St Paul's School and the D-Day Connection

The original site of St Paul’s School in Hammersmith became the headquarters of the 21st Army Group under the command of General Montgomery, and it was here that the Allied commanders, led by Eisenhower and Montgomery planned the invasion and liberation of German-occupied Europe, including the D-Day landings. King George V1 and Winston Churchill visited them here to approve the plans on 15 May 1944.

(Copyright: St Paul’s) The Boardroom at St Paul’s, 1 February 1944:  L-R, front row: Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder, General Eisenhower [Supreme Commander], General Sir Bernard Montgomery, L-R, back row: Lieutenant General Bradley, Admiral Ramsay, Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh Mallory, Lieutenant General Beddell Smith

The Allied Leadership

General Dwight D Eisenhower was appointed Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces (SCAEF) for Operation 'Overlord' in late 1943 and headed SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force), which oversaw the entire liberation of Nazi-occupied north-west Europe. Eisenhower was in charge of making all final decisions relating to the invasion, although he left much planning and administration in the hands of this Chief of Staff, Walter Bedell Smith. Eisenhower’s base was Southwick House in Portsmouth.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder served under Eisenhower as the Deputy Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. He was also the link between the three service commanders, General Bernard Montgomery, Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, and Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay. Tedder was largely responsible for British air strategy and organisation during the invasion.

The components were all commanded by British:  Ground forces were commanded by General Bernard Law Montgomery, Naval forces by Admiral Ramsay and Air Forces by ACM Leigh-Mallory.

General (later Field Marshal) Bernard Montgomery was Commander in Chief of the Allied Ground Forces for the invasion, and he was considered a skilled commander who had a genuine concern for the welfare of his men. His base was St Paul’s School in Hammersmith (see below).

Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory was Commander in Chief of the Allied Air Forces for Operation 'Overlord' and was responsible for coordinating air support for the invasion. During the Battle of Normandy, he was influential in directing Bomber Command for tactical support of ground troops which was effective throughout the campaign. Leigh-Mallory was reassigned Allied Air Commander in South-East Asia but was killed in a plane crash in the French Alps, en route to Ceylon to take up his new post in November 1944.

Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay was Commander in Chief of the Allied Naval Forces for Operation 'Neptune', the naval component of 'Overlord'. He had previously been responsible for the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk in 1940 and was the chief planner of amphibious landings in North Africa and Italy in 1942 and 1943. He was killed in a plane crash on his way to meet Field Marshal Montgomery on 2 January 1945.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/a-whos-who-of-d-day

https://d-dayrevisited.co.uk/d-day-history/planning-and-preparation/allied-commanders/

https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/d-day