Shadow Spy

Chapter 454 The landing plan is finalized

When the two met, Li Qiwei was very grateful to Li Junhao for his help when he was in Myanmar! He stated that it was precisely because he learned the most advanced airborne combat theory from Commander Panson and received the support of a large number of new equipment that he was able to serve as the commander-in-chief of this airborne operation!

There is no need for Li Junhao to be modest about this matter. He did indeed do this at the beginning. It can be said that during the one year that the 82nd Airborne Division was in the India-Burma Theater, although it did not experience any actual combat, its mastery of airborne combat tactics was far superior. In the past, it was definitely the most advanced in the world today.

After the 82nd Airborne Division returned to China, it was divided into two. After replenishing its troop resources, the new 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions were formed. Previously, the two divisions were transferred to the UK and formed the First Airborne Group Army of the Allied Expeditionary Force with the British 6th Airborne Division. Lieutenant General Ridgway became the commander of the group army with absolute advantage.

Li Junhao knew that connections in the army were extremely important. The relationship between old superiors and old subordinates was definitely extraordinary, so he was very willing to maintain a good relationship with Li Qiwei, and gave him some pointers on the upcoming Battle of Normandy. The key points made Li Qiwei both convinced and moved.
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In addition to meeting and reminiscing with Li Qiwei, Li Junhao spent most of his time instructing his staff to modify the beach landing part of the "Overlord" combat plan to better leverage the expertise and combat effectiveness of the land and sea forces.

At present, most of the contents of the "Overlord" plan have been implemented.

现在盟军在英国共集中了86个师（287万）的陆军兵力、坦克5000余辆，海军舰艇9000余艘，飞机15000余架，参与的军事人员超过320万。

The first step of Operation Overlord was the landing operation. The location was chosen in the Normandy region of northern France. This was mainly to avoid the "Atlantic Barrier" built by the German army along the Atlantic coast of thousands of kilometers from Norway to Spain in western France. The focus of the defense line was in the Calais area, and the fortifications in Normandy were relatively weak. The German army defending on the Western Front had two army groups B and G, more than 500 small and medium-sized surface ships, 500 air force aircraft, and 59 army divisions, of which only 6 divisions were deployed in Normandy.

According to the original plan, the first wave of attack forces was divided into four main parts: airborne troops, air attack aircraft groups, beach grabbing troops, and sea surface fire support ships.

The airborne troops are the Allied First Airborne Army led by Ridgway. They will be the first troops to enter the battlefield.

The air attack group consists of more than 8 bombers from the Royal Air Force Strategic Bomber Force and the US 2000th Air Force. Their mission is to conduct air strikes and bombings on the German coastal artillery positions and fortifications before the beach troops land, trying to reduce the German defensive firepower. .

The composition of the beach grabbing force: the US 1st and 4th Infantry Divisions, and the 29th Infantry Division followed; the British 3rd and 50th Infantry Divisions, the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division, and the British 7th Armored Division followed. Their mission was to seize and land on five beaches: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Swade, and Juneau, and establish safe landing sites as soon as possible to create conditions for follow-up troops. The sea surface fire support ships consist of 7 battleships, 2 shallow-water gunboats, 24 cruisers, and 74 destroyers, forming five naval gun fire support groups to provide naval gun fire support for the five beach landing forces.

Now that the professional U.S. Marine Corps is participating in the war, it is necessary to change the beach grabbing troops. This is not just as simple as changing the unit number, but also in accordance with the requirements of the new commander-in-chief of the landing operations, General Panson. The coordination of the troops is adjusted and optimized...

Fortunately, it's just adjusting the first wave of beach-rushing troops, so it's not too difficult, but it does take some time. The navy and land forces have already set off from the United States and are expected to arrive in more than a week. With three days of rest and recuperation, the staff of the headquarters need to adjust and arrange the plan within 10 days. Time is very tight!

Li Junhao actually admires these staff officers of the headquarters. Although he has advanced command skills in the three services of land, sea and air, as well as three proficiencies in airborne combat command, landing combat command and three-dimensional combat command, he is still at a disadvantage. From the commander's point of view, when it comes to staff work, he is really inferior to these people, especially in some details, he really can't do it.
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On June 6th and 29th, the naval and land forces mobilized to participate in the war arrived in Britain. Not all the troops from the five armies came because there were many troops in the Allied forces' huge establishment that could be directly mobilized. Only seven came. The main force was formed, plus 30 special operations brigades. Even so, the total force reached 5.

The number of troops mobilized by sea and land is much more than the seven army divisions in the original combat plan!

The reason why Li Junhao did this was, firstly, to "fight the rabbit with all his strength", and secondly, to allow more newly formed troops to experience a real beach landing battle - with the beginning of the Allied overall strategic counteroffensive, in the future, the sea and land forces will basically To wrap up the subsequent landing battle, there is no harm in seeing more!

According to the newly prepared combat plan, the five main brigades from the First Army and the two special operations brigades were responsible for the landing operations on the Utah and Omaha beaches. After the landing sites were established, the 1st, 4th, and 29th U.S. Army brigades The three 1th Infantry Divisions followed up and attacked Saint-Lo and Carentin as the Allied right-wing forward. This was the main direction of attack; their follow-up troops were the main force of the US [-]st Army.

Three special operations brigades assigned to the Third and Fifth Marine Corps landed at the three beaches of Gold, Sward, and Juneau. After establishing the landing sites, the British 3rd and 50th Infantry Divisions, the 3th Armored Division, and The 2rd Canadian Infantry Division followed up and attacked as the Allied left wing in the direction of Caen in Normandy; followed by the main forces of the British 1nd Army and the [-]st Canadian Army.

The subsequent battles had nothing to do with land and sea. The U.S. 1st Army, the British 2nd Army, and the Canadian 1st Army formed the 21st Army Group. As the first echelon of the Allied forces, it was commanded by British Army General Montgomery. Attack in depth,

Subsequently, the U.S. 3rd Group Army, which was under the direct jurisdiction of the Allied Expeditionary Force Command, acted as the second echelon and entered the battle along the path opened by the first echelon. It rushed out of the Cotentin Peninsula, crossed the Brittany Peninsula, and outflanked Caen and Caen. The British army fought fiercely and the German army completely crushed the German resistance and took advantage of the victory to occupy France and Belgium...
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On July 7, General Eisenhower, Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, announced that "D-Day" would be July 3!

The atmosphere of the war immediately became intense. All the generals returned to their posts, and Li Junhao boarded the LCC-12 "Stuart" amphibious command ship.

(End of this chapter)