Operation OVERLORD (1944)

54

Allies link radios to inform Europe

Coordinate radio stations to broadcast an unprecedented propaganda campaign

Allied radio stations in the United States, England, North Africa and Italy were coordinated early yesterday morning for an unprecedented propaganda campaign directed at Germany and the occupied countries. At the hour of invasion, the broadcasting facilities were linked together in an international chain to insure a maximum audience on the continent for Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s statement to “the people of Western Europe.”

The overseas branch of the Office of War Information working closely with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the State Department, put into operation planes calling for transmissions in 22 languages on a 24-hour basis. Religious, political, educational and labor leaders throughout the day entered the local OWI studios at 214 W 57th Street to make recordings that were later broadcast on shortwave to the difference language groups overseas.

The OWI broadcasts from New York were based on a detailed pattern designed to instill confidence in the ultimate victory of the Allies but to recognize the hazards yet to be faced.

Chief points in OWI plan

A summary of the chief points in the OWI’s psychological warfare operations follows:

  • Naval, air and ground forces participating in the action were referred to as “the Allied Expeditionary Force” rather than as “the Armies of Liberation.” Use of the words “second front” and “invasion” were omitted in favor of the words “landing” or “landings.”

  • The occupied countries were asked for the most part to maintain discipline and await official orders before engaging actively in the fight. Foreign workers within Germany, potentially a source of major aid to the Allies were warned that the invasion was not their D-Day but rather their mobilization day.

  • The only direct appeal for aid was made to transportation workers to sabotage communication facilities between Nantes and Antwerp.

  • Broadcasts directed at German troops in Western Europe were discontinued on the ground that the Nazi soldiers would be otherwise occupied, the time being devoted to additional programs for Central Europe. Troops far from the front were warned, however, that in modern warfare there was no safety anywhere. The names of German commanders were omitted as far as possible to avoid glorifying them in the eyes of the audience within Germany.

  • References to food or relief supplies for the occupied countries were being withheld pending formal announcement of such plans. There was no mention of “secret weapons.”

  • Any organized resistance to the Nazis within Europe was treated solely as part of the Allies military operations and not as necessarily indicating a possible revolt by the European peoples.

  • The broadcasts recognized that the German defenses were strong and their equipment of a high order. No suggestion was made of any deterioration in Nazi morale.

  • Major emphasis was placed on the Allied superiority in arms and the determination of Allied soldiers to win final victory. The many countries represented in the Allied forces were listed.

  • The reaction of Americans at home was described as one of calmness born of confidence in Gen. Eisenhower and the Allied fighting men.

It was at 3:48 a.m. yesterday that the OWI picked up the BBC’s announcement that Gen. Eisenhower’s statement to the European peoples would follow in a minute’s time. It was piped to the OWI transmitters in the eastern part of the country and sent back to Europe. Stations in Algiers, Tunis, Italy and Cairo also carried the message.

Unlike the day of the North African invasion, however, transatlantic receiving conditions were not too good and at 4:18 a.m. the local OWI had to abandon its relay of programs from London. Throughout the morning, atmospheric conditions continued to result in relatively weak signals that in the city made shortwave reception difficult, though the BBC was at all times audible.

The OWI’s efforts were reinforced by other broadcasts from the Western Hemisphere. Shortwave stations in Toronto, Winnipeg and Newfoundland carried news of the invasion from Canada while outlets in Cuba, Panama City, Brazil and other South American countries were heard giving details.

Wives of D chiefs voice fortitude

Mrs. Roosevelt stresses the cost ahead; faith asked by Mrs. Eisenhower

Washington – (June 6)
Women whose husbands are bearing the brunt of the invasion responsibility shared their D-Day thoughts with the women of the country.

Mrs. Roosevelt’s message was that everyone must accept the fact that this is only a beginning, not an end, that there will be much to go through, but that the women of the country will go through it in the way they have met all the tests of history.

She said at her press conference:

Until the heavy invasion machines land, we are not very secure. This type of war is costly – people must go through anxiety, suffering, loss. The cost of liberation to many of these countries will be great at the moment of liberation. Retiring armies will take their toll and the invading armies also have to take their toll as the country is fought over.

This is not a happy day.

She said that she got the invasion news from her husband before she went to bed last night and slept very little.

Mrs. Eisenhower’s message

Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower, off to her son’s West Point graduation into the Army today, left behind a message for NBC broadcast, “Let’s have faith, cheerfully wish them luck and work a little harder than ever before.”

The wife of the commander of the invasion forces also said in her message, read by NBC commentator Nancy Osgood:

We know now that our men are attacking our enemies. We know that they will be victorious. But we also know they will have many trying hours ahead, hours in which we shall find it difficult not to be restless and unnerved. We are eager to help in some big way, and yet, if we could ask our fighting men, they would tell us – Ours is the job to fight, yours to help, by remaining as cheerful and as busy as possible.

On the same broadcast, Mrs. Harold Stark, wife of the admiral in command of all U.S. naval forces in the European Theater, also gave practical “keep busy” advice, and said:

May the troops have all the luck in the world, so that victory may come quicker.

Mrs. Carl Spaatz, whose husband commands the strategic Air Forces in Great Britain, commented:

As an air wife, I am tremendously proud of our Air Forces, especially the magnificent pre-invasion job they have done. That great softening-up job will be responsible for saving the lives of many thousands of American soldiers and sailors.

Offers comforting thoughts

This should be of the greatest comfort and pride to the families of Air Force men, especially to those families whose men are missing, or may have been killed in action.

And she gave another comforting thought:

Never in history has a greater military undertaking been so carefully planned. Everything has been thought of and done to give that man of yours the best possible chance of coming through this terrific action.

Mrs. Alan G. Kirk, wife of the admiral in charge of U.S. invasion task forces, added her assurance that valuable lessons had been learned in the amphibian operations in Africa, Sicily, Italy and the Pacific, and said:

Consequently, we can be certain that this, the biggest landing of all, will be most successful. Here at home, we can believe in success as well as wish for it.

Mrs. James Doolittle, wife of the Tokyo raider, who commands the 8th Air Force in England, said:

Our troops expect even more than our confidence – they expect us to keep our chins up. We need more than ever before to slow that we have courage.

The Doolittles have a son in the 9th Air Force in England, and so Mrs. Doolittle gave this message to mothers:

Your sons are fighting to make victory possible. As Gen. Doolittle has said to me so often: “My boys are tops. They never stop to think of what may happen to them. They just do their job.”

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55

Canadians win goal, Premier declares

Progress thrills Parliament; Québec Bloc sets precedent

Ottawa, Canada – (June 6)
Canadian troops taking part in the Allied landing in France “have successfully achieved their first objective and are making good progress,” Prime Minister W. L. Mackenzie King informed the House of Commons this afternoon in making his report on the day’s great events.

At the same time, he warned that:

The task of having landed is but a prelude to the more urgent task of maintaining this first foothold and of maintaining it so strongly that the enemy cannot dislodge the Allied forces.

Opposition leader Gordon Graydon said:

There are no divisions of opinion, no cleavages in thought in this House as we rivet our attention upon the progress of the long-anticipated offensive in Europe.

From the ranks of the French-speaking members, Maurice Lalonde rose to acclaim, in the French language, “the historic fact that from the belfry of time has rung out the hour of the deliverance of France.”

With the permission of the House, he asked that the French national hymn should be sung, and for the first time in Canadian parliamentary history, all the members joined in singing “The Marseillaise.” They following with “God Save the King.”

Toronto, Ontario, Canada (CP) – (June 6)
Canadians of every faith went to their churches today to bespeak the help of God for their fighting men with the Allied invasion forces in Europe.

In almost every Canadian city, there were special services in the churches, which also remained open during the day for private prayer.

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56

Invasion cuts job of Atlantic Fleet

Adm. Ingersoll: Supply task now is to keep ‘expenditures replaced’

Washington – (June 6)
All the American men and material needed for the invasion of Europe had been convoyed to the United Kingdom by the Atlantic Fleet, and now the fleet’s greatly reduced job will be to keep the “expenditures replaced,” Adm. Royal E. Ingersoll, Atlantic Fleet commander, declared here today.

