D-Day for Normandy: The Momentous Events of World War II - Why did German tanks fail to change the course of the Battle of Normandy?
When the Allied forces invaded France's shores at Normandy, German officials were shocked and caught off guard, not realizing the extent of the Allied fleet's preparation or departure. Despite being taken aback, they were not unprepared. Erwin Rommel, the prestigious German field marshal at the time, advocated for fortifying the coast, and the troops were supposed to defend against the approaching American and British forces. The majority of the troops guarding the coast were assigned from weaker German divisions, consisting of sick or hearing-impaired soldiers. They were intended to withstand the invaders in the many available bunkers and trenches, waiting for backup from the German armored divisions.
Historian Peter Lieb recalled to SZ that both parties believed the outcome was uncertain, with the Allies acknowledging their advantage. Rommel was unsuccessful in persuading higher authorities to place the armored divisions near the beaches so that they could swiftly intervene during the invasion. This lack of immediate intervention favored the Allies, preventing a potential halt in the invasion.
Missing Tanks at the Beach
In the ensuing days, massive numbers of armored units, including the notorious, skilled, and battle-experienced troops of the 1st and 2nd SS Panzer Division, arrived. The Panzer Lehr Division, who was known for their exceptional panzer soldiers, couldn't push back the Allies at any beach.
Why did they struggle? Initially, only the 21st Panzer Division was around Caen on the day of the landing. These soldiers were not charged at any landing locations in the morning, but were deployed more passively and scattered. Although they hindered the Allies, the 21st Panzer Division couldn't secure a landing beach or remove British paratroopers from Caen's drop zone.
The Useless Atlantic Wall
Nearby was the Hitler Youth Division, whose troops didn't attain the battlefield until the night of June 6th. The German tanks never approached the beaches. The Allied advance had advanced deeply into France, and only at one beach could the defenders momentarily hold back the landing troops - but this resistance broke down by early afternoon on June 6th. The Atlantic Wall, widely publicized, did cost the Allies thousands of lives, yet it ultimately proved to be ineffective. The following day, the Allies landed a significant amount of tanks. On June 7th, they planned to breach the city of Caen.
However, their troops met the SS Division Leibstandarte's tanks and suffered major losses. The Allied tanks could not pose a threat to the German tanks from close range. Conversely, most German combat tanks, tank destroyers, and assault guns were equipped with cannons that could obliterate the Allied types.
No War Crimes, No Breakthrough
The Allies hoped to swiftly breach the German defenses and seize the harbor city of Cherbourg. However, due to the German troops' skill and armament, they were forced to endure major casualties. The Allies had to abandon their goal of capturing Cherbourg and prioritize securing the beaches and expanding their control. The Germans, meanwhile, faced the realization that they could not halt the Allies and had to retreat.
Additionally, the Allies encountered issues with German war crimes. The Germans had murdered several prisoner-of-war (POWs) and civilians, leading to retaliation against the German army and increased Allied resolve to continue the fight. Although these atrocities did not precipitate a major breakthrough in the campaign, as the Allies had intended, they did contribute to the eventual capture of Cherbourg.
During the battle on June 7th, the largest recorded war crime in the Normandy battles occurred: SS-Standartenführer Kurt Meyer's soldiers killed 187 Canadian POWs. The SS troops managed to stall the Allied advance towards Caen, but had to retreat after sustaining significant losses in a counterattack aiming to dislodge the Allies from their positions and break through to the beaches. The Canadian officer's notebook found in a tank read, "Our company went out to occupy a position, but had to promptly withdraw after losing four tanks." The Allied forces were forced to reinforce their tanks with railroad tracks and sandbags to improve their front armor.
Around June 7th, it became undeniably clear just what the German tanks in Normandy were capable of, as well as their limitations. On the defensive side, the tanks were still seen as a formidable weapon. The Allies suffered significant losses while trying to push towards Caen, with over 200 tanks being lost in a short span. Despite this, they lacked the strength to carry out a decisive counterattack. The terrain of Normandy aided the defenders with its fields surrounded by walls and high hedges, making it advantageous for them. Although the British and American tanks weren't as good as the German models, they still possessed powerful anti-tank weapons and formidable artillery.
In the end, June 7th saw the Germans losing two of their strongest offensive units and succeeding only in a defensive manner.
As historian Antony Beevor put it, "The Battle of Stalingrad was much more challenging and also limited to a more manageable area. In Normandy, around 2,300 men were killed per division and month on the German side, more than twice as many casualties as on the Eastern Front. This clearly demonstrates that the Battle of Normandy was more intense than we've thought so far."
While the Allied losses were indeed substantial, they could be replaced relatively quickly.
After the initial few days, there came an end to the time of large-scale mobile operations on the German side. The Germans managed to surround the Allied forces, yet they couldn't win an endurance battle in the long run. The German tanks supported the defensive positions and thwarted Allied breakthroughs.
You may think that the Allied air superiority was responsible for many tank losses, but that's not entirely true. According to Peter Lieb, very few tanks were shot down. This was also due to the fact that the Germans were aware of the air superiority and didn't use large formations in the open. It was actually the artillery that took the most toll on German tanks and troops. In June and July 1944, more than two million shells were fired on the Germans - that's 35,000 per day. The abandoned equipment found in the Falaise pocket was proof that artillery was the primary cause of tank destruction.
At the beginning of August, the Allies managed to break out of their bridgehead, but this wouldn't have happened immediately after the landing if not for the German panzer troops. This didn't mark a turning point in the war, just delayed the liberation of France by two months. Antony Beevor, historian, has highlighted the stories of the victims, and both German and Allied soldiers, along with the French civilian population, paid a high price for the long battle. Beevor wrote: "During D-Day, more French civilians were killed by the Allies than vice versa, Allied soldiers in combat. ... We're talking about at least 35,000 people who died in the Allied attacks in Normandy. There were also over 100,000 wounded."
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Regarding the discussion on the Battle of Normandy, historian Peter Lieb mentioned in SZ that even though Erwin Rommel, the German field marshal, proposed fortifying the coast with armored divisions, only the 21st Panzer Division was present at Caen on D-Day, leading to limited impact on the Allies' invasion.
During the battle, the skilled and experienced SS Panzer Divisions struggled to push back the Allies, with their tanks failing to outmaneuver the Allied tanks and destructive artillery. Richard Overy, a historian, noted that the Battle of Normandy was more intense for the Germans than previously assumed, with an estimated 2,300 men killed per division and month, significantly higher than on the Eastern Front.
After the initial days of the invasion, the role of German tanks shifted from an offensive to a defensive one, supporting the German positions and thwarting Allied breakthroughs. Despite the Allies' large-scale mobile operations, the Germans managed to hold their ground for a considerable period, demonstrating the resilience of their tank formations in the Normandy landscape.
