Operation Bodyguard

(noun)

The code name for a World War II deception plan employed by the Allied states before the 1944 invasion of north-west Europe. The plan was intended to mislead the German high command as to the time and place of the invasion. The plan contained several operations, which culminated in the tactical surprise of the Germans during the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944 (also known as D-Day) and delayed German reinforcements to the region for some time afterwards.

Related Terms

Examples of Operation Bodyguard in the following topics:

  • D-Day and After

    • The Normandy landings (codenamed Operation Neptune) were the landing operations on Tuesday, June 6, 1944 (known as D-Day), of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II.
    • Operation Overlord was the name assigned to the establishment of a large-scale lodgement on the Continent.
    • The Operation Neptune was its first phase and aimed to establish a secure foothold. 
    • Elaborate deceptions, codenamed Operation Bodyguard, were undertaken in the months leading up to the invasion to prevent the Germans from learning the timing and location of the invasion.
    • The deceptions undertaken in Operation Fortitude were successful, leaving the Germans obligated to defend a huge stretch of coastline.

  • American Arrival in Europe

    • The United States entered the war in the west with Operation Torch in North Africa on 8 November 1942 although in mid-1942, the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) arrived in the UK and carried out a few raids across the English Channel.
    • Following the Normandy invasion in June 1944, the equivalent of seven US and French divisions were pulled out of Italy to Participate in Operation Dragoon: the allied landings in southern France.
    • In January 1943, at the Casablanca Conference, it was agreed Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command operations against Germany would be reinforced by the USAAF in a Combined Operations Offensive plan called Operation Pointblank. 
    • It commenced on June 6, 1944 with the Normandy landings (Operation Neptune, commonly known as D-Day).
    • In the months leading up to the invasion, the Allies conducted a substantial military deception, Operation Bodyguard, using both electronic and visual misinformation.

  • Types of International Business Operations

  • Operations

  • Operation Barbarossa

  • Designing the Operation

    • Operations management is a strategic function in organizations that adds value to customers and allows businesses to successfully produce goods and deliver services.
    • Operational decisions determine how well these goods and services meet the needs of the organization's target market, and consequently, whether the organization will be able to survive over the long-term .
    • Operations management and planning are common in industries such as the airlines, manufacturing companies, service provider organizations, the military, and government.
    • Operations management touches upon multiple areas of a business, from engineering and research & development, to human resources and accounting.
    • Operations management plays a key role in the success in airline companies.

  • Operating Expenses, Non-Operating Expenses, and Net Income

    • Operating expenses and non operating expenses are deducted from revenue to yield net income.
    • Operating expenses, non operating expenses and net income are three key areas of the income statement.

  • Leverage Models

    • Operating leverage models include ratios, such as fixed costs to variable costs/total costs, fixed costs to income, and the DOL.
    • What is the Degree of Operating Leverage at a level of 200 sales?
    • To calculate Degree of Operating Leverage, we divide the contribution margin by the difference between contribution margin and fixed costs:
    • The Degree of Operating Leverage is closely related to the rate of increase in the operating margin, which is the ratio of operating income to net revenue.
    • Operating leverage is equal to total fixed costs divided by operating income.

  • Combining Operating Leverage and Financial Leverage

    • To calculate total leverage, we multiply Degree of Operating Leverage by Degree of Financial Leverage.
    • Operating and financial leverage can be combined into an overall measure called "total leverage. " Total leverage can be used to measure the total risk of a company and can be defined as the percentage change in stockholder earnings for a given change in sales.
    • Another way to determine total leverage is by multiplying the Degree of Operating Leverage and the Degree of Financial Leverage.
    • Fully derived, we see that to multiply Degree of Operating Leverage and Degree of Financial Leverage, we subtract fixed costs and interest expense from the total contribution margin (revenue minus variable cost times the number of units sold), and divide total contribution margin by this result.

  • Defining Operating Leverage

    • Operating leverage is a measure of how revenue growth translates into growth in operating income.
    • Operating leverage can be defined, simply, as the degree to which a firm incurs a combination of fixed and variable costs.
    • Operating leverage is also a measure of how revenue growth translates into growth in operating income.
    • Operating leverage also increases forecasting risk.
    • These include the ratio of fixed costs to total costs, the ratio of fixed costs to variable costs, and the Degree of Operating Leverage (DOL).