Military Intelligence of General Koch

Paper Summary:

This paper assesses the enemy situation that General Oscar W. Koch had to face in his planning for the Sicily operation, Normandy invasion and the Battle of the Bulge. It looks at the strength and disposition of enemy armor, artillery and infantry units and discusses the reinforcement potential that had to be ascertained and planned for. The paper also discusses the quality of German commanders and units that had to be calculated. Finally, it looks briefly at the terrain to be encountered and how the enemy might take advantage of it for defensive purposes, as well as the morale or lack thereof of enemy units.

From the Paper:

"General Koch also had to study and evaluate the terrain to be encountered during these operations in order to determine how the enemy might exploit it for defensive purposes, and he had to gather intelligence regarding the morale level of enemy units, which is always a factor in warfare. He performed well prior to and throughout Operations Husky and Overlord, but like most Allied intelligence personnel, he performed much less effectively prior to the Battle of the Bulge, when the Germans struck without warning through the Ardennes and inflicted heavy Allied casualties before being defeated by superior numbers and the intervention of the powerful Allied air forces once the weather improved."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Koch, Oscar W. G-2: Intelligence for Patton. New York: Schiffer Publishing, 1999.
• Naylor, Sean. Not a good day to die. New York: Penguin, 2006.
• U.S. Marine Corps. Tactics (Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication 1-3 (MCDP 1-3)). Washington, DC: Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, 1997.
• U.S. Marine Corps. Intelligence (Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication 2 (MCDP 2)). Washington, DC: Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, 1997.
• U.S. Marine Corps. Command and Control (Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication 6 (MCDP 6)). Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, 1996.

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