Why were the Normandy Landings such a remarkable achievement for the Allies?

Source 6

Extracts from a telegram sent to the leader of the USSR, Joseph Stalin, by Churchill on 7 June 1944.

Reference

➜ CHAR 20/166/22-23

Transcript

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Thank you for your message and congratulations about Rome. About OVERLORD I am well satisfied with the situation up to noon today, 7th. Only at one American beach has there been serious difficulty and that has now been cleared up. 20,000 airborne troops are safely landed behind the flanks of the enemy's lines and have made contact in each case with the American and British seaborne forces. We got across with small losses. We had expected to lose about 10,000 men. By tonight we hope to have the best part of a quarter of a million men ashore, including a considerable quantity of armour (tanks) all landed from special ships or swimming ashore by themselves. In this latter class of tanks there have been a good many casualties, especially on the American front, owing to the waves overturning the swimming tanks. We must now expect heavy counter-attacks but we expect to be stronger in armour and of course overwhelming in the Air, whenever the clouds lift.

2. There was a tank engagement of our newly landed armour with 50 enemy tanks of the 21st Panzer-Grenadier Division late last night towards Caen, as the result of which the enemy quitted the field. The British 7th Armoured Division is now going in, and should give us superiority for a few days. The question is, how many can they bring against us in the next week. The weather outlook in the Channel does not seem to impose any prohibition on our continued landings. Indeed it seems more promising than before. All the Commanders are satisfied that in the actual landing things have gone better than we expected.

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3. Most especially secret. We are planning to construct very quickly two large synthetic harbours on the beaches of this wide sandy bay of the Seine estuary. Nothing like these have ever been seen before. Great ocean liners will be able to discharge and run by numerous piers supplies to the fighting troops. This must be quite unexpected by the enemy and will enable the build-up to proceed with very great independence of weather conditions. We hope to get Cherbourg at an early point in the operations.

4. On the other hand, the enemy will concentrate rapidly and heavily and the fighting will be continuous and increasing in scale. Still, we hope to have by D. + 30 about 25 divisions deployed with all their corps troops, with both flanks of the second front resting on the sea and possessed of at least three good harbours, Cherbourg and the two two synthetic harbours. This front will be constantly nourished and expanded, and we hope to include later the Brest Peninsula. But all this waits on the hazards of war which, Marshal Stalin, you know so well.

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Simplified Transcript

Extracts from a telegram sent to the leader of the USSR, Joseph Stalin, from Churchill on 7 June 1944.

1. In relation to Operation Overlord, I am very pleased with how things are going so far today. Only one American beach had serious problems, but that has now been solved. Twenty thousand airborne troops have landed safely behind enemy lines and joined up with the American and British forces coming from the sea. We crossed the Channel with fewer losses than expected. By tonight, we hope to have nearly a quarter of a million men on shore, including many tanks, which arrived on special ships or swam ashore on their own. Quite a few of these swimming tanks were lost, especially on the American side, because of the strong waves. We now expect heavy German counter-attacks, but we believe we will have more tanks and, when the weather clears, total control of the air.
2. Last night, near the town of Caen, our newly landed tanks fought about 50 German tanks from the 21st Panzer Division. The Germans eventually pulled back. The main question now is how many troops and tanks the Germans can send against us over the next week. The weather in the Channel looks good and shouldn’t stop us from bringing in more troops and supplies. All the commanders are pleased and think the landings have gone even better than we expected.
3. This part is top secret. We are planning to build two large artificial harbours very quickly on the beaches of the wide sandy bay at the mouth of the River Seine. Nothing like this has ever been done before. Big ships will be able to unload their supplies for the troops using many piers that reach out to the shore. The enemy will not be expecting this, and it will allow us to bring in supplies no matter what the weather is like. We also hope to capture the port of Cherbourg soon.
4. However, the enemy will gather their forces quickly and attack in great strength, so the fighting will be constant and grow larger in scale. In 30 days, we hope to have about 25 divisions in place with their supporting troops. Cherbourg and our two artificial harbours will keep the front supplied and growing stronger. But all this depends on the outcome of the battles ahead, which are unpredictable.

What is this source?

This is a telegram from Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the leader of the USSR (Joseph Stalin) on 7 June 1944. Churchill is reporting on the progress of the D-Day landings.

Background to this source

Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union had been allies since Germany invaded the USSR in 1941. Stalin had been under huge pressure on the Eastern Front and had long been asking the Western Allies to open a ‘second front’ in Western Europe to relieve German attacks on Soviet forces. Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings in Normandy, finally opened this front. Although not involved in the military planning, Stalin was kept informed about scheduled date for the invasion. Churchill sent this telegram the day after D-Day to update him on the progress of the landings.

How can we use this source in the investigation?

Remember, we are investigating why the Normandy Landings were such a remarkable achievement, including the risks involved in planning and executing them. This source can help us understand the obstacles the Allies overcame successfully on D-Day itself, and also remind us of the challenges and risks that remained after the landings.

Surface level: details, facts and figures

1. According to Churchill, has D-Day got better or worse than expected, so far?
2. How many men in total do the Allies expect to have ashore by the end of D-Day?
3. How did some of the tanks get ashore on their own? What happened to some of the American tanks?
4. According to Churchill, what is still uncertain about the German forces over the next week?
5. How will the Allies manage to keep their newly landed troops supplied?
6. An army ‘division’ was a large military unit of about 15,000–18,000 soldiers, made up of infantry, tanks and other armoured vehicles, artillery, engineers, and support troops. How many divisions does Churchill say the Allies hope to have in place in another 30 days?
7. What does Churchill say this depends on?

Deeper level: inferences and using the source as evidence

Which of the inferences below can be made from this source?

	On a scale of 1-5 how far do you agree that this source supports this inference?	Which extract(s) from the source support your argument?
What does Churchill say this depends on?
The Allies got ashore on D-Day with no problems.
Luck had nothing to do with the success of D-Day.
By the end of D-Day, the hard work was all done.

Need help interpreting the source?

• Churchill says things like, ‘I am very pleased with how things are going’, ‘We crossed the Channel with fewer losses than expected’, and ‘All the commanders are pleased and think the landings have gone better than we expected.’ What does that suggest about how he feels about the progress so far?
• What happened on one of the American beaches? What happened to some of the swimming tanks? How are the expected German counter-attacks described? Do these events suggest everything went perfectly?
• On the one hand, what might have stopped the Allies bringing in more troops and supplies? On the other hand, what planning and preparation did the Allies make to give their troops the best chance of being supplied?
• What will happen over the next 30 days, according to Churchill? Is the outcome and success certain?

Explore the guide to interpreting telegrams

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