NORMANDY 17 JUNE – 7 JULY 1944
During the Battle for Normandy in 1944, Allies captured and translated a German battlefield report written by Generalleutnant Freiherr (Baron) von Lüttwitz, commander of 2 Panzer Division. This report was dated 14 July 1944 and covered the fighting in the region between 17 June and 7 July. Lüttwitz’s unit was being relieved by the 362 Infantry Division, and he was required to appraise its commanding officer of what the situation was like on the front line. Copies of the translated report were then circulated to Allied units in a document called ‘Weekly Intelligence Summary No.42’. The document makes fascinating reading, as it is a primary source document written during the battle for Normandy from the German point of view.
“THE ALLIES ARE WAGING WAR REGARDLESS OF EXPENSE. IN ADDITION TO THIS, THE ENEMY HAS COMPLETE MASTERY OF THE AIR”
In late 1943, the 2 Panzer Division was withdrawn from the heavy fighting on the Eastern Front. It had suffered heavy losses. Men and surviving machines were transported to northern France to rest and refit. It remained near Amiens and was to be used in a counterattack against Allied forces attacking the beaches near Calais during the feared 1944 invasion of Europe.
The division was not ordered to attack the Allied troops in Normandy following D-Day as German High
