The Super Summary of World History - Alan Dale Daniel [313]
[300] US submarines had seen and reported the Japanese ships.
[301] Some, like the California, had been raised from the mud of Pearl Harbor to rejoin the fleet.
[302] Defeat Germany first then Japan, defeat submarines first then the Luftwaffe second, keep China and USSR in the war, take North Africa, invade Europe in 1944, put massive emphasis on technology, keep full war production from the outset of the war, listen to the generals not the politicians about how to wage the war, etc.
[303] Memoirs, by Carl Doenitz, Da Capo Press, 1997.
[304] Insightfully, this was exactly what Stalin had planned when France, England, and Germany went to war. Stalin was going to wait until the Western powers were exhausted in a World War I kind of confrontation, and then he would invade from the east and conquer all. But France buckled, and everything changed.
[305] Several ships and men were lost to a surprise German e-boat attack while they were practicing for the invasion. The loss of several LST’s worried the generals as they were low on landing ships.
[306] See: Cross Channel Attack, by Gordon Harrision for detailed review. This is the best book on the D-Day invasion. Lots of maps and detailed background information—it’s all there.
[307] In making a WWII movie in England, a film company had to apply for a permit to tow the authentically constructed gliders behind aircraft. The permit was denied because the gliders were deemed not airworthy. Wonder if the guys knew that in 1944?
[308] Note how difficult this invasion was and compare it to Germany’s ability to cross the English Channel in 1940. The Allies had ten times the power of the Wehrmacht in 1944, and it would still be hard to accomplish. How could the German’s have pulled it off in 1940 against a nation with a strong navy on top of everything else?
[309] War gaming and the actual events show Rommel was correct about Allied airpower.
[310] Except for the wading tanks that had to get ashore on their own. Launched from LSTs, high seas sunk nearly all these specialized tanks, and many crews were lost.
[311] Goodwood and Charnwood were the largest of these attacks and were complete Allied defeats. Charnwood did manage to take a portion of Caen; but as long as the Germans held the high ground above Caen, the town itself was nearly meaningless. See: Decision in Normandy, by Carlo D’Este, for a detailed look at the planning and fighting for Normandy.
[312] The British were on the left flank of the Allied advance across France where the port cities such as Dunkirk were located, but Montgomery failed to order their seizure thereby exacerbating the Allied supply problems.
[313] Patton had argued he should get the supplies on his claim that he could reach Berlin if he got them. Typical of Patton; however, he may have had a better chance than Montgomery, given the speed with which he did cross the Rhine; and German forces to his front were not as accomplished as those Montgomery found on the way to Arnhem.
[314] German tanks in 1944 were MUCH larger than the German tanks of 1940 which had traversed this forest to attack France.
[315] I say this a lot, but good plans, without false assumptions attached, and good preparations are critical to achieving victory.
[316] It was even hard to locate a city, much less a few factory buildings.
[317] The reader may want to compare this logic to (1) The English blockade of Germany in WWI, the German U-boat campaigns in WWI and WWII, and the terrorist’s attacks of the late twentieth century.
[318] The P-51 was a long-range fighter that could escort the bombers to the targets and back. Even targets deep in Germany could be reached by the P-51. In addition, even though it had tremendous long-range capability; it was also a superb combat aircraft.
[319] I can hear you now . . .”What about Vietnam?” . . . well, what about it? The United States won virtually EVERY battle. Even after US forces were all but