Did they really withhold tanks on D-Day because Hitler was sleeping?

[DukeDayve]

I've been watching a lot of documentaries about Op. Overlord what with it being the 75th anniversary of D-Day and all that. The one thing I keep hearing is that, on the day, German tanks didn't leap into action immediately because Hitler was sleeping and none of his staff/aides had the courage to wake him up. Is this really true? The Germans had been planning the defence against the allies for over a year, they knew something huge was coming and it was of the utmost importance to them to throw the allies back into the sea so that they could focus their efforts entirely on Russia. It was probably the single most important thing at that time for the Germans. What little hope they had left of winning the war (or at least coming to some kind of terms with the allies) utterly hinged on stopping the allies opening up another large front in the west. If they opened up that third way of attack then it was lost for Germany. Even Hitler must have known that.

Also, whatever else you could say about Hitler, I've never heard about him being the type of dude who would have his aides shot for waking him to tell him that the most important event in their war at that point needs his immediate attention.

It just doesn't add up. Is there another reason the tanks didn't swing into action immediately? Like, maybe the skies were swarming with allied fighter bombers and they knew that moving in daylight in columns would be dumb and do them no good whatsoever? Or maybe their commanders were holding them back because they suspected the initial landings were a diversion and they didn't want to get bogged down when the real landings came?

 

[bz249]

Logistics: the Germans had one bullett and if it is shot it is gone. Had they know that the Allies also committed everything, they had done the same.
BTW Normandy offers a nice opportunity to trap the German armored formations. If the Allies land in Calais and captures Paris then everything west of it is lost. So being cautios is not totally dumb in this situation.

 

[Gil galad]

Even if they where withheld any assault concentrations could have been and where broken up by naval gunfire.

 

[DukeDayve]

Even if they where withheld any assault concentrations could have been and where broken up by naval gunfire.

That's another point. Those Germans in the area knew about the gigantic armada off the Normandy shore pounding everything that moved, as well as the total air superiority. Moving tanks into that Normandy area on D-Day and the days afterwards would have been insane. The German units already in the area were getting badly chewed up, the tanks would've suffered the same and probably not made much of a difference (maybe contained the allies in the Normandy area for an extra day or two).

But what I specifically want to know is... is there any truth to the constantly repeated notion that the tanks didn't roll because Hitler was asleep? That part really, really doesn't ring true for me.

Maybe the Fuhrer had a "don't wake me up" policy, it's well known he was putting in 18-20 hours a day, so I'm sure he and his staff and aides didn't want to disturb him when he was sleeping and I'm sure he didn't want to be disturbed when he was sleeping.

But the importance of the allies landing in France... the sheer importance and enormity of it and what it meant for Germany... I just don't believe he wouldn't want to be woken up for that, and I just don't believe his staff (which included hardened generals who weren't scared of being told off for waking up the Fuhrer) wouldn't wake him up in that situation.

 

[Andre Bolkonsky]

Yes. Hitler, who was heavily addicted to a cocktail of drugs, had been sedated by Dr. Morrell the night of the invasion. He was not informed until he woke the next day.

This is not the reason the Panzer reserve was locked up at Pas de Calais and not released to Rundstedt. Operation Bodyguard had woven a brilliant lie involving George Patton and FUSAG, the incredibly powerful First US Army Group (which in reality were a bunch of key operators forging military radio traffic along with some brilliant smoke and mirrors), being poised to hammer Calais. Normandy was just a distraction. Hitler knew far more than the silly Prussian generals and only HE could release the reserves at a time of his own choosing.

The Allies great fear was what would happen to the bridgehead when the ships were all unloaded and the fleet returned to England to pick up the second wave. That was the most dangerous point, and it was against this that one of the most brilliant deceptions in military history was aimed.

The General’s Bomb Plot under Stauffenberg a month later is the best gauge of the Wehrmacht's opinion of The Fuhrer and his genius.

 

[DukeDayve]

Yes. Hitler, who was heavily addicted to a cocktail of drugs, had been sedated by Dr. Morrell the night of the invasion. He was not informed until he woke the next day.

This is not the reason the Panzer reserve was locked up at Pas de Calais and not released to Rundstedt. Operation Bodyguard had woven a brilliant lie involving George Patton and FUSAG, the incredibly powerful First US Army Group (which in reality were a bunch of key operators forging military radio traffic along with some brilliant smoke and mirrors), being poised to hammer Calais. Normandy was just a distraction. Hitler knew far more than the silly Prussian generals and only HE could release the reserves at a time of his own choosing.

The Allies great fear was what would happen to the bridgehead when the ships were all unloaded and the fleet returned to England to pick up the second wave. That was the most dangerous point, and it was against this that one of the most brilliant deceptions in military history was aimed.

The General’s Bomb Plot under Stauffenberg a month later is the best gauge of the Wehrmacht's opinion of The Fuhrer and his genius.

Right, that makes more sense.

