History of the Second World War (124 page)

Army Groups: in White Russian offensive (1944), 579

South-Western, 165

Western, 165

Armies:

62nd, 259

64th, 259

Division:

13th Guards, 260

Army, South African:

Divisions:

1st, in E. Africa, 124; in N. Africa, 184, 186, 189, 271, 275-6, 281

2nd, in N. Africa, 184, 195, 276

6th (Armoured), 533, 672

Brigades:

1st, 191

5th, 189

Army, United States, landings of, in N.W. Africa, 316-17, 321, 323, 325-6; morale in, in Tunisia, 338-9; reinforces Australia, 355; counteroffensive of, in Pacific, 356-7, 623, 626, 629-31, 502-6, 508-9; Rommel seeks to engage, 401-2; growing skill of, 409; easily checked, 420; disagreement about use of, in France, 561-5; lavish supply scale in, 564; anger in, at preference given to Montgomery, 677; reaches and crosses Rhine, 677-8; halts on Elbe, 680

Army Groups:

12th, in Normandy, 561

15th, in Italy, 671

Armies:

First, in Normandy, 552; in Belgium, 558, 560; entangled around Aachen, 560, 564-6; to support Montgomery’s flank, 562, 564; counterattack against, in Ardennes, 639-43; H.Q. of, at Spa, 642, 654; put under Montgomery, 656; crosses Rhine at Remagen, 677-8

Third, in Normandy, 392, 551-2, 556-7; approaches German frontier, 558, 560; restricted in supplies, 562; in Ardennes offensive, 654, 657; reaches and crosses Rhine, 677-8

Fifth, Anglo-American, in invasion of Italy, 452-3; no surprise to enemy in landing of, 456-9, 473-4; lands at Salerno, 460-2; checks to, 463-4, 473; superiority in strength, 464; Eighth Army makes touch with, 465; slow advance up W. coast, 468-9, 523; losses in, 469-70, 473, 536; renewed offensives, 472-3, 527; withdrawals from, for Normandy landings, 472; in charge of Anzio bridgehead, 533; first to reach Rome, 535-6; reduction in size, to supply Operation ‘Dragoon’, 538; in attack on Gothic Line, 539-41; desertions in, 542; 1945 offensive of, 670-3

Sixth, 623, 629-30

Seventh, 444-8

Ninth, 656, 677-8

Tenth, 684-6

Corps:

1st, 615

2nd,
in Tunisia
, 397; Rommel’s counterstroke against, 402; attacks in S. Tunisia, 413-16; Patton objects to inclusion of in First Army, 423; switched to N. Tunisia, 424; attack fails, 425, 427; drives to Bizerta, 430

in Italy
, 472-3, 534; at Cassino, 527, 529; drives on to Rome, 535-6; attacks Bologna, 541, 672

3rd, 657

4th, 539, 672-3

5th, 652

6th, in Italy, 460, 463, 469, 473, 527; withdrawn for ‘Dragoon’, 538

7th, 656

8th, 642-3, 652-3

11th, 689

12th, 657

14th, 689

24th, 685-6

Divisions, Airborne:

82nd, in Sicily, 441; plan to drop on Rome, 452; at Salerno, 464; withdrawn for ‘Overlord’, 472; in Ardennes, 655

101st, 651, 655

Divisions, Armored: composition of (1942), 337n.; tank strength of (1943), 403
n.

1st, lands at Oran, 323; in Tunisia, 337, 340, 402-3, 405-6, 408-9, 415, 419, 430-1; in Italy, 528, 535-6, 672

2nd, 441, 656, 658

3rd, 655-6

4th, 557n., 657

7th, 654-6

9th, 653, 655

10th, 655

Division, Cavalry:

1st, 509

Divisions, Infantry:

1st, lands at Oran, 323-5; in Tunisia, 341, 409, 415-16, 419, 430; Regimental Combat Teams of, 406; in Sicily, 441, 443

2nd, 441

3rd, 528, 531, 535

4th, 653

9th, 406, 419, 430, 445

26th, 657

27th, 510-11, 618

28th, 653

30th, 655

34th, in Tunisia, 406, 419-20, 422, 430; in Italy, 529, 536

36th, 460, 462, 527, 535

45th, in Sicily, 441, 443; in Italy, 460, 462, 528, 530-1

75th, 656

80th, 657

84th, 656

88th, 541

99th, 652

106th, 653-4, 656

American, at Guadalcanal, 361

Division, Mountain:

