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D-Day: Lessons from THE GREATEST Project of the XX Century

I recently finished Stephen E. Ambrose´s book “D-Day. The Climatic Battle of World War II”, a historical 600 pages masterpiece presenting the Allied perspective of what has been described as the most important day of the XX century. I also read “D-Day from German´s Eyes”, by Holger Eckhertz, which in turn provides insight from the much less publicized German perspective. After digesting both books and some interesting online documentaries (see some samples below), allow me to share with you, kind reader, some lessons learned from the Project Management perspective. And these are indeed lessons, worth to be stated, extracted from perhaps the most complex & crucial planning effort of modern times. Here we go:

Number 10: make the plan proportionate to the project.

D-Day was massive. No, I really mean it – epic, colossal, humongous, huge by all standards. Let´s check some figures: circa 160.000 Allied troops involved, storming nearly 60km of coast. Almost 7,000 ships and vessels of all type and about 2,400 aircraft; not counting gliders, tanks, trucks, jeeps and other vehicles. It is still the biggest amphibious operation of all times, a behemoth of a project. It has also one of the most bizarre Planning-to-Execution duration ratios, with about two years of Planning efforts vs a couple days of actual Execution. This context demanded a plan according to the situation. And what a plan was created. The level of granularity was astounding: massive hoax operations (“Operation Fortitude”), attack exercises and simulations, logistics to shelter, feed and train hundreds of thousands of individuals, intelligence efforts, en-masse fabrication efforts, weather analysis and forecast, enemy surveillance, attack itineraries planned to the minute and hundreds of other factors all meshed together into a gargantuan plan. Referring to solely the operation plan for his regiment, a colonel is recorded to have said “It was thicker than the biggest telephone book you have seen”. Yes, big & important projects demand big plans. Small projects usually do not demand such exercises, and then small improvements, routine changes, near-task sizes need easy stuff. The plan must raise to the need – that is the point.

Number 9: the plan is useless, still, planning is indispensable

On June 6, 1944 nearly everything that could go wrong for the Allied Forces went wrong. The weather was bad, affecting the actual approximation to the shore. Then, with the noticeable exception of the low-altitude B-26 “Marauders” aircraft, the most powerful air bombing (through B17s and other high altitude aircrafts) was a fiasco. The sky was cloudy, it was still dark and flying at 20,000 feet, pilots had no real idea of their precise location. Thousands of tons of explosives were wasted, destroying nothing but cattle and green fields. Another example? Rockets fired by the assaulting amphibious ships almost never hit the target. Then the gliders, supposed to provision thousands of tons of equipment and men failed miserably: The cause? Normandy´s hedgehogs were much higher and sturdy than English ones, making the landing a suicide. This sole factor almost caused the entire operation to jeopardize. The list goes on. Still, “In preparing for battle, I have always found plans are useless but planning is indispensable”. The author is no other but the Supreme Allied Commander himself, Dwight D. Eisenhower. This statement holds true: despite all these failures, the planning exercise made Operation Overlord a success at the end. Months of preparation created a level of awareness and perspective that allowed the troops to identify new factors and adapt as per the real circumstances. Take for example the mess made with the paratroopers. Very few men, less say regiments, landed were intended. Still, their knowledge of Normandy´s geography and their laser-focus on their goals allowed them to adapt, re-organize and cut Nazi´s supply lines. The plan can fail – but we must be aware of the circumstances.

Number 8: you need line-of-sight, you can´t control what you don´t measure

A not much-known detail about the attack is that the high command (Eisenhower, Bradley, Montgomery, Smith, etc.) and even medium rank officers were mostly blind on June 6th. The fact that the operation was launched before dawn, the bad weather and mostly the enormous amount of smoke, ashes and flying debris of all sizes & types made the coast line virtually invisible from the vessels. Tons of bombs from the bombers but mainly the ulterior navy attack with massive cannons (eg, 400mm and bigger) plus thousands of rockets launched from the lighter disembark vessels created a virtual curtain. Let me quote Ambrose book yet again: “It was most galling and depressing,” Commander W.J. Marshall of the destroyer Satterlee wrote in his action report, “to lie idly a few hundred yards off the beaches and watch our troops, tanks, landing boats, and motor vehicles being heavily shelled and not be able to fire a shot to help them just because we had no information as to what to shoot at and were unable to detect the source of enemy fire.” Furthermore, most of the primitive communication gear of the time broke up during the landing, allowing no communication from the troops at the beaches to the fleet – with some noticeable exceptions. At the end, the Navy played a primordial role, heavily bombing Nazi positions, but it took hours for decisions to be made, and for the required accuracy to be met. Let´s try by all means not to fire our cannons to invisible targets.

