POSTAL AND OPERATION OVERLORD - 1944

Operation Overlord 1944

The Army Postal Services (APS) played a significant part in the Operation Overlord not only as a morale boaster, for General Montgomery and his staff considered that a regular mail service was "the greatest morale factor in an army", but also in maintaining the elaborate deception plan, which was essential to retain the element of surprise required to ensure the success of the operation.

More information is available at Operation Overlord

APO England and the Deception Plan

After the Army Postal Distribution Centres (APDC) had been established in late 1940, in preparation for an invasion from Nazi Germany, the UK stationed units were served by them using a "closed address", the style of which was already in use for overseas theatres.

This was a radical departure from the past because until then UK based units used their nornal civilian General Post Office (GPO) address and service. The importance of this address style was that it meant letters so addressed were circulated under APS control, thus providing an effective weapon in the Staff's deception arsenal.

The deception plan 'Operation Fortitude' was enhanced by the use of the closed address of "APO England", an address form, which gave not details other than the soldier's name and unit, thus cloaking the whereabouts of the unit.

"APO England" addressed mail was circulated by the GPO to the Home Postal Centre RE, Nottingham who knew the location of each unit and from there it was passed through APS means to the appropriate unit.

Marshalling areas

In the prelude to the invasion, troops were sealed in their marshalling areas and their only official contact with the outside world was through the camp's Field Post Offices (FPO) set up by the APS.

To maintain secrecy all private mail posted at these FPOs was sorted and stored at the Army Postal Distribution Centres. The mail was only released to the GPO after the news of the landings had been made public knowledge by the news agencies.

While troops were sealed in their marchalling areas they recieved mail from the outside world through the camp FPO. Special trains carried the mail from the Home Postal Centre to the Marshalling areas and embarkation ports (see map 1)

Pre-location scheme

The APS planners were among the very few staffs who were entrusted with knowledge of the full battle plan, with that information the ADAPS Second Army (Lt Col CR Smith RE) was able to conceive the pre-location scheme which enabled mail to be delivered to the various 'serials' of each unit as they landed in Normandy.

Mail was delivered to all units in Normandy from D+2 and continued without a break throughout the campaign in Northern Europe.

The scheme worked on a system of "phantom FPOs" whereby units were allocated FPOs from which they would be served. In reality they were served by the FPO closest to them, which may not have been their allocated FPO, but was regarded by the APS for location purposes as their "phantom FPO".

The Normandy Landings

Field Post Offices were established on the beaches on D-Day. Although it was planned that mail be delivered to units on D+1, mail was delivered the following day because of confusion caused by the delay to the invasion.

To ensure the safe recovery of mail for ships coming from Southampton, a Postal officer was given the job of patrolling the anchorages in an amphibious Jeep bawling through a megaphone at ship after ship "Are you carrying mail?" This system remained in place until the Mulberry Harbours at Arromanches were established to allow mails to be docked more formally.

The first despatch from Normandy was made by the 6th Airborne Division Postal Unit and the Beach Group APO S698 on D+2. In that despatch the OC 6 Airborne Division Postal Unit RE, Captain Hind sent a pound of butter wrapped in cabbage leaves to his mother.

The Base Army Post Office 8 arrived in theatre on D+9 and established itself at Crepon in a barn, which had to be cleared of 20ft deep accumulation of manure and straw by bulldozers of a RE Road Construction Company.

Airlifts and Road Service Schedules

On 6 July 1944 a two-way airlift system was established netween the Uk and airstrips in Normandy for the exclusive transportation of letters and newspapers

As the British Army advanced along the north coast of France into Belgium and finally into Germany, these airlifts continued and were augmented by an elaborate road service schedules that linked the airstrips with the Base APO and FPOs. It was said that one could set your watch by the arrivial of these vehicles, such was their punctuality.