Adm. Ingersoll, who attended a press conference with James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, and Adm. Ernest J. King, Commander-in-Chief of the fleet, also said that Atlantic Fleet warships, from “battleships down,” and Navy aircraft based in the United Kingdom were aiding the invasion.

U.S. battleships, he declared, were presumably bombarding German concrete shore defenses as they did in the Marshalls invasion, where at Kwajalein the Pacific war craft moved within 1,200 yards of the shore.

Adm. Ingersoll is regarded in the Navy as one of the unsung heroes of the war, for it was his Atlantic Fleet that escorted the troops and munitions to Great Britain and the Mediterranean and also won the Battle of the Atlantic against submarines. Adm. King introduced the publicity-shy Adm. Ingersoll as “a great sea officer and a great commander.”

Adm. Ingersoll emphasized that the men and material needed for the invasion were in place, and that the Atlantic Fleet’s job should now be easier while taking care of invasion needs from this point on.

Furthermore, he declared, although there have been reports that the U-boat packs would return to the Atlantic when the invasion started to prey on communication lines from America to England, this threat “is not yet in evidence.”

Adm. Ingersoll said that since Jan. 1, 1942, the Atlantic Fleet has escorted more than 7,000 across the Atlantic “and only lost ten,” and none of these was a troopship. There were other ship losses in the Atlantic, he added, but those occurred among ships not escorted by the fleet.

The admiral said the Germans “gave us some bad knocks in the beginning,” but despite this, the men and munitions got through.

The pre-invasion battle with the U-boats was a battle of wits and scientific developments, in which the Nazis sometimes were ahead of us, and we fortunately were usually ahead of them, he said.

Nazi planes still remain a threat, Adm. Ingersoll reported. In the Mediterranean within the last two to three weeks, a convoy of more than 100 ships was attacked by 40 German aircraft, he revealed. The convoy fought off the raiders by itself, shooting down 18-20 of them and not losing a ship.

Adm. Ingersoll said that as of last Saturday, the Atlantic had 1,511 ships assigned to it for duty or training.

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Hull calls fight all-time ‘pivotal’

‘Cause of mankind never more truly represented,’ he says; Pershing confident

Washington – (June 6)
Secretary of State Hull, vacationing in Hershey, Pennsylvania, said today that the Allied invasion armies were “waging the most pivotal battle of all time.”

Edward R. Stettinius Jr., Acting Secretary of State, declared that “the liberation of Europe has now begun.”

Andrei A. Gromyko, the Soviet Ambassador, looked to “a speedy and complete victory over the enemy.”

The Norwegian Embassy declared that the men and women of Norway “salute their comrades in arms in the firm hope that D-Day is Doomsday for the tyrants and Resurrection Day for the civilized world.”

Manuel L. Quezon, President of the Philippines, broadcast from Saranac Lake, New York, to his people that “every blow struck for freedom anywhere in the world is a blow struck for our own freedom,” and that “day by day the forces of liberation are advancing irresistibly toward the Philippines.”

Labor pledges made

American labor pledged its all-out support on the home front.

William Green, president of the AFL, in a telegram to the presidents of all affiliates, called for uninterrupted production “under any and all circumstances.” He said:

Until Hitler is crushed, every worker enrolled in the army of production must consider himself part of the invasion forces of the United States and conduct himself accordingly.

Philip Murray, president of the CIO, in a message to President Roosevelt, declared that no CIO member on the home front ever “by thought, word or action will be untrue to our fighting men and to the great goal of our victory effort.” He pledged “our complete loyalty in any steps or any sacrifices that may be necessary” and asserted:

No violation of our no-strike pledge can be tolerated by the consciences of our members.

Mr. Stettinius told his press conference that he and Mr. Hull were in communication concerning the invasion before daylight and that the State Department was keeping in constant touch with the War Department on the situation.

Statement by Hull

The statement by Mr. Hull was as follows:

Our brave Allied armies today waging the most pivotal battle of all time never more truly represented the cause of liberty and of mankind.

The forces of savagery desperately endeavoring to destroy the human race are making their last stand. While we fight and pray, and while we know that the fighting will be hard, we confidently look forward to a great historic Allied victory. We must then pledge our all that never again shall the forces of human destruction be let loose on the world.

Mr. Stettinius issued this statement:

freedom from suffering and oppression is at last on the horizon. For the people of China and the Far East also, this day heralds the beginning of a new era.

Our men and those of our Allies are making the supreme sacrifice in order that we and all men may live in peace and freedom. For us at home this is the time not for rejoicing – that can come later – but for every one of us to put everything he has into his job to speed the day of victory.

Soviet envoy’s statement

Ambassador Gromyko’s statement was as follows:

Very good and encouraging news. The catastrophe of fascist Germany is drawing nearer. What Hitler and his criminal clique have dreaded most has happened. Germany is forced to carry on the war on two fronts.

The Soviet people wish all success to our Allies in this most important military undertaking, which is speeding up our common victory over the mortal enemy of mankind – Hitlerite Germany. I am sure that the American soldiers and officers, as well as other Allied forces taking part in this operation, will exhibit staunchness and bravery worthy of this event.

There is no doubt that the combined blows of the powerful Allied coalition will insure a speedy and complete victory over the enemy.

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58

Congress marks day with prayers

Members voice confidence in our arms, then resume old party contentiousness

Washington – (June 6)
Congress was stirred deeply by word that the Allied invasion of continental Europe from the north was on and turned today to prayers for speed and complete victory with a minimum of human losses.

The members voiced confidence in the skills and plans of our military and naval leaders.

“Grant that on this D-Day of liberation,” was the supplication of the Rev. Dr. Frederick Brown Harris, chaplain of the Senate, “weapons of freedom forged in fires of faith may pierce the shields of pagan steel and the cruel invaders’ walls, reared in treachery and tyranny and oppression, may crumble and fall at the boast of Allied might.

Upon our dear boys in this fearful baptism of fire, of whom we think today with special tenderness, lifting them up on the winds of our intercession as knights of Thy Righteous will, and upon the hosts of oppressed now at last to emerge from dark dungeons of thralldom pour thy enabling grave as together they strike the blow on that fair and storied land where the grapes of wrath are stored.

We pray today, this day of days, for our enemies with calloused hearts and warped minds and poisoned conceptions. Forgive them, they know not what they do.

In the House, the Rev. Dr. James Shera Montgomery prayed:

In our prayer, we bring unto Thee our heroic sons and daughters of the battle lines who have surrendered their secret hoys, their aspirations and the blessings of the years. Amid the walls and bulwarks of savage war embrace them in Thy fatherly arms, reveal Thyself unto them in mercy and hide not Thy face from them; comfort them in the face of all adversaries as their swords of righteousness prevail.

In the Senate and House, heads were bowed in silent prayer. Senators joined in reciting the 23rd Psalm. The prayer composed last night by President Roosevelt was read in both chambers.

Senator Alben W. Barkley, Majority Leader, said:

I am sure I speak the sentiment of the Senate, when I say that we all recognize the solemnity of this hour, the great, tragic importance of the events which are now in our minds and hearts, and that all we need to do, and all we probably should do now, or can do, is to pray fervently and devoutly for the success of our troops and those of our allies.

Senator Wallace H. White Jr., Minority Leader, said that the day was shadowed by the possibilities of disaster, but in it there was the substantial promise of a glorious ending.

The spirit of unity left the House as the day progress and as it continued its contest over legislation designed to extend the statute of limitations on court-martial proceedings against RAdm. Husband E. Kimmel and Maj. Gen. Walter C. Short, commanders at Pearl Harbor.

Party lines were drawn as Republicans succeeded in extending the limitation for only three months.

In the Senate, consideration of the bill to extend the Emergency Price Control and Stabilization Acts led to sharp criticism, mostly by Democrats, of the lack of flexibility in the OPA.

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59

City greets news quietly, solemnly

No noisy outbursts, no large crowds, but calm confidence marks reaction to invasion
By Russell Porter

The people of New York City received the invasion news calmly. There was no celebration, no outburst of enthusiasm, no sign of fear or depression. The prevailing mood was one of deep solemnity, of sober realization that this was only the beginning, that the road might be hard and bloody and that many might lose sons and brothers before the battle was won.

