An Evaluation Of The Aerial Interdiction Campaign Known As The “Transportation Plan” For The D-Day Invasion: Early January 1944 To Late June 1944

By Major Timothy A. Veeder

The various airmen leading the air war had great differences of opinion regarding what to target in the European theater of operations in support of Operation Overlord. The central leadership figures were Lt. General Carl Spaatz, USSTAF commander, and Air Chief Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, AEAF commander. Each of these military men obviously wanted to support the planned Allied invasion, but they held differing opinions in regard to how to best support the invasion troops. They were greatly influenced by both personal experience and the advice of their respective scientific advisors, Walt W. Rostow and Dr. Solly Zuckerman. Also, Air Marshal Tedder, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander, and Air Marshal Harris, Commander of the RAF Bomber Command, contributed to the decisions to carry out the transportation interdiction campaign.
This research focuses on the period January 1944 through the end of June 1944. It includes a literature review of published memoirs and historic accounts of the individuals involved in the decision to implement the transportation plan. The archives of the Air Force Historical Research Agency were accessed to obtain actual accounts and directives implementing the pre-D-Day interdiction campaign. Numerous facts support a discussion of each of the airmen’s interests and the controversy that surrounded the transportation campaign.
The implementation of the transportation interdiction campaign resulted in the successful denial of German reinforcements to the Normandy beachhead.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lucknow Books
• Release date: Aug 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9781782898276

Major Timothy A. Veeder

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Text originally published in 1997 under the same title.

© Pickle Partners Publishing 2014, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Publisher’s Note

Although in most cases we have retained the Author’s original spelling and grammar to authentically reproduce the work of the Author and the original intent of such material, some additional notes and clarifications have been added for the modern reader’s benefit.

We have also made every effort to include all maps and illustrations of the original edition the limitations of formatting do not allow of including larger maps, we will upload as many of these maps as possible.

AN EVALUATION OF THE AERIAL INTERDICTION CAMPAIGN KNOWN AS THE TRANSPORTATION PLAN FOR THE D-DAY INVASION, EARLY JANUARY 1944 TO LATE JUNE 1944

by

Major Timothy A. Veeder

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4

Illustrations 5

Tables 5

Preface 6

Abstract 7

Chapter 1 — Introduction 8

Organization 8

The Problem 8

Limitations 9

The Other Transportation Plan 9

Chapter 2 — The Leadership Conflict 10

The Individual Leaders 10

Air Chief Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory 10

Air Chief Marshal Arthur Tedder 11

Dr. Solly Zuckerman 12

Lt Gen Carl Tooey Spaatz 13

Walt W. Rostow 14

Air Chief Marshal Arthur Harris 15

Gen Dwight D. Eisenhower 15

Chapter 3 — The Interdiction Campaign 18

The Objectives 18

Allied Preparations 19

German Preparations 20

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel 22

Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt 23

Hitler’s Decision 23

The Results 24

Allied Reports 24

German Reports 27

Chapter 4 — Conclusions 30

Synergism 30

Air Supremacy 30

Greater Variety of Interdiction Targets 30

The Oil Campaign 31

Scientific Analysis 32

Summary 32

Glossary 33

REQUEST FROM THE PUBLISHER 34

Bibliography 35

Letters 35

Staff Studies 35

Translations 35

Memoirs 35

Periodicals 36

Reports 36

Unpublished Works 36

Government Manuals 37

Books 37

Illustrations

Page

Figure 1. This map outlines the length of coastline the Germans had to protect

Tables

Page

Table 1. Number of USAAF and RAF aircraft available on 28 March 1944

Table 2. Bomb Distribution on Rail Centers During the Transportation Plan

Preface

This research project was kindled by an interest in the use of air power in World War II. As I sat down and started narrowing the scope of the research topic, I became aware of the Transportation Plan; the interdiction campaign to deny the German’s ability to reinforce against the Allied invasion forces on D-Day. I chose this subject because it was something new and I had never heard it discussed before doing this research.

I would like to offer my thanks to Dr. Rich Muller for his guidance and inputs as my Faculty Research Advisor. Also, I would like to thank my family for putting up with me as I put the finishing touches on this project. I hope you as the reader will find this topic of interest.

Abstract

The various airmen leading the air war had great differences of opinion regarding what to target in the European theater of operations in support of Operation Overlord. The central leadership figures were Lt. General Carl Spaatz, USSTAF commander, and Air Chief Marshal Trafford Leigh-Mallory, AEAF commander. Each of these military men obviously wanted to support the planned Allied invasion, but they