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Nathanael High

24 April 2017

HISTORY 122 TERM PAPER

Operation Overlord is the code name for the Battle of Normandy, the

Allied army invasion of Normandy, France during World War 2. On 6 June

1944, some 1200 airplanes, over 5000 ships and amphibious craft, and

around 160,000 troops invaded Western Europe, where Germany had a

strong hold. Germany had controlled French territory since 1940, so the

invasion was a critical turning point in the war. Although the Allied armies

face heavy opposition and did not initially succeed, they were able to

gradually push their way through German lines and gain a base in Europe

from which to end the war. Dr. Albert Norman, a history professor at Norwich

University put together a comprehensive account of the events leading up to

and after the Battle of Normandy in his book, Operation Overlord: Design

and Reality. In addition, the authors of The American Journey: A History of

the United States, Vol. 2discuss the operation in detail. This paper will be in

three parts: it will first analyze both books authors historical methods,

second will analyze both books interpretation of Operation Overlord, and

finally the author will respond to each book, detailing what he liked and

disliked from each.

Dr. Albert Normans book, Operation Overlord: Design and Reality is a

literary masterpiece, displaying his incredible skills as a historian. He writes,

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I have not confined myself in these pages to an investigation of the role

played by the armed forces of any one single nation in the western European

Alliance.1 Dr. Alberts book takes a more holistic approach, taking in all the

various sides of the invasion. In the preface of his book, Norman explains the

questions he seeks to answer through his writing. He says, The basic plan of

this work is, first, to indicate the strategic problem posed by an invasion of

the European continent from the British Isles and the complex tactical

implications bearing on its solution. The controversies which the strategic

problem engendered are also treated.2 Norman seeks to answer how the

Allied armies were able to put together and execute an invasion larger than

any before it in U.S. history. He clearly answers this question by

chronologically listing the basic issues facing an Allied invasion, like finding a

suitable location for an amphibious assault, and the strategies and

techniques necessary for a successful landing on the beaches of Normandy.

Norman also writes, Next follows the United States Army and Allied

command organization for the invasion and the planning for translating the

strategic idea into a workable operational plan that would reasonably

guarantee success.3 Norman writes about the establishment of an Allied

chain of command for the invasion, and the difficulties of moving troops and

1 Albert Norman, Ph.D. Operation Overlord: Design and Reality. The Allied Invasion
of Western Europe (New York: Pickle Partners Press, 2015), 21. (Hereafter cited as
Norman.)

2 Norman, 206.

3 Norman, 223.
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supplies across the notoriously rough English Channel. He describes the final

part of his work: The story of the invasion itself is told; The assault on the

Normandy coast of France on June 6, 1944; the fighting for the expansion for

the expansion of the beachhead; the breakout from the beachhead and

encirclement of the German forces west of the Orne River; the pursuit of the

Germans to Paris and the Seine, and the crossing of the river in late August

and early September, ending the campaign already known in history as

Operation Overlord.4 An especially interest aspect to Normans book he

collected most of his primary sources in Europe while on tour with the U.S.

Army during the war. He says, [My book] is to a considerable degree based

on primary sources, which were accessible to me during my wartime military

service in France and Germany on General Omar N. Bradleys staff as

historian of Headquarters 12th Army Group, under whose command cam the

First, Third, Ninth and Fifteenth United States Armies.5 Normans hands-on

experience makes his writing more credible.

In contrast, the authors of The American Journey: A History of the

United States sought to tell the events of Operation Overlord from strictly the

American and German perspective. The authors seek to answer the question

of how the Allied invasion helped the American war effort. They write, US

troops improved their fighting skills through experience, sheer bloody

4 Norman, 223.

5 Norman, 206.
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experience.6 The invasion forced the United States troops to gain skill

through the numerous battles that ensued.

While Normans account of Operation Overlord is quite exhaustive, and

covers most PMESSIE factors, the authors of The American Journey keep their

account concise and mention few examples. Dr. Norman sought to present

the military campaign itself, the problems it posed in diplomacy, strategy,

and tactics, and how the interrelated aspects of these problems were

resolved both in the planning stages and in the operational stage.7 His

account speaks mainly on the events of Operation Overlord. The authors of

the textbook, on the other hand, cover the events of the invasion in context

of the entire war. Because of this, both books focus on different aspects. An

interesting example of this is the textbook noting the Social impact of the

invasion back home in the U.S. They write, Americans had been waiting for

the news. In Montgomery, Alabama, flags appeared along the streets and

traffic halted at 5:00 P.M. for buglers from nearby bases and the high school

to sound the call to the colors. At 6:00 P.M. all movie projectors were

stopped to allow time for prayer.8 Anxious family members could only wait

and pray for their loved ones involved in the conflict. Norman does not give

6 David Goldfield, Jo Ann Argersinger, Carl Abbot, Peter H. Argersinger, Virginia D.

Anderson, and William L. Barney, The American Journey: A History of the United
States, Vol. 2, 8th Edition (New York: Pearson, 2017), 615. (Hereafter cited as
American Journey.)

7 Norman, 14.

8 American Journey, 614.

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any glimpse into the Social ramifications of the invasion. However, he does a

masterful job of writing of the incredible infrastructure needed before and

during the invasion. He writes, During the twelve months between mid-1943

to 1944, nearly one million men were transported to the United Kingdom

from the United States. As soon as troops arrived they were moved

immediately to predetermined stations and all normal facilities, such as

housing and hospitalization, provided. The hospital plan alone for the

American troops, for example, called for 94,000 beds in permanent hospitals-

which first had to be built. About 20,000 freight cars and 1,000 locomotives

had to be shipped to the United Kingdom.9 American troops needed support

systems, and the military planned for this by shipping the necessary vehicles

and supplies along with them. The authors of the textbook write about the

political advantages of the invasion. They write, The landing finally satisfied

Soviet demands for a more balanced war effort, but the next few weeks

brought limited success.10 Up to that point in the war, the Soviet

government had accurately complained that they had been putting forth the

greatest effort. The eventual success of Operation Overlord proved that the

United States could fight its fair share of the war, and was able to quickly

surpass the Soviet fighting capacity.

I felt that both books had their respective strengths and weaknesses.

Dr. Normans book is extremely well written, and covers the political,

9 Norman, 94.

10 American Journey, 614.

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military, STEM, information, and environmental factors. However, there is

hardly any information presented on the social aspect of the invasion, such

as the fears soldiers had to overcome when storming Omaha beach, or the

mental issues the survivors faced afterwards. The authors of The American

Journey write the history of the Invasion of Normandy in a story-like fashion

that is easy and exciting to read. However, because it is a textbook, the

authors do not go into much depth on many of the PMESSIE factors. While

each book alone is great, the combination of the two creates a gripping

picture of the events surrounding the 6th of June 1944. I enjoyed reading both

books.

Prior to studying Operation Overlord, I had no idea how difficult

traveling across the English Channel could be. The English Channel,

writes an American naval officer and author, is a narrow, nasty piece of

water. The tide rips through it west-to-east on the flood, east-to-west on the

ebb, directly athwart the simple north-south course from England to France

that looks so easy on the chart.11 Getting 132,000 men across the Channel

was a massive feat of engineering.

11 Norman, 30.