Astrology at Work: D-Day
Weather, tides and other logistical issues all played a role in the timing of the Allied invasion of Europe on June 6, 1944. Astrology was apparently not a factor. However, a look at the chart for that day indicates that, even without knowing it, the Allies had the stars on their side. (Click on D-Day to see a chart done for one minute after midnight on June 6, 1944. The chart was done of Caen, France, one of the cities Allied forces hoped to reach on the first day of fighting.
Mercury in this chart strongly placed in the Fourth House and it forms a close square with Jupiter. This is a perfect aspect for executing a bold plan. The square aspect indicates that there will be difficulties (and there were plenty) but, even in a bad aspect, Jupiter tends to be helpful.
Another interesting configuration in this chart is the conjunction of Venus and Uranus in Gemini. (During the course of the day, the Moon in Sagittarius opposed this conjunction, activating it even more.) We tend to think of Venus as having to do with relationships, but in war the most important relationship you have is with your enemy. Venus conjunct Uranus describes a surprising change in the relationship or, in this case, a surprise attack.
However, the key aspect in this chart is the conjunction or Mars and Pluto in Leo. The aspect is separating, but Mars does well in Leo and the conjunction is placed in an angular house in this chart. Mars is, of course, the warrior’s planet. Pluto is also a warrior, only the way it wins battles tend to be subtle and the product of long-term planning and attrition. Having these two planets joined guarantees that the battle will be tough and bloody, but the fact that Mars is in Leo gives the advantage to the attacker.
Along with the chart for the battle, it is also interesting to look at what was happening in the horoscopes of the two men who were in command the opposing armies. In the chart of Dwight Eisenhower transiting Jupiter was sextile his natal Sun. More important, in his secondary progressed chart, his progressed Mars was trine his natal Sun and opposed to transiting Jupiter. Astrologically speaking, Eisenhower was in an advantageous position.
The situation with his opponent, Erwin Rommel, was more complex. World War II had been a great time for Rommel. Before the war, Rommel had written a book about the way that armored vehicles and mobility was changing warfare. The war gave him ample opportunity to prove this and it made him a hero in Germany. However, by June 1944 things were changing for Rommel and this was reflected in his horoscope by the fact that transiting Saturn was square his natal Saturn.
This, of course, is one of the crucial Saturn Cycle aspects and a point of transition in Rommel’s life. If he could have thrown back the Allies at Normandy, Rommel could have remained Germany’s super-general and maybe forced a negotiated peace. However, by this time in the war the German military of woefully short of both men and material. Rommel had to know on June 6, 1944 that he was at a disadvantage. More important, Rommel’s faith in his leader, Adolf Hitler, was wavering.
Even before June 1944, conspirators within the German military who were hoping to remove Hitler had apparently been in contact with Rommel. To what degree Rommel agreed with them is unknown. It is also unknown how losing the D-Day battle effected his thinking on this issue. What is known is that one month after D-Day, a group of German military officers attempted to assassinate Hitler and failed. Rommel was implicated in the plot and, in Oct. 1944, forced to commit suicide. If D-Day had gone another way, this might have never happened.