10th, 673

Regiments:

1st Armored, 337

503rd Parachute, 505

Cavalry Group:

14th, 653

Army Council, and anti-aircraft forces for home defence, 96-7

‘Artificial moonlight’, 648, 650

Artillery, British use of, before tank attack, 179; Rommel captures four regiments of British, 274; successive concentrations of, in place of barrage, 428; Russian, 486; successful defensive use of, by Heinrici, 496.
See also
Bombardment, preliminary

Asdic, submarine detecting device, 375-6, 381

Atlantic convoys, shipping priorities of, 363; escort problems of, 374-5; Western terminal for, 375; countering ‘wolf-pack’ attacks on, 376-7; Canadian and U.S. help with escort, 380-1; escort vessels for, 382; U.S. stops escorting, in N., 388

Atlantic Fleet Support Group, 380

Atomic bomb, 691-2, 695-8

Balloon barrage, 97

Battleship(s), vulnerability of, to air attack, 212, 226-7; giant Japanese, 349, 617; German pocket, 371, 374; Japanese faith in, 621; exposure of bogey of, 628; shore bombardment the only use for, 628; ‘suicide’ of, at Okinawa, 685

‘Big wing’
versus
‘diluted concentration’ policy, 101-2

‘Blind’ navigation, German bombers inexperienced in, 96

Blitzkrieg, German technique of, 22, 27, 706; favourable conditions for, in Poland, 46-7; methods of Guderian in West, 73-4, 708; could have been stopped by mines or felled trees, 708

Bomb(s), armour-piercing shells used as, 214; German glider, 390; radio-guided, 465; flying, 551, 601, 677; incendiary, 597, 600, 691; Tallboy ‘earthquake’, 606; Grand Slam, 606; atomic, 691-2, 695-8

Bombardment, preliminary, at Alamein, 301; air, at ‘Supercharge’, 419; by successive concentrations of fire, 428; unnecessary, on toe of Italy, 457-8; on Gilberts and Marshalls, 511-12; at Cassino, 531; air, for ‘Overlord’ 553; on New Guinea, 615-6; at Marianas, 618; at Iwo Jima, 631; ‘false alarm’, in Italy, 673; for Rhine crossing, defeats own ends, 678-9

Bombers, given preference to fighters in R.A.F., 590-2; R.A.F. lacks strategic, 591; tactical value of, 593-4; vulnerability of, 597; largest of war, 690.
See also under
Aircraft; R.A.F. Bomber Command; Strategic air offensive, etc.

Bombing.
See
Air attack; Area bombing; Precision-bombing; Strategic air offensive, etc.

Bombing force, independent, projected in 1918, 589

Bridges, captured by airborne troops, 67-9, 442, 444; blown up, by Russians, 163; Russian improvised, over Dnieper, 493-5; smashing of, to isolate Normandy battle area, 547; British failure to secure Albert Canal, 565-6

‘Buna’, 24

Bunker fuel shortage, in Britain, 386

‘By-passing’ strategy, in Pacific operations, 505, 512-13; development of, in New Guinea, 613, 615; mopping-up after, 686-690

Canadian Escort Force, 380

Cannon, aircraft fitted with, 92

Cavalry, Polish reliance on, 20, 706; in World War I, 20; French reliance on, to delay invaders, 71, 708n.; division preserved in German Army, 243; Russian, harasses 1st Panzer Army, 254; used by Russians in pursuit, 571

Cave defences, on Biak Island, 616; on Tinian Island, 620; on Iwo Jima, 630; on Okinawa, 683-5

Centre Task Force to capture Oran, 316-17

‘Circus’ operations, 598

Coal, essential for war, 23; Britain short of bunker, 386; Germany loses supply of, 611

Collaborators, French, with Allies, at ‘Torch’ landings, 320-1, 325-7

Combat Cargo Task Force, 633

Combined Bombing Offensive (1943), 599, 602

Combined Chiefs of Staff, in disagreement about Second Front in 1942, 310-12; discuss N. African landing, 311-16; Noble represents Royal Navy on, 387; advises against raw U.S. troops meeting Rommel’s forces, 397; in disagreement about 1943 strategy, 438; compromise plan of, for invasion of Sicily, 438-9; in disagreement about operation in Italy, 450-1, 526, 537; in disagreement about landing in S. France, 526, 532-3, 537-8; directive of, for Burma campaign, 631