At first the atmosphere was charged with anxiety and worry as the majority of New Yorkers awakened to gain their first information on the landings. Later, as the good news came in of initial successes and unexpectedly light losses, a feeling of quiet confidence and encouragement spread throughout the city. In every section of the five boroughs there were faith and hope in victory and the safety of U.S. and Allied soldiers and sailors. This spirit of quiet confidence was typical of the whole nation’s reaction to D-Day.

Churches held special services

Two attitudes were characteristic of New Yorkers on this most momentous day in American and world history. One was the kneeling posture, head bowed, eyes cast down in prayer; the other was the upright stance, head lifted, eyes raised to read the news on bulletin boards and electric signs. These symbolized the city’s principal reactions – a profound intensification of religious feeling, and a great hunger for news.

The first of these reactions was demonstrated in a spontaneous desire for prayer that swept over the entire city. Churches of every denomination were crowded. Special services were held, special masses and special prayers of intercession were said, special candles were lighted. In schools, hospitals, courtrooms, public buildings, theaters, war plants, stores, stock exchanges and other places where people congregate, routine proceedings were halted for brief prayers or moments of silence in tribute and respect to the armies of liberation. Hymns were sung at D-Day assemblies in the public schools, which held one-minute periods of silent devotion. Audiences stood with bowed heads in the theaters.

Mayor leads in prayer

Mayor La Guardia led a prayer in City Hall for the success of the Allied troops and for the comfort of mothers and wives of the soldiers and sailors. Archbishop Francis J. Spellman of St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, read a “Prayer for America” at mass and later over the radio – a prayer he had composed himself, for a “just, merciful and wise” victory, for “guidance for our leaders” and “protection for our sons.” Bishop William T. Manning, officiating at the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine, prayed for “speedy victory for the forces of right and freedom for the sake of all mankind,” and for “a righteous peace.” Rabbi Samuel H. Goldstein of Temple Emanu-El gave thanks for the fighting men of this and all the United Nations who have left their homes to liberate Europe from Nazi tyranny and “establish justice among men and righteousness among peoples.”

All the churches and synagogues were open, from the big cathedrals to the smallest houses of worship and meeting halls. Fifty thousand attended a public prayer meeting at the Eternal Light in Madison Square.

The religious fervor was accompanied by a quick upsurge of patriotism, demonstrated particularly in a rush of blood donors to the Red Cross and in accelerated sales of war bonds and stamps.

The overwhelming demand for news from the front made itself felt on all sides. People gathered around the radios in their homes, in stores, in restaurants and bars, in taxis parked in the street and elsewhere, to get the latest bulletins, watched newsflashes on movie screens or waited at the newsstands for successive editions of the newspapers with the details.

Everywhere in the city the same spirit was reported. From the luxury apartments of Park Avenue to the tenements of the Lower East Side and Harlem, the German-American section in Yorkville and Little Italy, Chinatown and all such settlements, all the elements in New York’s melting pot reached in the same way.

Fifth Avenue, the city’s great showplace, was decked with American and Allied flags. The doors of the big churches in the avenue were flung wide open, and people kept going in and out all day long. Some of the big department stores closed at 1:00 p.m., others at 4:00 p.m. – out shut down for the entire day – so that their employees could attend church services. Many business officers closed early or gave their workers long lunch hours for the same purpose.

Large crowds are lacking

Except for the churchgoers, there were no unusual crowds. It was apparent that war workers had stuck to their jobs turning out more equipment for the Armed Forces instead of taking the day off to rush into the streets and demonstrate.

This was also true in Times Square, where people lined the sidewalks to watch the electric bulletins on The New York Times Tower but did not congregate in abnormal fashion; in Wall Street, and in the other main thoroughfares throughout the greater city.

If anything, the street crowds in the center of the city were smaller than normal yesterday and last night, presumably because people were staying home to listen to the radio and read the papers.

President Roosevelt’s invasion prayer was read to the audiences of Broadway theaters, which were crowded last night, as were the nightclubs. The audiences were kept informed of late news developments through announcements from the stage.

In some restaurants, no food or liquor was served during President Roosevelt’s broadcast of his prayer. Radios were turned out so the diners could listen and join in the prayer if they chose, and many did so.

In Wall Street, the buying and selling of stocks and bonds was halted briefly at both the New York Stock Exchange and the Curb Exchange while prayers were offered.

Wounded veterans of the Italian, North African and Pacific campaigns in this war joined in the prayers at the veterans’ hospitals in the city, while veterans of world War I took part in nonsectarian services held by American Legion posts and other veterans’ organizations. They made heartfelt pleas that casualties would be light in the Battle of Europe.

Soldiers and sailors of the United States and the allies, especially British and Canadian soldiers and British and French sailors, appeared on the streets in the usual numbers and were eyed with even more than the ordinary respect. They appeared to share the solemn mood of civilians. There did not seem to be as much skylarking as usual among the men on leave in the big city. Last night, they were not roistering around streets to any great extent. On the contrary, they were sitting in the United Service Organizations and other canteens, their ears glued to the radios, or their eyes fastened on the newspapers, just like everybody else.

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60

Editorial: Let us pray

The President’s prayer last night was the nation’s prayer. This nation was born in the only revolution in history made in the name of God. It was born of the conception that the rights of man are not conveyed to him by any accident of class or color, race or creed, are not conferred or withheld by any government, but are given him by God as the inalienable birthright of the human being. it is to defend this inherent right of the human being, the right of free will, against the most ambitious tyranny that ever shadowed the earth that we are today storming the beaches of Europe with the legions of all the people, conquered and marked for conquest, who would rather die fighting than live as slaves.

We have come to the hour for which we were born. We go forth to meet the supreme test of our arms and of our souls, the test of the maturity of our faith in ourselves and in mankind, and it is fitting that in this hour we at home, citizens of all confessions and no confession, should follow the ways of our fathers and solemnly place the fate of our country, our cause and our sons, in the hands of God.

We pray for the boys we know and for millions of unknown boys who are equally a part of us. A year, two years ago, they were the grinning, careless youngsters we saw on the campuses and ballfields and streets of every American town. Now they are steeled and exalted into men; they are the heroes in the hardest and most crucial adventure in history. All too literally, their flesh and their spirit are our shield, the shield of the Republic. “Lead them straight and true, O Lord of Hosts; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness to their faith.”

We pray for our country, this country that is ourselves, as strong as we are strong, as great as we are determined to make and keep it great. In the eyes of our soldiers, looking back for one last look at home as they go forward into the unknown dangers before them, we see that “home” means to them all the world is fighting for. In this moment of pure light that burns away all trivial issues, they see the war aims with perfect clearness, and so do we. Our prayer is to be worthy of their courage and their faith in us and the future and brave enough to keep on fighting for peace when they have won it for us.

The cause prays for itself, for it is the cause of the God who created men free and equal. Victory may be hard to win, but it is as certain as the eventual triumph of good over evil is always certain. In this searching hour we are humble as well as proud. We know that we are paying not only for the awful sins of those who willed war but for the sons of those who did not will peace hard enough to take responsibility to maintain it. We are paying also for our own sins. Let us pray for the grace to avoid committing them over again. On our knees let us seek the wisdom to turn the victory we will buy with a great price into a reign of justice.

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61

Blood donors swamp Red Cross; 300% rise in bookings in city

Thousands of New Yorkers, anxious to take some active part in D-Day swamped blood bank centers in Manhattan and Brooklyn yesterday in their eagerness to make blood donor appointments. By 8 o’clock last night, weary volunteer workers reported a 300% increase in “future bookings” over a normal day.

As early as 8:30 a.m. yesterday, the telephones in the booking rooms began to ring. Shortly thereafter, the number of women answering these calls for the New York chapter of the American Red Cross had to be doubled. One man reported that he had telephoned steadily between 9:00 a.m. and noon before he was able to make an appointment.

Hundreds of men and women appeared at the center, 2 E 38th Street, without appointments and waited as long as three hours to fill in when cancellations occurred. These were far below average. Other persons, unable to wait, made appointments for the future.

Invasion “jitters” apparently directed many to the blood bank. One woman, who waited two hours for a possible cancellation, said she was too nervous to sit at home and listen to the radio. Others revealed that they had wandered aimlessly, wanting to do something “useful,” until they found themselves in the neighborhood of the centers.

