War Diary – Oberbefehlshaber West, May–June 1944 (Irving File 71)

This war diary contains daily operational reports, intelligence summaries, battle assessments, and orders issued by OB West from May through June 1944. The content documents:

• Pre-invasion military intelligence, including aerial reconnaissance, agent activity, and analysis of Allied deception operations.
• The unfolding of the Normandy invasion, including alerts on June 5–6, 1944, German misinterpretation of airborne landings, and real-time responses to the seaborne invasion.
• Tactical communications and troop movements involving elite German divisions such as the 12th SS Panzer Division, Panzer Lehr Division, and Fallschirmjäger units.
• Internal command disagreements and delays concerning the release of OKW Panzer reserves.
• Post-invasion operations, especially the defense and eventual fall of Cherbourg, and planning for counterattacks.

Accompanying annexes include situation maps, weather reports, fuel and ammunition supply logs, and Luftwaffe support orders.

The Oberbefehlshaber West was the German Army’s high command responsible for defending Western Europe from Allied invasion during World War II. In 1944, under the command of Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt and later Generalfeldmarschall Günther von Kluge, OB West coordinated army group activities, defensive strategies, and mobilization of reserves. The period covered in this war diary includes the most significant Western Allied operation of the war: Operation Overlord, beginning on 6 June 1944 (D-Day), and the subsequent German responses in Normandy.

Disclaimer

This document is a historical record produced by the German military command (Oberbefehlshaber West) during World War II. It reflects the language, perspectives, and organizational structures of the Nazi regime and its armed forces. The inclusion of this material in a digital archive is for the purposes of historical documentation, research, education, and preservation, and does not imply endorsement of any political ideology or action represented therein.

The file may contain:

• Nazi-era insignia, terminology, or ideology.
• Military assessments and terminology that refer to enemy nations, ethnic groups, or individuals in ways that are historically situated and potentially offensive today.
• Tactical descriptions of warfare, violence, and loss of life.

Users are strongly advised to approach this material with historical context and critical analysis. The archive does not condone any form of hate, extremism, or revisionism associated with its content.

For educational or academic use only. Researchers citing or reproducing content from this file must comply with copyright laws, scholarly standards, and ethical guidelines regarding sensitive historical material.

Condition Note

• The document is a photographic scan of a typewritten original, preserved by the Bundesarchiv (Federal German Archives).

• Structurally, the file is intact across its 704 pages, with entries clearly segmented by date and location, indicating a well-maintained archival war diary.

• Text clarity varies:

  • Most pages are highly legible, with crisp, dark typewritten text on light backgrounds.

  • Some pages, especially title or cover sheets, have faded type or ink bleed, though still readable with effort.

  • A few pages (e.g., pages with carbon copies or smudging) exhibit blurriness or light print, but the majority of the text can still be deciphered.

  • The text is in German, using Fraktur-influenced typewriter fonts common to the era, but not in cursive.

  • Occasional annotations or underlinings (possibly by archivists or officers) are present but do not obstruct the main text.

  • The file is generally well-preserved and readable, with only occasional mild degradation in print quality. It is suitable for historical research, translation, or military analysis with minor caution on a few faded sections.