United States Army in World War II
European Theater of OperationsThe Supreme Command
Forrest C. Pogue
CMH Publication 7-1
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF MILITARY HISTORY
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
WASHINGTON, D.C., 1954Library of Congress Catalog Number: 53-61717
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C., 20402
. . . to Those Who Served
CONTENTS
Forward ix Note on the History of the European Theater of Operations x Preface xi Biographical Sketches 1 Chapter Page I. The Supreme Commander 23 The Selection of the Supreme Commander 23 The New Commander 33 II. The Coalition Command 36 Heads of Governments 36 Combined Chiefs of Staff 37 The Supreme Commander and His Subordinates 41 The Organization of the Subordinate Commands 45 The Supreme Commander's Directive 49 III. The Nature of SHAEF 56 Contributions of AFHQ 56 Contributions of COSSAC 58 The Chief Deputies 60 IV. The Machinery of SHAEF 66 The Powers Reserved to SHAEF 66 The Operations Division 68 The Intelligence Division 71 Administration 73 Civil Affairs 75 Publicity and Psychological Warfare 84 The Special Staff Divisions 91 Political Officers 95 Committees 96 Locations of SHAEF 96 V. Planning Before SHAEF 98 Early Background 98 Allied Planning and Preparation in 1943 102 The COSSAC Plans 105 VI. SHAEF Revises Plans for the Attack 107 Strengthening and Widening the Assault and the Postponement of ANVIL 108 Increase of Airborne Units in the Assault 118 The Revised Plan 121 VII. SHAEF's Air Problems, January-June 1944 123 Problems of Command 123 Railway Bombing Plan 127 CROSSBOW 134 Effect of the Air Program 136 VIII. Relations With the Occupied Countries 138 Allied Liaison Machinery 138 Civil Affairs Agreements 139 Troubled Relations With the French Committee 140 IX. Final Preparations for the Invasion 158 Intensified Air Efforts Against the Enemy 158 Propaganda Efforts Against the Enemy 161 Security for the Operation 162 The Patton Episode 164 Exercises and Maneuvers 166 The Decision To Go 166 X. D Day to the Breakout 171 Unfolding of the Grand Design 171 The Enemy 175 Allied Command 180 The Battle for Caen 183 XI. The Breakout and Pursuit to the Seine 192 The Allied Situation in Late July 192 The German Situation 193 Plans for the Breakout 196 The COBRA Operation 199 Hitler Outlines His Plan 201 Eisenhower Prepares for Action 203 The Mortain Counterattack 206 Closing the Falaise Gap 208 Withdrawal to the Seine 215 XII. The Campaign in Southern France 218 The Second Phase of the ANVIL Controversy 218 The Landings and the Advance 227 XIII. Relations With the French, June-September 1944 231 Civil Affairs 231 Command of the French Resistance Forces 236 Activities of French Resistance, June-August 1944 237 The Liberation of Paris 239 XIV. The Pursuit Stops Short of the Rhine 244 The Situation at the End of August 244 Allied Plans for an Advance to the Rhine 249 Logistical Reasons for the Halt 256 XV. Command Reorganization, June-October 1944 261 The Ground Forces 261 The Air and Naval Forces 269 Shifts in Locations of Supreme Headquarters 275 XVI. Fighting In the North 279 Background of Operations in the Netherlands 279 The MARKET-GARDEN Operation 284 Discussion of Future Operations 288 The Battle for Antwerp 298 XVII. The Battles of Attrition, September-December 1944 302 The Enemy Regroups 302 October Battles 304 Plans To End the War Quickly 307 The November Offensive 310 Allied Strategy Re-examined 312 Action in December 317 XVIII. Relations With Liberated Countries 319 Relations With France 319 Relations With Belgium 328 Relations With the Netherlands 334 Allied Public Information Activities in the Liberated Countries 336 Other Aid to Liberated Peoples 337 XIX. Program For Germany 339 Efforts To Induce German Surrender 339 Military Government of Germany 346 XX. The Winter Counteroffensives 359 The German Plan 359 Allied Estimate of Enemy Intentions 361 The Attack 372 Preparations for an Allied Attack 385 The Allies Take the Initiative 393 The Attack in Northern Alsace 397 The Question of Strasbourg 398 6th Army Group Counterattack 402 Effects of the German Counteroffensive 404 XXI. The Battle for the Rhineland 405 Russian Plans 405 Formulation of Allied Strategy 407 General Eisenhower's Replies 409 Discussion of Strategy by the Combined Chiefs 413 Looking Toward the Rhine 417 German Difficulties 418 SHAEF Establishes a Forward Headquarters 419 Allied Operations, January-February 1945 420 The Crossing of the Rhine in the North 427 XXII. The Battle for the Ruhr 434 A Change of Plans 434 Encircling the Ruhr 436 The Ruhr Pocket 439 XXIII. The Drive to the Elbe 441 Shall It Be Berlin? 441 The Area and the Enemy 447 The Nature of the Pursuit 448 Operations in the North 449 The Main Thrust to the Elbe 451 6th Army Group Operations 454 XXIV. The Drive to the Elbe (Continued) 457 Aid for the Netherlands 457 The Stuttgart Incident 459 Avoiding Clashes With the Russians 461 The End of Hitler 469 XXV. The German Surrender 475 Early Peace Feelers 475 Doenitz Appraises the Situation 478 Piecemeal Surrenders 480 Preliminary Talks with SHAEF 483 Surrender at Reims 485 Ceremony at Berlin 490 XXVI. The Last Phase 495 Initial Measures 495 Disarming the German Forces 497 The Final German Surrenders 502 Disarming the Enemy in Denmark and Norway 508 Closing Out Supreme Headquarters 511 Appendix Page A. SHAEF and the Press, June 1944-May 1945 519 B. SHAEF Personnel 529 C. Roster of Key Officers, SHAEF 536 D. Forces Under SHAEF, 1944-45 539 E. Strength and Casualty Figures 542 F. The Supreme Commander's Orders of the Day 545 G. Table of Equivalent Ranks 550 GLOSSARY 551 CODE NAMES 554 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE 557 Index 571
TablesNo. Page 1. Casualties Caused by Flying Bomb and Rocket Attacks on the United Kingdom, 1944-45 252 2. Estimated Casualties in the Ardennes 396 3. U.S. Battle Casualties, Ardennes-Alsace, 16 December 1944-25 January 1945 402 4. Authorized Strength of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, 12 July 1944 533 5. Authorized Strength of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, 1 February 1945 534 6. Authorized Strength of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force, 1 April 1945 535 7. Assigned Strength of U.S. Army Forces in European Theater of Operations, July 1944-June 1945 542 8. Battle Casualties of U.S. Army in European Theater of Operations, June 1944-May 1945 543 9. British and Canadian Strengths, Northwest Europe, 1944-45 543 10. Battle Casualties of the British 21 Army Group, D Day to V-E Day 544 11. Battle Casualties of French Army, 8 November 1942-8 May 1945 544
Illustrations are from the following sources J.C.A. Redhead, FRPS, London: page 46 (Leigh-Mallory).
Bassano Ltd., London: page 46 (Ramsay).
British Information Services: page 50 (Montgomery).
Canadian Army: page 51 (Crerar).
Fayer Camer Portraits, London: page 148.
Service Cinéma des Armées, France: page 398.
Walter Stoneman, London: pages 94 (Cameron, Vulliamy, Hughes), 430.
Captured German Photographs: pages 176, 178, 195, 212.
All other photographs are from Department of Defense files.