Why was D-day so successful?

Question

D-day (Operation Overlord)

Answer 1

Due to the determination, grit, improvisation, and leadership of individual soldiers on the ground. Without their drive and inspiration D-day would have been a failure on an epic scale.

Answer 2

Determination, luck, skill, might.

Despite critique the plan was good and solid, problems happened in the execution, the airborne forces were dispersed to much and the time table was reaching.

Determination, no one who did not go through it can every doubt the courage of those who did. The sheer human effort of the beach landings especially Utah, was indescribable. The men that landed knew there job and knew they only way out was forward there was no going back.

Luck, a number of German officers were at a party, Rommel was on leave at home in Germany. Hitler believed that the crossing would take place at the Plais de Calais. Hitler did not release the Panzer's in time to counter attack.

Skill, all allied forces performed in the highest most professional manner, all were dedicated to the project. And once on ground they went about their deadly work. The French Resistance and population supported them.

Might, the air, & naval superiority denied the Germans the ability to hinder then attack. Even had Hitler released the Panzer Armies the Air forces would have had at them. As Hitler held back his tank army Ike held in reserve the air forces set aside to deal with them.

Dday would have succeded irreagradless it might have cost more but I doudt if we would have been pushed back into the sea.

Answer 3

The really important elements were (1) the "Mulberry Harbours", huge prefabricated floating harbours moored against the shore at Arromanches and at Omaha Beach, and (3) a big exercise in fake radio traffic all over south-east England to create the illusion of the steady build-up of an immense army group under the command of General George S. Patton.

Every military student "knew" that, to be successful, any seaborne invasion had to capture a major port very early in its progress, to keep the invasion forces supplied with food, fuel and ammunition. Because the D-Day invasion had not made Cherbourg a prime objective, Hitler and most of his senior German officers KNEW that the real invasion was still to come, probably to capture the much more useful port of Calais, and that the Normandy exercise was a mere feint which very soon must fail for its apparent lack of supply lines. So they kept huge defensive reserves in the Pas de Calais, instead of moving them to Normandy, convinced that the moment they moved them, General Patton's huge (but completely imaginary) army group would strike across the Channel.

It was very very brave of General Patton to agree to being the most important nobody in military history. His combat experience would have made him enormously valuable to the invasion forces, but his magnificent reputation made him the most credible possible commander for the deception plan.

Answer 4

D-Day was so successful for a few main reasons. We had the element of surprise as Germany believed that George Patton and his army were planning to invade France while a huge force lined up near Normandy to attack. Another reason it was so successful was the weather made many Germans in Normandy believe that no such invasion could possibly occur because Americans would wait for more appropriate weather.

Answer 5

Because we deceived Hitler into believing that Patton was the main thrust and was attacking elsewhere, that this was a diversion. By the time the Germans had figured it out it was too late. Moswtly it was the German infrastructure that made it impossible to counter it, the local commanders could not bring up reinforcements, it was only the German high command that could order in those reserves and Hitler wouldn't let the high command do it. So ultimately Hitler. IMO

Answer 6

Even after the surprise was over, the allies had overwhelming air superiority from day one. The Germans were never able to launch counter attacks, bring up reinforcements and supplies, or any movement during the day. Allied fighter bombers, high level bombers and 16-inch naval guns simply obliterated the vaunted SS divisions and werhmact divisions placed against them....

Answer 7

D-day wasn't "so successful". It very nearly failed, and thousands of our troops were killed. It was a huge risk that proved to be worth it because Hitler refused to redeploy panzer divisions from the Pas-de-Calais. Even with that momentous blunder, the Germans came very close to wiping the Allies off the beaches.

Answer 8

Be cause once the bridgehead was established, there was nothing to the German could do to stem the tide of man and machine.

Answer 9

element of surprise