The best-known commando raids are only a small fraction of the operations considered or prepared. The rough rules of thumb given here suggest that planners examined far more targets than they trained for, and trained for more raids than they attempted. Improved defences, changes in German posture, and weather could cancel an operation even after substantial preparation. That invisible denominator matters because the Atlantic Wall deterred or redirected attacks without producing a battle, while successful raids deliberately selected its weakest gaps.
Notable Point · 46:27-49:22
Cancelled commando raids reveal the Atlantic Wall's deterrent effect
The famous raids are only the visible survivors of a much larger planning process in which stronger defences, changed German posture, and weather cancelled many operations.