Omaha Beach
Part of World War II
Troops from the First Division landing on Omaha Beach.
Date 6 June 1944 Location Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes, St. Lô, Vierville-sur-Mer, in France Result American victory
Combatants
United States	Germany
Commanders
Omar Bradley, Norman Cota, Clarence R. Huebner	Dietrich Kraiss
Strength
43,250	Unknown
Casualties
3,000	1,200

Omaha Beach was the code name for one of the principal landing points of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, during World War II. The beach was located on the northern coast of France, facing the English Channel, and was 5 miles (8 km) long, from east of Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to west of Vierville-sur-Mer. Landings here were necessary in order to link up the British landings to the east with the American landing to the west, thus providing a continuous lodgement on the Normandy coast. Taking Omaha was to be the responsibility of United States Army troops, with sea transport provided courtesy of the U.S. Navy and elements of the Royal Navy. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Download high resolution version (800x606, 68 KB) Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes is a commune of the Calvados département, in the Basse-Normandie région, in France. ... Saint-Lô is a city and commune of France, the préfecture (capital) of the Manche département, in Normandy. ... Vierville-sur-Mer is a commune and a canton of the Calvados département, in the Basse-Normandie région, in France. ... Image File history File links US_flag_48_stars. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany_1933. ... Omar Nelson Bradley (February 12, 1893 – April 8, 1981) was one of the main U.S. Army field commanders in North Africa and Europe during World War II and a General of the Army of the United States Army. ... Norman Daniel Dutch Cota (May 30, 1893, Chelsea, Massachusetts - October 4, 1971, Wichita, Kansas) was a U.S. General during World War II. // Brigadier General Cota was Assistant Division commander of the US 29th Infantry Division at Omaha Beach during the Battle of Normandy. ... Clarence R. Huebner was a general of the United States Army. ... [[]] 21:37, 6 February 2007 (UTC) Dietrich Kraiss (November 16, 1889, Stuttgart - June 6, 1944, Saint-Lô) was a German Generalleutnant during World War II, awarded the Knights Cross with Oak Leaves Kraiss was a commander of the 90th Infantry Regiment (from September 1939 to March 1941), 168th Infantry... Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada Free France Poland Nazi Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander) Bernard Montgomery (land) Bertram Ramsay (sea) Trafford Leigh-Mallory (air) Omar Bradley (U.S. 1st Army) Miles Dempsey (UK 2nd Army) Harry Crerar (Canadian 1st Army) Gerd von Rundstedt (OB WEST) Erwin Rommel... Operation Neptune refers to the landing phase of Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy. ... Combatants United States Germany Commanders Matthew B. Ridgway Maxwell D. Taylor Erich Marcks Wilhelm Falley Strength (airlifted) 13,100 paratroops 3,900 glider troops 5,700 USAAF aircrew 36,600 (7. ... Operation Tonga: Pathfinders synchronising their watches in front of an Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle. ... Pegasus Bridge before its replacement Pegasus Bridge in 1944 Original Pegasus Bridge in the Pegasus Museum - July 2005 The replacement Pegasus Bridge in operation The Pegasus Bridge is a bascule bridge over the Caen Canal, near Ouistreham, France. ... 101st Airborne Division shoulder insignia Mission Albany was a parachute combat assault at night by the U.S. 101st Airborne Division on June 6, 1944, part of the American airborne landings in Normandy. ... 82nd Airborne Division shoulder insignia Mission Boston was a parachute combat assault at night by the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division on June 6, 1944, part of the American airborne landings in Normandy. ... 101st Airborne Division shoulder insignia Mission Chicago was a pre-dawn glider-borne combat assault in the American airborne landings in Normandy, made by elements of the U.S. 101st Airborne Division on the early morning of June 6, 1944. ... Mission Detroit was a pre-dawn glider-borne combat assault in the American airborne landings in Normandy, made by elements of the U.S. 82nd Airborne Division on the early morning of June 6, 1944. ... During World War II, mission Elmira was the landing of a significant part of the the 82nd Airborne Division’s glider train in Normandy on the evening of 6 June 1944 as part of Operation Neptune, the assault phase of Operation Overlord. ... Combatants United Kingdom Germany Commanders General-Lieutenant Miles Dempsey, British 3rd Infantry Division Generalleutnant Wilhelm Richter, German 716th Static Infantry Division Hans von Luck, German 21st Panzer Division Strength 28,845 Unknown Casualties 630 Unknown German defense at Ouistreham. ... This article is about the beach codenamed in WWII. For other uses, see Juno Beach (disambiguation) Combatants Canada Germany Commanders Major-General R.F.L. Keller, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division Generalleutnant Wilhelm Richter, German 716th Static Infantry Division Strength 15,000[1] 7,771 Casualties 340 dead, 739 other casualties... Combatants United Kingdom Germany Commanders Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey, British 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division Generalleutnant Wilhelm Richter, German 716th Static Infantry Division Generalleutnant Dietrich Kraiss, German 352nd Static Infantry Division Strength 24,970 Unknown Casualties 400 altogether Unknown This article is about a World War II invasion. ... Combatants United States Germany Commanders Raymond O. Barton Theodore Roosevelt Jr U.S. 4th Infantry Division Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben Dietrich Kraiss German 352nd Infantry Division German 709th Infantry Division Strength 32,000  ? Casualties 700 Unknown American assault troops move onto Utah Beach, carrying full equipment. ... Pointe du Hocs location Preinvasion bombing of Pointe du Hoc by 9th Air Force bombers. ... Combatants United States Germany Commanders Richard Winters unknown Strength 13 60+ Casualties 4 dead, 6 wounded 15 dead, 12 prisoner, Wounded unknown The Brécourt Manor Assault (June 6, 1944) during Operation Chicago of the Normandy Invasion of World War II is often cited as a classic example of small... Combatants Aircraft of the RAF Second Tactical Air Force HQ of Panzer Group West Strength 40 Typhoons 61 Mitchells Casualties None recorded Killed: Sigismund-Helmut von Dawans and 17 other staff officers Wounded: Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg The Attack on Panzer Group Wests headquarters at La Caine in Normandy... This does not cite its references or sources. ... Combatants United Kingdom Germany Commanders Bernard Montgomery William Onslow Michael Wittmann Karl Mobius Fritz Bayerlein Helmut Ritgen Strength 200 tanks 25 tanks Casualties +30 tanks 30 lightly armoured vehicles 11 tanks (3 repaired) The Battle of Villers-Bocage (June 13, 1944) was a clash between the British and Germans in... Combatants Allied Powers Germany Commanders J. Lawton Collins Friedrich Dollman Strength Unknown 40,000 Casualties 2,800 killed, 5,700 missing, 13,500 wounded 39,000 captured The Battle of Cherbourg was part of the Battle of Normandy during World War II, it was fought immediately after the successful Allied... Combatants Allied Powers Nazi Germany Commanders Lieutenant General Richard OConnor SS General Paul Hausser Strength 1 armoured division 3 infantry divisions 1 armoured brigade 2 SS Panzer Divisions 5 Panzer battlegroups Casualties British VIII Corps 4,020 12th SS Panzer Regiment 324 25th SS Panzer-Grenadier Regiment 383 26th... Operation Goodwood was an Allied military operation of World War II from July 18 to 20 July 1944 taking place in Normandy some weeks following D-Day. ... During World War II, Operation Atlantic (Allies, 1944) was a Canadian offensive, part of the British great breakout tentative (Operation Goodwood) during the Battle of Normandy, on June 19th. ... During World War II, Operation Spring (Allies, 1944) enabled to secure territory gains around Caen and its surroundings during the Battle of Normandy, after Operation Goodwood. ... Combatants USA Canada Free France Germany Commanders General Omar Bradley, General George S. Patton General Philippe Leclerc SS General Paul Hausser Strength 8 infantry divisions, 4 armoured divisions 2 infantry divisions, 11 infantry battlegroups, 2 Panzer Divisions, 1 Panzergrenadier Division Casualties 1. ... Combatants Allied Powers Germany Commanders Lieutenant General Miles Dempsey SS General Paul Hausser Strength 3 armoured divisions, 3 infantry divisions, 2 armoured brigades rising to: 3 Panzer Divisions, 3 infantry divisions Casualties N/A N/A Operation Bluecoat was an attack by British Second Army at the Battle of Normandy... Combatants Allied Powers Germany Commanders Omar Bradley Hans von Kluge Strength 5 infantry divisions, 3 armoured combat commands 3 Panzer Divisions, 2 infantry divisions, 5 panzer or infantry battlegroups Casualties N/A N/A Operation Lüttich was a counterattack launched by German forces on the left flank of the... Combatants First Canadian Army Germany Commanders Lieutenant General Guy Simonds SS General Kurt Meyer Strength 2 infantry divisions, 2 armoured divisions, 2 armoured brigades 3 infantry divisions, 1 SS Panzer Division During World War II, Operation Totalise (Allies, 1944) was a ground attack on 7 August 1944 by British, Canadian... Operation Tractable was a military operation commanded by II Canadian Corps in Normandy in August 1944. ... Combatants North:  United Kingdom  Canada Polish forces South:  United States  Free French Nazi Germany Commanders Omar Bradley Harry Crerar Philippe Leclerc StanisÅ‚aw Maczek Bernard Montgomery George Patton Günther von Kluge Walter Model Strength ~at least 500,000 Casualties Canadian: 1,470 killed Polish: 325 killed ~50,000 killed... This article is about the Second World War battle for Brest. ... The Liberation of Paris in World War II took place in late August 1944 after the battle of Normandy. ... A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word. ... This article is about the independent states that comprised the Allies. ... Location of Vichy France (green). ... Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada Free France Poland Nazi Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander) Bernard Montgomery (land) Bertram Ramsay (sea) Trafford Leigh-Mallory (air) Omar Bradley (U.S. 1st Army) Miles Dempsey (UK 2nd Army) Harry Crerar (Canadian 1st Army) Gerd von Rundstedt (OB WEST) Erwin Rommel... is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Satellite view of the English Channel The English Channel (French: , the sleeve) is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the island of Great Britain from northern France and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. ... Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes is a commune of the Calvados département, in the Basse-Normandie région, in France. ... Vierville-sur-Mer is a commune and a canton of the Calvados département, in the Basse-Normandie région, in France. ... The United States Army is the largest and oldest branch of the armed forces of the United States. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ...