Number 7: don´t put all your eggs in the same basket

When I was reading the books, I came to the (general & raw) conclusion that D-Day success came mainly through a combination of plain brute force (massive numbers of everything) but mainly idiotic errors from the enemy. An idea struck my head: what if the invasion failed? What was “plan B” in case the Atlantic Wall couldn´t be breached? Well, as per historic records, there was no backup landing plan. Thus, the plan was to storm kilometers of coast, intending to make a breach somewhere and then work it from there. But the main backup was surprising: a nuclear bombing to Berlin was under consideration in case all efforts failed. Luckily, there was no need for that ultimate resource.

Number 6: don´t confuse a “how” with a “what”

Hitler, Roemmel and Co. made a supreme mistake when planning for the invasion: they – and particularly Roemmel – envisioned that the sole way to protect “Fortress Europe” (the propaganda name for the conquered Europe by the Nazis) was to construct literally a wall around it, particularly on the Atlantic coast close to the UK islands. This was a major mistake: it was Germany itself the one who proved that wars have changed forever. Fast mobility, logistics, blitzkrieg, aviation – those were the factors that had put Europe in their hands. Still, when taking a defensive position, they went back to WW I or even Middle Ages approaches, envision the Atlantic as a moat with a castle behind. If (and what an if that is) they would have put their energy not in pouring millions of tons of concrete right on the coast but in constructing more Panzers, more bridges, more secret fortifications the D-Day story could have been different. Moreover, the reconstruction of their air force would have been another good call, not to mention to station the bulk of their troops a little farther from the coast, beyond the Navy´s “columbiads”. Perhaps this would not have changed the end result of the war, but it would have altered the outcome of D-Day and provided them with time to improve and massively deploy their futuristic new weapons: V2 rockets and the impressive Messerschmitt Me 262 plus the Arado Ar 234, the first ever jet fighter and bomber. Those would have been true game changers. The lesson learned is evident: they needed to secure Europe, not to build a wall. Its a very different objective: never confuse a “how” with a “what”, with a final goal.

Number 5: there is no perfect timing – you have to take risks

On June 4th, 1944, Commander Eisenhower asked to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force committee a question. He said: “Do you see any reason for not going Tuesday?”. Montgomery replied: “I would say – Go!”. Eisenhower continued walking, chin to the chest. “The question is… how long can you hang this operation on the end of a limb and let it hang there?”. Some minutes later, after more thought, he said: “I am quite positive that the order must be given”. The fleet was immediately deployed for the assault. He had to confirm again the attack next day as per the bad weather affecting the region. When reading the history, I just cant avoid feeling pity for the Supreme Commander. There was just so much at stake. It was perhaps the single most important decision of the century, and there were nothing but gray clouds around – literally and metaphorically. Will the weather get worse and sink the landing gear? Will the bombardment help enough the troops? How will the Nazis and their Panzer divisions react to the attack? Uncertainty was the word of the day. Still, a call had to be made, and he made the right one. Operation Overlord was too big and important to keep it on hold any longer. The troops were impatient and tired of the delay. Logistics were close to impossible. And each day the attack was delayed was an additional day granted for the Nazis to prepare their defenses. Risks have to be taken – calculated risks indeed, but calls and actions are a must.

Number 4: tools & tech help!

