21. Bodyguard’s Success Exceeded Expectations
Operation Bodyguard had hoped to trick the Germans into staying put in the Pas de Calais for two weeks after D-Day, instead of immediately sending the units there to reinforce their hard pressed defenders in Normandy. The plan ended up working so well that the Germans stayed put in the Pas de Calais for seven weeks instead of the hoped-for two. That gave the Allies enough time to build up their beachhead in Normandy, before breaking out to liberate France and Western Europe.