Initially, the United States had far too few soldiers in England for the Allies to mount a successful cross-channel operation. Additionally, invading Europe from more than one point would make it harder for Hitler to resupply and reinforce his divisions.
In July Churchill and Roosevelt decided on the goal of occupying North Africa as a springboard to a European invasion from the south. In November American and British forces under the command of U. General Dwight D. Eisenhower landed at three ports in French Morocco and Algeria. This surprise seizure of Casablanca, Oran, and Algiers came less than a week after the decisive British victory at El Alamein. The stage was set for the expulsion of the Germans from Tunisia in May , the Allied invasion of Sicily and Italy later that summer, and the main assault on France the following year.
Because of this success, Eisenhower was named commander of all Allied forces in Europe in When in February he was ordered to invade the continent, planning for "Operation Overlord" had been under way for about a year. Hundreds of thousands of troops from the United States, Great Britain, France,Canada, and other nations were assembled in southern England and intensively trained for the complicated amphibious action against Normandy.
In addition to the troops, supplies, ships, and planes were also gathered. One photograph shows some of the equipment that was stockpiled in this manner. Countless details about weather, topography, and the German forces in France had to be learned before Overlord could be launched in This leads to more successions from the Western Allies and potentially more territory under Soviet influence.
As such, the balance of power during the forthcoming Cold War is drastically changed. With the Soviets now commanding a significantly increased strategic position in Europe, accompanied by vast economic resources now contributing to the advancement of communism, the Cold War drags on a lot longer than in our timeline.
D-day has proved costly for Allied forces. The loss of men and equipment has shaken an already casualty-adverse and war-weary Britain, who now pushes for a change in tactic. With the Americans facing a reappraisal of their tactics, since they had pushed for the failed cross-channel invasion, Operation Dragoon and other plans for a secondary land invasion are scrapped and Allied attention turns to the sky.
Bombing raids are ramped up considerably leading to even more death and destruction in Germany than in our timeline. Whilst this is going on, the Soviets continue their fight in the east. Upon hearing about the failure in Northern France, Stalin is angered that his Western Allies have not upheld their part of the deal and opened up another front to relieve the pressure on his forces. Even so, the Red Army pushes on against a reinforced German side.
However, the Germans are still wary of another land invasion by the Allies and so do not free up all their resources to the Eastern Front. The tactical bombing hampers German infrastructure and gradually the Nazi war machine begins to run out of resources, although there is still no clear end in sight.
The Holocaust continues unabated leading to the death of many more Jewish people than in our timeline. The success of the Manhattan Project in mid leads to a sliding doors moment in this scenario. If the U. By claiming victory at D-day, the Germans have been given a significant morale boost. As already mentioned, they had long been fighting a defensive war by the time D-day came along. So, in most likely scenarios, if not all, a German victory on the beaches of Normandy still leads to an overall military defeat for them.
It could be argued though, there is a small chance that if they are able to hang on long enough militarily, they might be able to secure a peace. It will still depend on a lot of chips falling in their favour:. After the failure at Normandy, Franklin D. Roosevelt loses the November elections. Where there backup invasion plans of Europe? If so, what were they? Where can I learn more? Given the size, scope, location, and timing of D-Day, there was little room for alternate scenarios if Operation Overlord had failed.
That is, until he gave the order to go, which he did in the small hours of June 5th. Thus, over 24 hours before the sun rose over a ship armada, Ike made himself powerless by giving the order only he could give. Although Ike expressed every confidence in his troops and the plan, he knew that victory was not guaranteed, and so wrote a short note, which he kept on his person, to be delivered to his superiors should the invasion fail.
In this brief statement, Ike demonstrated the quality of his character and leadership: the willingness to take full responsibility for his work, no matter the outcome.
Read his brief statement below and consider the tension between the power with which he was entrusted, and the massive burden he carried along with it.
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