This is coolbert:
I am watching the other night an episode from the television series "Nazi Mega Weapons". Thanks in all cases to "Nazi Mega".
This particular broadcast detailing the Western Wall. That part of Festung [fortress] Europa as designed to stop an allied amphibious invasion.
Rommel in command, the preparations to thwart the allied invasion of Europe carried out in an almost frenzied manner, directives as implemented in an authoritarian and brutal manner, lots of impressed labor involved, draconian measures harsh and unremitting.
Construction of defenses relying primarily on emplacements and layered defense TO STOP THE ALLIED AMPHIBIOUS FORCE AT THE BEACHES.
That task of construction almost overwhelming for the German the defender, dissipated and unfocused energy and lack of concentrated effort a result, that location for the eventual and inevitable invasion NOT KNOWN TO THE GERMAN.
That German as the defender both at advantage and disadvantage:
1. Defense is the stronger form of combat, easier to do and you can accomplish more with less. [advantage]
2. That defender having to disperse his forces, again, dissipated and unfocused energy and effort the result. [disadvantage]
Rommel relying on four types of military obstacles to impede landing craft as they approach the beaches.
Rommel relying on land mines laid in profusion to kill allied troops as they storm the beaches.
Rommel relying on concrete beach strong point emplacements and collections and groups of concrete strong point beach emplacements. Those German defenders cocooned in tons and tons of concrete, well-built fortifications.
Strong points generally as defined defensive positions NOT to be abandoned unless specific order requested and given. Fight more or less to the death.
Big-bore artillery as used by the German defender at Normandy too NOT used in the indirect fire mode, positioned to fire DOWN THE LENGTH OF A BEACH IN THE DIRECT FIRE MODE, MOW DOWN ALLIED TROOPS AS THEY LAND.
I find it strange at that stage of the war Rommel still insisting that the German make a concerted effort to STOP THE ALLIED INVASION FORCE AT THE BEACHES!
From experience, both the German and Japanese had arrived at the conclusion that such efforts were futile and doomed to failure. IT BEING IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP ALLIED AMPHIBIOUS FORCES AT THE BEACHES.
Allied naval gunfire in the direct mode, often at close-range too accurate and deadly. NO matter how well the defender emplacements and how dedicated and fanatical the troops, those big-bore naval guns of the allied warships in support of the landing troops again TOO ACCURATE AND DEADLY, OBLITERATION OF THE BEACH DEFENDERS GUARANTEED.
The German DID have a lot of success with a "stop em' at the beaches" mentality at Dieppe. Second-rate German troops armed with second-rate weaponry used effectively by a superior German commander and the results for the allied attackers during Jubilee were very bad.
But NORMANDY WAS NOT DIEPPE!!
No mention at all during the program that the German 352nd Infantry Division manning the defenses at Omaha Beach were rated as being only static troops, capable only of defensive action, that unit consisting in the most part of stunted and physically weak teenagers.
Much [?] has been made that if Hitler had "released" the panzer units under his direct control the allied forces at Normandy COULD have been defeated. The release from Hitler probably would not have been granted. The allied deception plan for Normandy continuing even for months in the aftermath of 6 June, Hitler and indeed the German High Command fooled more or less totally, Normandy thought to be a diversion of some magnitude but nonetheless a diversion!
coolbert.
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5 comments:
re: Omaha Beach: "...that unit consisting in the most part of stunted and physically weak teenagers."
Bert you need to read about one of those teenagers: Hein Severloh who killed more then 3,000 U.S. troops during circa 9 hours firing a MG 42 and Karabiner 98ks, both weapons shot 7.92×57mm Mauser cartridges. A U.S. Destroyer with 5inch shells was unable to stop his slaughter. He was in an open firing pit and totally exposed otherwise. Read the whole story in: WN62 A GERMAN SOLDIER'S MEMORIES OF THE DEFENSE OF OMAHA BEACH NORMANDY, JUNE 6, 1944 available from: Aberdeen Bookstore
http://www[dot]aberdeenbookstore[dot]com/CatalogueRetrieve[dot]aspx?ProductID=3609472&A=SearchResult&SearchID=4662970&ObjectID=3609472&ObjectType=27>
Dan Kurt
That physically stunted and weak teenagers was the conclusion of the German Chief of Staff [CoS] of the 352nd division. A static unit not capable of offensive action. That the performance of the 352nd was as good as it was only suggests indeed that DEFENSE IS THE STRONGER FORM OF COMBAT.
At least from 1944 onward the Japanese made no effort to contest the beach landing of American amphibious forces. Pelilieu, Iwo, Okinawa, no contesting the beach landing, but combat the Japanese fighting a defensive battle only from well constructed defensive positions.
re: "...Iwo..., no contesting the beach landing...." AlbertE
Urge you to read the book: Friendly Dead by T.G. Gallant, ISBN-10: 0890838011.
The beach area was contested at Iwo Jima. Read this eye witness account. It was not counter attacked.
A family friend who played cards nearly every Sunday with my grand parents in the post War years when I was a boy and youth told me stories about Iwo Jima. This friend had been on the beach repeatedly during the conflict as a sailor working under a beach master bringing supplies in and casualties out. He told me of the constant attacks on the beach by bullets and shells that never seemed to stop until near the end including some kind of enormous bomb that would be launched and slowly come through the sky, visible to those in its path, and arrive with destruction as it landed. The book mentions this weapon.
Dan Kurt
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