Why did the Allies choose Normandy rather than invade southern France first?
Short answerLogistics and the shorter route toward Germany made Normandy the more useful first lodgement for the main Allied advance.
NotesLogistics mattered more than a simple desire to draw German forces south. Normandy offered a comparatively direct route toward Germany once a lodgement had been secured. A southern landing would have required the Allied armies to fight and supply their way much farther up France. Amphibious strategy depends on the campaign after the beach assault, not merely on finding a coast that can be entered.