Contents

Chapter                                                            Page
   I. THE ROOTS OF STRATEGY...........................................1
      The Common Ground...............................................1
      General Marshall's Project.....................................13
      "Action in 1942-Not 1943"......................................21
      The Period of Indecision (July-December 1942)..................32
      The Casablanca Conference......................................38

  II. OUTLINE OVERLORD (JANUARY-JULY 1943)...........................46
      Organization for Planning......................................46
      Size and Shape of the Attack...................................54
      Landing Craft Requirements.....................................59
      Allotment of Resources, May 1943...............................63
      The COSSAC Plans...............................................70

 III. OVERLORD IN THE BALANCE (AUGUST-DECEMBER 1943).................83
      Strategy Reviewed: The Quebec Conference.......................83
      Landing Craft Again...........................................100
      Questions of Command..........................................105
      The Cairo-Tehran Conferences..................................117

  IV. THE GERMAN ARMY IN FRANCE, 1940-1943..........................128
      Organization of the West......................................128
      Impact of the Russian and Mediterranean Fronts................140
      Rebuilding the Western Defenses...............................148

   V. OVERLORD REVISED..............................................158
      U.S. Organization and Training for the Assault, January 1944..158
      The ANVIL-OVERLORD Debate.....................................164
      The NEPTUNE Plans.............................................173

  VI. PRELIMINARY OPERATIONS........................................198
      The French Resistance.........................................198
      The Combined Bomber Offensive.................................207
      The Bombing of French Railroads...............................217

 VII. GERMAN DEFENSE MEASURES, 1944.................................231
      OKW Policy in 1944............................................231
      Organization for Combat.......................................236
      Command and Tactics...........................................242
      The Defense of the Eve of Invasion............................258

VIII. THE SIXTH OF JUNE.............................................269
      The Invasion is Launched......................................269
      The Airborne Assault..........................................278
      Hitting the Beaches...........................................300
      The D-Day Beachhead...........................................321

  IX. THE V CORPS LODGEMENT (7-18 JUNE).............................336
      Securing the Beachhead........................................336
      Junction Between V and VII Corps..............................351
      The Caumont Gap...............................................366
      Toward St. Lo.................................................376

   X. THE CAPTURE OF CHERBOURG (8 JUNE-1 JULY)......................386
      Securing the North Flank......................................386
      Attack to Cut the Peninsula...................................396
      Hitler Intervenes.............................................408
      Advance to the Cherbourg Landfront............................416
      The Fall of Cherbourg.........................................422
      End of a Phase................................................438

APPENDIX
   A. DIGEST OF OPERATION OVERLORD..................................450
   B. DIRECTIVE TO SUPREME COMMANDER, ALLIED EXPEDITIONARY FORCE....457
   C. HITLER DIRECTIVE NO. 40.......................................459
   D. HITLER DIRECTIVE NO. 51.......................................464
   E. CHRONOLOGY OF MAIN PLANNING PAPERS FROM 1 JANUARY 1944........468
   F. COMPARATIVE FIRE POWER OF THE U.S. AND GERMAN 1944-TYPE 
        INFANTRY DIVISIONS..........................................470
   G. DIVISIONS AVAILABLE TO GERMANY ON 6 JUNE 1944.................471
   H. TABLE OF EQUIVALENT RANKS.....................................472
   I. RECIPIENTS OF THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CROSS.................473
   J. BASIC MILITARY MAP SYMBOLS....................................477

GLOSSARY............................................................479
CODE NAMES..........................................................485
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE................................................487
INDEX...............................................................495