Page 34 - Global Project Management Handbook

1-16 STATE OF THE ART OF GLOBAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT

The initial turnpike was envisioned as a four-lane road extending from just east of
Pittsburgh to Carlisle—a distance of 160 miles—using the right of way for a planned railroad.
The turnpike incorporated the latest is design features to accommodate modern travel,
such as no road or rail crossings, gentle curves and slopes, and 10 service plazas for trav-
elers. This turnpike set the example for roadways in the future and subsequently was
incorporated into the overall system of major highways.

The Manhattan Project (1942–1945)
The Manhattan Project for the development and delivery of the atomic bomb had a major
impact on the strategy for winning World War II by the United States and its allies.
General Leslie R. Groves was appointed as the project manager for the development,
production, and delivery of the atomic bomb, which, although devastating to Japan, is
credited with saving the lives of thousands of American military personnel.
The Manhattan Project was a complex arrangement of participants in Chicago,
Illinois, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Los Alamos, New Mexico. The technical chal-
lenge to harness the atom required the work of many scientists working under the
direction of a military man, General Groves. In addition, the requirement for security
and administration of the various participants posed an additional burden on the
project manager.

The Normandy Invasion (June 6, 1944)
Operation Overlord was the largest military seaborne and airborne invasion of World
War II. Planning for the invasion began in the summer of 1942, with detailed planning
nearly completed by late 1943. Revision and updating of the plan continued until June
1944, when the invasion took place. This planning encompassed a massive assembly of
human resources, war materials, air and sea transport, and logistic support. Significant
Allied (Britain, Canada, France, Greece, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, and the
United States) military forces and resources were gathered in Britain. The initial sea
assault from landing ships and craft was on a five-division front between the French Orne
River and the Cotentin Peninsula. Airborne forces parachuted behind German lines to

capture critical lines of communication and resupply routes.
The seaborne region was divided into five landing beaches (code named from west to
east Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword). The overall battle itself, however, would be
decided by the abilities of the Allies to reinforce their initially weak beachhead by sea as
compared with the easier movement of German reinforcements by land.
On June 5, 1944, thousands of ships and craft from the Allies put to sea and gathered
in assembly areas southeast of the Isle of Wight. Airborne forces assembled at key air-
fields in anticipation of parachuting into France. After overrunning the German beach
defense, the Allies rapidly expanded the individual beachheads and reinforced the beach
assault forces with new troops, munitions, and supplies. By July 25, the Allies were
strong enough to launch Operation Cobra to begin the liberation of France.
In a larger sense, the successful Allied landing in France was a psychological blow to
the German occupation of Europe. The invasion challenged the ability of the German to
control western Europe, dramatically increased partisan activity and heartened the morale
of all the people in Europe fighting against Nazi tyranny. The balance of power on the
continent, already weakened by a Soviet offensive into Poland, was tipped in favor of the
Allies. From the breakout at Normandy, the Allies would begin the drive into Germany,
leading to surrender of the Nazi regime on May 7, 1945.