Was the Atlantic Wall worth it?

[zraver]

Jason,

SWORD and JUNO were connected on the first day. GOLD followed on the 2nd. The OPOBJ was to connect any of the two beaches. SWORD and JUNO met the OPOBJ on the first day. GOLD cemented it. It was a 14 day op to connect the beaches. It was done in 4 days.

The Allies were not stopped. They were on schedule ... and on three beaches, they were ahead of schedule.

They were able to move laterally, penetration inland was limited and in some cases they were pushed back from early gains. Given the absolutely superiority in material, manpower and fire support the allies had this is no small accomplishment. Those 3 divisions also held up the allies long enough for reserves to reach the area setting up the nasty hedgerow battles that would make nearly 1 in 10 allied soldiers a causality by the end of July. That loss rate approaches some WWI battles like the Somme for carnage on a month by month basis.

[Triple C]

Where the gasoline, motor vehicles and trained mobile troops for the additional divisions would have came from? The Wehrmacht barely managed to man and arm the static divisions on the wall as they were, i.e. many with guns fixed to casements w/o transportation of any kind. As the Germans went hook line and sinker for Allied deception, how would those mobile divisions escape destruction when Patton began racing to the Seine?

[4PhilipMTJ]

I think not. If the prelanidng bombardment had been more effective, the brutal effectiveness would have been cut way down.