Editing Operation Fortitude (section)

==After invasion==
On 20 July, [[Ops (B)]] took over control of Fortitude South from R Force. The previous month, it had begun work to follow up the operation.<ref name=Holt584/> The new story centered on the idea that Eisenhower had decided to defeat the Germans through the existing beachhead. As a result, elements of FUSAG had been detached and sent to reinforce Normandy, and a second smaller Second American Army Group (SUSAG) would be formed to threaten the Pas-de-Calais.<ref name=Holt585/>

The plan again met criticism from Strangeways. Firstly, he opposed the creation of so many fictional US formations in the face of a known manpower shortage. Secondly, the new plan reduced the threat to Pas-de-Calais which might give the German command confidence to move the Fifteenth Army to reinforce Normandy. As before, in late June, Strangeways rewrote the operation to ensure that the focus remained on Calais.<ref name=Holt585/> In his version, the Normandy beachhead was struggling to succeed and so Eisenhower had taken elements of FUSAG to reinforce its efforts. FUSAG would then be rebuilt with newly-arrived US formations with the aim of landing in France toward the end of July.<ref name=Holt586/>

In order to explain Patton's appearance in Normandy, news was transmitted of a rumour that Patton had refused to transfer any of his units to Montgomery's 21st Army Group, and as a result had been demoted and given the lesser command of the [[Third United States Army]]. His replacement at FUSAG was Lieutenant General [[Lesley J. McNair]], but after touring Southeast England, he visited Normandy where he was accidentally killed on 24 July in an Allied air raid and was subsequently replaced by General [[John L. DeWitt]].<ref>Levine (2011), pp. 290-292</ref> 

Through the evolved plan, the Allies maintained the pretense of FUSAG and other forces threatening Pas-de-Calais for some considerable time after D-Day, possibly even as late as September 1944. That was vital to the success of the Allied plan by forcing the Germans to keep most of their reserves bottled up in wait for an attack on Calais that never came. That allowed the Allies to maintain and to build upon their foothold in Normandy.<ref name=Holt630/> Having served its purpose, on 28 September 1944, it was agreed to end the Fortitude deception and to move any remaining operational deceptions in the field to the overall charge of Ops (B).<ref name=Holt630/>