The long line of potential donors contained many who had never given blood before and an equal number who had. One man was waiting to make his 15th donation. Two women were celebrating their birthdays as well as D-Day. A family of three waited three hours “just in case our nephews and cousins who are taking part in the invasion might need the plasma.”

Servicemen and women, who are rushed through without appointments, also helped to swell the crowd. A dozen sailors appeared en masse. WACs and SPARS came in twos and threes. A soldier who had 25 minutes between trains thought there might be time for him to give blood.

Col. Earle Boothe, director of blood donor service, urged volunteers to keep appointments to assure a steady flow of plasma during the next few critical months. He appealed to residents not to relinquish their resolve to donate blood if they could not obtain immediate appointments.

The United Press reported a similar rush in Washington to give blood.

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62

Editorial: The invasion

The first reports from the battlefront sound like an answer to the prayer that accompanied our troops, smashed by Allied bombers and by the guns of the United Nations’ navies at least sections of the vaunted German “Atlantic Wall” have crumbled, and our troops are established on beachheads along a front from Le Havre to Cherbourg, while Allied parachute and glider troops leaping beyond the “wall” are fighting in Caen, nine miles in the interior, and according to enemy reports even north of Rouen, 41 miles from the coast.

Certainly in the first phases of the invasion, Allied strategy has been brilliant. Instead of striking at the high cliffs opposite Dover, where the Germans expected the attack, and had therefore placed their heaviest fortifications, Gen. Eisenhower struck at the low-lying sandy beaches of Normandy, using methods which had produced such excellent results in Sicily, at Salerno and at Anzio. And the location of the landings also indicates the further plan, which seems aimed at putting the whole Normandy Peninsula into Allied hands as a base for a drive up the Seine Valley directly on to Paris. But the landings in Normandy are merely the first of a series which may now be expected to crash other beaches of France, both north and south, and possibly those of other countries as well.

Yet though the enemy’s “Atlantic Wall” has proved to be quite vulnerable in spots, the German Command has still mobile armies estimated at some 50 divisions in France, in which it has placed its main reliance to bring the Allied invasion to a halt. These armies will counterattack and attempt to drive the allies back into the sea. As Gen. Eisenhower said, the landing is but the opening phase and great battles lie ahead. But the enemy armies can scarcely move until they are certain where the main blow is to come from, and they cannot be quite certain while other invasions are still pending. That is the advantage of the initiative, which is now firmly in Allied hands.

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Editorial: France

It is the strange but noble destiny of France to welcome passionately in secret an army of invaders that must bring more destruction and death upon her, who has suffered so much and so long. It will soon be four years since the armistice with Germany was signed after six disastrous weeks. What a monstrous irony it is to recall the strictly “correct” behavior of the Nazi troops in Paris. The Parisians were nit impressed. The artificial, clumsy, Teutonic politeness was soon thrown off. In 1941, Pétain’s “honorable peace” had turned into reneging of the armistice terms. The Nazis put a stranglehold upon French industrial and economic life, made almost two million French captured soldiers do forced labor, refused to reduce the enormous overcharge for the support of the army of occupation.

Violence, sabotage inevitably followed. The slaughter of “hostages” began. It is now in its fourth year. The work of the French groups of resistance has been continuous. In the face of death, they have never flinched. They are now ready and waiting to aid the friendly invaders, not merely by information but by arms. French soldiers are among the friendly invaders. In Africa, in Italy, in the air and on the sea, Frenchmen have fought for us and for themselves.

In these fateful hours, Americans send their wishes and hopes to these brave and enduring fighters for freedom. For the mother of modern freedom, Americans have a kindness that is more than historical. Who that has been in France, that federation, we might call it, of little provinces or countries, each with its individual charm, can help loving it? Unyielding and indomitable people of France, have faith and courage! We are coming.

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Editorial: Weapons and the invasion

Where were those “secret weapons” of the Germans when Allied troops swarmed over the sands between Le Havre and Cherbourg? That rocket shell of diabolically ingenious Nazi physicists which was loaded with so lethal a charge of liquid air and uranium salt that it could destroy all life within a range of 500 yards – where was it? And what about the preposterous German bomb which, when it exploded, would freeze everything within a quarter of a mile and clog the Channel with icebergs to block transports? So far as we can tell at this early stage of the invasion, both sides used weapons that have been familiar ever since the Allies landed at Salerno.

When Hitler began his depredations neither side had today’s weapons. The equipment evolved in four years came only in stages, by way of Russia, North Africa and Italy. Hence the invasion was conducted with the aid of an accumulated engineering experience. Bombers of unprecedented carrying capacity and range, troop-laden gliders towed by “locomotive” planes, rocket guns big and small, radio-controlled shells with wings, radar, machines to generate steam and oil fogs that conceal square miles, jet-propelled fighters – the invaders had them all and more to boot. These are the engineering surprises of the present war. In 1918, we could speak chiefly of gas and the tank.

A foothold was gained on the shores of France partly because of these innovations, but largely because of a plan and an organization without a parallel. We have not only to think of 4,000 larger vessels in the Channel, 11,000 planes in support, several hundred naval vessels to cover the transports, tanks, special artillery in every size and for every destructive purpose, balloon barrages, but also of a masterly coordination of movement in three dimensions. Everything had to be thought of – from dehydrated food to typewriters, from mine sweeps to binoculars. We may be sure that the engineer was everywhere the director and coordinator. For this was essentially a stupendous engineering enterprise. If Addison could eulogize Marlborough at Blenheim as he who “rides in the whirlwind and directs the storm,” what shall we say of Eisenhower and a terrific mechanical tornado?

In the swirl of this directed tornado, we must include a mighty armada of transatlantic freight-carriers and the factories of Chicago and St. Louis, the oil refineries of Tulsa, the jeep and tank plants of Detroit and Toledo, the tailoring lofts of New York. No wonder a thrill runs through millions of workers in North America and Britain. They, too, are human gears and levers in a titanic invading machine. The screech of the tool that saws steel 5,000 miles from France is echoed in the screech of shells in flight. Science and technology interwoven with daring on French beaches to fashion a spiritual fabric in which the democracies are wrapped – that is what the invasion means.

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65

Völkischer Beobachter (June 8, 1944)

Harte Kämpfe an der normannischen Küste –
Kraftvolle Abwehr gegen die zweite Angriffswelle

Große Verluste des Feindes an Menschen, Waffen, Schiffen, Flugzeugen

Berlin, 7. Juni –
Nachdem die deutschen Truppen am Nachmittag des 6. Juni die zwischen Cherbourg und Le Havre aus der Luft gelandeten Briten und Nordamerikaner teils ins Meer geworfen und teils auf schmale Küstensäume zurückgedrückt hatten, begann der Feind, wie erwartet, in den Abendstunden die zweite Angriffswelle. An zahlreichen Stellen flogen schwere Bomber mit angehängten Lastenseglern in Gruppen von je 100 Flugzeugen und mehr in das normannische Küstengebiet ein. Zahlreiche Staffeln gerieten in das Sperrfeuer der Flak oder die Geschoßgarben der deutschen Jäger.

Die Masse der Lastensegler ging im Orne-Abschnitt nieder. Die übrigen klinkten südlich Le Havre, im Raum von Carentan sowie an der Ost- und Westküste der Halbinsel Cotentin aus. Außerdem bombardierten schwere Verbände des Feindes die Abriegelung der Landestellen und das Hinterland. In harten nächtlichen Kämpfen rieben unsere Truppen die Masse der in ihrem Rücken gelandeten Fallschirmeinheiten auf und säuberten das Hinterland von Versprengten. Die Verluste des Gegners an Menschen und Waffen waren außerordentlich hoch. Die Höhenrücken im Innern der normannischen Halbinsel und das Gelände zwischen Orne und Vire sind von zahllosen abgestürzten Lastenseglern und gefallenen Fallschirmspringern bedeckt. Mehrfach gerieten geschlossene Einheiten in deutsche Gefangenschaft.

