INVASION OF EUROPE

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24910, 25 June 1946, Page 5

INVASION OF EUROPE

REPORT BY GENERAL EISENHOWER

BRITISH AND AMERICAN UNITY

WASHINGTON, June 23. “The great Allied operation against Europe was an experiment unprecedented in the history of the world and decisively carried out, partly due to Nazi miscalculating, but mainly because Britain and America worked, not merely as Allies, but as one nation, pooling their resources of men and material alike,” says General Eisenhower in a report dated July 13, 1945, which has just been released. General Eisenhower received his directive frfcm the Combined Chiefs of Staff on February 12, 1944, designating May, 1944, for launching “Operation Overlord” against the Fortress of Europe, but D-Day was delayed till June 6 by lack of landing craft and the weather.

It was correctly believed that only on the historic battlefields x of France and the Low Countries could the German armies in the West be decisively engaged and defeated. Although sufficient strength for this assault could not be gathered until June, 1944, the broad tactical plans were completed by the Combined Chiefs of Staff in August, 1943, before General Eisenhower’s assumption of the command of the European theatre of operations. “We embarked upon the largest amphibious operation in history against a coastline bristling with all the defences that modern ingenuity could devise,” said General Eisenhower. “Behind the beaches were German armies which had not been tried in full-scale battle since the dark days of 1940. “As we struggled to gain a footing in Normandy, we learned the strength, also the weakness, of these armies. During June and July difficulties in communications and * supply, which ultimately proved his undoing, became manifest. Thus we were able to establish ourselves on the Continent and build up great armies to achieve Europe's liberation. We also learned how inadequate was the enemy’s intelligence concerning the Allied intentions. Rommel’s Errors “Rommel’s confidence in his mines and concrete had disastrous results for the German army, there being no defence in depth. The enemy lost the initiative when the beaches were forced, and he never regained it. Von Rundstedt's hand endeavouring to remedy Rommel’s errors became apparent in the second week, when he made desperate attempts to form a mobile armoured striking force in reserve, but it was too late. “The second vital battle was the Falaise pocket. Here the enemy showed a fatal tendency to stand and fight when all the logic of war demanded a strategic withdrawal. By this means the enemy allowed his 7th Army to be encircled and ground to pieces. “The campaign’s third decisive phase consisted of the battles west of the Rhine during February and March. Once again the enemy played into our hands by his insistence on fighting the battle where h£ stood. In the lowland country between the Rhine and the Meuse, m the Eifel and the Saar the armies which had been intended to defend Germany were shattered beyond recovery. The potential barrier of the Rhine lay practically undefended before us. From that time onward there was no German force in existence capa “ altin S our forward march. The war was won before the Rhine was crossed. In the campaign’s last' stages the enemy could do little more than wait for the Allied avalanche to sweep over them. For this state of affairs we had to thank the overwhelming Allied air superiority. It undermined the basis of the enemy strength and enabled us to prepare and execute ground operations in complete security. Montgomery Praised “Field-Marshal Lord Montgomery’s tactical handling of the Caen situation was masterly,” said General Eisenhower. “ Subs equent events showed that the retention of Caen was the key to the main enemy strategy. Therefore, the Germans fought furiously to deny our possession. The struggle round Caen, which seemed to cost so much bft)od for such small territorial gains, was an essential factor for ensuring our ultimate success. The tenacity of the enemy’s defence sufficiently proved this, as every foot of ground the enemy lost at Caen was like losing 10 miles anywhere else. “At Christmas, 1944. following a message sent to the Combined Chiefs of Staff explaining the difficulty of evolving plans while ignorant of Russian intentions. Mr Roosevelt secured an agreement from Mr Stalin to receive our representatives to discuss the correlation of our respective efforts in the forthcoming spring. Accordingly. Air Chief Marshal Lord Tedder, accompanied by Generals Bull and • Betts, Went to Moscow "for a conference, which proved conspicuously successful, Mr Stalin furnishing a full explanation of the great four-pronged offensive involving 160 divisions of the Red Army. Events showed that the success of this gigantic offensive proved even greater than was anticipated. Meanwhile, fortified by Mr Stalin’s assurances, we proceeded with our own operational plan.” General Eisenhower, referring to the Allied strength, said: “No army or navy was ever supported so generously or so well.” On the eve of the Rhine crossing General Eisenhower had 4.000,000 men in the Army under his command, in addition to 11,000 fighter-bomber aeroplanes. plus two formidable naval fleets working as one. Behind the combat units there were 3.000,000 other men and women in uniform devoted to maintaining the forces in action. General Eisenhower said that it was difficult even for a pro'fessional soldier to appreciate the tremendous power achieved by the concerted Allied efforts.

FOOD FOR STARVING SEAMEN LAUNCH SENT FROM BRISBANE BRISBANE, June 24. Food was rushed by launch to Moreton Bay yesterday to feed 43 starving sailors aboard the freighter Empire Copperfield (6000 tons), after news of their plight had been received by radio. The master had planned to take his eight-knot ship from Singapore to Sydney direct in 25 days, the only call being at Thursday Island. The rations deteriorated in the tropics, and only meagre supplies of dried fruit, vegetables, preserved meat, and cocoa were left. Fresh stores were unobtainable at Townsville because of waterfront disputes. After receiving supplies by launch the ship, proceeded towards Sydney.