Marching Orders: The Untold Story of How the American Breaking of the Japanese Secret Codes Led to the Defeat of Nazi Germany and Japan

by Bruce Lee

of the mountain among the Combined Chiefs, Marshall is not going to be denied. Eisenhower will be given a free hand. The second message is Eisenhower’s long, personal review of the campaign in Europe to date, plus an outline for future plans.31 He begins by emphasizing that all of the planners, British and American, have agreed that when the invasion of Germany becomes possible, it should be by the north flank based on studies of the terrain, “our own lines of communications and location of important geographical objectives.” This general operation was “outlined by my staff and approved by me” long before D day and was confirmed by all as the “principles before the invasion.” Plans were upset, however, by the initial rush through France. The speed of the advance prevented all the troops that were then north of the Paris-Bonn line of advance from being thrust into the attack. Several difficulties had to be faced. Maintenance of armored vehicles was one. The drive against a demoralized enemy gave Montgomery some hope of gaining a bridgehead over the Rhine and the Siegfried Line above Arnhem before the enemy could reorganize and recover. But this proved impossible to achieve. The enemy succeeded “in getting troops into Holland that were capable of making a desperate stand in the Arnhem region.”