It is very hot here in Fresno this week. Averaging over 100F each day. I am very comfortable though. I have a swamp cooler that keeps the place quite cool even in the temperatures that we have here right now. Actually I do not mind the heat it is good for my old arthritic bones. We do have two seasons out here. Summer hot, winter cold. I really suffer in cold weather on account of my arthritis in my back, knees, and feet. Have to use vicodin for the pain. You know a nice big joint would help also but I gave that up many years ago! LOL
Well father's day has come and passed. I sent my dad what he likes best. The largest assortment of chocolate that Hershey offers at their on-line store. My dad is under the care of hospice and is dying at home. My nephew and his family take care of him. The hospice nurses check in on him on occasion. I can't visit him as I can barely walk and cannot climb steps without assistance. But I get to talk to him on occasion when I call my niece to check in with her. She is a great person. She does my grocery shopping, hauls me to my doctors appointments and runs my errands. I could not function without her!
I do a lot of on-line shopping. I think on-line shopping is great. I get all my coffee, sour pickles, honey, bread mixes for the bread maker, clothes, jerky, etc on the net and it is delivered to my door. I use PayPal to pay for what I order that way no one gets my bank info and I am safe from hacking. I learned my lesson the hard way. My checking account was looted by these scum bags from eastern Europe. Took me for over two grand. Went to my bank, Bank of the West, and they gave me a new account number and a new debit card. They also reimbursed me my loss! Fell into do do and came out smelling like a rose! LOL
The city of Fresno where I live has a program where they are replacing all the old shower heads with low flow shower heads. I have to take a shower sitting down so I can keep my shower head because I need one attached to a hose so I cannot use a low flow shower head. They are also replacing all my light bulbs with the new energy saving kind. Those thing are expensive. They are doing this for all the senior citizens in the city. I guess there are some benefits in being old! LOL
Well enough of my drivel.
As always your comments are appreciated!
Carl
Monday, June 16, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Thinking outloud.
I am so glad that the democratic primaries are over. Now perhaps we will be able to get some real news from the news shows. I doubt it though most of the news readers have the brains of a gooseberry bush. They parrot anything that is on the prompter however inaccurate it is! They also distort the truth to fit their political persuasion. Now the duel between Obama and McCain starts. I hope it turns real ugly. The only way to get people to the polls in my opinion is to stir them up and get them all foaming at the mouth! LOL Personally I really don't care which party wins. I will probably be screwed in some way by the party that gets the power.
I think we need term limits on federal positions in the legislature and the judiciary. You have people in the senate that are so old they can hardly give a speech let alone stay awake. The main reason for term limits is that the senators and people in the house of representatives get way too powerful and sell their offices to the highest bidder! The judges should have to be reconfirmed after six years. That way we can cull the herd of the idiots and left wingers that seem to be growing in numbers on the bench. If the president can serve only two terms then the house and senate should have the same rule!
I know some of you will not agree with me on this but here it goes!
Just as we let thousands of soldiers die in Iraq and everywhere else in the world. They being used as mere cannon fodder for the federal government. The United States needs a draft, so people in power feel the pain of their children dying for the nation as the families of those killed in action do. In that way they will think twice before sending our best and brightest into combat. That is why we need a DRAFT!
In Vietnam look who of us was dying in the conflict. I will tell you who, poor Whites, poor Blacks, and poor Hispanics. Don't anyone tell me I am full of shit either. Anyone who could get a deferment got one or ran off to our friendly neighbor in the north, Canada. This time there should be no deferments. If your number comes up it should not matter who you are or what you are doing you will have to show up period! I was there in the Vietnam conflict so I cannot not be bull shitted! I see the same thing in the Iraq conflict. Sure, you will say well they volunteered for the service. Yes, they did mostly due to economic necessity and needing a way to support their families. When they come home, if they get home, they are thrown into a veterans administration that is looking out for the "bottom line" not the welfare of the troops! Is this the caring and looking out for the troops that the Pols in Washington are always spouting off about? I do not think so.
So this is my humble opinion, but what does a silly old vet know! LOL
Well sports fans that's my rant for today. As usual any constructive comments are welcome!