On D-Day, the untested 29th Infantry Division, joined by eight companies of U.S. Rangers redirected from Pointe du Hoc, were to assault the western half of the beach. The battle-hardened 1st Infantry Division was given the eastern half. The initial assault waves, consisting of tanks, infantry and combat engineer forces, were carefully planned to reduce the coastal defences and allow the larger ships of the follow-up waves to land. The primary objective at Omaha was to secure a beachhead of some five miles (eight kilometers) depth, between Port-en-Bessin and the Vire River, linking with the British landings at Gold Beach to the east, and reaching the area of Isigny to the west to link up with VII Corps landing at Utah Beach. Opposing the landings was the experienced 352nd Infantry Division. Largely deployed in strongpoints at the coast, the German strategy was based on defeating any seaborne assault at the water line. Land on Normandy In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ... The U.S. 29th Infantry Division is a United States infantry division that has existed since World War I as part of the Army National Guard. ... Pointe du Hocs location Preinvasion bombing of Pointe du Hoc by 9th Air Force bombers. ... Big Red One redirects here. ... A beachhead is a military term used to describe the line created when a unit (by sea) reaches a beach, and begins to defend that area of beach, while other reinforcements (hopefully) help out, until a unit large enough to begin advancing has arrived. ... Port-en-Bessin-Huppain is a commune of the Calvados département, in the Basse-Normandie région, in France. ... The River Vire is a river in Normandy in France whose 118 km course crosses the départements of Calvados and Manche, flowing through the towns of Vire, Saint-Lô and Isigny-sur-Mer, finally flowing out into the English Channel. ... Combatants United Kingdom Germany Commanders Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey, British 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division Generalleutnant Wilhelm Richter, German 716th Static Infantry Division Generalleutnant Dietrich Kraiss, German 352nd Static Infantry Division Strength 24,970 Unknown Casualties 400 altogether Unknown This article is about a World War II invasion. ... Isigny is part of the name of 2 communes in France: Isigny-le-Buat, in the Manche département Isigny-sur-Mer, in the Calvados département This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Combatants United States Germany Commanders Raymond O. Barton Theodore Roosevelt Jr U.S. 4th Infantry Division Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben Dietrich Kraiss German 352nd Infantry Division German 709th Infantry Division Strength 32,000  ? Casualties 700 Unknown American assault troops move onto Utah Beach, carrying full equipment. ... 352nd Infantry Division 352nd Volksgrenadier Division The 352nd Infantry Division () was an infantry division of the German Heer during World War II. A western front unit, the 352nd is notable as the defenders of Omaha Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944. ...

