Germany. Heer - Fighting the Invasion: the German Army at D-Day

OTHER FRONTLINE TITLES INCLUDE

FIGHTING IN NORMANDY
The German Army from D-Day to Villers-Bocage
Edited by David C. Isby

FIGHTING THE BOMBERS
The Luftwaffes Struggle Against the Allied
Bomber Offensive
Edited by David C. Isby

FIGHTING THE BREAKOUT
The German Army in Normandy from COBRA
to the Falaise Gap
Edited by David C. Isby

HITLERS ARDENNES OFFENSIVE
The German View of the Battle of the Bulge
Edited by Danny S. Parker

LUFTWAFFE FIGHTER FORCE
The View from the Cockpit
Edited by David C. Isby

TAPPING HITLERS GENERALS
Transcripts of Secret Conversations, 19421945
Edited by Snke Neitzel

Fighting the Invasion: The German Army at D-Day

A Greenhill Book

First published in 2000 and 2004 by Greenhill Books, Lionel Leventhal Limited
www.greenhillbooks.com

This edition published in 2016 by

Frontline Books
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Copyright Lionel Leventhal Limited, 2000

ISBN: 978-1-84832-921-8
PDF ISBN: 978-1-84832-497-8
EPUB ISBN: 978-1-84832-496-1
PRC ISBN: 978-1-84832-495-4

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Contents

by General der Infanterie Gnther Blumentritt (B-283)

by Generalmajor Rudolf, Freiherr von Gersdotff (B-122)

by Generalleutnant Hans Speidel (B-720)

by General der Infanterie Gnther Blumentritt (B-344)

by Generalleutnant Max Pemsel (B-234)

by General der Panzertruppen Leo, Freiherr Geyr von Schweppenburg (B-466)

by Generalfeldmarshall Wilhelm Keitel and Generaloberst Alfred Jodl (ETHINT 49)

by Grossadmiral Karl Dnitz and Konteradmiral Gerhard Wagner (ETHINT 28)

by General Walter Warlimont (ETHINT 1)

by General der Panzertruppen Leo, Freiherr Geyr von Schwppenburg (B-466)

by Generalleutnant Karl Wilhelm von Schlieben (B-845)

by Generalmajor Gerhard Triepel (B-260)

by Hauptmann Herbert Schoch (B-845)

by Generalleutnant Edgar Feuchtinger (B-441)

by Oberstleutnant Fritz Ziegelmann (B-432)

by Generalleutnant Joseph Reichert (B-403)

by Oberst Paul Frank (B-008)

by Oberstleutnant Friedrich, Freiherr von der Heydte (B-839)

by General der Panzertruppen Heinrich, Freiherr von Lttwitz (B-257)

by Generalleutnant Richard Schimpf (B-541)

by General der Flakartillerie Wolfgang Pickert (B-597)

by Major Percy E. Schramm (B-034)

by General der Infanterie Gunther Blumentritt (B-283)

by Oberst Paul Frank (B-008)

by Generalleutnant Joseph Reichert (B-403)

by Oberstleutnant Gnther Keil (B-844)

by Oberstleutnant Friedrich von Criegem (B-784)

by Generalmajor Gerhard Triepel (B-260)

by Generalleutnant Karl Wilhelm von Schlieben (B-845)

by Oberstleutnant Fritz Ziegelmann (B-432)

by Generalleutnant Edgar Feuchtinger (B-441)

by Generalleutnant Joseph Reichert (B-403)

by Oberstleutnant Friedrich, Freiherr von der Heydte (B-839)

by General der Panzertruppen Leo, Freiherr Geyr von Schmppenburg (B-466)

by Oberstleutnant Friedrich von Criegem (B-784)

by General der Panzertruppen Leo, Freiherr Geyr von Schweppenburg (B-466)

by Generalleutnant Edgar Feuchtinger (B-441)

by Generalmajor Fritz Krmer (C-024)

by Generalleutnant Joseph Reichert (B-403)

by Oberstleutnant Gnther Keil (B-844)

by General der Panzertruppen Heinrich, Freiherr von Lttwitz (B-257)

by General der Flakartillerie Wolfgang Pickert (B-597)

Illustrations

Plates

Maps and diagrams

Note: The maps on are reproduced directly from original and surviving maps and sketch maps held in the National Archives.