I think we need term limits on federal positions in the legislature and the judiciary. You have people in the senate that are so old they can hardly give a speech let alone stay awake. The main reason for term limits is that the senators and people in the house of representatives get way too powerful and sell their offices to the highest bidder! The judges should have to be reconfirmed after six years. That way we can cull the herd of the idiots and left wingers that seem to be growing in numbers on the bench. If the president can serve only two terms then the house and senate should have the same rule!
I know some of you will not agree with me on this but here it goes!
Just as we let thousands of soldiers die in Iraq and everywhere else in the world. They being used as mere cannon fodder for the federal government. The United States needs a draft, so people in power feel the pain of their children dying for the nation as the families of those killed in action do. In that way they will think twice before sending our best and brightest into combat. That is why we need a DRAFT!
In Vietnam look who of us was dying in the conflict. I will tell you who, poor Whites, poor Blacks, and poor Hispanics. Don't anyone tell me I am full of shit either. Anyone who could get a deferment got one or ran off to our friendly neighbor in the north, Canada. This time there should be no deferments. If your number comes up it should not matter who you are or what you are doing you will have to show up period! I was there in the Vietnam conflict so I cannot not be bull shitted! I see the same thing in the Iraq conflict. Sure, you will say well they volunteered for the service. Yes, they did mostly due to economic necessity and needing a way to support their families. When they come home, if they get home, they are thrown into a veterans administration that is looking out for the "bottom line" not the welfare of the troops! Is this the caring and looking out for the troops that the Pols in Washington are always spouting off about? I do not think so.
So this is my humble opinion, but what does a silly old vet know! LOL
Well sports fans that's my rant for today. As usual any constructive comments are welcome!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
LEST WE FORGET!
A brief history of D-DAY!
I want to make sure that some of you know this was a great day in the history of the world. It took courage and guts from all those involved especially those who stormed the beaches in the first and second waves!
Here is a very brief history of that day.
D-Day was June 6, 1944 — the day on which the Invasion of Normandy began — commencing the Western Allied effort to liberate mainland Europe from Nazi occupation during World War II.
This operation brought together the land, air and sea forces of the allied armies in what became known as the largest invasion force in human history. The operation, given the code name OVERLORD, delivered five naval assault divisions to the beaches of Normandy, France. The beaches were given the code names UTAH, OMAHA, GOLD, JUNO and SWORD. The invasion force included 7,000 ships and landing craft manned by over 195,000 naval personnel from eight allied countries. Almost 133,000 troops from England, Canada and the United States landed on D-Day. Casualties from the three countries during the landing numbered 10,300.
The majority of troops who landed on the D-Day beaches were from Great Britain, Canada and the US. However, troops from many other countries participated in D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, in all the different armed services: Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland.
11,590 aircraft were available to support the landings. On D-Day, Allied aircraft flew 14,674 sorties, and 127 were lost.
In the airborne landings on both flanks of the beaches, 2395 aircraft and 867 gliders of the RAF and USAAF were used on D-Day.
Operation Neptune involved huge naval forces, including 6939 vessels: 1213 naval combat ships, 4126 landing ships and landing craft, 736 ancillary craft and 864 merchant vessels. Some 195,700 personnel were assigned to Operation Neptune: 52,889 US, 112,824 British, and 4988 from other Allied countries.
By the end of 11 June (D + 5), 326,547 troops, 54,186 vehicles and 104,428 tons of supplies had been landed on the beaches.
As well as the troops who landed in Normandy on D-Day, and those in supporting roles at sea and in the air, millions more men and women in the Allied countries were involved in the preparations for D-Day. They played thousands of different roles, both in the armed forces and as civilians.
The Airborne LandingsIn preparation for the invasion of Normandy, there were a total of 4 ready airborne divisions in England during the Spring of 1944:
U.S. 82nd (All-American) U.S. 101st (Screaming Eagles) British 6th British 1st
The first three of these units were given the missions of securing the eastern and western flanks of the beachhead by destroying bridges and laying mines. Their main mission was to allow for the main invasion force to come ashore without the immediate threat of German flank attacks. They were tasked to destroy bridges where the enemy was likely to stage a counterattack, and to secure bridges where Allied forces were expected to go immediately on the offensive.
