D-Day Deception Operation Fortitude and the Normandy Invasion

by Barbier, Mary Kathryn

• ISBN13: 9780811735346
• ISBN10: 0811735346
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-03-04
• Publisher: Stackpole Books

Summary

*A much-needed reassessment of the deception operation that preceded the Allied invasion of Europe in World War II*Involves double agents, fake equipment, phantom units, and famous commanders: Before landing in France on D-Day, June 6, 1944, the Allies executed an elaborate deception plan designed to prevent the Germans from concentrating forces in Normandy. The lesser-known first part, Fortitude North, suggested a threat to Norway. The more famous Fortitude South indicated that the invasion would occur at the Pas de Calais rather than Normandy, largely by creating a fictitious army group under Gen. George S. Patton. While historians have generally praised Operation Fortitude, Barbier takes a more nuanced view, arguing that the deception, while implemented well, affected the invasion's outcome only minimally.

Author Biography

Mary Kathryn Barbier is a professor of history at Mississippi State University. She is also the author of Kursk and coauthor of Strategy and Tactics.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Setting the Stage	p. 1
Devising a Plan	p. 11
Threatening Norway	p. 41
Deciding How to Implement Fortitude South	p. 63
Putting Fortitude South into Play: From the Beginning until D-Day	p. 74
Continuing the Deception	p. 106
Reacting to the Deception	p. 148
Assessing Operation Fortitude	p. 182
Glossary	p. 197
Notes	p. 203
Bibliography	p. 247
Index	p. 257
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