World War II – D-Day Invasion

- Operation Overlord: Appreciation – Parts I, II, and III Outline Plan. – 47 text pages; 1 page record of COSSAC meeting minutes with manuscript notes, 2 pages of amendments to Operation Overlord with manuscript notes and stamps, 2 folding tables, and 1 folding map
- Operation Overlord: Appendices. 84 pages, 1 loose page listing maps, 14 pages of tables and 12 folding maps; with tan folder titled Operation ‘OVERLORD’ Main Paper stamped “Bigot” with hand drawn red X and manuscript notes.
- Operation Overlord Maps. 11 folding maps with tan envelope with mimeographed paste-down labels titled “COSSAC(43)28, Most Secret, Copy No. 82.”
London, England, Offices of the War Cabinet, 1943.

Archive of official military documents and planning reports consisting of 2 mimeograph books (13.4 x 8.25 ins, 341 x 210 mm) string-bound tan wrappers titled in red with a large X, “MOST SECRET” and “TO BE KEPT UNDER LOCK AND KEY: it is requested that special care may be taken to ensure the secrecy of this document,” front covers with white mimeographed paste-down labels “COSSAC(43)28, Most Secret, Copy No. 82.”
With: Supreme Headquarters, ARF - C-3 War Room Daily Summary No. 335: Surrender, 1 page document on onion-skin paper entitled, dated 7 May 1945, type-signed H.R. Bull, with “General Admiral Von Friedeburg” in pencil.

Bernard Pettingill, Omar Bradley's aide-de-camp — by descent to the present owner

see cataloguing
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

“Most secret, To Be Kept Under Lock and Key”: In depth plans for Operation Overlord outlining the preparations for the Normandy invasion.

The invasion of German-Occupied France was envisaged Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, during the Teheran Conference in November 1943. Planning was largely undertaken by British General Frederick E. Morgan and staff. General Morgan, referred to as COSSAC (Chief of Staff to the Supreme Allied Commander) throughout the documents, was charged with overseeing the planning stages of a large scale invasion of North-Western France that would be undertaken by the 21^st army group, comprised of joint British, American and Canadian forces. The primary goal of Operation Overlord was “to mount and carry out an operation… with target date 1^st May [1944], to secure a lodgment on the Continent from which further offensive operations can be developed.” These documents map out the three phases of Operation Overlord: firstly the preparatory measures to be taken prior to D-Day in order to ensure success, secondly the invasion itself, and lastly the campaign within France following a successful invasion.

Part I: Selection of a Lodgment Area, covers where to invade, why that area, and under what circumstances to assault. Normandy is shown to be the most favorable due to weaker German defenses and its geography. Its distance from a large port is mentioned, and then resolved due to weaker German defenses and its geography. Its distance from a large port is mentioned, and then resolved by the choice to maintain the army through other means. COSSAC also discusses the 21^st army group’s make-up and administration. Notably, there is a discussion of the element of surprise. Though total surprise was impossible, they here decide to use deception in order to keep the Germans guessing where and when the invasion would occur. This very effective part of Overlord later became Operation Fortitude. It resulted in Germany’s keeping seven divisions in the Pas de Calais in anticipation of a second invasion thereby allowing the 21^st army group the time that it needed to establish itself strongly in Normandy.

Part II: Appreciation and Outline Plan for the Opening Phase Up to the Capture of Cherbourg, has three distinct phases: the preliminary phase, the D-Day invasion, and the expansion of the bridgehead to Caen. The first deals with establishing air superiority on the continent in order to increase the chances for success of the invasion. In order to do this, COSSAC planned to reduce both the size and the effectiveness of the German Air Force prior to the invasion. The second phase is the D-Day invasion. They discuss the preliminary bombardment, the airborne forces, weather conditions, and the necessary amounts of men and landing craft. The third and final phase in Part II consists of plans for the two weeks following D-Day. COSSAC first focuses on the maintenance of the army and the expectation of a German counter-attack, then on the expansion of the bridgehead, the construction of airfields, and the capture of Cherbourg. Parts of the plans for expansion were largely successful, like the taking of Cherbourg, while other parts were less so, such as the battle for Caen, which raged on for more than a month despite plans to capture the city on D-Day itself.

Part III: The Development of Operations after the Capture of Cherbourg deals with campaigns into Brittany and advances towards Paris. Exact dates are here replaced with ranges of dates, unlike in other sections, and the language betrays the underlying uncertainty regarding the operation’s success and timeliness. For example, COSSAC says, “the stages by which the operation might develop,” and rather than giving exact dates, provides a range like, “about D plus 24 to D plus 30-40.” The major considerations of this section are the creation of airfields, the invasion of Brittany, the capture of Orleans and Le Mans, and the advance towards Paris, which they wanted to reach by D+90. 8 of the 11 loose maps illustrate the advances of the of the 21^st army group over the periods of time defined in this section. Despite lagging behind schedule during the early weeks of Overlord, with delays in capturing both Cherbourg and Caen, this final part of the operation went quite smoothly. For example, Paris was liberated on August 25^th, a few days before they had planned to arrive at the city.

Operation Overlord marks the pivotal moment when the tides of World War II turned in favor of the Allied forces. It also represents an important innovation in modern military history: never before had an invasion of this size taken place without the immediate capture of a pre-established port capable of maintaining an army from a distance. General Morgan decided to break the mold, planning an invasion designed to catch the Nazis off guard; and his plan did so beautifully. Germany expected an invasion in the Pas de Calais. In turn, they increased their defenses in the region rendering an invasion there “militarily unsound.” Overextended and undermanned due to their war on 2 fronts, Germany was forced to leave their defenses in some of the areas surrounding the Pas de Calais relatively weakly held. Therefore, Morgan chose to invade Normandy, focusing his entire army on the area around Caen, which had a good chance of success due to weaker German defenses and the invention of the improvised port facility, or Mulberry port, which due to its novelty could not have been foreseen by the Germans. The Mulberry port, which was constructed as early as D+2, allowed the Allies to supply their army without having captured a pre-established port, thereby setting the stage for the successful expansion and resupply of the 21^st army group throughout the key initial stages of Operation Overlord.

Whereas major differences between the actual invasion and these early plans for Operation Overlord can be seen throughout, the documents offered here contain all of the major elements that allowed for a successful campaign, ultimately leading to an Allied victory in Europe, appropriately evoked by the inclusion of an official transmission notifying the American HQ of Germany’s unconditional surrender. Operation Overlord can, without hesitation, be deemed the most significant and celebrated military campaign of the 20^th century for the Americans, British, Canadians, and French alike.