82nd's Mission
The US 82nd Airborne Division's mission was to protect the far right flank of the invasion in the Cotentin peninsula. It hoped to accomplish this by destroying bridges over the Douve River and by securing the Merderet River by occupying both sides. It also had the mission to capture Ste. Mere-Eglise from the German garrison stationed there. The capture of Ste. Mere-Eglise was important because it straddled the main road between Carentan and Cherbourg.
101st Mission
The US 101st Airborne Division's mission was to secure four exits across the marshland near the coast for the invading US 4th Infantry Division at Utah beach. These causeways needed to be secured because on each side of the exits, it was flooded several feet deep in places. The 101st also were tasked to destroy two bridges over the Douve and to capture the La Barquette lock just north of Carentan. The lock controlled the water height of the flooded areas and it was essential that it be captured.
6th's Mission
The British 6th Airborne Division was to land Northeast of Caen and secure the left flank of the invasion force by controlling bridges over the Orne Canal and River. The left flank of the invasion force was much more vulnerable to German armored attack since the 21st Panzer was stationed just outside of Caen and the 12th SS Panzer miles to the east. Potentially, if the Panzer Divisions were not stopped by the British 6th, they could attack Sword and the rest of the landing beaches.
Cotentin Peninsula
Facing the Allied landing at Utah beach were the 709th German Division and the parts of the newly-arrived 91st, with the 243rd which was several miles away on the Western shore. The 709th and the 243rd were "static" units which were little more than non-mobile coastal defenses manned by relatively lower quality troops. A large number of the battalions in the peninsula were either very young, or very old, and several were composed of Russian ethnic minorities (Cossacks, Tartars, etc.). In contrast, the 91st, which had recently arrived to the peninsula from the eastern front, was much better trained and mobile equipped. No armor was immediately available in the area except for the 100th Panzer battalion which was equipped with older and captured equipment. Also of consequence was the German 6th Parachute Regiment, commanded by Colonel Frederick von der Heydt - a highly-trained and experienced fighting unit which closely resembled their American airborne counterparts.
The Flight
Starting at around 11 PM on June 5th, approximately 13,000 American parachutists would descend upon the peninsula via hundreds of twin-engined C-47s. The C-47 was a DC-3 aircraft that held 18 parachutists (known as a "stick" to the men). At the low speed of 120 mph, the flight would take them over an hour. The parachutists were weighed down with nearly their body weight in equipment and weapons. They would be prepared as much as possible since they would be dropping behind enemy lines - cutoff from the invading force. Whatever weapons they would fight with would be carried on their backs or strapped to their harnesses. The exception to this would be the artillery battalion of twelve 75 mm howitzers which would accompany the division. Later, heavy mortars and heavier anti-tank could be brought in by glider. In any case, there was no guarantee that the parachutist would form up with his unit once soon after he left the plane - if at all.
The planes took off and flew at 500 feet for about half and hour to avoid detection by German radar. After a slight ascent to make landfall and avoid the AAA guns, the final approach would be at 700 feet. Meteorologists had called for a calm night and nearly the entire flight was without incident. But, as the flights approached the coast of France, they encountered a cloud bank that dispersed many of the planes...only a few minutes before the dropzone. Between the chaotic mess that followed the dispersal and the enemy flak, several planes were damaged or destroyed...along with numerous injured parachutists within. In addition, because of flak, many pilots increased their speed and varied their altitude dramatically. Despite these dangerous conditions, the green light was given for the crew to jump. Aircraft speeds had reached as high as 150 mph (normal jump speed was 90 mph) - which led to numerous injuries.
At 700 feet, the descent took less than one minute. By this time, German flak artillery and AAA were shooting at anything in the sky...including the parachutists themselves. Many were hit on their way down or drowned upon landing in the flooded plains of the Douve and Merderet rivers. Although the plains were mostly only 2 to 3 feet deep (in some places more), the weight of the men, in conjunction with the dragging of the parachute could easily prove fatal. In contrast, unopened chutes among the Americans were very uncommon with their static-line parachutes. In addition, the Americans carried a reserve chute just in case. Of course, trees, buildings, anti-glider poles and other obstacles lent to a large number of injuries. But, many were injured from the impact of the landing itself - which resulted in usually sprains and broken legs. But, by far, the potentially most dangerous situation arose from the unexpected turbulence and the resulting dispersal of the units.