Gleichzeitig legte der Feind mit schwerer Schiffsartillerie eine Feuerglocke über die alten Landestellen und begann Verstärkungen an Land zu bringen. In einem Abschnitt schoben sich zwischen den ausgebrannten oder noch schwelenden Wracks von über 30 großen Landungsfahrzeugen die vollbesetzten Boote an den Strand heran. Die Küstenverteidigung und unsere in Wellen angreifenden Kampfflugzeuge hielten unter den Briten und Nordamerikanern blutige Ernte. Von Bomben getroffen sank unter anderem ein etwa 6000 bis 7000 BRT großer Transporter. Während der Ausschiffung griffen leichte deutsche Seestreitkräfte die in der Seinebucht zusammengezogene feindliche Landungsflotte an.

Mehrere der sichernden Kriegsschiffe erhielten Torpedotreffer. Weitere Schiffsverluste hatte der Feind durch das Feuer schwerer Batterien und durch hochgehende Seeminen.

Nach dem Niederkämpfen der hinter unseren Küstenbefestigungen aus der Luft abgesetzten Truppen drückten unsere Verbände von neuem auf die Landestellen. Ein kleinerer Brückenkopf im Gebiet der Viremündung und nördlich davon sowie die Widerstandsnester im Innern der normannischen Halbinsel wurden beseitigt.

Die Lage der einzelnen Landepunkte zueinander läßt Rückschlüsse auf die Absichten des Gegners zu. Die Nordamerikaner versuchen durch ihre am Vire und gegenüber der Kanalinsel Jersey an Land gebrachten oder abgesetzten Kräfte die normannische Halbinsel mit Cherbourg abzuschnüren. Aus den Vorstößen der im Raum der Orne-Mündung stehenden Briten ist weiterhin erkennbar, daß der Feind seinen dortigen Brückenkopf zu erweitern erstrebt. Kennzeichnend für den bisherigen Ablauf der Kämpfe ist neben dem riesigen Aufgebot des Gegners an Menschen, Waffen, Schiffen und Flugzeugen vor allem die Tatsache, daß er alle seine verfügbaren Kräfte immer nur in dem gleichen Raum einsetzt. Die sowohl in den Morgenstunden, wie in den Nachmittagsstunden vor der Küste zwischen Calais und Dünkirchen beobachteten feindlichen Verbände hatten offenbar nur die Aufgabe zu täuschen. Sie haben bislang jedenfalls keinen Landeversuch gemacht.

In den ersten 24 Stunden der Invasion hat sich der Feind durch rücksichtslose Opfer starker Kräfte und durch Masseneinsatz seines von zwei Weltreichen bereitgestellten Materials eines etwa 40 Kilometer breiten, jedoch nur wenige Kilometer tiefen Küstenstreifens sowie einiger kleiner Landestellen bemächtigen können. Dieses Ergebnis mußte er mit riesigen Verlusten an Menschen sowie zahlreicher Schiffe, Flugzeuge und Waffen bezahlen. Der Gegner hat die Stärke der deutschen Abwehr zu spüren bekommen, und jeden Schritt weiter beantworten unsere Truppen durch immer härter werdende Gegenschläge.

66

Italienische Front: Nebenkriegsschauplatz –
‚Deutsche Führung urteilt richtig‘

e. a. Italienisches Hauptquartier, 7. Juni –
Der anglo-amerikanische Invasionsversuch hat im faschistischen Italien sogar die Räumung Roms und alles, was damit zusammenhängt, in den Schatten gedrängt.

Die Kommentare der italienischen Presse arbeiten den Zusammenhang, der zwischen den Ereignissen an der Südfront und dem Invasionsversuch in Frankreich besteht, klar heraus. Regime Fascista schreibt:

Die deutsche Führung ist nicht überrascht worden. Sie wußte, daß die Anglo-Amerikaner, wenn sie den Krieg fortsetzen und nicht mit den Bolschewisten brechen wollten, den Befehlen Stalins gehorchen mußten. Noch besser wußte die deutsche Führung, wo die Landung erfolgen mußte. Sie hat sich dabei durch die große Offensive in Italien nicht ablenken lassen, die aus politischen Gründen Rom zum Ziel hatte.

Die ersten Nachrichten aus Frankreich trösten uns nach der Bitterkeit, mit der wir den Verlust Roms vernommen haben. Immer mehr überzeugen wir uns davon, daß unter rein militärischen Gesichtspunkten die italienische Front nur ein Anhängsel der Entscheidungsschlacht ist, die die Anglo-Amerikaner in Frankreich führen müssen.

Auch Republica Fascista bringt die Räumung Roms mit dem Invasionsversuch in Zusammenhang und schreibt, in beiden Fällen gehe es um die europäische Kultur, aber es sei absurd, anzunehmen, weil Rom geräumt worden sei, würde Europa dem feindlichen Ansturm erliegen. Im Gegenteil sei das von farbigen Truppen geschändete Rom zum Symbol der für die Zukunft der europäischen Kultur kämpfenden Truppen geworden.

67

Kurschat: Das Aushalten an der Ostfront erhält seinen Sinn

pk. Die Invasionsschlacht um Westeuropa hat begonnen! Wie ein Lauffeuer dringt diese Nachricht in den Mittagsstunden des 6. Juni durch die Stellungen unserer Grenadiere an der östlichen Abwehrfront gegen den Bolschewismus. Die gespannten Erwartungen der bevorstehenden Ereignisse haben sich aufgelöst in ein tiefes Gefühl der Erleichterung. Keiner unserer Ostfrontgrenadiere unterschätzt den Ernst der Lage und die Schwere der Aufgaben, die den Kameraden an der Kanalfront aufgebürdet sind. Keiner aber verkennt auch, daß der Invasionsbeginn das Heranreifen der endgültigen Entscheidung über Sieg und Niederlage in diesem Weltringen gewaltig vorantreibt.

Ohne Zweifel steht der Invasionsbeginn mit der augenblicklichen Lage an der Ostfront in ursächlichem Zusammenhang. Das eherne Halt, das unsere Ostgrenadiere den durch den Wintervormarsch maßlos gewordenen Sowjets von Narwa bis zum unteren Dnjestr boten, unsere glänzenden Abwehrerfolge an der Südfront – die Zerschlagung des bolschewistischen Großangriffs beiderseits Tigins, die Bereinigung der Brückenköpfe von Butor und Rascäti und der Flußschleife von Koschnitze und endlich die deutsch-rumänischen Angriffserfolge nördlich Jassy – ließen gewiß die Forderung Stalins nach der Invasion in Westeuropa in den letzten Wochen immer dringender werden. So mußte sich das alliierte Oberkommando endlich bequemen, dem Befehl des Kremls zu folgen und in das Blutbad der Invasion zu steigen.

Die gefährlichen Entwicklungen dieses Winters an der Ostfront erhalten durch den Auftakt der Entscheidungsschlacht in Westeuropa ihren Sinn. Wie oft haben sich die deutschen Grenadiere im Süden der Ostfront während der schwerwiegenden Absetzbewegungen vom Unterlauf des Dnjepr über Ingulez, Ingul und Bug zum Dnjestr gefragt, ob es keinen Ausweg gebe, die rückläufigen Bewegungen aufzuhalten. Einige frische Divisionen hätten Entscheidendes erreichen können, und jeder wußte, daß im Westen ein ganzes Heer bestausgerüsteter, ausgeruhter Verbände lag. Manchmal wollten sich in die Herzen jener fast bis zur Erschöpfung kämpfenden Soldaten Zweifel einschleichen an das Sinnvolle des Opfers, das sie Tag für Tag bringen mußten. Aber sie fanden in den Stellungen am unteren Dnjestr das Bewußtsein ihrer eigenen Stärke wieder, wenn auch mancher sich vielleicht fragen mochte: War die Freigabe riesiger Gebiete wirklich gerechtfertigt? Wäre durch den Einsatz von Westreserven nicht doch die Lage im Osten früher zu stabilisieren gewesen?

