Monty’s Plan 30 June 1944

General Montgomery’s plan for the Allied invasion of Normandy was a modified version of existing plans drawn up by the Chief of Staff to the Supreme Allied Commander, Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Morgan. General Montgomery took the COSSAC plan and added two beaches to the three that were originally proposed. By expanding the landing zone to the west to include Omaha beach, Montgomery aimed to gain a foothold on the Cotentin Peninsula and subsequently the port of Cherbourg. He also realized that the Allies would need to secure a bridgehead to move east, delegating the task to British forces on Sword beach. Once a wide beachhead had been established, Montgomery wanted to use the British and Canadian forces near Caen to occupy the majority of German Panzer units. This would reduce pressure on the Americans in the west who could focus on clearing the Cotentin Peninsula before swinging southeast.