Triumph and Tragedy (The Second World War) (129 page)

Vice-Chief of the Imperial General Staff V.C.N.S.

Vice-Chief of the Naval Staff

V.E.

Victory in Europe

V.J.

Victory in Far East

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Appendix B, Book One

LIST OF CODE-NAMES

ADMIRAL Q: President Roosevelt.

AXVIL: Allied landings in the South of France, 1944. Later called “Dragoon.”

ARGONAUT: The Conference of “the Three” at Yalta, February 1945.

CAPITAL: The advance into Central Burma from the north.

COLONEL WARDEN: The Prime Minister.

CROSSBOW: The committee set up to deal with measures against pilotless weapons.

CROSSWORD: The German approach to the Allies through Italian intermediaries.

CULVERIN: Operations against Northern Sumatra.

DRACULA: The capture of Rangoon and the cutting off of the Japanese from their bases and lines of communication in Siam.

DRAGOON: The Allied landings in Southern France.

Originally called “Anvil.”

MANNA: The British expedition to Greece, 1943.

OCTAGON: The second Conference at Quebec, 1944.

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OMAHA BEACH: A beach northwest of Bayeux, site of an American landing on D-Day.

OVERLORD: The landing in Normandy in 1944.

QUADRANT: The Quebec Conference, 1943.

PLUTO: The submarine pipe-line taking petrol across the Channel

TERMINAL: The Potsdam Conference, July 1945.

TUBE ALLOYS: Atom bomb research.

WINDOW: Tinfoil strips used to confuse German radar.

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Appendix C, Book One

PRIME MINISTER’S PERSONAL MINUTES AND TELEGRAMS

June—December,
1944

JUNE

Prime Minister to Secretary

1 June 44

of State for War

Pray let me have a statement setting out the full
establishment of the service of psychiatrists in the
Army, including all dependent and ancillary personnel
Prime Minister to Chief of

5 June 44

the Air Staff

Thank you for your minute of May 17, enclosing
photographs taken from the air with the latest camera
modification. They show a remarkable improvement in
technique, and I hope we have ample special cameras
available for use in operations.

Lord Cherwell also showed me a night photograph
taken by similar technique which was very much better
defined than any night photos I have previously seen.

No doubt the enemy will do much of his movement by
night, so that we should make sure cameras for this
sort of work are ready.

Prime Minister to Secretary

6 June 44

of State for War and C.I.G.S.

At the Cabinet the other day we were told that the
impending shortage of man-power in the Army,
equalling 90,000 men deficit, would lead to the
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destruction of five divisions. Why do you cut down
divisions in this way without considering all the
reactions which the destruction of divisions implies? For
instance, what happens to the corps and army troops,
who for five divisions amount to well over 100,000

men? Surely they could be retrained for infantry duties
in less time than fresh entries, or even young men from
the R.A.F.? When new divisions are formed about
40,000 men are required. When existing divisions are
cannibalised they only work out at an economy of
18,000 men apiece. It is this kind of thing which makes
it so difficult for one to help you in keeping up the Army.

2.We have over 1,600,000 men in England. Even
after our men have crossed the sea there ought to be a
great many in this country from whom it ought to be
possible to find sufficient drafts to make good a
shortage of 90,000.

3.The above in no way means that I shall relax my
pressure on the R.A.F. Regiment, on the Royal
Marines, and all other sources. But to go and feed up to
the Cabinet that a deficit of 90,000 men means the loss
of five divisions cannot be accepted.

Prime Minister to Minister of

7 June 44

Production, First Lord of the

Admiralty, Secretary of

State for War, and Minister

of Supply

I am glad to hear that the production of “Mulberry”

was successfully completed in time. This was a fine
feat. The final operational requirement for “Phoenix”

had been met by May 23, and the minimum operational
requirement for “Whale” by the following day. As a
result the whole of the equipment is now in the hands
of the Admiralty, and was ready and waiting in the
assembly areas on D-Day.

The production of this novel and complicated
equipment and its towing to the final erection sites and
thence to the assembly areas has been a very
considerable undertaking. I feel that all the departments
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concerned are to be congratulated on the completion of
the work.