Very little went as planned at Omaha on D-Day. Difficulties in navigation caused the majority of landing craft to miss their targets throughout the day. The defenses were unexpectedly strong and inflicted heavy casualties on US troops as they landed. Under heavy fire the engineers struggled to clear the beach obstacles, causing later landings to bunch around the few channels that had been cleared. Weakened by the casualties taken just to land, the surviving assault troops could not clear the heavily defended exits off the beach, causing further problems and consequent delays for later landings. Small penetrations were eventually achieved by groups of survivors making improvised assaults, scaling the bluffs between the most heavily defended points. By the end of the day two small isolated footholds had been won and which, against weaker defenses further inland, were subsequently exploited to achieve the original D-Day objectives over the following days. Landing craft Rapière LCU 1656 departs USS Bataan (LHD-5) well deck during Hurricane Katrina relief operations. ...

"Bloody Omaha"

Terrain and defenses

Diagrammatic cross section of the beach at Omaha

Bound at either end by rocky cliffs, the Omaha Beach crescent presented a gently sloping tidal area averaging 300 yards (275 m) between low and highwater marks. Above the tide line was a bank of shingle 8 feet (2.4 m) high and up to 15 yards (14 m) wide in some places. At the western end the shingle bank rested against a stone (further east becoming wood) constructed sea wall which ranged from 4–12 feet (1.5–4 m) in height. For the remaining two thirds of the beach after the seawall ended the shingle lay against a low sand embankment. Behind the sand embankment and sea wall lay a level shelf of sand, narrow at either end and extending up to 200 yards (180 m) inland in the center. Steep escarpments or bluffs then rose 100–170 feet (30–50 m), dominating the whole beach and cut into by small wooded valleys or draws at five points along the beach, codenamed west to east D-1, D-3, E-1, E-3 and F-1.^[1] Image File history File links Omaha_beach_cross_section. ... Image File history File links Omaha_beach_cross_section. ... A shingle beach is a beach which is armoured with pebbles or small to medium sized cobbles. ...

German turret at Omaha Beach, June 1944

The German defensive preparations and the lack of any defense in depth indicated that their plan was to stop the invasion at the beaches.^[2] Four lines of obstacles were constructed in the water. The first, a non-contiguous line with a small gap in the middle of Dog White sector and a larger gap across the whole of Easy Red sector, was 270 yards (250 m) out from the highwater line and consisted of 200 Belgian Gates with mines lashed to the uprights. Some 32 yards (30 m) behind these was a continuous line of logs driven into the sand pointing seaward, every third one capped with an anti-tank mine. Another 32 yards (30 m) shoreward of this line was a continuous line of 450 ramps sloping towards the shore, also with mines attached and designed to force flat-bottomed landing craft to ride up and either flip or detonate the mine. The final line of obstacles was a continuous line of hedgehogs 165 yards (150 m) from the shoreline.^[3] The area between the shingle bank and the bluffs was both wired and mined, and mines were also scattered on the bluff slopes. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 581 pixelsFull resolution (1706 × 1240 pixel, file size: 342 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Description: German turret at Omaha Beach, June 1944 Source: Archivesnormandie 1939-45 Post-Work: User:W.wolny Licence: Public Domain File historyClick on a date/time... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 581 pixelsFull resolution (1706 × 1240 pixel, file size: 342 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Description: German turret at Omaha Beach, June 1944 Source: Archivesnormandie 1939-45 Post-Work: User:W.wolny Licence: Public Domain File historyClick on a date/time... View on a long line of Cointet-elements installed on the KW-line, 1940. ... “Minefield” redirects here. ... An Anti-tank mine, or AT mine is similar to a Landmine except generally designed with a less sensitive trigger and more explosive power so as to be able to take out an armored vehicle, and not go off until such a vehicle comes along. ... Antitank hedgehogs in front of Trehgornaya Manufactura in Moscow, Russia D-day beach. ...

