Page 180 - Le Operazioni Interforze e Multinazionali nella Storia Militare - ACTA Tomo II

820 XXXIX Congresso della CommIssIone InternazIonale dI storIa mIlItare • CIHm

Approach for the EU is an integrated EU approach towards a third country or towards
another region or group of countries. An integrated approach means that the EU has a
set of objectives developed by and agreed to by all relevant EU institutions and it then
has policies, “tools”, and activities to implement these objectives.[…]”. 10
Concerning Operation EUNavFor ATALANTA the historians have a decisive job to
do today by safeguarding all relevant sources produced. This will be of benefit for our
successors to allow them a good analysis of the Operation ATALANTA in the future.
But we have to consider and acknowledge, that this operation is a part of a larger puzzle
– also the other entities have to safeguard their sources as well.
In view of the overall activities of the European Union in Somalia the situation in
Afghanistan looks totally different due to a remaining violent environment. That hin-
ders those comprehensive approaches necessary for repairing failed state´s structures.
But also for the operations conducted in Afghanistan the historians have to ensure that
the sources are safeguarded and to ensure that those who were involved deliver their
memories. It is not up to us today to analyze the Afghanistan campaigns. This will be
also a job which has to be done by our successors. They most probably have to ask the
relevant question whether NATO had been the right organization to be in lead of the
overall required achievements over the whole period of engagement, in which military
played one part.
In the following the focus should be on the comprehensive approach. Whereas today
the need for such an approach deems necessary in order to address the full spectrum of
required achievements for rebuilding, reconstructuring and establishing good govern-
ance, a similar approach in the past is difficult to find – this mainly due to the fact that all
military activities did not have been conducted and understood as benchmarks or mile-
stones for a military/ civilian overall process. However, it seems to be interesting to ask
this question with regard to World War II by focusing on the Operation OVERLORD,
most commonly known as the D-Day landing in the Normandy in 1944. The Operation
as such has been analysed for several times and is considered as the largest amphibious
11
landing of all time, and one of the largest combined operations ever . While technically
impressive, it should also be noted that a unified command-and-control structure played
a decisive role in the operation. After the difficulties encountered during Operation
TORCH, the invasion of Northern Africa, General Eisenhower realized the importance
of a unified command structure in which one commander is able to exercise OPCON
over an entire operation and established clear command-and-control structures. As les-
sons learned, the Operation OVERLORD combined all ground forces under the com-
mand of Field Marshall Montgomery, the entire naval expeditionary force under Admiral
Ramsay and the expeditionary air forces under Air Chief Marshal Leigh-Mallory; while
he himself retained overall command of the entire operation . The operation marked a
12
changing point in the further development of World War II and could be interpreted as

10 ‘Comprehensive Approach discussion points’; European Peacebuilding Liaison Office (EPLO).
11 Seitz, Stephen S.: Operation Overlord and the Principals of War. Norfolk 2002, p. 7.
12 Seitz, p. 13-14, A-7.