Naval Historical Branch in the Ministry of Defence, Stephen Prince

Head of the Naval Historical Branch in the Ministry of Defence, Stephen will be speaking on”Ship to Shore – The Evolution of the Allied System of Command for Normandy”.

Stephen will be speaking on the critical element of warfare – communication. The Fort Southwick tunnels were excavated in 1942 to become the communication centre (COMMCEN) for the future invasion of occupied France relaying information from the underground headquarters to the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force.

With his knowledge he will examine the development of British and, then Allied, systems of Command & Control, considering both the long term evolution & the particular system in place, largely in & around Southwick by 1944.

He will contrast this with the German system and suggest that the greater coherence and rationality of the Allied system meant that its enduring performance was one of the most significant advantages that led to victory in Normandy and beyond.