Coastal troop deployments, comprising five companies of infantry, were concentrated mostly at 15 strongpoints called Widerstandsnester ("resistance nests"), numbered WN-60 in the east to WN-74 near Vierville in the west, located primarily around the entrances to the draws and protected by minefields and wire.^[4] Positions within each strongpoint were interconnected by trenches and tunnels. As well as the basic weaponry of rifles and machine guns, a total of over 60 light artillery pieces were deployed at these strongpoints. The heaviest pieces were located in eight gun casemates and four open positions whilst the lighter guns were housed in 35 pillboxes. A further 18 anti-tank guns completed the disposition of artillery targeting the beach. Areas between the strongpoints were less lightly manned with occasional trenches, rifle pits and a further 85 machine gun emplacements.^[5][6] No area of the beach was left uncovered, and the disposition of weapons meant that flanking fire could be brought to bear anywhere along the beach. Standard NATO code for a friendly infantry company. ... Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, bicycles, or other means. ... Vierville-sur-Mer is a commune and a canton of the Calvados département, in the Basse-Normandie région, in France. ... A rifle is any long gun which has a rifled barrel. ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ... For other uses, see Artillery (disambiguation). ... A Casemate is a heavy duty structure originally a valuted chamber in a fortress. ... Bunkers in Albania A bunker is a defensive military fortification. ... Anti-tank, or simply AT, refers to any method of combating military armored fighting vehicles, notably tanks. ... French frigate Poursuivante firing raking fire in enfilade on a British ship of line French frigate Aréthuse and English frigate Amélia exchanging defilade fire on the shores of Guinea, the 7th of February 1813 Enfilade and defilade are military tactical concepts used to describe a fighting units...

Allied intelligence identified the coastal defenses as being manned by a reinforced battalion (800 – 1000 men) of the 716th Infantry Division.^[7] This was a static defensive division estimated to contain up to 50% of non-Germanic troops, mostly Russian volunteers and German Volksdeutsche. The more experienced and offensively capable 352nd Infantry Division was identified as being located 20 miles (30 km) inland at St. Lo and was regarded as the most likely force to be committed to a counter attack. However, as part of Rommel's strategy to concentrate defenses at the water's edge the 352nd was ordered forward in March,^[8] taking over responsibility for the defense of the Normandy coast in which Omaha Beach was located. As part of this reorganization the 352nd also took under command the two battalions of the 726th Grenadier Regiment as well as the 439th Ost battalion that had been attached to the 726th.^[9] Omaha beach fell mostly within 'Coast Defense Sector 2', stretching westwards from Coleville and allocated to the 916th Grenadier Regiment with the third battalion 726th Grenadier Regiment attached. Two companies of the 726th manned strongpoints in the Vierville area whilst two companies of the 916th occupied the St. Laurent area strongpoints in the center of Omaha. These positions were supported by the artillery of the first and fourth battalions of the 352nd Artillery Regiment (twelve 105 mm and four 150 mm howitzers respectively). The two remaining companies of the 916th formed a reserve at Formigny two miles (4 km) inland. East of Coleville 'Coast Defense Sector 3' was the responsibility of the remainder of the 726th Grenadier Regiment. Two companies were deployed at the coast, one in the most easterly series of strongpoints, with artillery support provided by the third battalion of the 352nd Artillery Regiment. The area reserve, comprising the two battalions of the 915th Grenadier Regiment and known as 'Kampfgruppe Meyer', was located south east of Bayeux outside of the immediate Omaha area.^[10] Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in NATO military graphic symbols This article is about the military unit. ... 716th Static Infantry Division 716th Volksgrenadier Division The 716th Static Infantry Division was raised in May 1941 for occupation duties in France. ... Symbol of the Polish 1st Legions Infantry Division in NATO code A division is a large military unit or formation usually consisting of around ten to twenty thousand soldiers. ... Volksdeutsche (ethnic Germans) is a historical term which arose in the early 20th century to apply for Germans living outside of the German Empire. ... 352nd Infantry Division 352nd Volksgrenadier Division The 352nd Infantry Division () was an infantry division of the German Heer during World War II. A western front unit, the 352nd is notable as the defenders of Omaha Beach on D-Day, 6 June 1944. ... Saint-Lô is a city and commune of France, the préfecture (capital) of the Manche département, in Normandy. ... Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel ( ) (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was one of the most famous German field marshals of World War II. He was the commander of the Deutsches Afrika Korps and also became known by the nickname “The Desert Fox” (Wüstenfuchs,  ) for the skillful military campaigns he... Ost battalions (from the German word Ost meaning east) were battalions which fought in the Second World War, volunters from captured Soviet soldiers and civilians. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer is a commune of the Calvados département, in the Basse-Normandie région, in France. ... Formigny is a commune of the département of Calvados, in the Basse-Normandie région, in France. ... The Kampfgruppe was a common combat formation used by the German Wehrmacht during the Second World War. ... Bayeux (pronounced ) is a small town and commune in the Calvados département, in Normandy, northwestern France. ...

The failure to identify the reorganization of the defenses was a rare intelligence breakdown for the allies. Post–action reports still documented the original estimate and assumed that the 352nd had been deployed to the coastal defences by chance only a few days previously as part of an anti-invasion exercise.^[11][10]

Plan of attack

Official history map showing the V Corps objectives for D-Day

Omaha was divided into ten sectors, codenamed (from west to east): Able, Baker, Charlie, Dog Green, Dog White, Dog Red, Easy Green, Easy Red, Fox Green, and Fox Red. The initial assault was to be made by two Regimental Combat Teams (RCT), supported by two tank battalions and with two battalions of Rangers attached. The infantry regiments were organized into three battalions each of around 1,000 men. Each battalions was organized as three rifle companies each of up to 240 men, and a support company of up to 190 men.^[12] Infantry companies A through D belonged to the 1st battalion of a regiment, E through H to the 2nd, I through M to the 3rd; the letter ‘J’ was not used. (Individual companies will be referred to in this article by company and regiment, e.g. Company A of the 116th RCT will be A/116). In addition, each battalion had a headquarters company of up to 180 men. The tank battalions consisted of three companies, A through C, each of 16 tanks, whilst the Ranger battalions were organized into six companies, A through F, of around 65 men per company. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 460 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 690 pixel, file size: 262 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source:http://www. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 460 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 690 pixel, file size: 262 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source:http://www. ... A regimental combat team was a provisional major infantry unit of the United States Army during the Second World War and Korean War. ... The 75th Ranger Regiment—also known as the United States Army Rangers—is an elite light infantry special operations force of the United States Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) headquartered in Fort Benning, Georgia. ... British regiment A regiment is a military unit, consisting of a variable number of battalions - commanded by a colonel. ...