But the way the documentaries say it... that the tanks couldn't roll without express orders from the man himself, and nobody dared wake him up... it kind of paints a picture of the Germans being basically assured of victory, only for the blundering fool Hitler being asleep and his staff too terrified of him to wake him up.

So what precisely happened when he DID wake up? What orders were given? Don't move because this is just a diversion?

 

[olm]

The General’s Bomb Plot under Stauffenberg a month later is the best gauge of the Wehrmacht's opinion of The Fuhrer and his genius.

Wasn't it mostly colonels really, with just a few retired higher rank ones like Witzleben and Beck involved?

 

[fr-rein]

Hitler explicitly forbade to throw tank armies into battle after the Kursk fiasco if I am not mistaken, to save tank power of Third Reich.

He literally demanded for his personal approval for such things.
And in general, if you read how much power he had within Third Reich, he was unparalleled in how many decisions and things were upon him. He was an absolute dictator.

Thus it cost him a lot at times like D-Day.

 

[Andre Bolkonsky]

Wasn't it mostly colonels really, with just a few retired higher rank ones like Witzleben and Beck involved?

To a certain extent, but you had Field Marshals also involved ready to take over operation of the state and supress the SS if successful. In English, it is called the July Plot and/or General's Bomb Plot. But seriously, there are multiple, MULTIPLE, Wehrmacht plots to wipe out Hitler (amongst other attempts) but he keeps dancing between the raindrops. One day it was going to be during a uniform unveiling, where the elite soldiers modeling the new uniforms were going to spray him with SMG fire at the expense of their own lives, another day someone was going to try something else. But he listened to the inner voices and dodged every attempt on his life.

 

[Andre Bolkonsky]

Right, that makes more sense.

But the way the documentaries say it... that the tanks couldn't roll without express orders from the man himself, and nobody dared wake him up... it kind of paints a picture of the Germans being basically assured of victory, only for the blundering fool Hitler being asleep and his staff too terrified of him to wake him up.

So what precisely happened when he DID wake up? What orders were given? Don't move because this is just a diversion?

You are absolutely correct when you suggest some documentaries slant the truth, and trade veracity for verbal imagery; but it depends on which documentary. Some are excellent, but some have an agenda and like to wrap poor scholarship in a slanted perspective. When you watch a few, which is which becomes very easy to spot. Typically, the best special effects show up to hide poor narrative. But, as with all things, using more than one source is the best way to go.

But, simply put, when Hitler woke up, he insisted that his secret intelligence network proved conclusively that Pas de Calais was the real invasion. Normandy was a diversion. And he held the armor in place accordingly because who will dare tell him he is wrong?

Rommel, who was very familiar with the Allies ability to tactically interdict enemy movement in an overwhelming manner, wanted small panzer units in short reach of the beaches.

Rundstedt wanted a massive panzer reserve in a rear area he could deploy as needed.

But Hitler; if you try and argue with the voices in his head, expect a Downfall level response because you will lose every time. Quite possibly to a sudden cerebral hemmhorrage.

So the panzers sat. Until it was hopeless.

 

[DukeDayve]

You are absolutely correct when you suggest some documentaries slant the truth, and trade veracity for verbal imagery; but it depends on which documentary. Some are excellent, but some have an agenda and like to wrap poor scholarship in a slanted perspective. When you watch a few, which is which becomes very easy to spot. Typically, the best special effects show up to hide poor narrative. But, as with all things, using more than one source is the best way to go.

But, simply put, when Hitler woke up, he insisted that his secret intelligence network proved conclusively that Pas de Calais was the real invasion. Normandy was a diversion. And he held the armor in place accordingly because who will dare tell him he is wrong?

Rommel, who was very familiar with the Allies ability to tactically interdict enemy movement in an overwhelming manner, wanted small panzer units in short reach of the beaches.

Rundstedt wanted a massive panzer reserve in a rear area he could deploy as needed.

But Hitler; if you try and argue with the voices in his head, expect a Downfall level response because you will lose every time. Quite possibly to a sudden cerebral hemmhorrage.

So the panzers sat. Until it was hopeless.

What's the likely outcome if the tanks rolled in at the first opportunity then? Wouldn't they have just been wrecked by 24/7 allied air superiority concentrated around Normandy?

 

[Graf Zeppelin]

What's the likely outcome if the tanks rolled in at the first opportunity then? Wouldn't they have just been wrecked by 24/7 allied air superiority concentrated around Normandy?

We dont know. Operation Neptune wasnt a foregone conclusion.
That said my guess is that the allies would have managed to press on by sheer numerical superiority.

 

[DukeDayve]

We dont know. Operation Neptune wasnt a foregone conclusion.
That said my guess is that the allies would have managed to press on by sheer numerical superiority.

Well, I continued watching more documentaries today (it's not like I never knew any of this stuff, I binged on it and read about it in my teens, I just got interested in it again recently) and several of them mentioned that the German tanks that were engaged from the moment D-Day began were constantly harrassed by the thousands of allied fighters concentrated in the Normandy area.

