Amphibious.

This is coolbert:

From that web site devoted to the German 352nd Infantry Division defending Omaha Beach:

"To deal with the threat of a cross channel operation, Germany lacked a maritime-operations doctrine. So they drew upon two land-operations doctrine to define their strategy."

The German, a land-power, totally lacking an amphibious warfare doctrine, offensively and defensively both, using "land-operations doctrine" as felt appropriate.

* "The First held that widely separated forward strong-points (a false MLR) would screen a main mobile force hidden in reserve (real MLR) ready to counter-attack the enemy's newly exposed flacks as the enemy turn to envelope these forward post. A successful tactic on the eastern front."

* "The Second, was the River-Crossing doctrine, where all forces are massed on the river bank to annihilate a crossing before a bridgehead is established."

The German during the Second World War [WW2] in particular facing an adversary, the western allies, who on many occasions and on a routine basis resorted to amphibious operations of a massive and overwhelming scale, the German again NOT pre-war or even during the war prepared with a cogent and thought-through doctrine to deal with such operations.

Amphibious landings, sea-borne assaults as conducted by the western allies during WW2 to include:

* North Africa [Torch].
* Sicily [Husky].
* Salerno [Avalanche].
* Anzio [Shingle].
* Dodacanese Islands [Accolade].
* Normandy [Overlord].
* Southern France [Dragoon].

[and of course during the Great War [WW1], Gallipoli, the German Leman von Sanders in overall command of the Turkish defender.]

The German attempting to stop the landings at the "water's edge", on the beach, and uniformly being unable to do so. ALLIED ORGANIC NAVAL FIREPOWER - - ESPECIALLY FROM DESTROYER CLASS NAVAL WARSHIPS FIRING IN THE DIRECT FIRE MODE PROVIDING OVERWHELMINGLY DESTRUCTIVE FIREPOWER TO THE LANDING TROOPS, STRONG POINTS AND BASTIONS OCCUPIED BY THE DEFENDER BLOWN TO SMITHEREENS!!

Those Japanese defenders of Iwo Jima and Okinawa in the Pacific Theatre having asked the German [1944] as to the best method for countering allied amphibious assaults were told: "don't try to stop the allies at the 'water's edge"!

Advice evidently being taken to heart by the Japanese. The American units going ashore both at Iwo and Okinawa NOT being opposed at the beaches, the battle only commencing when a significant portion of the U.S. forces had gotten ashore!!

To no avail in the end, the defender [Japanese] finally overcome by raw combat power, nonetheless American losses heavy, almost unacceptable!!

coolbert.