Figure 1.--After June 6, the emense panoply of Allies fire power began to move inland at the entrenched German positions and artillery empacements. As a result, the medieval towns and villages of Normandy began to take a terrible battering. Some were reduced to rubble. Poweful naval gunfire was relatively accurate, if indesriminate, buta major factor in the Gerrman inability todislodgev thev Allied beachhead. Aerial strategic bombing was not accurate. Here an American GMC 2½ tons truck moves down a road with refugees amist the ruins of an unidentified bombed-out village, perhaps the beginning of the Red Ball Express. The 'duce and a half' truck does not have the glamor cachet of a tank, but played a critical role on both the Eastern and Western fronts. The Germans of course had trucks, but nowhere near the numbers the the Allies had or the Soviets had after American Lend Lease equipment and supplies began arriving. Acutally, German logistics away from the rail heads was still largely depedent on horse-drawn carts as 80 perecnt of the German Army was unmotorized infantry. Source: U.S. Army. Stevens film unit.

France unlike in World War I whem the morthern part of the countru was devestated, was spared extensive war dmage at the omset of the War. The German 1940 victory was so swift and overwealming, that relatively little damage was dome to French cities. Subsequently France was still relatively little dmnaged, except for the ports targetted by the RAF. This was especuallt the case for the ports where the U-boats or Kriegsmarine surface elements had bases. Admiral Dönitz had impregnable U-boat pens built, so the RAF had no choice but to taget the rail lines and roads leading into to the pens. Outside of theports, there was relatively limiyted damage. This chnged with D-Day. Most of France was still untouched, but Normabdy became the focus of the emense panoply of Allied firepower. On the first day it was primarily air power and naval gunfire. As the Allied ground forces became entrenched, tanks, artillery, and small arms fire added to the torrent of raw power unleashed on theGermans and Normabdy countryside. And of course the Germans inland were answered with their artillert, tanks and small arms fire. The Allied firepower and the failure of the Germans to unleash the Panzers the first day, allowed the Allies to establish their beachead. Once that was acomplished, the outcome was inveitable given the superior Allied firpower. The Germans lacked the emnse advantage of air power or naval gunfire, but they added to the carnage. And with thehedgerows, were able to delau the Allied breakout for two long months of combat. Meanwhile, many of the towns and villages in Normandy were terribly battered and reduced to rumbble. Normandy thus became the most devestated are of France besides the ports bing used by the U-boats. Many in Normandy were delightged to be liberated, but others having their homes and farms destroyed were les enthusiastic about the process as the Germans by themselves had not caused anywhere near the damage. Of course they like Vichy had no idea what the Germans had planned for France after they won the War.

Created: 10:29 PM 4/17/2015
Last updated: 5:44 AM 4/20/2015