One German soldier speaking on a documentary said his group of tanks were very unhappy at having to travel in daylight, they would have preferred to do it at night, and that they very quickly came under attack from many fighters, 5 of the tanks got wasted and they had to retreat. He said he was surprised at how quick and easy they were destroyed as he thought they were much tougher than that.

Seems to me that a large concentration of German tanks in the Normandy area after D-Day would be easy pickings for thousands of fighters, flying so close from their bases for resupply, 24/7, with one sole objective - shoot German tanks.

Maybe holding them back was actually the better idea?

 

[Gil galad]

While we shouldn't underestimate the moral effect brought on by air attacks, actual destruction of tanks by fighter bombers was minimal. Only a few percent of the total numbers lost. The Raf came to this conclusion researching the effect of air attacks in the aftermath of the battle of the falaise pocket.

 

[Andre Bolkonsky]

While we shouldn't underestimate the moral effect brought on by air attacks, actual destruction of tanks by fighter bombers was minimal. Only a few percent of the total numbers lost. The Raf came to this conclusion researching the effect of air attacks in the aftermath of the battle of the falaise pocket.

USAAF Tactical XIX air force following around 3rd Army on the other hand absolutely wrecked the German armor columns after the weather cleared in the Ardennes came to the exact opposite conclusion. The P-47 was called the Jager Plane because it excelled at hunting panzers. By the end of the war, US ground to air communication in the application of tactical airpower was a thing of beauty. Forward Air Controllers and planes like the A-26 Invader were a very nasty combination. Ground units identify the targets, strike aircraft eliminate them.

 

[bz249]

USAAF Tactical XIX air force following around 3rd Army on the other hand absolutely wrecked the German armor columns after the weather cleared in the Ardennes came to the exact opposite conclusion. The P-47 was called the Jager Plane because it excelled at hunting panzers. By the end of the war, US ground to air communication in the application of tactical airpower was a thing of beauty. Forward Air Controllers and planes like the A-26 Invader were a very nasty combination. Ground units identify the targets, strike aircraft eliminate them.

Well everyone knows that pilots are not prone to overclaim. ;-)
The greatest killer of German tanks were high explosive charges deployed by their own crew after a.) suffering a mechanical breakdown b.) running out of fuel.

 

[Eusebio]

Yeah, Allied airpower was stunningly ineffective at destroying tanks during the Battle of Normandy and pretty much all of WW2. Its main value was in reducing the mobility of German units on the offensive, not wiping out armoured columns from the air.

http://www.operationbarbarossa.net/combat-aircraft-versus-armour-in-wwii/

 

[bz249]

Yeah, Allied airpower was stunningly ineffective at destroying tanks during the Battle of Normandy and pretty much all of WW2. Its main value was in reducing the mobility of German units on the offensive, not wiping out armoured columns from the air.

http://www.operationbarbarossa.net/combat-aircraft-versus-armour-in-wwii/

It is also worth checking the actual hits during the sinking of the Yamato... the best pilots of WW2 against a battleship sized target and like a dozen of hits and a similar amounts of near misses. Now compare this with hitting a tank.

 

[Graf Zeppelin]

Airpower in ww2 is grossly overated in their ability to destroy tanks indeed. It still hampered movement tho.

Afaik the percentage of German tanks destroyed by aircraft is like 0,5 % or so.

 

[Premu]

For me this sounds like another "It's all Hitler's fault"-excuse used by the German generals after the war.

If Hitler just had built far more submarines before the war, Dönitz would have starved the British! (Well, except that the British would surely react on a massive submarine building program in Germany...)
If Hitler allowed the 6th army to break out of Stalingrad it could have been saved. (Except that it was in no shape to do it on its own, and several generals were actually against it.)

Rommel could have easily overruled Hitler in this case. It's not that it was the first time - German generals often did simply ignore orders from above if they thought it was useful or necessary in the current situation. And if that proved to stop the invasion, Hitler surely would have been pleased. Hitler was not like Stalin - generals who did not follow his orders and messed up would face a degradation, but were not executed or sent to a concentration camp.

As Duke Dayve already mentioned - it would most likely been sucicidal to commit the tanks in broad daylight against air and naval supremacy. That's far more likely the reason no one thought of sending them in.

Airpower in ww2 is grossly overated in their ability to destroy tanks indeed. It still hampered movement tho.

Afaik the percentage of German tanks destroyed by aircraft is like 0,5 % or so.

Air attacks might be not that effective for direct tank kills - a tank needs a direct hit to be destroyed after all, and it is a pretty small target for a bomber - but it might look differently for the support elements. Tank divisions consisted of not only tanks, but had also a lot of trucks for transporting infantry, supplies or towing guns. To destroy a truck and kill those inside a near miss can be good enough. These support troops are also vulnerable to strafing machine gun fire. So to actually move a tank division, it needs to be protected against air attacks, or you will end up with only tanks arriving at the battle who are actually pretty vulnerable on their own.