“We have also evaluated Plan Silver in depth. The problem is that a Mediterranean strategy does not get us anywhere. If we invade through Italy, we face all the problems that face us in Spain, severe resistance, guerilla warfare and a final mountain barrier that the enemy can hold almost indefinitely. The same applies to an invasion through the Balkans. If we strike at Southern France, we gain nothing that we could not achieve by way of Plan Gold. The logistics of operating out of North Africa are frightening. There are few suitable ports on the Atlantic coast and we would have to supply our forces via Egypt. This would mean an Atlantic crossing, then rounding the Cape of Good Hope and sailing up the eastern coast of Africa. Once the supply lanes have been established, their capacity is such that the port congestion we would face would make the problems we suffer at this time seem minor by comparison. Plan Silver offered us nothing but grief and trouble for no gain. It is not a viable option and has been discarded. Finally, with reference to both Olive and Silver, it is not our policy to go around invading neutral countries. We do not wish to acquire more enemies; the ones we have are quite sufficient.
“Our attention has, therefore focused on refining Plans Red, Emerald and Gold. Our studies have shown that Plans Red and Emerald are very closely intertwined. We cannot undertake Emerald and then not proceed to Red, nor can we carry out Plan Red and leave Emerald in our rear. We have therefore merged Plan Red and Emerald as a new joint plan entitled Operation Downfall. This envisages two attacks. Operation Olympic is the invasion of Ireland to establish a forward base followed by Operation Coronet, the invasion of the English mainland.
“The alternative is the invasion of France. We have now named this Operation Overlord. Both Downfall and Overlord envisage the use of six Marine Corps divisions with a follow-up of nine U.S. Army divisions and allied forces. In the case of Downfall, the allied force would be two Free British divisions. In the case of Overlord, one Free French Division.
“It should be noted that Overlord and Downfall are inextricably linked. Great Britain is the mighty fortress that guards Europe against assault from the west. If we execute Downfall alone, we will have captured the fortress but left that which it guarded untouched. If we execute Overlord alone, we will have that great fortress in our rear and our hold on France will never be secure. Inevitably, either Overlord follows Downfall or Downfall follows Overlord. The operations are joined at the hip.
“One factor is decisive. There are few if any good invasion beaches along the western coast of Ireland. It is a rugged coast and the few real beaches there have unfavorable gradients. We would also require suitable invasion beaches along the western coast of England. Suitable beaches have been identified as the region around Blackpool and further south near Swansea. If we proceed with Operation Overlord, we can exploit the beaches in Aquitaine which are much better suited to our purposes. This gives us an interesting possibility. The beaches along the southern coast of England are more attractive from a landing point of view than those anywhere else in the country. It is thus easier to invade England from France rather than the other way around. This had lead us to the final decision, to execute Operation Overlord first and follow it with Operation Downfall. Under this scheme, Operation Coronet will take place before Operation Olympic.”
“You would leave Ireland in the hands of the Nazis? Will all that is going on there?” The Senator spoke passionately.
“We have no choice. Much as it hurts every one of us that can read a newspaper, we have no choice.”
“General.” President Dewey also had his eyes fastened on the North Atlantic clock as it ticked away. “We are landing six divisions with a follow up often or eleven? Is this sufficient?”
“No, Mister President, it is not. As an initial landing it will be adequate but barely so. It is simply the best we can do. Perhaps Mister Stuyvesant can enlighten us further on the industrial and economic side?”
“That would be valuable indeed. Mister Stuyvesant, could you give us the Economic Intelligence and Warfare Committee’s findings on this?”
The Seer stepped forward. Quietly, Lillith started distributing papers that provided background data. “Gentlemen, we’re tapped out. So is Germany, so is Russia. We can all barely support the forces and operations we have at the moment. Germany and Russia have run out of manpower. Their reserves are barely adequate to maintain their current force structure. On paper, we have manpower enough but we are supporting a vast war production machine. We fight a rich man’s war because by doing so we conserve our most precious possession, our young men. We can be the arsenal of democracy, or we can be the army of democracy. We can’t be both. The force General Smith has described is literally everything we can pull together for an invasion.
“Will it be enough? On its own, the issue is finely judged. The opposition in Europe is not great. Most of the German war machine is in Russia. There are, at most, ten German divisions in France, assuming that the two French SS divisions,
“English and French SS divisions! Why are these people worth fighting for?” It was the same Senator who had spoken before.
The Seer was about to speak but President Dewey held up his hand. “It is possible to find brutal, sadistic thugs in every country, in every place, in every town. It is no different here.” He produced a copy of the Boston Globe from his briefcase, with the picture of the tarred and feathered woman on its front page. “Need I remind you of this? Nor do I need to remind you that she is not the only victim of such attacks. It is our great pride that the thugs who did this are reviled and hunted, not given exotic uniforms and turned into national heroes. But let us not pretend that such beasts do not exist here. Seer, do the Germans have plans for an American SS division?”
“They do, Sir. They have tried to recruit prisoners of war. Not with any great success I am pleased to say. They call it the
There was a hiss of disgust that rang around the room, none louder than from the Senators representing Southern States. The idea that the saintly Robert E Lee should have his name associated with the SS appalled them. Privately, the Seer grinned to himself. He actually had no idea what the Germans planned to call their American SS division. But the invention had had the desired effect.
“We don’t know how well the British and French SS divisions will fight. The British fought well in 1942 and in 1940 the French kept fighting despite an appalling strategic situation until Halifax stabbed them in the back. But, even allowing them German-like performance, we can take what they have in Western Europe. The problem will be if they shake loose formations from the Russian Front and bring them back. They can do that, their rail network inside Europe itself is almost untouched. We simply can’t get at most of it.
“There is one other thing though. I said Germany is tapped out and I meant it. They have just enough manpower, just enough industrial power to keep going at their present level. In a very real sense, they are running on capital. If they have a disaster, if they lose a big chunk of that capital, they can’t replace it.” The Seer’s eyes strayed to the North Atlantic clock again. “We have the German fleet in a trap now. If they lose that fleet, they can’t replace it. We’ll own the sea, unchallenged. Unchallengeable. The German tripod will have only two legs and that will mean we can redouble our blows at one of the other legs. That way, we can bring them down.”
“How long?” The talkative Senator was off again.
“18 months? About that. Perhaps two years. We can’t give our invasion force air cover from the US; we have to pound German air power into the ground first. Take out the second leg of the tripod. For that we need the big carriers now entering service. That’ll just leave the German Army. We can whipsaw that, break it between two forces.” The Seer grinned nastily. “East and West of the Mississippi?”
The allusion to the American Civil War wasn’t lost. Nor was the concept of slowly strangling an enemy to death, stripping away his means to fight, one piece at a time. The Senator nodded, with reluctance. “I doubt if I’ll see it in my lifetime.”
The Seer smiled, nastiness replaced by confidence. “With due respect Senator, I’m sure I’ll see it in mine.”
“Stuyvesant, why do I get the feeling that this whole Overlord plan has the makings of a first-class disaster?”
“Because it does have the makings of one, Mister President. It’s doomed; a catastrophe that will make Gallipoli look positively brilliant.”
“I know that, Stuyvesant. It’s not what I asked, I want to know why it’s a recipe for disaster. And why has General Smith come up with it?”
