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The success of the D-Day invasion was in large measure going to depend on the Allies ability to deploy their large supperority of man and material before the Germans could amass the force needed to reduce the bridgehead. Modern warfare requires huge quantities of supplies. This is especially true of the mechsanized units that the Allies were landing. German units could operate on smaller quantities of supplies, but Anerican, British, and Canadian units required enormous quantities of supplies. This was a critical weakness of any large-scale landing--the need to secure a port through which supplies in large quantities could be funneled. One of the criterion that went into choosing Normandy as the invasion site was that two major ports were located in the Normandy area-- Cherbourg and Le Havre. In addition, success at Normandy offered good prospects for securing in good order ports further south (Brest, Nantes, L'Orient, and St. Nazaire). Of course the Germans fully understood the necessity for the Allies to secure ports and thus the major ports were heavily fortified. This would make it difficult for the Allies to seize them and would give the Germans the time needed to destroy the port facilities. The Allies, however, had plans of their own--a secret project known as Mulberry. Aliied planners hoped that Mulbeery could help supply the Normandy briidgehead until a deepwater port could be secured and repaired.
The success of the D-Day invasion was in large measure going to depend on the Allies ability to deploy their large supperority of man and material before the Germans could amass the force needed to reduce the bridgehead. Modern warfare requires huge quantities of supplies. This is especially true of the mechsanized units that the Allies were landing. German units could operate on smaller quantities of supplies, but Anerican, British, and Canadian units required enormous quantities of supplies.
The need for a port is a critical weakness of any large-scale amphibious landing. The ports are needed so that large quantities of supplies can quickly and efficently funneled. One of the criterion that went into choosing Normandy as the invasion site was that two major ports were located in the Normandy area-- Cherbourg and Le Havre. In addition, success at Normandy offered good prospects for securing in good order ports further south (Brest, Nantes, L'Orient, and St. Nazaire). Of course the Germans fully understood the necessity for the Allies to secure ports and thus the major ports were heavily fortified. This would make it difficult for the Allies to seize them and would give the Germans the time needed to destroy the port facilities. The port garisons were ordered to resist to the end so that the Allies would be delayed as long as possible.
The Allies needed a port, but knew that the ports were the best defended sites on the Atlantic Wall. The Allies had plans of their own--a secret project known as Mulberry. Aliied planners hoped that Mulbeery could help supply the Normandy briidgehead until a deepwater port could be secured and repaired. The sollution the Allies worked out was to bring their own temoprary ports. German aerial reconisance had spotted the structures being built, but had no idea as to their purpose. Churchill was a strong supporter of this project having initially conveived of it in World War I. Work on the Mulberries began August 1943. British shipyards employed 20,000 workers around the clock to build 150 concrete structures 200 feet long by 60 feet wide, by 60 feet high. They were hollow cement blocks, called Phoenixes. The idea was to lay them end to end to form two giant breakwaters that would form a temprary harbor until Cherbourg and other harvors could be cleared. One was for the Americans and the other for the British. Tugs tow the completed Phoenixes from the shipyards Lee-on-Solent across from Normandy. The tugs on June 4-5, 1944 began towing the Phoenixes at 3 or 4 knots towards Normandy, about 90 miles away. The Phoenixes began to be positioned on June 7, only 1 day after the initial invasion. This was an enormous job because each Mulberry consisted of 75 Phoenixes. The completed Mulberries were about 1 mile long, and stood about 30 feet above sea level at low tide, 10 feet above sea level at high tide. This allowed for seven Liberty cargo ships at a time could tie up at a Mulberry to unload their cargo into landing craft. This was an enormous improvement on trying to unload the Liberties directly into the landing craft. Further extending the artificial harbor were 89 derelict ships. These ships were able to reach Normandy under their own power where thery were sunk to create a Gooseberry or blockships. These breakwaters calmed the waters inside the harbor making it much easier to land supplies. Next came Lobnitz Pierheads which were in essence giant upside-down tables 60 feet wide and 200 feet long. They had 4 huge steel legs which were dropped down into the sand to secure them. The the "tabletop" was then adjusted to the water level. Seven Lobnitzes side-by-side created a 1,400 foot-long pier. This permitted the LST's and Liberties to unload directly into trucks. Finally "Whale causeways" or steel pontoon bridges which connected the Lobnitz Pierheads to the shore were towed from England on barges. Bombardons or narrow steel floats 200 feet long which were moored outside the Mulberries to help break up the incoming waves.[U.S. Maritime Service Veterans.] The American Mulberry harbor at Omaha Beach was destroyed, in part because it was not assembed with sufficint care by a huge storm which hit Normandy on June 19-22. The British Mulberry at Gold Beach which was assembled with more care was damaged but survived. The Allies were able to utilize the harbor at Cherbourg to a limited extent beginning June 26.
The Americans moving off Utah Beach managed to quickly seal off the Cotentin Peninsula and then move north to Cherbourg. The German garrison surrendered June 27 and a few days more to secure surrounding Grman positions. Le Harve proved a much toughrer nut to crack. The German garrison as Hitler had ordered even after the British crossed the Seine. German resistance did not end until September 12.
Cherbourg at the tip of the Cotentin Peninsula was a key objective because of its important port. The Americans from Utah Beach cut off the Peninsula. The Germans in Cherbourg held out for a few weeks and did their best to destroy the port. The Germany thought that without a deepwater port that the Allies could not ammount a decisive military force in France. The Germans did not anticipate Mulberry. They also expected the German garrison to hold out longer than it did. General Sattler, deputy German commander, surendered June 27 bringing the end to directed German resistance on the Cotentin Peninsula, although some isolated German units around the city continued to hold out for a few days. Hitler ordered the garison to hold out to the last man. Few of the soldiers involved chose to do so. By July 1 all organized resistenced was ended.
Le Harve was the second majorport located in the Normandy area. It was located just outside the initial Normandy landing sites. The Allies knew that Le Harve would be strongly fortified and bevause it was located just north of the Seine, did not go for it on the first day. As it worked out, the Le Harve garrison resisted even after the Allies crossed the Seine and the port was surounded. Fighting in th city was very heavy, but we have few details at this time. The city was almost totally destoyed by the Germans and fighting. The Germans did not surrender until September 12, by that time the Allies had reached Belgium and had liberated most of France. The German surrender finally ended the D-Day campaign. Le Harve was to play a role after the War. It was embarcation point for thousands of GIs returning home. The first GIs to return home were thouse wounded in cobat and then the POWs liberated from German camps.
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