Luftwaffe aerial recon prior to D-Day

[edwest]

Thank you, gentlemen, for the additional information. The following is from Hitler's Secret Commandos by Helmut Blocksdorf, originally published in German.

"Initially it had been Hitler himself who suspected Normandy as a possible destination for invasion. In May 1944 radio specialists of 15 Army (Generaloberst von Salmuth) and, independently, a Luftwffe signals company stationed in Guernsey, predicted that beyond a doubt the invasion would be at Normandy. Both passed their reports to Rommel's Army group Staff. 15 Army raised the alarm, but 7 Army (General Dollmann) and other coastal units which lay directly in the path of the invasion remained stood down. After the Allied landings began, battleworthy divisions such as 21 Pz. Div. and 12 SS-Pz. Div. Hitler Jugend received no orders for days. ... Many military specialists agree that a single battleworthy German division would have decided the invasion in Germany's favour provided the division could have, or was permitted to, become involved in events immediately as they unfolded. If all this muddle was due solely to operational mismanagement or the failures of the OKH is open to question."


The following is from On Special Missions by Smith, Creek and Petrick.


"The Allied invasion was running full tilt. I assumed that Kommando Goetz was moving west and reported our two jets [Ar 234s] ready for action. I also had a Ju 352 as a transport aircraft. Nothing happened! The traitors in the highest leadership positions did not want the invasion to be interfered with. On 17 July, we finally received permision (not orders) to fly to Juvincourt on the Invasion Front."



Best,
Ed