Page 9 - Cause & Effect: World War II

military chiefs were well aware the Allies were planning an invasion,
but they disagreed on the time and place. Th e Germans expected the
invasion to take place in May and were mystifi ed as to why Eisen-
hower let the favorable weather that dominated most of the month go
to waste. On May 30 Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, who com-
manded all German military operations in western Europe, reported
to Hitler that he did not believe an invasion was imminent.
Moreover, Rundstedt, as well as another key general, Field Mar-
shal Erwin Rommel, commander of the defenders along the French
coastline, were convinced that when the invasion was fi nally ordered,
it would most likely occur near the town of Calais, where the English
Channel was at its narrowest. Indeed, by crossing the channel to Cal-
ais, the invasion force would have to cross a mere 27 miles (43 km)
of sea. (Th e distance between the British coast and the Normandy
beaches was 118 miles, or 190 km.) Th erefore, the Germans concen-
trated most of their forces on defending the beaches near Calais, 157
miles (253 km) north of the actual invasion site at Normandy.
Th e Allies encouraged this notion among the Germans by feeding
them false intelligence. In a maneuver known as Operation Fortitude,
as D-day neared the Allies sent out phony radar images suggesting a
massive fl eet was approaching the French coast near Calais.
By delaying the invasion for weeks, the Allies feared the Germans
would eventually see through the ruse and rush their troops to Nor-
mandy. So at the June 3 meeting, Eisenhower decided that before call-
ing off the invasion, he would wait one more day.

The Invasion Begins

On the night of June 4, meteorologist James M. Stagg, a captain in
the RAF, was summoned to make a report on the weather. Th e storms,
Stagg said, were expected to continue for a number of days. However,
Stagg predicted a temporary break in the weather, starting the after-
noon of June 5 and lasting until the afternoon of June 6. Skies over
Normandy would be clear during that window. After hearing Stagg
make his report, Eisenhower smiled and said, “OK, we’ll go.” 28
Th e invasion began quietly, just after 1:00 a.m. on June 6, when
British and American paratroopers dropped out of the sky near Caen.
German sentries reported the arrival of the Allied troops, but their

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