"36 Hours" really happened

[nyudnik]

In the film "36 hours" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057809/
the Germans try to trick an Allied officer into divulging the location of the D Day invasion.

WI it had really happened, and the Germans had had 36 hours, or even 24 hours advance warning that Normandy was the real location? Would it have been enough to throw back the beachead? Would the entire landing ground have been an Omaha? Or would the allies have still prevailed, but with 10,000 dead instead of 2,000 as in OTL?

[Cockroach]

Lets see what difference it may make to the germans:
1. Rommel returns from his holiday. Extreamly likely
2. Hitler being prepeared to let a large reserve of Panzer out of his control. Possible, thought it is still likely Hitler will belive either the intelligence is a ruse by the allies or else that Normandy is only a smaller secondary landing.
3. More German forces sent to the beach heads. Will undoubtedly be attempted but 24-36 hours isn't realy enought time especially when you consider that any obvious troop movements are likely to become the target for allied fighter-bombers

Still seems likely that the allies can get their troops ashore with only marginally more oppersition than OTL. However with Rommel on the scene immeditatly and the extra Panzer the allies will likely take longer to fight their way out of Normandy.

[david3565]

Still seems likely that the allies can get their troops ashore with only marginally more oppersition than OTL. However with Rommel on the scene immeditatly and the extra Panzer the allies will likely take longer to fight their way out of Normandy.

And that is the crux of it. They took something like 20% casualties when they were expecting something closer to 60%, if memory serves. The Nazis were on the wane and the Allies were coming with fresh troops and an unfettered supply line.

[Nik]

Wasn't Overlord nearly cancelled due bad weather ?? IIRC, the Allies had better data from Atlantic, so spotted a narrow window and could go a day late. Axis didn't see the gap, so ordered a stand-down so were badly surprised...

Weather slightly better ?? No stand-down, so higher casualties on beach, but better air-support so Panzers get chewed and Allies move inland quicker.

Weather slightly worse ??
A) Bad-Call: More shipping & landing losses, so higher casualties on beach, less air-support & re-supply so very grim beach-head battles until weather clears. Perhaps lose a 'beach'.

B) Delayed a month to next weather + tides: Continued air-superiority chews up more & more Panzers, trains etc etc, but activated Resistance & SOE etc got hammered so unavailable for #2.

C) Cancelled: Emphasis on South of France ?? With Normandy landings becoming a flanking op ??

D) Stalemate in Italy: Russians get further West while Germany gets bombed flat...