| Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) | |
|---|---|
 Shoulder sleeve insignia | |
| Active | 1943–1945 |
| Disbanded | 14 July 1945 |
| Countries |  United Kingdom United States Australia Canada India New Zealand South AfricaOccupied countries:  Belgium Czechoslovakia Free France Greece Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Poland Yugoslavia |
| Allegiance | Allies |
| Type | Combined headquarters |
| Role | Theater of operations |
| Part of | Combined Chiefs of Staff |
| Nickname | SHAEF |
| Engagements | World War II |
| Commanders | |
| Supreme Commander | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Deputy Supreme Commander | Arthur Tedder |
Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF;/ˈʃeɪf/SHAYF) was the headquarters of the Supreme Commander,Allied Expeditionary Force (SCAEF), in northwest Europe, from late 1943 until the end ofWorld War II. US GeneralDwight D. Eisenhower was the commander in SHAEF throughout its existence. The position itself shares a common lineage withSupreme Allied Commander Europe andAtlantic, but they are different titles.
Eisenhower transferred from command of theMediterranean Theater of Operations to command SHAEF, which was formed inCamp Griffiss,Bushy Park,Teddington, London, from December 1943; an adjacent street named Shaef Way, and a gate into the park called Shaef Gate, remain to this day.[1]Southwick House was used as an alternative headquarters nearPortsmouth. Its staff took the outline plan forOperation Overlord created by Lieutenant General SirFrederick E. Morgan, Chief of Staff to the Supreme Allied Commander (Designate) (COSSAC), and Major GeneralRay Barker.[2] Morgan, who had been appointed chief of staff to the Supreme Allied Commander (designate) in mid-March 1943 began planning for the invasion of Europe before Eisenhower's appointment[3] and moulded the plan into the final version, which was executed on 6 June 1944. That process was shaped by Eisenhower and the land forces commander, General SirBernard Law Montgomery, for the initial part of the invasion.
SHAEF remained in the United Kingdom until sufficient forces were ashore to justify its transfer to France.[4] At that point, Montgomery ceased to command all land forces but continued as Commander in Chief of theBritish 21st Army Group (21 AG) on the eastern wing of the Normandy bridgehead. TheUS 12th Army Group (12 AG) commanded by Lieutenant GeneralOmar Bradley was created as the western wing of the bridgehead. As the breakout from Normandy took place, the Allies launched theinvasion of southern France on 15 August 1944 with theUS 6th Army Group (6 AG) under the command of Lieutenant GeneralJacob L. Devers. During the invasion of southern France, the 6 AG was under the command of theAllied Forces Headquarters (AFHQ) of the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations, but after one month command passed to SHAEF. By this time, the three Army Groups had taken up the positions on theWestern Front in which they would remain until the end of the war—the British 21 AG to the North, the American 12 AG in the middle and the 6 AG to the South. By December 1944, SHAEF had established itself in the Trianon Palace Hotel inVersailles, France.[5] In February 1945, it moved to Reims and on 26 May 1945, toFrankfurt.[6]
SHAEF commanded the largest number of formations ever committed to one operation on the Western Front, withAmerican,Free French,British andCanadian forces. It commanded all Alliedairborne forces as an airborne army, as well as three army groups that controlled a total of eight field armies;
First Allied Airborne Army
British 21st Army Group
US 12th Army Group
US 6th Army GroupSHAEF also controlled substantial naval forces duringOperation Neptune, the assault phase of Overlord, and twotactical air forces: the USNinth Air Force and theRAF Second Tactical Air Force. Allied strategic bomber forces in the UK also came under its command during Operation Neptune.
| Name | Photo | Branch | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force | General of the ArmyDwight D. Eisenhower |  | United States Army |
| Deputy Supreme Commander, Allied Expeditionary Force | Air Chief MarshalSir Arthur Tedder |  |  Royal Air Force |
| Chief of Staff | Lieutenant GeneralWalter Bedell Smith |  | United States Army |
| Deputy Chief of Staff (Operations) | Lieutenant GeneralFrederick E. Morgan |  |  British Army |
| Deputy Chief of Staff (Chief Administrative Officer) | Lieutenant GeneralHumfrey Gale | .jpg) | |
| Deputy Chief of Staff (Air) | Air MarshalJames Robb (to May 1945[7]) |  | Royal Air Force |
| Air Vice MarshalRoderick Carr (from June 1945) |  | ||
| Ground forces commanders | Field Marshal[8]Sir Bernard Montgomery | .jpg) | British Army 21st Army Group |
| Lieutenant GeneralOmar Bradley |  | United States Army 12th Army Group (activated 14 July 1944) | |
| Lieutenant GeneralJacob L. Devers |  | United States Army 6th Army Group (activated 29 July 1944) | |
| Air Force Commander-in-Chief | Air MarshalSir Trafford Leigh-Mallory |  | Royal Air Force AEAF |
| Deputy Air Force Commander-in-Chief | Major GeneralHoyt Vandenberg |  | United States Army Air Forces |
| Naval Forces Commander | AdmiralSir Bertram Ramsay.[9] |  |  Royal Navy |
| French Representative | GeneralMarie-Pierre Kœnig |  |  French Liberation Army |
| Soviet Representative | GeneralIvan Susloparov |  |  Red Army |
Additionally
| Nation | Name | Branch | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | Luxembourg | Major-GeneralGeorge Erskine | British Army | Head of the Mission |
| Col. John B. Sherman | United States Army | Deputy for Belgium | ||
| Col. F. E. Fraser | Deputy for Luxembourg | |||
 France | Major GeneralJohn Taylor Lewis | Head of the Mission | ||
| Major-GeneralHarold Redman | British Army | Deputy Head of the Mission | ||
| Netherlands | Major-GeneralJohn George Walters Clark | British Army | Head of the Mission | |
| Brigadier General George P. Howell | United States Army | Deputy Head of the Mission | ||
 Denmark | Major-generalR. H. Dewing | British Army | Head | |
| Col. Ford Trimble | United States Army | Deputy | ||
| Norway | General SirAndrew Thorne | British Army | Head | |
| Col. Charles H. Wilson | United States Army | Deputy | ||
After thesurrender of Germany, SHAEF was dissolved on 14 July 1945.
With respect to the U.S. forces, it was replaced by U.S. Forces, European Theater (USFET).[6] USFET was reorganized as EUCOM (European Command, not to be confused with the present-dayUnited States European Command) on 15 March 1947.[6][12]
The 1948–1951Western Union Defence Organization's (WUDO) command structure was largely patterned on SHAEF's structure.[13]
Starting in April 1951 when theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) cannibalised WUDO, it was put under the command ofSupreme Allied Commander EuropeDwight D. Eisenhower inSupreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE; Allied Command Europe [ACE]), comprising many of the same allies that were part of SHAEF. WUDO, followed by SHAPE, were in many respects the successors to SHAEF.
SHAPE is currently the headquarters of NATO'sAllied Command Operations (ACO). Since 1967 it has been located atCasteau, north of theBelgian city ofMons,[14] but it had previously been located, from 1953, atRocquencourt, next toVersailles,France.
From 1951 to 2003, SHAPE was the headquarters ofAllied Command Europe (ACE). Since 2003 it has been the headquarters of ACO, controlling all NATO operations worldwide.
TheEuropean Union has established aMilitary Planning and Conduct Capability (MPCC), which is due to gain more tasks and may rival SHAPE's dominance as the primary forum for multinational European missions.[citation needed]
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