Prime Minister to Minister of

7 June 44

Production, First Lord, First

Sea Lord, Minister of War

Transport (Foreign

Secretary to see)

Since the losses in the bombardment for “Overlord”

appear to be so much less than was anticipated, I am
expecting you to organise a convoy to Russia in July,
and to run them regularly thereafter as long as the
Americans will send anything or there is anything due
from us on the existing protocol. It may be necessary to
make a new protocol as far as we are concerned.

Prime Minister to Minister

10 June 44

of Production and Sir

Edward Bridges

The most obnoxious and burdensome of all

“Overlord” security restrictions is the thirty-mile coastal
ban, which should be removed at once. This should be
done as far as possible unostentatiously and by local
arrangement rather than by proclamation. It would be
best if it could just fade away.

2. It is agreed that the diplomatic ban should also be
removed privately and unostentatiously from D + 7.

There should be no mitigation towards Ireland, except
in compassionate cases. Otherwise I am in agreement
with the proposal that the removal of other bans should
be discussed with S.H.A.E.F. after D + 12.

Prime Minister to

15 June 44

Chancellor of the

Exchequer

I attach a memorandum prepared by officials about
the man-power position in the second half of 1944.

Pray reassemble your Ministerial committee which dealt
with these matters last November, and prepare a
scheme for consideration by the War Cabinet on the
following basis:

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For the present we must base our plans on the
continuance of the war in Europe throughout the first
half of 1945; and we cannot assume that it will not
continue thereafter. By the end of August 1944 it may
be possible to take a clearer view of the position, and
for the present the position had best be dealt with by
short-term adjustments.

I consider that a temporary increase should be made
in the Army intake during July and August (say, 15,000

instead of 6000 a month). This increase should be at
the expense of the other Services, and not of munitions
and other essential industries.

The Ministry of Supply claim for an increased
allotment cannot, in my view, be accepted, and the
Ministry must conform with the allocation approved for
them.

There will still remain a shortage of labour amounting to about 100,000. This should in the main be
shared between the industrial staffs of the Admiralty
and the Ministry of Aircraft Production and from Civil
Defence. Something more might also be found from
industries and elsewhere.

“Overlord” casualties to date are much lower than
anticipated. Your recommendations should take this
into account.

Prime Minister to Sir

18 June 44

Edward Bridges, and to

General Ismay for C.O.S.

Committee

Ministers who wish to visit Normandy for any
purpose should inform me of what they propose. I will
then consult General Eisenhower’s wishes. No other
visitors should be permitted to go, except with General
Eisenhower’s concurrence.

2. This should be brought to the notice of all
concerned.

Prime Minister to Major

22 June 44

Morton

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Remind me later on to make a note about a hostel in
France for correspondents, as in the last war, with
facilities for distinguished visitors to be entertained and
taken to proper places in the front line without in the
slightest degree affecting the command posts or the
Commanders-in-Chief. Let me have a report on the
chateau which was then formed. Major Neville Lytton
played an important part in this. The Minister of
Information should be consulted.

Prime Minister to First Lord

22 June 44

and First Sea Lord

Please let me have without delay the measures you
are taking to sustain the bombarding fleet. Warspite
should certainly be used as long as she can swim and
her guns can fire. Malaya, I presume, is ready to take
over gadgets from Warspite in good time, or is she
properly equipped already? It is much better to rely on
the 15-inch than the 16-inch, because of the larger
stocks of ammunition and replacement mountings and
tubes. I understand you are using Revenge and
Resolution as stoker training-ships. These vessels
should be put to a higher use. We have great need to
sustain our bombarding fleet, which may have to deal
with Cherbourg, and will certainly be required for the
flanks of the liberating armies.

2. Let me see your estimate of losses of the British
fleet employed in “Overlord” and the losses which have
actually occurred.

3.Let me have the stocks of ammunition for the
Nelson-Rodney class and the Malaya-Ramillies class.

Let me also have the story about retubing of the guns
in both the Malaya and Ramillies types. How long does
it take to shift 15-inch guns from one ship to another? It
would surely be wrong to use important fighting vessels
as stoker training-schools in the height of a great battle
when either they or their armament or equipment are
urgently needed.