ApexNews
Return to Main
Book

COSSAC: Lt. Gen. Sir Frederick Morgan and the Genesis of Operation Overlord

2020

Purchase on Amazon

Synopsis

When Frederick Morgan was appointed COSSAC (Chief of Staff to the Supreme Allied Commander), in the spring of 1943, there was no approved plan for a cross-Channel attack and no commander. There was not even agreement about when the re-entry into the Continent would occur. The western Allies were in the midst of a great debate about the strategy or strategies to defeat Nazi Germany.

COSSAC's primary task was to create a plan that would be approved by the inter-allied Combined Chiefs of Staff. To gain that authorization, Morgan had to decide where the attack was to take place, address the need for improvised shelters for the transport ships until a port could be captured; create all the structure necessary for a multi-national force that would liberate countries, not occupy them; and convince his superiors that it could be done with the limited forces they were willing to provide.

COSSAC presents a new interpretation of Morgan's vital contributions to the development of the OVERLORD plan by exploring his leadership, his unorthodox approach to problem-solving, and his willingness to disregard or modify orders he thought wrong. By constantly taking the initiative to move the discussions forward, Morgan secured the needed political approval of a concept for the Normandy landings that Montgomery and Eisenhower would modify into the D-Day operational plan.

Suggested Reading

Monty: The Battles of Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery

Based on personal diaries, wartime signals, notes, and letters as well as interviews with Montgomery's closest family, friends, colleagues, and subordinates and access to tens of thousands of unpublished documents in the United States and Great Britain, this is the closest any writer has ever penetr...

View Details

Red Horizons: The True Story of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescus' Crimes, Lifestyle, and Corruption

In 1987, Lt. Gen. Ion Mihai Pacepa, the highest ranking defector ever from the Eastern bloc, published RED HORIZONS, his expose of the unchecked power and corruption of Nicolae Ceausecu, then the Romanian President and Romanian Communist Party General Secretary, and his wife, Elena. Pacepa’s intenti...

View Details

Latest News

June 7th, 2026

D-Day 82nd anniversary honoured in France

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By continuing to browse, you accept our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.