Command, Russian chain of, 261

Commandos,
Anglo-American,
in Tunisia, 337;
British,
in ‘Torch’, 316-17, 334; at Salerno, 460-3; at Anzio, 528; at Lake Comacchio, 672;
German
, in Ardennes offensive, 642, 644-5

Communications, air attacks on, in Italy, 534; smashed in France, before ‘Overlord’, 537, 547, 603, 606-7, 611; overstretched by rapid Russian advance, 569, 573, 584; air attacks on, in Germany, 607, 609, 611-12; threat to Japanese line of, 617; German commandos disrupt, in Ardennes, 642, 644-5; Russian attention to, before offensive, 664

Concentrated fire preliminary to attack, 428

Conscript army, French, 32

Consolidation of advance, Allies’ emphasis on, 473

Convoy control signals, Germans decipher British, 385; new cipher for, 389

Convoy escorts, 382-3; problem of finding, 374-5; Canadian, 375, 380; old U.S. destroyers for, 375; continuous, 380-1; U.S. Navy, 382; aircraft-carrier for, 382; categories of vessels for, 382-3; shortage of, due to ‘Torch’, 386; support groups to aid, 387; on Arctic route, 393

Convoys, Germans attack, in English Channel, 98; carrying Anglo-American forces to N.W. Africa landings, 317; have priority in shipping, 363; early forming of, 371; attacks on, 374, 388; Western terminal of Atlantic, 375; air cover for, 377, 381-2, 389; fighter support for, 382; evasive routing of, 382; troopship, 386, 440-1, 460; cancellation of U-boat attacks on, 391; E-boats harass, 391; ships lost in, 394; Japanese lose, in Bismarck Sea, 503; Japanese lose troopship, 615; Japan tardy in organising, 682.
See also
Atlantic convoys.

Arctic,
392-3; shipping priorities of, 363; escort vessels for, 382; temporary suspension of, 386, 393; attacked by big ships, 387-8, 391; PQ17 and PQ18, 392

Corvettes, convoy escorting by, 375, 387

‘Dambusters’, 600

Daylight raids, on London, 104-7; on Bristol and Southampton, 107; pre-war theories on, 591; heavy losses due to, 593; U.S., on Germany, 599, 602-4; of Bomber Command, 608

Deception tactics, Allied, in Italy, 534, 672

Decoy tactics of Japanese Navy, 618-19, 622-7

Defence, regains advantage over offence, 180; power of, demonstrated by German holding of Russian bastion-towns, 242; hedgehog system of, 242, 664; battle decided by, at Alam Haifa, 296-7; repulses Rommel’s attack at Medenine, 412; inherent advantages of, 415-16, 496; stubborn German, in Tunisia, 425, 427, 431; Axis forces lack depth of, in Tunisia, 427; delaying power of, 466; resisting power of, 479, 489; ‘attack the best’, 485, 659; German line of, in Carpathians, 573; Hitler’s insistence on rigid, aids Russia, 578, 588; value of elastic, 588

Defensive arc, Japanese need to shorten, 506

Defensive-offensive method, Russians follow, 490

Demobilisation of German divisions after fall of France, 87

Demolitions, German, stem advances in Italy, 458, 469, 538

Depth-charges, 385, 389

‘Diluted concentration’
versus
‘big wing’ policy, 101-2

Dilution policy of Hitler, 485-6

Dive-bombers,
German,
to support Meuse crossing, 71; demoralise Allied troops, 76; withdrawn from Battle of Britain, 91; attack Portland harbour, 98; attack convoys, 98; not successful in Battle of Britain, 101; in attack on Crete, 135-6; attack Kerch, 248; attack Tobruk, 276; at Medjez-el-Bab, 336, 338;
Japanese,
at Pearl Harbor, 216;
United States
, in battle of Midway, 351-2

DUKW amphibious vehicles, 439

‘Dynamo, Operation’, 78

Eastern Naval Task Force, at Sicilian landings, 440