Contributors to this Volume: Positions Held on D-Day

General der Infanterie Gnther Blumentritt: Chief of Staff to Commander-in-Chief West

Oberstleutnant Friedrich von Criegern: Assistant Chief of Staff (Ia*), LXXIV Korps

Grossadmiral Karl Dnitz: Commander-in-Chief, German Navy

Oberst Paul Frank: Chief of Staff (la), 346th Infantry Divisison

Generalleutnant Edgar Feuchtinger: Commanding General, 21st Panzer Division

Generalmajor Rudolf, Freiherr von Gersdorff: Chief of Staff, Seventh Army (at end of July)

General der Panzertruppen Leo, Freiherr Geyr von Schweppenburg: Commanding General, Panzer Gruppe West

Oberstleutnant Dr Friedrich, Freiherr von der Heydte: Commanding Officer, 6th Fallschirmjger Regiment.

Oberstleutnant Gnther Keil: Commanding Officer, 1058th Infantry Regiment

Generalfeldmarshall Wilhelm Keitel: Chief of Staff, Wehrmacht High Command

Generalmajor Fritz Krmer: Chief of Staff, I SS Panzer Korps

Generaloberst Alfred Jodl: Chief of Operations, Wehrmacht High Command

General der Panzertruppen Heinrich, Freiherr von Lttwitz: Commanding General, 2nd Panzer Division

Generalleutnant Max Pemsel: Chief of Staff, Seventh Army (until replaced by von Gersdorff)

General der Flaktruppen Wolfgang Pickert: Commanding General, III Flak Korps

Generalleutnant Joseph Reichert: Commanding General, 711th Infantry Division

Generalleutnant Richard Schimpf: Commanding General, 3rd Fallschirmjger Division

Generalleutnant Karl Wilhem von Schlieben: Commanding General, 709th Infantry Division

Captain Herbert Schoch: Training Officer, Division Staff, 243rd Infantry Division

Major Dr Percy E. Schramm: Staff Officer at OKW, responsible for the War Diary

Generalleutnant Dr Hans Speidel: Rommels Chief of Staff

Oberst iG Anton Staubwasser: Chief of Intelligence, Army Group B Staff

Generalmajor Gerhard Triepel: Commanding Officer, 1261st Coast Artillery Regiment

Konteradmiral Gerhard Wagner: Chief of Staff to Commander-in-Chief German Navy

General Walter Warlimont: Jodls Deputy Chief of Operations

Generlleutnant Gustav Wilke: Commanding General, 5th Fallschirmjger Division

Oberstleutnant Fritz Ziegelmann: Assistant Chief of Staff (la*), 352nd Infantry Division

Generalloberst Bodo Zimmermann: Assistant Chief of Staff, OB West

Editors Introduction

This volume seeks to show, from the viewpoint of the German Army, one of the most decisive operations of the Second World War the Allied invasion of Normandy on D-Day, 6 June 1944, and the events leading up to it. These views were represented in a range of military studies written for the US Army by senior German Army officers after the war, and these documents have provided the source material for this volume.

The documents have been used as source material in all subsequent writing on Normandy, especially that in the English language. Taken together, they represent the most detailed German account of the fighting. As has often been pointed out, however, they all have to be used with caution. The earlier reports were compiled when the authors were prisoners of war, the later ones when they were paid employees of the US Army. Most of themespecially the earlier reportswere written largely without reference to war diaries, wartime maps (although the US Army provided the authors with reference maps) or official papers. Moreover, although they were written by participants (many of whom never wrote their memoirs or other accounts in any language) while their memories were still fresh, their immediacy is not matched by attention to detail (for example, dates and places are sometimes wrong or inconsistent) or by their impartiality.