NOTES ON THE WAR

Evening Post, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 133, 7 June 1944, Page 4

NOTES ON THE WAR

"D DAY": INVASION

ALLIES LAND IN FRANCE

'.'Tb Day" has come at last, the longexpected, eagerly-awaited day of invasion of Europe. The Allies landed in France, on the north coast of Normandy, yesterday, in the greatest armada ever seen, under cover of the greatest air fleet ever to soar aloft. Mr. Churchill has reported to the House of Commons that the operations in this most tremendous and difficult military enterprise in history are going "according to plan," with losses far below what had been expected.

The stretch of coast chosen for the landings was not that which would be given first priority by most people and certainly not by the Germans in the creation of their Atlantic Wall. The landings were made on the north coast of Normandy, between Barfleur, at the north-eastern tip of the Carentan Peninsula, to the' east of Cherbourg, the famous Atlantic port of call for liners sailing between Europe and America, and the mouth of the Seine, with its big port of Le Havre. German reports emphasise heavy naval bombardment of coast defences round both Le Havre and Cherbourg, and also mention Allied parachute landings in the two chief Channel Islands—Jersey and Guernsey. The may therefore be ■ said to extend from the Channel Islands to both sides of the Seine Estuary, Le Havre being on the north side. Other places mentioned in the earlier news as Allied objectives are St. Lo, oh the Vire River, at the base of the Carentan Peninsula, and Caen, the ancient capital of Normandy, up the estuary of the River Orne. Nature of Coast. The length of this stretch of coast, which lies in what is named Baie de la Seine (Bay of the Seine) is about 120 miles—Cherbourg to the mouth of the Vire 40, Vire to mouth of the Orne another 40, and Orne to Etretat, the popular watering place, 20 miles from Le Havre, to the north of the Seine, another 40. It is, generally speaking, a rather shallow or shelving coast, with a number of favourite seaside resorts, with fine expanses of sand, such as Deauville and Trouville, to the east of the landing area and south of the mouth of the Seine. Behind this coast to the south lies Normandy, a famous land of apple orchards and smiling farms, one of the most charming parts of France and a favourite holiday ground for tourists and trampers from Britain. The people of Normandy are the descendants of the Norsemen who landed there a thousand years ago or more and who furnished England with her only Conqueror. The Normans are to the rest of France what the Scots are to the English, a shrew.d, determined, hardheaded folk, who have furnished France with some of her best and greatest soldiers. The Allies could not have landed among a better people. The "Invasion Coast Proper." Where the Allies have landed is not what is usually thought "invasion coast proper." This is the stretch of coast from the mouth of the Somme to the mouth of the Scheldt in the Low Countries, the nearest part of Europe to England, only 21 miles away across the Strait of Dover from Calais to Dover, and between the Somme and Ostend not more than 80 miles from Britain. "The scene of the actual landing—on the Normandy coast —is nowhere nearer to Britain than 80 miles —between Southampton and Cherbourg, while Le Havre is over a hundred miles from the same British port. Reasons for Choice. What then determined General Eisenhower's choice of the north coast of Normandy? Probably several reasons, In the first place, with weather in the Channel what it is—"D Day" was postponed for 24 hours because it was blowing a gale—the most sheltered area of Channel waters in the prevailing south-westerly winds at this time of the year would, on the French side, be the Bay of the Seine between Cherbourg and Le Havre, protected by the Carentan Peninsula from westerly winds blowing in seas from the Atlantic. This is vitally important for the multitude of small landing . craft used. The news mentions that as it was the seas after the gale overnight swamped some of the cross-channel landing craft and forced them to put back. Other Advantages. There are other almost equally important advantages in the area chosen. For operations on the largest scale, as this is, ports that will take big ships are necessary, so that all the heavier equipment of an army can be landed safely and easily. That is why Naples was so vital to the Allies in their Italian campaign, and, conversely, why the Anzio landing, through lack of a port, was comparatively ineffective and costly at first. The ports on the Normandy coast are Cherbourg and Le Havre, both first-class ports. To take them will be a difficult job for the invading army, but it must be done if the invasion is to succeed. There are no first-class ports for the largest vessels on the "invasion coast proper." Dieppe, Boulogne, Calais, and Dunkirk would correspondent to something like Gisborne, Wanganui, or Greymouth in New Zealand, as compared with the main ports. There is also the advantage of the prdximity of the Channel Islands, 20 to 30 miles from the mainland, for airfields. Also the landings are nearer Paris and the heart of France. There is also ample room for Allied sea power to act. The present operation is no doubt only the first of a series. A foothold has been gained on the Continent of Europe, but the Germans are bound to rally to the scene and tough battles are inevitable. Beyond that it would be futile to speculate just now. Best of luck to the invaders.