As the Allies put their forthcoming D-Day plans into action in 1944, they knew they needed to break the back of German logistics in Normandy. As part of the process, Gen. Jimmy Doolittle and the Mighty Eighth Air Force began targeting the rail networks that crisscrossed France, connecting the occupied country to greater Germany.
But every major military operation needs a good name. Usually, the Allies were pretty good about giving World War II operations the awesome codenames they so richly deserved. The cross-channel invasion of occupied France would be known as Operation Overlord. The evacuation of Dunkirk in June 1940 got the name Operation Dynamo. The U.S. invasion of North Africa: Operation Torch. The invasion of Southern France: Operation Dragoon. The Allied plan to capture Rangoon: Operation Dracula. You get it.
The rail bombings preceding D-Day in 1944 were codenamed Operation Chattanooga Choo Choo.
The operation wasn’t named after the “The Simpsons” episode. That would be ridiculous, reader who apparently doesn’t understand that World War II happened before “The Simpsons.”
No, it was named after a popular song of the day. Glenn Miller had recorded the song “Chattanooga Choo Choo” in 1941, and someone on the staff must have liked it. That would be akin to naming the U.S. military’s 2014 attacks on the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq “Operation Blank Space” instead of Inherent Resolve because Gen. Joseph Votel was a Taylor Swift fan.
For the record, we have no idea if Votel is a Swiftie; we’re just saying that would be the modern-day equivalent of naming a World War II bombing campaign “Operation Chattanooga Choo Choo.” Also, our example couldn’t have been “Operation Shake It Off,” because that kinda slaps.
Despite the silly name, the operation was a huge success. The combined Allied air forces wanted to severely limit German logistics while obscuring the site of the upcoming landings in Operation Overlord. So they dropped bombs all over occupied France, but stipulated that two bombs be dropped at Pas de Calais for every one that hit in Normandy.
For many reasons (not just the Chattanooga Choo Choo bombing deception), Adolph Hitler and his cronies were convinced the landings could come at the Pas de Calais. The bombing campaign ripped through German railways, marshaling yards, wireless radio stations, and other key infrastructure, softening up Normandy for the invasion.
All thanks to Operation Chattanooga Choo Choo.
