irishcrusader95

the weather was a major factor, IIRC a heavy storm picked up in the channel shortly after the landings which would have screwed everything up had they invaded then

Chookie

Quite simply, no.

While there were situations where overwhelming manpower was actually achievable, these were few and far between. The Allies undoubtedly had more men overall, but however many men they had wouldn't have mattered had the Atlantic Wall been operational.

OpanaPointer

The Allied airforces were attacking individual cars and groups of men as small as five. Rommel got attacked while traveling unescorted in his auto. A large concentration of armor or troops would have drawn Typhoons and Thunderbolts in droves. Dispersal was the only thing that allowed some Germans to survive.

jimmo

I see that as irrelevant to the original question. The question was not about what would have happened if condition X existed but whether there was anything that overwhelming manpower could not account for. Since an operational Atlantic Wall did not occur, it is not applicable to the question.

Viperlord

I'd say good logistics, operational planning, and execution factored in.

jimmo

While I agree, I seem to have lost the connection. Are you simply saying this as one of the addition factors that led to the allied victory, or something that could not be explained by overwhelming manpower? Since it didn't occur, I think it non sequiter to the question.

jimmo

I don't think that is revelant to the original question. Perhaps I am missing something. If the allies had overwhelming manpower, I would maintain that good logistics is a given. Even with poor operation planning or poor exection, given a sufficient number of troops, the allies would have one anyway.

OpanaPointer

Anybody got hard numbers for us concerning troops in place vs. troops invading?

Also, are we talking local superiority or the total number of troops available on either side up to the point where the invasion as declared "over" and the operations moved to the next stages?

Leccy

Overwhelming manpower meant nothing on a cross channel invasion without the means to actually get them across and re-supply them with all the paraphernalia of war.

Ships, boats, harbour, armour, fuel, food, munitions, arty, air support, naval gunfire and on and on.

Leccy

The Soviets had an overwhelming amount of manpower and equipment in 1941, did not do them much good though as they lacked alot of other things.