The 116th RCT of the 29th Infantry Division was to land two battalions in the western four sectors, to be followed 30 minutes later by the third battalion. Their landings were to be supported by the tanks of the 743rd tank battalion; two companies swimming ashore in amphibious DD tanks and the remaining company landing directly onto the beach from assault craft. To the left of the 116th RCT the 16th RCT of the 1st Infantry Division was also to land two battalions with the third following 30 minutes after, on Easy Red and Fox Green at the eastern end of Omaha. Their tank support was to be provided by the 741st tank battalion, again two companies swimming ashore and the third landed conventionally. Three companies of the 2nd Ranger Battalion were to take a fortified battery at Pointe du Hoc, three miles (5 km) to the west of Omaha. Meanwhile C company 2nd Rangers was to land on the right of the 116th RCT and take the positions at Pointe de la Percée. The remaining companies of 2nd Rangers and the 5th Ranger Battalion were to follow up at Pointe du Hoc if that action proved to be successful, otherwise they were to follow the 116th into Dog Green and proceed to Pointe du Hoc overland.^[13] The U.S. 29th Infantry Division is a United States infantry division that has existed since World War I as part of the Army National Guard. ... DD Sherman tank with its flotation screen lowered. ... The 16th Infantry Regiment is a regiment in the United States Army. ... (Redirected from 1st Infantry Division) For usage in sport, see First Division. ... 741st Tank Battalion was a tank unit of the United States Army. ... On April 1, 1943 the 2nd Ranger Battalion was formed at Camp Forrest, Tennessee along with the 5th Ranger Battalion. ... Remains of a battery of English cannon from Youghal, County Cork. ... Pointe du Hocs location Preinvasion bombing of Pointe du Hoc by 9th Air Force bombers. ... The Fifth Ranger Infantry Battalion was a World War II Ranger battalion activated on September 1, 1943 at Camp Forrest, Tennessee. ...

The landings were scheduled to start at 06:30, "H-Hour", on a flooding tide, preceded by a 40-minute naval and 30-minute aerial bombardment of the beach defenses, with the DD tanks arriving five minutes before H-Hour. The infantry were organized into specially equipped assault sections, 32 men strong, one section to a landing craft, with each section assigned specific objectives in reducing the beach defenses. Immediately behind the first landings the Special Engineer Task Force was to land with the mission of clearing and marking lanes through the beach obstacles. This would allow the larger ships of the follow up landings to get through safely at high tide. The landing of artillery support was scheduled to start at H+90 minutes whilst the main build up of vehicles was to start at H+180 minutes. At H+195 minutes two further Regimental Combat Teams, the 115th RCT of the 29th Infantry Division and the 18th RCT of the 1st Infantry Division were to land, with the 26th RCT of the 1st Infantry Division to be landed on the orders of the V Corps commander.^[14] Land on Normandy In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ... A bombardment is an attack by artillery fire directed against fortifications, troops or towns and buildings. ... 115th IR Distinctive Unit Insignia The U.S. 115th Infantry Regiment is a Maryland Army National Guard regiment that traces its roots back to the American Revolutionary War. ... The 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry, is a mechanized infantry battalion assigned to the 1st Infantry Division. ... The U.S. 26th Infantry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army. ... The V Corps (Fifth Corps)—nicknamed the Victory Corps—is a corps of the United States Army. ...

The objective was for the beach defenses to be cleared by H+2 hours, whereupon the assault sections were to reorganize, continuing the battle in battalion formations. The draws were to be opened to allow traffic to exit the beach by H+3 hours. By the end of the day, the forces at Omaha were to have established a bridgehead five miles (8 km) deep, linked up with the British XXX Corps landed at Gold beach to the east, and be in position to move on Isigny the next day, linking up with the American VII Corps at Utah beach to the west.^[15] This article is about the word bridgehead. For the Canadian coffeehouse business, see Bridgehead Coffee. ... The XXX Corps was an infantry corps in the British Army. ... Combatants United Kingdom Germany Commanders Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey, British 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division Generalleutnant Wilhelm Richter, German 716th Static Infantry Division Generalleutnant Dietrich Kraiss, German 352nd Static Infantry Division Strength 24,970 Unknown Casualties 400 altogether Unknown This article is about a World War II invasion. ... Isigny-sur-Mer is a commune of the northwestern France, chief town of a canton of the Calvados département. ... Combatants United States Germany Commanders Raymond O. Barton Theodore Roosevelt Jr U.S. 4th Infantry Division Karl-Wilhelm von Schlieben Dietrich Kraiss German 352nd Infantry Division German 709th Infantry Division Strength 32,000  ? Casualties 700 Unknown American assault troops move onto Utah Beach, carrying full equipment. ...

