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The Effects and Necessity of Secrecy and Element of Surprise in Operation Overlord

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The Effects and Necessity of Secrecy and Element of Surprise in Operation Overlord
Introduction

I. The pathway to Operation Overlord

The D-Day happened in Europe at the Omaha beach where many survived the attacks form the allies. The allies were interested in attacking Europe through the entry from various entries into the country. It is believed that the D-Day and Omaha beach was the hardest fought and significant victory for the Allies in the World War II. According to Ambrose, there were five beaches and the Omaha beach was the one that received the most devastating effects of the battles. During the battle many people lost their lives and others were casualties. The allies had to pay a high price with the loss of lives, especially at Omaha beach. The operations overload begun five minutes before midnight On June 5th 1944 (Gilbert 127).
There are many surprises on the Omaha beach that were used during the battles of the D-Day. These were the terrain, the configuration of the ground, the length and width of the beach. The allies would attack especially with the dominance of the bluff that overlooks the beach used this situation of the Omaha beach. There is a concave shape of the shoreline that would permit the delivery of direct fire from three directions. There were concrete remains of the German defense with its numerous fighting positions along the bluff. The allies also considered the existence of the cliffs that flank the coast from which observers would deliver indirect fire to any location of the beach. The allies were determined to remove all the obstacles that would hinder them from attacking. The allies could stand on the bluff that overlooks the Omaha beach and visualize thousands of American soldiers and sailors on a landing craft when crossing the open stretches of the beach in daylight under enemy fire.
According to Gilbert (127) the men who fought at the Omaha beach surprised with their great spirit. From midnight to dawn and many people were killed including 18000 British, American and Canadian origins. The attack at

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