In yesterday’s article, posted on the 132nd anniversary of Dwight David Eisenhower’s birth, we took a good look at how General Eisenhower – Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force – viewed planning, the process, the need for flexibility, and – mostly – how he made and changed decisions.
It was June 6, 1944 – D-Day – when two and a half years of planning and preparation at their best were put on display. And it’s why that day – that one most critical day – was a success. The Normandy beaches were not where the war was won; it took another 11 months until V.E. Day (Victory in Europe) on May 8, 1945. But make no mistake; were it not for the brilliant planning and diligent execution on one side – and lack of simple delegation on the other – things would have turned out differently.
Who will carry out the plans?
Planning, we’ve established, is indispensable (see Eisenhower’s quote at the end of yesterday’s post). The comes the question: Who’s going to carry out those plans? Who’s going to make the decisions to execute or alter them? And then there are the follow-ups: Do we have the right people in place? How do we know? Most importantly, do we trust them?
How was D-Day successful?
While attention and historical perspective focus on Eisenhower, remember that his counterpart, Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, was equally qualified, with a spectacular résumé of military successes. It’s fair to say his record was unequalled by any other general on earth.
So, here we had two heavyweights, Ali and Frazier, slugging it out; two chess masters, Fisher and Spassky, trying to outplay each other; two aces, Sandy Koufax pitching against Bob Gibson (depending on your age, you might have to look those up).
Eisenhower commanded the most extensive invasion force ever assembled, while Rommel had miles of bunkers with the longest guns you ever saw aimed out over the channel (trust me; I saw them), hedgerows, multiple Panzer divisions, the 7th and 15th armies, communications stations, supply lines, and plenty of fuel, ammunition, and supplies to endure a prolonged battle – all within an hour’s ground travel of the beaches. Moreover, he had a second wave of reinforcements not much farther away that could have been mobilized with one command. Although Eisenhower had the planning and surprise elements, Rommel had position and firepower superiority.
All in all: advantage Rommel. Or so you’d think.
So, what happened?
Decisions. Who made – and didn’t make – them.
Yesterday’s article discussed Eisenhower’s brilliant team. Beyond that, these generals and their chain of command were trusted to make key decisions. Why? Because Eisenhower was trusted by his direct boss, George C, Marshall, and his boss, President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Further, he had the trust of Winston Churchill, King George VI, and the leadership of the other nations involved. No one will ever know how many key tactical decisions were made that day and how far down the chain those decisions were made. That’s the story not so much about why Eisenhower prevailed, but how he did.
Rommel, on the other hand, was paralyzed because he wasn’t entrusted to make even the smallest decisions, let alone the big one – activate the resources – without permission of his boss, Field Marshall Gerd von Runstedt, who also had no authority to make the decision without the approval of his boss, non other than Der Führer himself, Adolph Hitler.
So, when the sun rose on the English Channel at 6:30, the first Nazi sentries saw 5,300+ ships coming straight at them, carrying the first tens of thousands of troops. This information quickly got to Rommel, who knew exactly what he had to do: activate those resources.
But he couldn’t. Rommel, perhaps the most accomplished General on earth, wasn’t authorized to make the decision a lieutenant could have made. He needed von Runstedt’s permission, but von Runstedt was in Paris buying his wife shoes for her birthday. And even if Rommel had reached him, von Runstedt would have needed permission from Hitler, who was at his private home in the Bavarian Alps. He didn’t receive news of the Allied landings until after he had woken up around noon because his staff had been afraid to disturb him.
Initially, Hitler dismissed the landings as a ploy. Not until 4:00 that afternoon did Hitler release several Panzer divisions and the 12th SS for deployment to the coast. Why didn’t Rommel do that? Because Hitler had previously taken that command and authority away from … Rommel.
In all, nearly 10 hours had passed between the Germans’ first awareness of the invasion and Hitler’s first reaction. Our losses were huge anyway, but our objectives were met.
“Too late.”
Not directly related to D-day, but certainly relevant, General Douglas MacArthur said, “The history of failure in war can almost always be summed up in two words: ‘Too late.’ Too late in comprehending the deadly purpose of a potential enemy. Too late in realizing the mortal danger. Too late in preparedness. Too late in uniting all possible forces for resistance.”
It’s just the same in business, isn’t it?
Steve Jobs used to say, “We don’t hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people to tell us what to do.”
If Rommel could have made that decision at 7:00 in the morning, well…
