Triumph and Tragedy (The Second World War) (4 page)

On June 19 Rommel reported to von Rundstedt “… a large-scale landing is to be expected on the Channel front on

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both sides of Cap Gris Nez or between the Somme and Le Havre”
4
and he repeated the warning a week later. Thus it was not until the third week in July, six weeks after D-Day, that reserves from the Fifteenth Army were sent south from the Pas de Calais to join the battle. Our deception measures both before and after D-Day had aimed at creating this confused thinking. Their success was admirable and had far-reaching results on the battle.

On June 10 General Montgomery reported that he was sufficiently established ashore to receive a visit. I therefore set off in my train to Portsmouth, with Smuts, Brooke, General Marshall, and Admiral King. All three American Chiefs of Staff had flown to London on June 8 in case any vital military decision had to be taken at short notice. A British and an American destroyer awaited us. Smuts, Brooke, and I embarked in the former, and General Marshall and Admiral King, with their staffs, in the latter, and we crossed the Channel without incident to our respective fronts. Montgomery, smiling and confident, met me at the beach as we scrambled out of our landing-craft.

His army had already penetrated seven or eight miles inland. There was very little firing or activity. The weather was brilliant. We drove through our limited but fertile domain in Normandy. It was pleasant to see the prosperity of the countryside. The fields were full of lovely red and white cows basking or parading in the sunshine. The inhabitants seemed quite buoyant and well nourished and waved enthusiastically. Montgomery’s headquarters, about five miles inland, were in a château with lawns and lakes around it. We lunched in a tent looking towards the enemy.

The General was in the highest spirits. I asked him how far Triumph and Tragedy

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away was the actual front. He said about three miles. I asked him if he had a continuous line. He said, “No.”“What is there then to prevent an incursion of German armour breaking up our luncheon?” He said he did not think they would come. The staff told me the château had been heavily bombed the night before, and certainly there were a good many craters around it. I told him he was taking too much of a risk if he made a habit of such proceedings.

Anything can be done once or for a short time, but custom, repetition, prolongation, is always to be avoided when possible in war. He did in fact move two days later, though not till he and his staff had had another dose.

It continued fine, and apart from occasional air alarms and anti-aircraft fire there seemed to be no fighting. We made a considerable inspection of our limited bridgehead. I was particularly interested to see the local ports of Port-en-Bessin, Corseulles and Ouistreham. We had not counted much on these little harbours in any of the plans we had made for the great descent. They proved a most valuable acquisition, and soon were discharging about two thousand tons a day. I dwelt on these agreeable facts, with which I was already familiar, as we drove or walked round our interesting but severely restricted conquest.

Smuts, Brooke, and I went home in the destroyer
Kelvin.

Admiral Vian, who now commanded all the flotillas and light craft protecting the Arromanches harbour, was on board.

He proposed that we should go and watch the bombardment of the German position by the battleships and cruisers protecting the British left flank. Accordingly we passed between the two battleships, who were firing at twenty thousand yards, and through the cruiser squadron, firing at about fourteen thousand yards, and soon we were within seven or eight thousand yards of the shore, which was thickly wooded. The bombardment was leisurely and

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continuous, but there was no reply from the enemy. As we were about to turn I said to Vian, “Since we are so near, why shouldn’t we have a plug at them ourselves before we go home?” He said, “Certainly,” and in a minute or two all our guns fired on the silent coast. We were of course well within the range of their artillery, and the moment we had fired, Vian made the destroyer turn about and depart at the highest speed. We were soon out of danger and passed through the cruiser and battleship lines. This is the only time I have ever been on board one of His Majesty’s ships when she fired “in anger”— if it can be so called. I admired the Admiral’s sporting spirit. Smuts too was delighted. I slept soundly on the four-hour voyage to Portsmouth.

Altogether it had been a most interesting and enjoyable day.

At our train we found the three American Chiefs of Staff.

They were highly pleased with all they had seen on the American beaches, and full of confidence in the execution of our long-cherished design. We dined together in a happy mood. During the dinner I noticed General Marshall writing industriously, and presently he handed me a message he had written to Admiral Mountbatten, which he suggested we should all sign.

Today we visited the British and American armies on
the soil of France. We sailed through vast fleets of
ships, with landing-craft of many types pouring more
and more men, vehicles, and stores ashore. We saw
clearly the manoeuvre in process of rapid development.

We have shared our secrets in common and helped
each other all we could. We wish to tell you at this
moment in your arduous campaign that we realise that
much of this remarkable technique, and therefore the
success of the venture, has its origin in developments
effected by you and your staff of Combined Operations.

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ARNOLD, BROOKE, CHURCHILL, KING,
MARSHALL, SMUTS

Mountbatten must indeed have valued this tribute. The vast, intricate operation, with all its novel and ingenious devices, could not have been achieved without the Combined Operations headquarters of all three Services, which had been created in 1940 under Admiral Keyes, and had been carried by his successor to full fruition.

When time permitted I reported again to my two great companions.

Prime Minister to

14 June 44

Marshal Stalin

I visited the British sector of the front on Monday, as
you may have seen from the newspapers. The fighting
is continuous, and at that time we had fourteen
divisions operating on a front of about seventy miles.

Against this the enemy have thirteen divisions, not
nearly so strong as ours. Reinforcements are hurrying
up from their rear, but we think we can pour them in
much quicker from the sea. It is a wonderful sight to
see this city of ships stretching along the coast for
nearly fifty miles and apparently secure from the air and
the U-boats which are so near. We hope to encircle
Caen, and perhaps to make a capture there of
prisoners. Two days ago the number of prisoners was
13,000, which is more than all the killed and wounded
we had lost up to that time. Therefore it may be said
that the enemy have lost nearly double what we have,
although we have been continuously on the offensive.

During yesterday the advances were quite good,
though the enemy resistance is stiffening as his
strategic reserves are thrown into the battle. I should
think it quite likely that we should work up to a battle of
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about a million a side, lasting through June and July.

We plan to have about two million there by mid-August.

Every good wish for your successes in Karelia.

To the President I wrote on the same day about various questions, including the visit of de Gaulle to France, which I had arranged without consulting Roosevelt beforehand. I added:

I had a jolly day on Monday on the beaches and
inland. There is a great mass of shipping extended
more than fifty miles along the coast. It is being
increasingly protected against weather by the artificial
harbours, nearly every element of which has been a
success, and will soon have effective shelter against
bad weather. The power of our air and our anti-U-boat
forces seems to ensure it a very great measure of
protection. After doing much laborious duty we went
and had a plug at the Hun from our destroyer, but
although the range was 6000 yards he did not honour
us with a reply.

Marshall and King came back in my train. They were
greatly reassured by all they saw on the American side,
and Marshall wrote out a charming telegram to
Mountbatten, saying how many of these new craft had
been produced under his organisation and what a help
they had been. You used the word “stupendous” in one
of your early telegrams to me. I must admit that what I
saw could only be described by that word, and I think
your officers would agree as well. The marvellous
efficiency of the transportation exceeds anything that
has ever been known in war. A great deal more has to
be done, and I think more troops are needed. We are
working up to a battle which may well be a million a
side. The Chiefs of Staff are searching about for the
best solution of these problems as between the
Mediterranean and “Overlord.”

How I wish you were here!

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2

Normandy to Paris

The Struggle for Caen
—
Effect of Our Air
Offensive on the Enemy’s Communications —