Have you heard about a Higgins boat? What about Hobart´s funnies? Well, these and many other were vehicles and gadgets crafted for that climatic day. A Higgins boat (more properly, an LCVP for Landing Craft, Vehicle and Personnel) was exactly that: a light landing vessel designed to ferry an entire platoon to the coast. Hobart´s funnies were tanks and similar powerful vehicles modified in crazy ways. There was the “Crocodile”, a tank with the cannon replaced with a massive flamethrower, the ARK, half tank, half bridge, the Crab, which had an enormous rotating cylinder on front with chains, designed to safely trigger mines. Then DD tanks (floating tanks – believe it or not) and many many other. These vehicles proved to be of true value to the troops, facilitating the excruciating task of seizing the beach. Technology helps indeed, when it is up to the task: right tool for the right job.

Number 3: adapt to survive

Reading the personal stories of the troops, it is utterly evident the level of a mess they were in. It is said that in war, each man fights its own battle, but this was never so true as in June 6th, 1944. Chaos was everywhere: paratroopers were dropped at night and got dispersed over kilometers. Tides sent troops and vehicles randomly. Enemy fire put everyone on cover. Air Force bombardment was a big fail. Still, the job was done, by adaptation means: agility at its best. The troops assembled under new leads (the close ones!), the available weapons were used, routes were changed, the brief available information was used to brilliant extremes. Teams were empowered and had the major goals clear, this allowed them to keep focused and save the day.

Number 2: use the right skills for the right job

A big factor in the success of the Allies was not only the general training of the troops, but the specialization in tasks: the assignment of the correct staff to the correct job. A good example was the exemplary performance of the 2nd Division Rangers to Omaha Beach – the 7th circle of hell during that day. These guys were the best of the best, and they proved their expertise and particularly, their motivation and stamina. These were volunteers, true patriots serving the free world while risking their lives at their own will. And they did the impossible: they climbed an almost vertical cliff under heavy fire and then secured the positions for the rest of the troops. This is in utmost contrast to the performance of the so-called Oost battalions: conscripts from all over Europe, men forced to work for the Axis cause. Most of them preferred to surrender at the first opportunity, and some even rebelled against the Germans. The lesson is clear: right skills for the right job, let´s devote the right time to allocate our resources to the tasks.

Number 1: TRUST – the troops are the ones who do the real job.

At the end, when the final “go” was given, and walking slowly toward his car after seeing the bombers depart, Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower simply said “Well, it´s on”. The interesting thing to notice is that, from the moment the orders to proceed with the assault were given, he was basically a spectator. He had empowered his Navy, Air Force and Army commanders, all through the line of command – to proceed as per their best criteria. He had led the planning effort, and made the final call. But it was now a matter of trust. Perhaps that is the most important lesson that we must learn: let the troops do their job – we got to trust them. Once the plan is ready, staff is trained, tools and systems are loaded, its on the tsoldiers, the technicians, the engineers, the developers, the staff – at the end, they are the ones doing the job. Tools, procedures, technology are good, but at the end people make things happen, they make the difference. Thus, TRUST.

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”

Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt

To finish, a powerful “extra” lesson – and free of charge 🙂 Good ol´ Teddy Roosevelt, uncle of Franklin D. Roosevelt (coincidently, US President during most of WWII) put it in crystal-clear terms, as follows: “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”. In other words, the worst decision is indecision. And that was if not the greatest perhaps the most evident mistake made by the Führer right after the beaches of Normandy were attacked. Believe it or not, after Hitler was debriefed about the situation, and having plenty of the powerful Panzer divisions – terror of the Allied forces all through the war – within hours of the invasion area in Normandy, he never ordered a counterattack. As a matter of fact, he had one of his infamous tantrums and then took a powerful sleep-pill, thus going for a long nap. No attack, no regroup, no location shift, no camouflaging, no preparation… not even a retreat. Nada. Why? Its inexplicable. Possibly he was hijacked by his emotions & temper (another lesson per-se!). What we can say now, nearly 80 years after, is that it he really blew it. Let´s learn from one of the major bloopers in war history: make your call – and make it on a timely basis; a mediocre resolution on due- time is better than a “perfect one” that comes late.

Good luck in your projects, or better-said, “V” for Victory as Churchill waved – cheers!

Fernando

Photo by Museums Victoria on Unsplash