User:Wdford/sandbox/Caen Planning

At St Paul's School on 7 April and 15 May Montgomery presented his strategy for the invasion. He envisaged a ninety-day battle, with all forces reaching the Seine. In the first phase the Anglo-Canadians were to capture Caen and advance south and south-east, to capture ground for airfields and to guard the eastern flank of the U.S. First Army as it attacked Cherbourg. Thereafter the British Army would pivot on its left at Falaise (40 km inland from Caen), pushing its right flank south to Argentan-Alencon and its left flank east to rest approximately on the Touques River. ^[a] When this plan bogged down, Montgomery revised this plan to instead pivot on an Allied-held Caen in the east of the Normandy bridgehead, with relatively static British and Canadian armies forming a shoulder to attract and defeat German counter-attacks, relieving the US armies who would move and seize the Cotentin Peninsula and Brittany, wheeling south and then east on the right forming a pincer.^[7]

^ "In his more detailed presentation of April 7, Montgomery stated that the second great phase of the operation, estimated to begin shortly after D plus 20, would require the British Army to pivot on its left at Falaise, to "swing with its right towards Argentan-Alencon". This meant that Falaise would be in our possession before the great wheel began. The line that we actually held when the breakout began on D plus 50 was approximately that planned for D plus 5." Crusade in Europe, by Dwight D Eisenhower, pg 266: [1]
^ "The Overlord plan called for the Second Army (Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey) to secure the city and then form a front line from Caumont-l'Éventé to the south-east of Caen, acquiring airfields and protecting the left flank of the US First Army while it moved on Cherbourg. Possession of Caen and its surroundings would give the Second Army a suitable staging area for a push south to capture Falaise, which could be used as the pivot for a swing left of the Allied front to advance on Argentan and then towards the Touques River." Victory in the West: The Battle of Normandy, by Ellis, Major L. F.; with Allen, Captain G. R. G.; Warhurst, Lieutenant-Colonel A. E. & Robb, Air Chief-Marshal Sir James (2004) pg 81: [2])
^ D'Este quotes Monty's own words from the notes he used at the briefing of 7th April 1944 (Thunderclap): "Second British Army will push its left out towards the general line of the River Touques. At the same time the Army will pivot on Falaise and will swing with its right toward Argentan-Alencon." Decision in Normandy, by Carlo D'Este (2017), pg 108 :
^ "In both the original COSSAC plan and the "Montgomery" plan, the securing of the Caen country for airfield development was a critical early objective for the assaulting forces. British troops were to take Bayeux and Caen on D Day, and push the bridgehead gradually south and southeast. They would then secure airfield sites and protect the east flank of U.S. forces whose primary mission, in both plans, was the capture of Cherbourg. … In all the planning the vital importance of the "capture and retention" of Caen and neighboring open country was underlined. On the other hand no pre-D-Day plans called for exploiting the favorable tank terrain at any phase of the operation for a direct thrust southeast toward Paris. Instead, the British army would push gradually south and east of Caen until its left rested approximately on the Touques River and its right, pivoting on Falaise, swung toward Argentan-Alençon." United States Army in WWII - Europe - Cross-Channel Attack: 2014, by Gordon A. Harrison, pg 181: at [3]
^ "It was hoped to reach the line Falaise-Avranches three weeks after the landing, and, with the strong reinforcements by that time ashore, to break out eastwards toward Paris, north-eastwards towards the Seine, and westwards to capture the Brittany ports." Closing the Ring, By Winston Churchill, pg 524: [4]
^ "Tasked with taking Caen, Monty had airily promised that he would do so very rapidly; then would hold the town as the centre of a great eastward wheeling movement by the rest of the invasion force. Pivoting on Caen, the First Canadian Army was to turn sharply east-northeast to the Seine, near Rouen. At the same time, the Second British Army would sweep south-southwest of this, through the German strongpoints of Falaise and Argentan, also driving towards the Seine. First US Army was to provide the major momentum for the breakout, wheeling south past Avranches, …." Bradley: A Biography, by Alan Axelrod, pg 126: [5].
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[1] "In his more detailed presentation of April 7, Montgomery stated that the second great phase of the operation, estimated to begin shortly after D plus 20, would require the British Army to pivot on its left at Falaise, to "swing with its right towards Argentan-Alencon". This meant that Falaise would be in our possession before the great wheel began. The line that we actually held when the breakout began on D plus 50 was approximately that planned for D plus 5." Crusade in Europe, by Dwight D Eisenhower, pg 266: [1]

[2] "The Overlord plan called for the Second Army (Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey) to secure the city and then form a front line from Caumont-l'Éventé to the south-east of Caen, acquiring airfields and protecting the left flank of the US First Army while it moved on Cherbourg. Possession of Caen and its surroundings would give the Second Army a suitable staging area for a push south to capture Falaise, which could be used as the pivot for a swing left of the Allied front to advance on Argentan and then towards the Touques River." Victory in the West: The Battle of Normandy, by Ellis, Major L. F.; with Allen, Captain G. R. G.; Warhurst, Lieutenant-Colonel A. E. & Robb, Air Chief-Marshal Sir James (2004) pg 81: [2])

[3] D'Este quotes Monty's own words from the notes he used at the briefing of 7th April 1944 (Thunderclap): "Second British Army will push its left out towards the general line of the River Touques. At the same time the Army will pivot on Falaise and will swing with its right toward Argentan-Alencon." Decision in Normandy, by Carlo D'Este (2017), pg 108 :

[4] "In both the original COSSAC plan and the "Montgomery" plan, the securing of the Caen country for airfield development was a critical early objective for the assaulting forces. British troops were to take Bayeux and Caen on D Day, and push the bridgehead gradually south and southeast. They would then secure airfield sites and protect the east flank of U.S. forces whose primary mission, in both plans, was the capture of Cherbourg. … In all the planning the vital importance of the "capture and retention" of Caen and neighboring open country was underlined. On the other hand no pre-D-Day plans called for exploiting the favorable tank terrain at any phase of the operation for a direct thrust southeast toward Paris. Instead, the British army would push gradually south and east of Caen until its left rested approximately on the Touques River and its right, pivoting on Falaise, swung toward Argentan-Alençon." United States Army in WWII - Europe - Cross-Channel Attack: 2014, by Gordon A. Harrison, pg 181: at [3]

[5] "It was hoped to reach the line Falaise-Avranches three weeks after the landing, and, with the strong reinforcements by that time ashore, to break out eastwards toward Paris, north-eastwards towards the Seine, and westwards to capture the Brittany ports." Closing the Ring, By Winston Churchill, pg 524: [4]

[6] "Tasked with taking Caen, Monty had airily promised that he would do so very rapidly; then would hold the town as the centre of a great eastward wheeling movement by the rest of the invasion force. Pivoting on Caen, the First Canadian Army was to turn sharply east-northeast to the Seine, near Rouen. At the same time, the Second British Army would sweep south-southwest of this, through the German strongpoints of Falaise and Argentan, also driving towards the Seine. First US Army was to provide the major momentum for the breakout, wheeling south past Avranches, …." Bradley: A Biography, by Alan Axelrod, pg 126: [5].

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[a]

[7]