(Code Name Mulberry: the Planning Building and Operation of the Normandy Harbours) [By: Hartcup, Guy] [Aug, 2011]

by Guy Hartcup

Allied leaders and military planners realized early in preparations for the invasion of NW Europe that the massive forces required to defeat Hitler's armies needed constant re-supply of men, equipment, ammunition, fuel and other materials. These would have to come in by sea but it was known that the Germans would not only defend the few major ports but destroy them before withdrawing.The drastic answer was to build two artificial harbors. This extraordinary venture involved the most ingenious engineering and staggering amounts of construction. All this was achieved in a short space of time. Under conditions of great secrecy, codenamed MULBERRY, two sites in Scotland were established.The book describes not just the methods used but the men who made this miracle possible. How these massive structures fared and the contribution they made is told in this fascinating book.

Genres: History

Paperback

First published October 19, 2011

Reviews

[Ryan Bingman · Rating 3 out of 5]

After visiting Normandy and seeing Arromaches, I was excited to find a book on the subject of Mulberry ports. Although there is a ton of information on specific building techniques and locations, I was really disappointed not have better illustrations and/or photographs to help support the text. Something showing the true scale would have been helpful, maps that were included were poorly labeled or at a scale that was not helpful. There were photos, but they were limited. Nothing showing anything recent. Overall an ok book.

[Ian Fraser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating account of British engineering and "out of the box" thinking. Fortress Europe proved impenetrable, at the ports, anyway. Too heavily defended. The Dieppe Raid of 1942 demonstrated to the Allies the need to dramatically change strategy and thinking. The best trained Allied troops at that time, fresh from Canada, formed the majority of that raid, and it failed miserably. What to do? Cannot take a port. Solution, from Royal Engineers, build a pre-fabricated port, tow it across the Channel, in the days following the invasion of Normandy (lightly defended coast, beach landings), build it, and that way supply the armies until ports could be secured. Code named Mulberry, the construction of these pre-fab structures in concrete and steel pushed Britain's industrial capacity to its absolute limit during the months leading up to June 1944. A stunning technical, military and intelligence triumph, that was key to the success of the Invasion of Normandy, Operation Overlord. 06/06/1944, perhaps the single most crucial date of the 20th century, when the fate of the world was in the balance. The remains of the Mulberries can be seen at Arromanches-les-bains, seen them, connecting with history in such a visceral way, definitely a "tingle" moment. I do wonder if whether Meccano had not been invented, whether or not Mulberries would have been thought of?

[JZ Temple · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short book but very much the essential study if you are interested in the subject. A little known aspect of the Normandy landings gets it's due in this book.