Hitler Slept Through It

Germany's response to D-Day was catastrophically slow. Erwin Rommel was in Germany for his wife's birthday. Hitler was asleep, and his staff refused to wake him. Panzer divisions that could have counterattacked were held in reserve — only Hitler could release them.

By noon on June 6, German generals were begging for the Panzer reserves. Hitler, however, did not wake until around noon — and even then he still believed Normandy was a feint. He did not release the tanks until 4 PM — nearly ten hours after the landings began.