The assault force expected execute this plan totaled over 34,000 men and 3,300 vehicles, with naval support provided by two battleships, three cruisers, 12 destroyers and 105 other ships. These were provided predominantly by the US Navy, but also included British and Free French warships.^[16] The 16th RCT (swollen by 3,502 men and 295 vehicles attached only for the beach landing) numbered 9,828 troops, 919 vehicles and 48 tanks. To move this force required 2 transport ships, 6 Landing Ships, Tank (LSTs), 53 LCTs, 5 Landing Craft Infantry (Large) (LCI/(L)s), 81 LCVPs, 18 LCAs, 13 other landing craft, and about 64 DUKWs.^[17] Assault craft were crewed by the US Navy, US Coastguard and the British Royal Navy.^[18] For other uses, see Battleship (disambiguation). ... USS Port Royal (CG-73), a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser (really an uprated guided missile destroyer), launched in 1992. ... USS McFaul underway in the Atlantic Ocean. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... The Free French Forces (Forces Françaises Libres in French) were French fighters who decided to go on fighting against Germany after the Fall of France and German occupation and to fight against Vichy France in World War II. General Charles de Gaulle was a member of the French Cabinet... Canadian LST offloading an M4 Sherman during the Allied invasion of Sicily in 1943. ... LCT-202 of the U.S. Navy. ... The Landing craft, Infantry, Large or LCI (L) was an amphibious assault ship for landing large numbers of infantry directly onto beaches. ... The Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel (LCVP) or Higgins boat was a landing craft used extensively in World War II. The craft was designed by Andrew Higgins of Louisiana, based on boats made for operating in swamps and marshes. ... The Landing Craft Assualt (LCA) was the British and Commonwealth landing craft of the Second World War. ... DUKW DUKW for the Boston Duck Tour The DUKW (popularly pronounced DUCK) is a six-wheel-drive amphibious truck that was originally designed inside General Motors Corporation during World War II for transporting goods and troops over land and water and for use approaching and crossing beaches in amphibious attacks. ... Coast Guard shield The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the coast guard of the United States. ... This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ...

Initial assault

Official history map showing first assault wave landings

Despite these preparations, very little went according to plan. Ten landing craft were lost before they even reached the beach, swamped by the rough seas. Seasickness was also prevalent among the troops waiting offshore. On the 16th RCT front, the landing boats found themselves passing struggling men in life preservers, and on rafts, survivors of the DD tanks which had sunk.^[19] Navigation of the assault craft was made more difficult by the smoke and mist obscuring the landmarks they were to use in guiding themselves in, while a heavy current pushed them continually eastward.^[20] Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 452 pixelsFull resolution (1500 × 847 pixel, file size: 186 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source: http://www. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 452 pixelsFull resolution (1500 × 847 pixel, file size: 186 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source: http://www. ...

As the boats approached within a few hundred yards of the shore, they came under increasingly heavy fire from automatic weapons and artillery. The force discovered only then the ineffectiveness of the pre-landing bombardment. Delayed by the weather, and attempting to avoid the landing craft as they ran in, the bombers had laid their ordnance too far inland, having no real effect on the coastal defenses.^[21]

Tank landings

Because sea conditions were too rough, the decision was taken for 116th RCT to carry the DD tanks of the 743rd battalion all the way to the beach. Coming in opposite the heavily defended Vierville draw, company B of the 743rd tank battalion lost all but one of its officers, and half of its tanks. However, the other two companies landed to the left of B/743 without initial loss. On the 16th RCT front, the two DD tanks that had survived the swim ashore were joined by three others that were landed directly onto the beach because of their LCT's damaged ramp. The remaining tank company managed to land 14 of its 16 tanks (although three of these were quickly knocked out).^[22][23]

Infantry landings

Dog Green sector

Dog White sector

Dog Red sector

Easy Green sector

Easy Red sector

Fox Green sector

Of the nine companies landing in the first wave, only Company A of the 116th RCT at Dog Green and the Rangers to their right landed where intended. E/116, aiming for Easy Green, ended up scattered across the two sectors of the 16th RCT beach.^[25] G/116, aiming for Dog White, opened up a 1,000 yard (900 m) gap between themselves and A/116 to their right when they landed at Easy Green instead. I/16 drifted so far east it did not land for another hour and a half.^[26] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 182 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 182 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 181 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 181 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 181 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 181 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 182 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 182 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 189 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 189 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 183 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 183 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ...

As infantry disembarked from the landing craft, they found themselves almost everywhere on sandbars 50 to 100 yards (45 to 90 m) out. Before they could even reach the beach they would have to wade through water sometimes neck deep, and they still had 200 yards (180 m) or more to go when they did reach shore. Those that made it to the shingle did so at a walk, because they were so heavily laden. Most sections had to brave the full weight of fire from small arms, mortars, artillery, and the heavy interlocking fields of machine gun fire.^[27] Where the naval bombardment had set grass fires burning, as it had at Dog Red opposite the Les Moulins strongpoint, the resulting smoke obscured the landing troops and prevented effective fire from being laid down by the defenders.^[25] Some sections of G/116 and F/116 were able to reach the shingle bank relatively unscathed, though the latter became disorganized after the loss of their officers. G/116 was able to retain some cohesion, but this was soon lost as they made their way westwards under fire along the shingle, in an attempt to reach their assigned objectives.^[28] The scattering of the boats was most evident on the 16th RCT front, where parts of E/16, F/16 and E/116 had intermingled, making it difficult for sections to come together to improvise company assaults that might have retrieved the situation caused by the mis-landings. Those scattered sections of E/116 landing at Easy Red were able to escape heavy casualties, although, having encountered a deep runnel after being landed on a sandbank, they were forced to discard most of their weapons to make the swim ashore.^[29] US soldier loading a M224 60-mm mortar. ...

Casualties were heaviest amongst the troops landing at either end of Omaha. In the east at Fox Green and the adjacent stretch of Easy Red, scattered elements of three companies were reduced to half strength by the time they gained the relative safety of the shingle, many of them having crawled the 300 yards (270 m) of beach just ahead of the incoming tide. Within 15 minutes of landing at Dog Green on the western end of the beach, A/116 had been cut to pieces, the leaders among the 120 or so casualties,^{[28][30][31][32]} the survivors reduced to seeking cover at the water's edge or behind obstacles. The smaller Ranger company to their right had fared a little better, having made the shelter of the bluffs, but were also down to half strength.

L/16 eventually landed, 30 minutes late, to the left of Fox Green, taking casualties as the boats ran in and more as they crossed the 200 yards (180 m) of beach. The terrain at the very eastern end of Omaha, however, gave them enough protection to allow the 125 survivors to organize and begin an assault of the bluffs. They were the only company in the first wave able to operate as a unit.^[33] All the other companies were, at best, disorganized, mostly leaderless and pinned down behind the shingle with no hope of carrying out their assault missions. At worst, they had simply ceased to exist as fighting units. Nearly all had landed at least a few hundred yards off target, and in an intricately planned operation where each section on each boat had been assigned a specific task, this was enough to throw the whole plan off.