Die Ostfront hat die ihr vom Führer gestellte Aufgabe auch ohne die Hilfe der Divisionen des Warteheeres im Westen lösen können. Eine Auslese von hervorragenden Offizieren und in allen Feuern des Winterkrieges zu Stahl gehärteten Männern hat einem vielfach überlegenen Gegner getrotzt. Und nun sehen diese Männer, die so lange vergeblich in der scheinbaren Sinnlosigkeit einen Sinn suchten, warum der Führer in rücksichtsloser Entschlossenheit den Osten zugunsten der drohenden Invasionsfront hintanstellen mußte. Nun erkennen sie das geschichtliche Verdienst, das sie sich um die Schonung der Westreserven erworben haben, und sagen sich mit berechtigtem Stolz, daß es nicht zuletzt ihrem winterlichen Aushalten zuzuschreiben ist, daß heute eine ungeschwächte Abwehr der anglo-amerikanischen Invasionsarmeen entgegentreten kann. Die Grenadiere der Ostfront verfolgen den Kampf ihrer Kameraden mit den heißesten Wünschen. Geht es diesmal doch nicht um eine Entscheidung auf einem Teilgebiet des Krieges, sondern eben um das letzte Wägen, ehe es die Siegesschale niedersinken läßt. Es ist der feste Glaube der Ostfront, daß die Kameraden im Westen bei diesem Wägen nicht zu leicht befunden werden. Denn die Männer, die heute an der Kanalküste stehen, sind ja fast durchweg zunächst durch die Schule des Ostkrieges gegangen, die beste Schule, die einem Soldaten zuteilwerden und die auch das intensivste „Invasionstraining“ nicht wettmachen kann.

Kriegsberichter HEINRICH KURSCHAT

68

Staatsmänner zum Überfall auf Europa

Staatschef Marschall Pétain hat einen Appell an das französische Volk gerichtet, in dem er alle französischen Dienststellen, Eisenbahner und Arbeiter auffordert, auf ihrem Posten zu verbleiben.

So heißt es in dem Appell:

Franzosen! Verschlimmert unser Unglück nicht durch Taten, die tragische Repressalien über euch bringen könnten. Die unschuldige französische Bevölkerung würde die Folgen tragen. Nur durch Wahrung strengster Disziplin kann Frankreich gerettet werden. Gehorcht also den Befehlen der Regierung, erfülle jeder seine Pflicht. Die Umstände der Schlacht werden die deutsche Armee vielleicht veranlassen, in den Kampfzonen besondere Maßnahmen zu ergreifen. Fügt euch dieser Notwendigkeit!

Der Poglavnik Dr. Ante Pavelitsch erklärte einem DNB-Korrespondenten:

Die Geschichte Europas kennt das Wort Invasion seit jeher. Sie kam immer von Osten, und es handelte sich immer mehr oder weniger um halbwilde Horden, die in zivilisierte Gebiete Europas hereinbrachen, um zu plündern und zu zerstören. Die Invasion der Anglo-Amerikaner auf dem europäischen Kontinent kommt zwar nicht aus dem Osten, hätte jedoch dieselben Ergebnisse. Die Anglo-Amerikaner könnten einer Invasion des bolschewistischen Rußlands in Europa nichts entgegenstellen oder sie verhindern.

Das kroatische Volk schwur seinen unabhängigen Staat, für den es durch Jahrhunderte lebte und kämpfte, auf den es ein Recht hat, und für den es politisch und wirtschaftlich reif ist. Die anglo-amerikanische Invasion wird daher vom kroatischen Volk so aufgefaßt, als ob man es seines eigenen Staates berauben und anderen Völkern unterordnen wolle.

Aus diesem Grunde ist das kroatische Volk bereit und entschlossen, alle seine Kräfte für den gemeinsamen Kampf einzusetzen und mit dem deutschen Volk gegen jede Invasion zu streiten, denn es weiß, es kämpft für seine Freiheit und seinen Bestand.

Generaloberst Milan Neditsch, der serbische Regierungschef, sagte gegenüber einem DNB-Korrespondenten:

Auf jeden Fall wird die Londoner Rechnung, welche Serbien und die Serben in eine mit der Invasion verbundene Balkanaufstandsbewegung einsetzt, falsch sein. Wir wissen, daß uns die Anglo-Amerikaner an die Bolschewisten verraten und verkauft haben. So wandelt sich für uns wie auch für die anderen Südostvölker das Invasionsproblem in den konkreteren Fall des unerbittlich antibolschewistischen Kampfes, welchen wir schon bald drei Jahre mit steigendem Erfolg führen. Die Invasion ändert an Serbiens Standpunkt nichts. Wir sind bereit, alles für das Wohl unseres Volkes zu opfern. Wir glauben ebenso wie das deutsche Volk unerschütterlich daran, daß, wer in den jetzigen Versuchungen und Bedrängnissen durchhält, nicht nur das eigene Leben, sondern auch die Zukunft der ganzen Nation, ja ganz Europas gerettet hat.

Ministerpräsident Quisling betonte in einer Unterredung mit einem DNB-Vertreter:

Der europäische Kontinent habe ein Stadium seiner historischen Entwicklung erreicht, in dem die verschiedenen Staaten und Völker nach einer europäischen Einheit strebten, um ihre Freiheit und Existenz behaupten zu können. Das Dasein Europas müsse gegen Weltmächte verteidigt werden, die außerhalb Europas entstanden seien und die im Zeichen einer fortgesetzten Expansion den alten Erdteil mit Vernichtung und Ausbeutung auf Jahrhunderte hinaus bedrohten. England und Amerika mit ihren kapitalistischen und imperialistischen Eigeninteressen und der Weltimperialismus des Bolschewismus versuchten die rettende Neuordnung Europas mit allen Kräften zu hindern. Für jeden Europäer, der die Liebe zum eigenen Land und Volk mit dem Verständnis für das Schicksal an das Europas verbindet sei die Lage angesichts dieser Umstände völlig klar.

69

Gegnerischer Großangriff westlich Rom –
Die Mehrzahl der Feindbrückenköpfe zerschlagen

dnb. Aus dem Führer-Hauptquartier, 7. Juni –
Das Oberkommando der Wehrmacht gibt bekannt:

Die feindliche Landungsoperation an der Nordküste der Normandie zwischen Le Havre und Cherbourg wurde während des ganzen Tages durch starke Seestreitkräfte unterstützt. Zahlreiche im Rücken unserer Küstenbefestigungen abgesetzte Luftlandeverbände sollten diese Landung erleichtern und das Heranführen unserer Reserven verhindern. Sie wurden zum größten Teil nach kurzem, hartem Kampf aufgerieben, nachdem sie schon beim Absprung durch unsere Flak schwere Verluste erlitten hatten. Es gelang dem Feind von See her, an mehreren Stellen Fuß zu fassen. Die Mehrzahl seiner Brückenköpfe wurde jedoch im Gegenangriff zerschlagen. Zahlreiche Landungsboote liegen ausgebrannt vor der Küste.

Beiderseits der Ornemündung und nördlich Carentan sind heftige Kämpfe mit stärkerem Gegner entbrannt, dem es bis jetzt noch gelungen ist, diese Brückenköpfe, wenn auch mit schweren Verlusten, zu behaupten.

In den frühen Morgenstunden des 6. Juni griffen deutsche Torpedoboote in der Seinebucht einen feindlichen Schlachtschiffverband, der zusammen mit Kreuzern und Zerstörern die Landungsflotte sicherte, mit gutem Erfolg an. Leichte deutsche Seestreitkräfte stießen in der Nacht zum 7. Juni westlich Le Havre gegen einen britischen Zerstörerverband vor und erzielten mehrere Torpedotreffer. Ein Zerstörer blieb brennend Hegen. Küstenbatterien der Kriegsmarine fügten im schweren Artillerieduell Schlachtschiffen und Zerstörern starke Schäden zu. Auf den von der Kriegsmarine ausgelegten Minensperren sind mehrere feindliche Einheiten durch Minentreffer gesunken.

Die beiderseitige Kampftätigkeit in der Luft war gestern durch das Wetter stark behindert. Über dem Landungsraum wurden durch Luftverteidigungskräfte nach bisherigen Meldungen 104 feindliche Flugzeuge abgeschossen.

In Italien trat der Feind nach Versammlung starker Kräfte im Raum westlich Rom wieder zum Großangriff an. Mit überlegenen Infanterie- und Panzerverbänden gelang es ihm, beiderseits der Küstenstraße vorstoßend, nach erbittertem Kampf in unsere Stellungen einzubrechen. Auch nördlich Rom konnte der Gegner trotz heldenhaften Widerstandes unserer Truppen einen tieferen Einbruch erzielen. Schwere Kämpfe sind hier noch im Gange.