The Landings
Units found themselves scattered all over the Cotentin Peninsula. In almost every case, several hours were spent just trying to find out where they were and to find others in the same Battalion or even Regiment. In some cases, contact with other friendly units were not made for days. Commanders who had landed in the drop were forced to gather any men they could find on their way to their objective - in the dark. Teams that had formed to blow up communications center or bridges found themselves without the necessary equipment because either it or the men carrying it were lost. About 60 percent of the equipment dropped was either lost by falling into swamps or into enemy-controlled areas. Ste Mere-Eglise
Ste Mere-Eglise stood in a pivotal location between Cherbourg and Caen whose capture fell to the 82nd Airborne. Unfortunately, sections of two planeloads of parachutists (2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 505th Parachute Infantry) were dropped directly over the village. To make the decent even worse, a farmhouse had caught fire either from tracers or the preceding aerial bombardment and illuminated the entire surrounding sky - making perfects targets out of the descending paratroopers. Many were killed on their way down, at least two were drawn into the fire itself, and many more were killed by the Germans after becoming entangled in trees and roofs. The few who did make it alive to the ground were almost immediately taken prisoner. After the initial excitement, curiously, the Germans went back to bed after the immediate threat subsided.
The commander of 3rd Battalion, 505th, Lt. Col. Ed Krause, had landed one mile west of the village and quickly began gathering stray men. Within an hour, he had managed to round up around 180 men and began heading straight into the village. As mentioned above, after all the immediate paratroopers were either killed or captured, and the fire had been put out, the German garrison went back to bed. Krause entered the town unhindered and was shown the German billets by a local Frenchman whom they ran across. 30 Germans were captured and about 10 were killed - while others fled to the nearby woods. By 6 A.M. Krause had secured the village and thus, cut off German communication and the main route between Cherbourg and the rest of the German Army.
The Gliders
At 3:00 AM, the gliders carrying heavier equipment (jeeps and antitank guns) and reinforcements began to arrive in the area. The paratroopers who had landed earlier were able to secure the immediate area for landing, but were unable to silence the German anti-aircraft. As a result, the tow planes were forced to climb and release at a higher altitude - making the gliders even more vulnerable. No one had seemed to take into account the enormous hedgerows in the countryside and factor this into the glider landings. As a result, glider casualties were extremely high as they landed. In addition, the glider troops were also lost when they landed in most cases.
Objectives
In most cases, the American objectives of the Airborne units had not been secured by dawn (the time the invasion force would be coming). But, the unintended effect of the wide dispersal of the paratroopers was to lend great confusion to the German command. The German command could not determine where the Americans were concentrated (they in fact weren't) and what their objectives were to be. The French resistance had cut so many telephone lines that German HQ could not determine the full extent of the invasion. More importantly, the Germans could not determine whether or not if this airborne invasion was the real invasion or just a diversionary tactic. To add to the German confusion, all of the high German commanders were not present in the local area, but were away attending a map exercise in Rennes to the south.
Utah
At 0300 on the morning of June 6th, fleets of Allied bombers roared overhead delivering thousands of tons of bombs onto the German coastal defenses. These were followed at 0500 by the naval bombardment which had been planned to immediately precede the invasion itself. The battleship USS Nevada's 14-inch guns were assigned to the bombardment of the German batteries on Utah beach, while the USS Texas was to fire at Pointe-du-Hoc where the Rangers were to land as part of the Omaha landing. On the western end of Omaha proper, the USS Arkansas pounded a battery at Les Moulins. Several cruisers and destroyers also jumped into the bombardment with pre-determined targets and as opportunity arose. At such close range, there was very little trajectory to the shots and many Americans who were coming in to land, could feel the vacuum of the shells passing overhead. Needless to say, the bombardment was a very welcome sight to those troops about to land. At approximately 0620, the Nevada turned its guns to the beach and began bombarding a concrete seawall. Immediately after the bombardment, the plan called for a rocket bombardment by LCT(R)s (Landing Craft, Tank with Rocket launcher). This was to be followed by the 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry, in 20 Higgins boats which carried a 30-man assault team each. Also, 2 squadrons of DD tanks (Dual-Drive, amphibious tanks) were to accompany the first wave. Following the first wave would be the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry, in 32 more Higgins boats. The third wave would include 8 LCTs (Landing Craft, Tank) carrying some bulldozer tanks and Shermans. Then, almost immediately afterwards, units of the 237th and 299th Engineer Combat Battalions would follow.
