Friedrich Dollmann

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Friedrich Dollmann (February 2, 1876 - June 30, 1944) was a German general during World War II, most notably serving during the early phases of the D-Day Invasion.

Born in 1876, Dollmann remained in the Reichswehr following service in World War I eventually commanding Mobilization District Wehrkreis IV by 1936. Promoted to generaloberst shortly after the start of World War II, Dollmann was given command of the German Seventh Army which he led during the three month campaign against France. Assigned to occupation duty, Dollmann remained in France overseeing the defense of Brittany and Normandy in 1944. Expecting the Allied invasion in early-June, Dollmann lowered the alert conditions after worsening weather conditions on June 4. Attending a map exercise during June 5-6, his command in Normandy took much of the early casualties during the initial Allied assault. Dollmann would continue to resist the Allied attack until his death of a heart attack on June 30, 1944.

[edit] References

• Harrison, George A., Cross-Channel Attack. The United States Army in World War II: The European Theater of Operations, 1951. Reprint, Washington, D.C., 1970.
• Ryan, Corneilius. The Longest Day, New York, 1949.