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As
early as 1942, the Allies had started thinking about the best place for
attempting a landing on mainland Europe, once the time had come. Every
hypothesis was considered, from the fjords of Norway to Brittany and the Bay of
Biscay. However, the choice was quickly whittled down to either the
Pas-de-Calais or the bay of the Seine.
On the
surface, the Pas-de-Calais was the more attractive option, offering a
brief Channel crossing and therefore optimum air cover for the Allies
and a rapid turnaround of supply ships. In addition, it was the shortest
route to the heart of the Reich, the ultimate target of Operation
Overlord. Equally aware of these advantages, the Germans were therefore
convinced that that was where the attack would come and had strengthened
the Atlantic Wall fortifications accordingly, building huge coastal
artillery batteries. The German High Command had also deployed its
finest troops there ‑ General von Salmuth’s Fifteenth Army ‑ along a
double line of defence that would be difficult to break through.
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Propaganda photo intended to highlight the impressive calibre of German
guns positioned in the Pas-de-Calais |
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For all these
reasons, the Allied strategists rejected the Pas-de-Calais solution as
being too obvious to the Germans. In July 1943, COSSAC (the headquarters
directed by Lieutenant-General Morgan and charged with preparing the
landings) produced a trenchant report in favour of the Normandy
coastline. “The chances of successfully bringing off a landing in this
sector rather than another are so much greater that, in our opinion, the
advantages outweigh the disadvantages”. These disadvantages included a
considerably longer crossing (roughly 150 km) and a more complex task
for the fighter aircraft charged with providing support for the
operations on the ground. On the other hand, the Seine Bay offered wide,
easily accessible beaches, sheltered from the westerly winds by the
Cotentin Peninsula and therefore suitable for an amphibious assault.
Moreover, the German defences were far less impressive along this
particular stretch of coastline. |
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German propaganda poster. |
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The final
decision was taken at the Quadrant conference in Quebec, in August 1943,
which was attended by President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill in
person.
Having decided to do the exact opposite of what the Germans, relying on
purely military logic, could imagine, the Allies now had to do
everything in their power to prevent the truth from being discovered.
And that was the aim of the
Fortitude plan of disinformation.
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British
propaganda poster |
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