Östlich Rom führte der Feind wieder während des ganzen Tages heftige, aber vergebliche Angriffe gegen unsere Stellungen bei und westlich Tivoli.

Im Osten kam es gestern nur zu Säuberungskämpfen im Raum nordwestlich Jassy. Starke Kampf- und Schlachtfliegerverbände griffen in die Erdkämpfe ein. Und fügten den Sowjets hohe Menschen- und Materialverluste zu.

Bei der Bekämpfung des feindlichen Nachschubverkehrs durch die Luftwaffe wurden zahlreiche Bahnhöfe nachhaltig zerstört und mehrere Eisenbahnstrecken unterbrochen. In der Nacht waren besonders die Bahnknotenpunkte Proskurow und Schmerinka das Angriffsziel schwerer deutscher Kampfflugzeuge, die starke Explosionen und ausgedehnte Brände hervorriefen.

Der Kampf gegen die kommunistischen Banden auf dem Balkan wurde im Monat Mai besonders erfolgreich durchgeführt. Der Feind erlitt schwerste blutige Verluste und verlor außer 17.200 Toten 8.700 Gefangene und Überläufer. Zahlreiche Geschütze, leichte und schwere Infanteriewaffen, Munitions- und Vorratslager wurden vernichtet oder erbeutet.

Nordamerikanische Bomberverbände warfen auf verschiedene Städte in Südosteuropa Bomben und verursachten besonders in Ploesti, Kronstadt, Turnu-Severin und Belgrad Schäden und Personenverluste. Durch deutsche und rumänische Luftverteidigungskräfte wurden 21 feindliche Flugzeuge, darunter 13 viermotorige Bomber, vernichtet.

In der vergangenen Nacht warfen einzelne feindliche Flugzeuge Bomben auf das Stadtgebiet von Mannheim.

70

Auslandsecho zum Invasionsversuch

Berlin, 7. Juni –
Der Beginn der lang erwarteten Invasion hat in Europa und der übrigen Welt ein überaus starkes Echo gefunden.

PARIS: In der französischen Presse findet die Invasion unter Heranziehung aller zur Verfügung stehenden Einzelmeldungen natürlich stärkste Beachtung. Kartenskizzen zeigen das kampffeld und weisen darauf hin, daß Frankreich wieder einmal Schlachtfeld geworden ist. Die Kommentare bringen zum Ausdruck, daß die Anglo-Amerikaner Sich auf Druck Moskaus in dieses Invasionsabenteuer stürzen mußten, durch das sie in schwere, verlustreiche Kämpfe verwickelt würden, die von der deutschen Heerführung bis in die letzte Einzelheit vorbereitet seien. Die deutsche Armee verteidige an der französischen Küste Frankreich, das Reich und somit Europa.

BUDAPEST: Zum Sprecher der ungarischen Meinung macht sich das Blatt Esti Ujsag mit den Worten:

Es geht um die Entscheidung der Frage, wem Europa gehören soll, den Engländern, der amerikanischen Plutokratie oder dem bolschewistischen Terror, Die ungarische Nation wünscht von ganzem Herzen ihren deutschen Kameraden Glück. Wir Ungarn glauben und vertrauen unerschütterlich darauf, daß die letzte große Probe den Sieg an die Fahnen der für Europas gerechte Sache kämpfenden Helden heften wird.

BUKAREST: Die rumänische Zeitung Ecoul schreibt:

Unser Volk muß wissen, daß es der schwerste Augenblick ist, in dem es seinen Willen, die Ereignisse zu überleben, wie hart sie auch immer sein mögen, beweisen muß.

Und Curentul stellt fest, daß die von Stalin geforderte Invasion jetzt von den Anglo-Amerikanern ihre Verwirklichung finde. „Wir bleiben dabei aufmerksame Wächter im Osten, denn hier steht unser nationales Territorium auf dem Spiel.“

PRESSBURG: Die slowakischen Zeitungen heben alle die Bedeutung der Abwehrschlacht am Atlantikwall hervor. In dem Kampf Deutschlands, schreibt Gardista, sehe das slowakische Volk den Kampf um die Freiheit Europas, zugleich aber auch den Kampf um die eigene slowakische Freiheit.

AGRAM: Die kroatische Hrvatski Narod schreibt:

Man fühle die Größe und Bedeutung dieses Ereignisses, das jeden einzelnen Kroaten angehe, da von seinem glücklichen Ausgang der Bestand des kroatischen Staates abhängt.

SOFIA: In Bulgarien unterstreicht Sarja die Notwendigkeit einer nüchternen und ruhigen Betrachtung der Ereignisse. Die Schlacht im Westen sei entscheidend. Das bulgarische Volk sei sich in diesem entscheidenden Augenblick einig in dem Willen, seine Freiheit um jeden Preis zu wahren.

BELGRAD: Der militärische Mitarbeiter der serbischen Nachrichtenagentur Rudnik betont, daß dem Feind weder eine taktische noch eine strategische Überraschung gelang. Die großdeutsche Wehrmacht sei für alle Eventualitäten gerüstet gewesen.

HELSINKI: Die Invasion bildet auch das Hauptthema in Finnland, wobei der von Moskau ausgeübte Druck auf die Engländer und Nordamerikaner besonders betont wird. So schreibt Uusi Suomi, die Invasion sei notwendig geworden, weil die Westmächte aus Gründen der politischen Zusammenarbeit der Alliierten gezwungen gewesen seien, die Sowjetunion auf diese Weise Zu entlasten.

OSLO: Die norwegische Fritt Folk spricht von einem Triumph der deutschen Führung, deren Ansicht sich restlos bewahrheitet habe. Nun wisse es jedermann, daß es richtig war, im Osten hinhaltend zu kämpfen, um zu der großen Abrechnung im Westen gerüstet zu sein.

BERN: Wenn in der Schweiz im ersten Augenblick hier und da noch Zweifel herrschen mochten, ob es sich bei der neuen Landung nicht nur um ein neues Dieppe-Unternehmen größten Stils handle, ist im Laufe des Tages überall die Überzeugung zum Durchbruch gelangt, daß wirklich der große und ernst gemeinte Invasionsversuch der Anglo-Amerikaner begonnen hat. Der Bund stellt fest, „daß die militärische Abwehr bereit war und sich nicht überraschen ließ.“

MADRID: Die spanische Zeitung Arriba schreibt:

Im Abwehrabschnitt der Festung Europa stehen die besten Truppen Deutschlands mit dem besten Material bereit, In diesen Männern brennt eine Kampfleidenschaft, die fähig ist, Wunder zu erzeugen. Ihre Moral ist hart wie Stahl, ihre Kampftechnik ist unberechenbar stark, ihre Kriegskunst ist ungewöhnlich und ihre Führung wunderbar.

LISSABON: Das Vertrauen in die deutschen Waffen ist in Portugal wieder sehr stark in den Vordergrund getreten. An der kommenden Entscheidung hat Portugal ein großes Interesse und hofft, daß die deutschen Waffen durch ihren Erfolg auch den berechtigten portugiesischen Ansprüchen auf Selbständigkeit in seiner Innen- und Außenpolitik zum Durchbruch verhelfen.

TOKIO: Der 6. Juni wird für lange Zeit als derjenige Tag im Gedächtnis bleiben, an dem die Morgenröte der neuen Weltordnung begann, erklärte der japanische Regierungssprecher Okasaki. Der zuversichtliche Ton von deutscher Seite und die in scharfen Gegensatz dazu stehende Unsicherheit der bisherigen feindlichen Stimmen unterstreiche, wie die Aussichten beurteilt werden könnten.

71

Supreme HQ Allied Expeditionary Force (June 7, 1944)

Communique No. 4

Allied troops have cleared all beaches of the enemy and have in some cases established links with flanking beachheads. Inland fighting generally is heavy.

An armoured counter-attack in the CAEN area in Tuesday evening was repulsed. Enemy resistance is stiffening as his reserves come into action. The landing of troops and sea-borne military supplies continues on all beaches despite the North Westerly wind which had persisted since the assault.

Shortly before dawn today, light coastal forces, while sweeping to the eastward, encountered a superior force of enemy craft. Action was immediately joined and damage was inflicted on the enemy before he could make good his escape.

