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1 June 1944

Admiral Ramsey takes command of the immense armada of ships for Operation Neptune, the naval part of Overlord. First regular morning and evening meetings are begun between senior commanders at Southwick House, principally to discuss deteriorating weather conditions in the Channel. Eisenhower begins a daily shuttle between his forward HQ at Southwick, Bushey Park his main HQ, and Stanmore, where SHAEF Air Forces HQ is located. Weather forecast is poor.

4 June 1944

At Southwick House Stagg meets commanders at 04:15 hours. The forecast is rising wind and thicker cloud. Montgomery is prepared to go despite the weather but ACM Leigh-Mallory is not in favour. With so much depending upon air superiority Eisenhower has no choice but to postpone the landings, scheduled for 4/5 June, for 24 hours. All convoys at sea have to reverse their courses but two British midget submarines continue and just before midnight take up their positions off the beaches to act as markers for the invasion army when it arrives. By 09:30 Stagg predicts 36 hours of relatively clear weather with moderate winds.

General Feldmarschall Rommel, convinced an invasion is not imminent, decides to leave the Normandy coast for Germany.