German strategy on the Western Front before the Allies landed at Normandy was aggression, speed, and shock through their renowned "Blitzkrieg" (lightning) war. Before the allies returned, country after country wilted in the face of fast-moving German tanks and bombers linking with infantry and overwhelming firepower.

Having secured their fortress Europe, it soon became apparent that Germany had conquered more territory than they could realistically defend. A debate soon arose among the German military establishment as to what was the best approach to defeat the inevitable Allied onslaught to retake Europe. Should the Germans allow an unopposed landing in Europe's northern shores and surround any invading Army and destroy it? On the other hand, would it not be better to fortify the most likely landing areas with concrete bunkers and impassible obstacles to destroy the Allies on the beaches?

The latter view, supported by Hitler and General Rommel, won out. The Germans established a network of heavily defended beaches along the European northern coast, only to have their plans thwarted by Allied subterfuge and trickery. When the Allies hit the beaches near Normandy, France, on June 4, 1944, they caught the Germans completely by surprise. In fact, Rommel, who figured the Allies were not yet ready to invade, was at home in Germany celebrating his wife's birthday when the news of the invasion reached him. He lost a full 24 hours in coordinating defensive measures, while the Allies secured the beachheads. (Hitler, on the other hand, was heavily sedated with barbiturates at the time, and no one on his staff had the nerve to awaken him.)

German strategy in the days following the Normandy invasion was simply to forestall the inevitable Allied push to the Rhine. Establishing lines of defense and falling back relentlessly, the Germans proved that they still had plenty of fight left in them. Their final offensive and the last of their hopes for a negotiated peace with the Allies started on December 16, 1944. Popularly known as "The Battle of the Bulge," German forces punched through the allied lines in Belgium in the Ardennnes area, captured Antwerp, and inflicted enormous casualties (about 19,000 Americans dead) in the first few days of fighting.

Allied resistance stiffened and beleaguered outposts of resistance were reinforced. Eventually, the Germans simply ran out of fuel and manpower and had to retreat to their original positions. Hitler's hopes to buy time and shore up his defense against the Allies in the West were further spoiled as the Russians pressed from the East, stopping only when their rapid advance quickly outran the Russian supply line.

Ultimately, the Germans ran out of strategy and options after Normandy, as the allied vice from the west and the relentless Russian onslaught from east closed in and destroyed the Reich that Hitler hoped would last a thousand years.

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