Enemy coastal batteries which were still in action yesterday have been silenced by Allied Naval Forces. It is not yet known whether all have been finally reduced.

Today Allied aircraft have been directing the fire of the USS TEXAS (Capt. C. A. BAKER, USN) wearing the flag of RAdm. CARLETON F. BRYANT, USN and HMS GLASGOW (Capt. S. P. CLARKE, DSO RN) who, together with other Allied warships, have been engaging inland targets behind the beaches.

Allied aircraft of all types and in great strength have again closely supported our land and sea forces.

Early this morning airborne operations were resumed on a very large scale, supplies and tactical equipment being delivered to our ground forces.

In two operations this morning, medium and light bombers attacked large troop concentrations and military buildings close behind the enemy line as well as gun positions in the battle area and railway lines south of the battle area.

Road, rail and other targets, including armoured vehicles, troop concentrations, gun positions and ammunition dumps were also attacked during the morning by fighter bombers.

Heavy bombers, in medium strength, attacked focal points on the road system in the area south of CAEN early this afternoon. Fighters escorted the bombers and also strafed and bombed railway yards, locomotives, trains of oil tank cars, flak towers, radio installations and airfields over a forty-to-fifty-mile arc south and southeast of the battle area.

Continuous patrols were maintained over shipping, the beaches and the battle area. More enemy aircraft were encountered than on Tuesday and a number of them were shot down.

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Supreme HQ Allied Expeditionary Force (June 8, 1944)

Communiqué No. 5

Bayeux has fallen to our troops, which have also crossed the Bayeux-Caen road at several points. Progress continues despite determined enemy resistance. Fierce armored and infantry fighting has taken place.

Contact has been established between our seaborne and airborne troops.

The steady buildup of our forces has continued. During the night, forces of E-boats made unsuccessful attempts to interfere with the continual arrival of supplies.

Support fire from Allied warships continued throughout yesterday.

Our air forces have given invaluable support to the ground troops on all sectors of the front. Advantage was taken of favorable weather over northern France yesterday afternoon and evening to attack enemy rail and road centers, concentrations of men and materiel, and to bomb airfields and other targets up to 100 miles in advance of our troops. More than 9,000 sorties were flown in tactical support of land and naval forces.

Out for the second time yesterday, heavy bombers with fighter escort in the late afternoon attacked airfields northwest of LORIENT, and railroad bridges and focal points in the area from the Bay of Biscay to the Seine. The bombers encountered no enemy fighter opposition but our fighters reported shooting down 6 enemy aircraft in combat and destroying more than a score on the ground.

After bombing rail and road objectives in the immediate zone of operations, medium and light bombers flying as low as 1,000 feet just behind the enemy lines, strafed gun emplacements and crews, staff cars and trains. Allied fighter bombers and fighters were also extremely active, flying armed reconnaissance over the assault area, covering naval operations and carrying out low-level attacks on bridges north of Carentan and in the Cherbourg Peninsula.

Coastal aircraft attacked naval enemy units in the Bay of Biscay and Channel areas and at least two E-boats were sunk.

Last night heavy bombers in strong force continued attacks on railroad centers at Achères, Versailles, and Massy-Palaiseau and Juvisy on the outskirts of Paris and a concentration of enemy troops and transports some 12 miles south of the assault area.

Anti-tank guns, motor transports and considerable supplies were delivered to our ground troops by very strong air transport and glider forces.

Small enemy air formations attempted attacks on the beaches and night intruders appeared over East Anglia.

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73

Review by War Secretary Stimson of the Invasion Situation
June 8, 1944

We have foothold in France. We have pierced the coastal defenses and landed troops successfully upon the German-controlled territory of the continent. We are continuing to land troops, equipment and supplies. We have shown domination of the sea and of the air in the battle zone.

All this is a great accomplishment. We have gone in against the enemy on the soil which he had stolen. We have come to grips at the beginning of the final test. At the end, there can be but one decision.

But before discussing this matter any further it should be emphasized that only the first hurdle has been taken. It would be bad indeed if we permitted super-optimism to run away with us. German troops are established in northern France in great numbers. Their air force has certainly not yet been driven from the skies. Their military command has plans of action which are undoubtedly beginning to move. We must look for the full fury of savage counterattacks in force at any early moment.

It is obvious, however, that If our men and their operations are to have reasonable protection, certain of the details of current action will have to be withheld temporarily. In due course they will be described fully and, in the meanwhile, I think we should not allow our imagination to outstrip the factual developments. I am confident that the operations will be reported soberly, and it is to the best interest of ourselves and to our men on the battlefield that we do not let our minds leap optimistically ahead of what is actually reported.

There will be hard days ahead. Let us not make them worse because of a previous, cheerful distortion of the facts.

As the reports from London have indicated, American, British and Canadian troops have landed successfully at various points on the Normandy coast from a point near the mouth of the Seine to the Cotentin Peninsula where Cherbourg is a good port. Substantial beachheads have been established. Airborne troops further inland have cut German communications and destroyed supply dumps and taken centers from which to aid the men landing on the beaches. Bayeux has fallen to our troops, and Allied seaborne and airborne forces have made contact.

The attack began around 5:00 a.m. London Time, Tuesday, which means 11:00 p.m. our time, when the first parachutists dropped on Normandy fields to be followed by troops from gliders.

This turned out to be the greatest airborne-troop operation ever attempted. Over 1,000 planes participated in carrying the troops. Little over two percent of these planes were lost, due to enemy anti-aircraft fire. There was no enemy o position in the air in this initial operation.

A little earlier on that same night, 1,000 British heavy bombers opened the attack on the beach defenses, pounding them with a great weight of bombs.

Meanwhile, the invasion fleet of some 4,000 ships in fairly rough weather was approaching the shore. Apparently tactical surprise was achieved. Enemy effort at opposition with surface craft was small. It consisted of few torpedo boats and armed trawlers which were driven off. One enemy trawler was sunk and another severely damaged. During the day we suffered inevitable losses at sea which were unexpectedly low and will be included, in due course, in the public accountings of our operations.

A little after 5:00 p.m., the guns of Allied warships opened on the enemy shore batteries and defense installations. Battleships, cruisers and other types of warships participated. Great fires and smoke rose from the coast. Overhead, the Allied feet had the protection of a tremendous cover of fighter planes.

In this first phase of the operation, German planes were comparatively few, again supporting the inference that despite all the preparations and public speculation on the invasion, the Germans were momentarily taken by surprise. This initial absence of German planes should, of course, also be attributed to the inroads made upon the Luftwaffe in the long continuing attack of American and British planes during the past year – an attack which was really the beginning of the invasion to liberate the continent.

Troops from the ships were waiting to go ashore as a great force of American heavy bombers followed up the British night bombing with an early morning attack upon the enemy’s beach defenses. As many as 1,400 bombers took part, and great sections of the German defenses crumbled under the combined destruction from the Allied planes and naval guns. Here again our losses in the air were light. Five bombers and five fighters were missing.

Approximately between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. London Time (12:30 to 1:30 a.m. Brooklyn Time), the first waves of landing forces went ashore. Beach obstacles were overcome easily at some places and with great difficulty at others. Our men had to contend with enemy shelling and mortar fire and land mines. Against the enemy batteries our dive bombers were extremely useful.

Throughout the day the Allied air forces were masters of the air situation. Once our men were advancing upon the beaches, American heavy bombers returned to attack the enemy in shore from the coast. Altogether during that day, 11,000 first-line Allied planes participated.

In the last day and a half, our beachheads have been widened and some of them united, and we have made varying progress inland. We have sustained some local counterattacks such as those at Caen, but the Germans are now gathering their strength and moving for the real counteraction. The landing of our forces on continental soil was but the first step, although it was a great accomplishment. The second step is to consolidate, repel the local counterattacks and again move forward. The mobile reserves of the enemy will undoubtedly be developed to major action against us. It would be folly to believe that the period of counterattack will be short.

Conditions will be changing from day to day. As I have said before, it is to our good to avoid excesses of optimism or pessimism. It will be an aid to our men in battle if we stick fairly close to what is actually going on today, and enter the realm of the future only with discretion. I do not care to comment further on our future plans.

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