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division supported by the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade. Allied PreparationsWhile a cross-channel attack had been discussed since 1942, and several alternate plans drawn up, Allied strategy revolved around landings in North Africa in late 1942, Sicily in Jul 1943, and various operations in Italy in 1943 and into 1944, when the Allies finally felt ready to commit to landing in France. Planning began in earnest in Mar 1943 by British Lieutenant General Sir Frederick E. Morgan (who was appointed COSSAC - Chief of Staff, Supreme Allied Commander), whose plan was developed further beginning in Jan 1944 by the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF), under the command of the Supreme Allied Commander, US General Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was named to this post on 24 Dec 1943. Operational command of the armies going ashore would go to General Sir Bernard Law Montgomery, who had advised the Canadians in the UK on matters of training, had been involved in some preliminary planning of the Dieppe Raid, and who had commanded the 8th British Army (to whom the 1st Canadian Division, 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade belonged) in Sicily and later southern Italy.
The short operating range of Allied fighters from UK airfields, as well as the geography of the French coast, limited the choice of landing area to either the Pas de Calais or the Normandy beaches. The need for a large port facility resulted in the innovative idea of bringing one across to Normandy rather than attempting to capture one. The artificial harbours, codenamed MULBERRY, were just one of the many logistical successes; others included PLUTO (Pipe Line Under the Ocean) through which vital supplies of gasoline were pumped into the bridgehead from England. Other technical innovations would be used directly on the beach, particularly the "funny" tanks; armoured vehicles adapted for special purposes. The Canadians made great use of the Duplex Drive (DD) tanks; regular Shermans fitted with collapsible canvas screens and propellers to allow them to swim to shore and provide immediate close support. Other vehicles were equipped to assist in the passage of obstacles and demolition of strongpoints and were used by Royal Engineers units of the British Army. Allied intentions were masked through successful and complex deception plans and intelligence/counter-intelligence operations. Security was extremely tight and Allied soldiers entered the "sausage machine" several days in advance of the landings; these were sealed camps in which the soldiers waterproofed vehicles, received final briefings, and were cut off from contact with the outside world as a security precaution. Objectives
Allied Invasion Plan
The invasion of Normandy was the largest amphibious assault in history; as such, it is quite possible the most complex military plan ever devised, and in fact there was not one single plan, but many, covering different phases of the assault. Multiple headquarters in the chain of command had varying responsibilities; the chain of command as far as the Canadians were concerned was:
During 1943, the plan for OVERLORD was developed and a detailed "Initial Joint Plan" emerged on 1 Feb 1944. Operation NEPTUNE would be the assault phase, in which the goal was "to secure a lodgement on the Continent from which further offensive operations can be developed." OVERLORD was itself was part of a larger strategic plan "designed to bring about the total defeat of Germany by means of heavy and concentrated assaults upon German-occupied Europe from the United Kingdom, the Mediterranean, and (the Soviet Union)." Normandy was selected as the target for several reasons;
On the western (right) flank, the 1st US Army would capture bridgeheads on the eastern shore of the Cotentin Peninsula; on the east (left), the 2nd British Army would secure a bridgehead encompassing Port-en-Bessin, Bayeux, the communications centre of Caen, and Cabourg. The US 1st Army was tasked to capture the port at Cherbourg as fast as possible after the intial landings, then develop operations in the direction of St. Lo, in line with the British 2nd Army to their left. The British 2nd Army was simultaneously tasked with protecting the US flank as they captured Cherbourg, and in advancing on a line south of the St.Lo - Caen line, building a bridgehead south-east of Caen and securing airfields for Allied use. The Initial Joint Plan recognized the necessity of building up forces in the bridgehead faster than the Germans could build opposition forces - another reason why capturing the port at Cherbourg was seen as a priority. By the end of D-Day, the plan called for two British, 1 Canadian and two US divisions to be ashore with 1/3 of a British and 1/3 of an American division offshore to follow up. By D+3 it was anticipated 7 divisions would be ashore, and by D+6 9 and 2/3 divisions (in addition to 5 British and Canadian armoured brigades/US equivalents). By D+20, some 24 divisions were scheduled to be ashore. TimingOriginal plans for the invasion had focused on a narrow landing zone from Grandcamp to Courseulles; extra beaches were added between Courseulles and the Orne estuary, as well as on the Cotentin Peninsula itself. The original target date of May 1944 had thus to be postponed to Jun 1944 to allow for production and procurement of additional landing craft. The specific day of the assault was dependent on several factors:
The first day in June in which all these factors were met was 5 Jun 1944, with the 6th and 7th also possibilities in the event of poor weather preventing either the airborne or seaborne forces from operating). Naval PlansGetting the forces to Normandy was a complex issue for the naval services; an outline was drafted by 15 Feb 1944, a detailed Naval Plan on 28 Feb, and a provisional set of detailed Naval Orders was issued on 2 Apr 1944. By 15 Apr, the forces called for by the planning were confirmed as participating - no less then six battleships, two monitors, 22 cruisers, 93 destroyers, 15 sloops, 26 escort destroyers, 27 frigates, 71 corvettes, and large numbers of smaller ships including all the landing craft that would take men, tanks and equipment to shore. All in all, this would be, as is often pointed out, the largest armada of naval vessels in the world's history. According to the Official History of the Canadian Army in the Second World War:
By way of comparison, the famous Spanish Armada of 1588 consisted of only 122 ships. Order of Battle for Assault Phase
Forces, working with 1st US Army.
Forces, working with 2nd British Army.
The land forces deployed as follows, roughly east to west:
German Defences
The Normandy defenses were under the command of the German LXXXIV Korps, itself part of the German 7th Army. Dispositions in the Allied landing area were as follows, roughly from east to west.
Canadian Army Involvement
Canadian staff officers performed relatively minor roles at all levels in the chain of command, from SHAEF through 21st Army Group down to First Canadian Army.
After the dispatch of 1st Canadian Infantry Division to the Mediterranean in 1943 and the rebuilding of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division after Dieppe, largely from scratch, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division was selected for the assault role on the Canadian beach, code named JUNO. They would be supported by the 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade. In addition, the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion formed part of the British 6th Airborne Division, which would play an instrumental role in securing and then protecting the left flank of the beachhead. ExecutionAfter a postponement due to weather, the invasion of Europe went forward on 6 Jun 1944, popularly known ever since as D-Day. A detailed discussion of the campaign starts in the article on the Battle of Normandy. |
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The
Normandy invasion would mark the first operation in which formations
passed from control of the First Canadian Army to the Second British Army
and vice versa. For the assault, 3rd Canadian Division would be under
operational control of I British Corps. Canadian higher headquarters would
come ashore after the beachhead had been expanded. Once 2nd British Army
had established a firm foothold, First Canadian Army would breakout and
advance from a secure bridgehead. During Exercise SPARTAN in Mar 1943, the
First Canadian Army trained to do exactly that, with three Canadian
divisions and three British divisions under command. 