Engineer landings

Like the infantry, the engineers had been pushed off their targets, and only five of the 16 teams arrived at their assigned locations. Three teams came in where there were no infantry or armor to cover them. Working under heavy fire, the engineers set about their task of clearing gaps through the beach obstacles — work made more difficult by loss of equipment, and by infantry passing through or taking cover behind the obstacles they were trying to blow. They also suffered heavy casualties as enemy fire set off the explosives they were working with. Eight men of one team were dragging their pre-loaded rubber boat off the LCM when artillery hit; only one survived the resulting detonation of their supplies. Another team had just finished laying their explosives when the area was struck by mortar fire. The premature explosion of the charges killed or wounded 19 engineers, as well as some nearby infantry. Nevertheless, the engineers succeeded in clearing six gaps, one each at Dog White and Easy Green on the 116th RCT front, the other four at Easy Red on the 16th RCT front. However, they had suffered over forty percent casualties.^[34]

Second assault wave

Official history map showing second assault wave landings

With the initial assault missions unaccomplished the second and larger wave of assault landings, designed to bring in reinforcements, support weapons and headquarter elements, started coming ashore at 07:00 to similar conditions experienced by the first. Some relief against the largely unsuppressed defensive fire was gained simply by virtue of the fact that with more troops landing the concentration of fire was spread more about the many targets available. The survivors amongst the initial forces were not however able to give much covering fire, and the landing troops still suffered in places the same high casualty rates as those in the first wave. The failure to clear sufficient paths through the beach obstacles added to the difficulties of the second wave now that the tide was beginning to cover those obstacles. The loss of landing craft as they hit these defenses before they reached the shore began to feature in the rate of attrition. As in the initial landings, difficulties in navigation and the consequent mis-landings proved most disruptive, serving to scatter the infantry and to separate headquarters elements from their units.^[35] Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 458 pixelsFull resolution (1500 × 859 pixel, file size: 192 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source: http://www. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 458 pixelsFull resolution (1500 × 859 pixel, file size: 192 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source: http://www. ...

Dog Green sector

On the 116th RCT front the remainder of the 1st battalion; B/116, C/116 and D/116, were due to land in support of A/116 at Dog Green. Three boats carrying the battalion’s headquarters elements and Dog Green beach master group landed too far west, under the cliffs. There are no exact details of the casualties they took getting across the beach, but the one-third to one-half that did make it spent the rest of day pinned down by snipers. Dog Green remained a lethal sector. Not all sections of the badly scattered B/116 landed there, but those that did quickly joined the survivors of A/116 in their fight for survival at the water’s edge.^[36] Two companies of 2nd Rangers coming in later on the edge of Dog Green did manage to reach the sea wall, but it cost them half their strength to do so.^[37] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 182 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 182 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... For other uses, see Sniper (disambiguation). ...

Dog White sector

To the left of Dog Green the Dog White sector sitting between the Vierville and Les Moulins strongpoints (defending the draws codenamed D-1 and D-3 respectively) was a different story. As a result of earlier mis-landings and now because of their own mis-landing, the troops of C/116 found themselves alone there, only a handful of tanks from the first wave in sight. The smoke from the grass fires covered their advance up the beach, and they gained the sea wall with few casualties and in better shape than any unit on the 116th RCT front so far.^[38] Whilst the 1st battalion was effectively disarmed of its heavy weapons when D/116 suffered a disastrous landing, the build up at Dog White continued when C/116 was joined by the 5th Ranger battalion pretty much in its entirety. The Ranger commander, recognizing the situation at Dog Green on the run in, ordered the assault craft to divert into Dog White (the 2nd Rangers still got caught out on the right flank of the Ranger landing). This was also the sector where the 116th RCT regimental command group, including the 29th Division assistant commander Brigadier General Norman Cota was able to land relatively unscathed.^[37] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 181 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 181 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... Norman Daniel Dutch Cota (May 30, 1893, Chelsea, Massachusetts - October 4, 1971, Wichita, Kansas) was a U.S. General during World War II. // Brigadier General Cota was Assistant Division commander of the US 29th Infantry Division at Omaha Beach during the Battle of Normandy. ...

Dog Red and Easy Green sectors

Further east a similar picture of the effectiveness of the strongpoint defenses emerges. On the Dog Red/Easy Green boundary the defenses around the Les Moulins strongpoint took a heavy toll as the remainder of the 2nd battalion; H/116 and headquarters elements, struggled ashore there. The survivors joined the remnants of F/116 behind the shingle where the battalion commander was able to organize 50 men in an improvised advance across the shingle. A further advance up the bluffs just east of Les Moulins was too weak to have any effect and was forced back down.^[39] To their left, mainly between the draws on the Easy Green/Easy Red boundary, the 116th RCT support battalion landed without too much loss, though in the process becoming scattered and too disorganized to play any immediate part in an assault against the bluffs.^[40] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 186 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 186 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ...

Easy Red sector

On the 16th RCT front, the eastern end of Easy Red was another area between strongpoints that allowed G/16 and the support battalion to escape destruction in the advance up the beach. Nevertheless, most of G/16’s 63 casualties for the day were suffered before this company reached the shingle. The other 2nd battalion company landing in the second wave; H/16 came in a few hundred yards to the left opposite the E-3 draw and suffered for it, being put out of action for the next few hours.^[41] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 189 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 189 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ...

Fox Green sector

The situation on the eastern most beach (Fox Green) where elements of five different companies had become mixed up was little improved by the equally disorganized landings of the second wave. Two more companies of the third battalion joined the melee, and I/16, part of the first wave that had drifted east, finally made a traumatic landing there at 08:00. A captain from this company found himself senior officer in charge of the badly out of shape 3rd battalion.^[42] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 183 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 297 pixelsFull resolution (1191 × 442 pixel, file size: 183 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a treatment of the image Omaha_beachhead_6_June_1944. ...

