June 6, 1944 is when the Western Allies invaded German occupied France along the Normandy coast. Once the Germans were forcibly removed from France, they got their country back. The US and UK only took enough soil to bury some of their dead. How interesting that a nation would be conquered and the conquered leaves and returns the entire nation to the people who live there, without conditions or occupation or reparation. Just as the US and UK are doing in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Americans had been planning the invasion for over two years and troops had been training in some cases for the whole time. The army that landed was well equipped with modern weapons and support equipment. They used many secret weapons that while not as flashy as a Tiger II or as Me 262 were very important. For the Allies everything was subordinated to logistics. It was a long way from a tank factory in Detroit to the shores of France, and no direct ports to off load supplies. The Allies invented undersea pipelines to transport fuel, and artificial harbors to allow ships to offload where harbors had not been before. Some of these things did not work as well as designed, but they were only a small part of the whole. In war you often try several different plans at once and hope one of them works. Often only in hindsight do you know what the best plan was going to be.
Try a wargame using logistics. Your tanks can't move until the trucks arrive with fuel. Your tanks can't shoot until your trucks arrive with cannon shells. Your artillery can only fire three turns in the game because of ammo shortages. Your infantry can't attack until they get fed, or get some sleep, or they fire at a reduced chance to hit because they are so tired after attacking for several days without sleep. Makes that whole logistics thing seem much more important.
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8 comments:
There are two reasons why we don't game logistics: 1] it's boring everyone wants to shoot, not supply; and 2] we don't usually get enough players to have a full time S-4 [supply officer per side].
Having said that, I will now say:
Amateurs talk tactics; professionals talk logistics.
If you don't think that logistics drive operations, compare the US in Vietnam to the Soviets in Afghanistan. How many multi- divisional ops did each side run during their tenure in the war zone?
Jim.
France was invaded by Germany not USA/AMERICA we were their allies;hows that got anything to do with the invasion of Iraq(illeagal as it was)
Yes, Jim, logistics can be boring. That's why I suggest we simulate them by simply cutting back on rates of fire or movment rather than actually move convoys of hundreds of trucks for several turns. Not that I don't have the trucks...
France was invaded by the Allies, the Vichy government was the de facto ruler, along with the Germans, of France at the time. The Free French Government was only recognized by the Allies and excercised no control over metropolitan France.
The US invasion of Iraq was not illegal, that's why dozens of other nations participated with us, including many Muslim nations, South Korea, Japan, UK, Austrailia and Poland.
I'm with you there , Bunkermeister .
Britain had been in a state of undeclared war with Vichy France since 1940 - sinking the French fleet at Mers el Kebir and fighting them on land in Lebanon , Syria and Madagascar .
"Invasion" is , therefore , probably the best word .
I think , however , that logistics wasn't the main problem in Normandy , after the Mulberry harbours were set up certainly .
A more unusual aspect was the overwhelming firepower from naval artillery and strategic bombing .
Neither of these were present in such concentrated form elsewhere .
Very true TYO. Still, the US Army had many shortages in the drive across France. Patton was known for outrunning his supply lines. Some simulation of this on the wargame can help to create interesting and more balanced scenarios at times.
True , Bunkermeister . Patton and his troops were certainly advancing rapidly in their sector .
Coming from Scotland , the stories I was told as a boy were all about slogging it out on the Odon River or the outskirts of Caen .
I was forgeting that Patton swung so far inland .
Good wargame scenario .
Thanks for your comments YOG. I find endless wargame scenarios in the History of WWII.
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