American situation

Assault troops of the 3rd battalion 16th RCT, which landed in the first two waves, sheltering at the foot of the chalk cliffs. The cliffs indicate this was in the area of Fox Red sector.

Infantry were not the only troops to be landed in the second wave. Supporting arms began to arrive and experienced the same chaos and destruction as the rifle companies. Combat engineers tasked with clearing the exits and marking beaches landed without their equipment and off target. The half tracks, jeeps and trucks that did not founder in deep water became jammed up on the narrowing beach, easy targets for German defenders. The loss of the majority of radios made the task of organizing the scattered and dispirited troops even more difficult, and those command groups that did make the shore were limited in their effect to their immediate locality. With the exception of a few surviving tanks or a heavy weapons squad here or there, the assault troops had only their personal weapons, and these invariably required cleaning first after having been dragged through surf and sand.^[43] Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 495 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 634 pixel, file size: 346 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Description: A large group of American assault troops of the 3d Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st U.S. Infantry Division, having gained the comparative safety offered... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 495 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 634 pixel, file size: 346 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Description: A large group of American assault troops of the 3d Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st U.S. Infantry Division, having gained the comparative safety offered... A US army combat engineer setting up a communications cable. ... M3 Half-track A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels on the front for steering, and caterpillar tracks on the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. ... The WWII Willys MB US Army Jeep. ...

The survivors at the shingle, their first time in combat for many, were relatively well-protected from small arms fire, but were still exposed to artillery and mortars. To their front lay exposed and mined flats, and the bluffs above were still active with enemy fire. Morale was a problem.^[44] Many groups were without leaders and were able to witness the fate of neighboring troops and the landings coming in behind them. Wounded men out on the beach were drowning as the tide came in, and out to sea landing craft were being pounded and set ablaze.

German situation

As late as 13:35 the German 352nd division was reporting that the assault had been hurled back into the sea.^[45] From their vantage point at Pointe de la Percée overlooking the whole of the beach from the western end the German perception was that the assault had been stopped at the beach. An officer there noted that troops were seeking cover behind obstacles and counted ten tanks burning.^[46] However, as early as 07:35 the third battalion 726th Grenadier Regiment, defending Draw F-1 on Fox Green beach, was reporting that 100–200 American troops had penetrated its front, with enemy inside the wire at WN-62 and WN-61 under attack from the rear.^[47] Casualties amongst the defenders were mounting and at the same time that the 916th regiment, defending the centre of the 352nd zone, was reporting that the landings had been frustrated, it was also requesting reinforcement. The request could not be met because the situation elsewhere in Normandy was becoming more urgent for the defenders. The reserve regiment, the 915th of the 352nd division, which had earlier been ordered against the American airborne landings to the west of Omaha, was diverted to the Gold beach zone east of Omaha when the defenses there crumbled.^[48] Combatants United States United Kingdom Canada Free France Poland Nazi Germany Commanders Dwight Eisenhower (Supreme Allied Commander) Bernard Montgomery (land) Bertram Ramsay (sea) Trafford Leigh-Mallory (air) Omar Bradley (U.S. 1st Army) Miles Dempsey (UK 2nd Army) Harry Crerar (Canadian 1st Army) Gerd von Rundstedt (OB WEST) Erwin Rommel... Combatants United States Germany Commanders Matthew B. Ridgway Maxwell D. Taylor Erich Marcks Wilhelm Falley Strength (airlifted) 13,100 paratroops 3,900 glider troops 5,700 USAAF aircrew 36,600 (7. ... Combatants United Kingdom Germany Commanders Lieutenant-General Miles Dempsey, British 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division Generalleutnant Wilhelm Richter, German 716th Static Infantry Division Generalleutnant Dietrich Kraiss, German 352nd Static Infantry Division Strength 24,970 Unknown Casualties 400 altogether Unknown This article is about a World War II invasion. ...

Breakthrough

One key feature of the landings was to influence the next phase of the battle. The draws, as natural conduits off the beaches, were the main targets in the initial assault plan. The strong defenses concentrated around these however meant that the troops landing near them quickly ended up in no shape to carry the assault against them. It was only in the intervals between the draws, at the bluffs, where units were able to land in greater strength and defenses were weaker, that advances could be made.^[49]

The other key aspect of the next few hours was leadership. The original plan was in tatters, units were mis-landed, disorganized and scattered, commanders had mostly fallen or were absent, and there were few means of communication more than the shouted command available to those that were left. In places small groups of men sometimes scratched together from different companies, in some cases from different divisions, were "…inspired, encouraged or bullied…"^[44] from the relative safety of the shingle to start the task of reducing the defenses at the top of the bluffs.

Assaulting the bluffs

As early as 07:30 survivors of C company 2nd Rangers, who had landed 45 minutes earlier on the right flank of Omaha in the first wave, had scaled the cliffs near Dog White and the Vierville draw. Joined later by a mis-landed section from B/116 this group spent the better part of the day tying up and eventually taking WN-73 defending draw D-1 at Vierville.^[50][51]

At 07:50 C/116 led the way off Dog White between WN-68 and WN-70, forcing gaps in the wire with a Bangalore torpedo and wire cutters. More gaps were blown by 5th Rangers when they joined the advance 20 minutes later. The command party established themselves at the top of the bluff where elements of G/116 and H/116 joined them following their lateral move along the beach earlier, and the narrow front was widened to the east before 09:00 when small parties from F/116 and B/116 crested just east of Dog White.^[52][51] The right flank of this penetration was covered by the survivors of the 2nd Rangers’ A and B companies who had fought their way to the top independently between 08:00 and 08:30, taking WN-70 which