Of course, during the actual operations, nearly everything didn't work out as planned. The various units did not arrive on time or arrived too early. Most units landed at the wrong places due to the smoke and strong currents. But, the greatest cause for the confusion was the loss of 3 of the 4 LCCs (Landing Craft, Control) to sea mines. The LCCs were responsible for bringing in the LCTs and without the LCCs, the LCTs were forced to circle aimlessly.
Even though the DD tanks were to accompany the first wave, these were moving so slow that many of the infantry transports overtook them. The DDs were to launch 2 miles offshore and then drop their rubber "skirts" that made them amphibious, but were having a slow time approaching the shore. Carrying on with the assault, as the LCVPs approached the shore, they fired smoke canisters to signal the lifting of the naval bombardment.
The first wave of troops were scheduled to land in Higgins boats at 0630 shortly after the naval bombardment. But, because of the sinking of the LCCs and all of the confusion, the landings were slightly off by a couple thousand yards and had arrived a little late. Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr.. (the son of the ex-president) was the assistant division commander to the 4th and was in the first wave to hit the beach. He took control of the troops who had just landed with him and they began to move forward. The DD tanks who were to land simultaneously with the troops, landed about 15 minutes behind the first wave.
The intended landing site was to be opposite Exit 3, but because of the confusion, it ended up nearer to Exit 2. Luckily, the new position was significantly less defended than the original landing site. Only sporadic fire from German infantry small arms and the occasional German 88 were firing upon the American positions on the beach.
The engineers followed the first wave with their demolition teams. Their job was to clear a path for the invasion before the tide covered the obstacles. Since the invasion began at the lowest point in the tide, time was against them to complete their mission.
The 4th Division's first task was to get off the beach and secure the exits and the causeways. Hopefully, the Airborne had secured the interior section of the causeways, since crossing them would prove very hazardous.
In many cases, the beach became so congested that units were forced to advance forward - even though this meant straight through minefields. As predicted, many men were wounded trying to negotiate through the fields. By 0645, the Shermans started to arrive on the beach - firing at any active fortifications or resistance. Several Shermans were lost to mines also, but those tanks that remained headed toward Pouppeville.
Within 3 hours, exits 1, 2, and 3 had been secured and by 1PM, when leading elements of the US 4th approached Pouppeville, they found that it was secured by the 101st Airborne, who had captured it earlier that morning.
By the end of the day, the 4th Division had established a 4-mile deep penetration inland and were within reach of Ste-Mere-Eglise, where the 82nd had fought throughout the night.
Overall, the Utah landings were a great success. Casualties were very light due to the effective pre-landing bombardment and the accidental landings that put them some 2000 yards from the initial location - more or less out of harm's way. Estimates put casualties at less than 1% of the committed force.
The Germans were unable to mount a counterattack or a solid defense against the invasion, due in part to the US Airborne landings. The landings came as a surprise to the German defenders and they found themselves unprepared.
Pointe du Hoc
The Objective
Pointe du Hoc was located on the coast to the west of the Omaha beach landings and was the position of six 155mm cannons with a range of 25,000 yards. These cannons had a commanding view of both Omaha and Utah beaches and the potential to cause much damage to the invading force. The area had been bombed since May and then grew in intensity during the three days and nights before D-Day. During D-Day, the USS Texas bombarded the point as did 18 medium bombers of the Ninth Air Force at H-20.
The point stood on cliffs between 85 to over 100 feet high at whose base was a very small rocky beach that offered no protection. Because the point was positioned on near impregnable cliffs, the Germans had concentrated their defenses in anticipation of a ground assault from inland. Above were heavily fortified concrete casements interlaced with tunnels, trenches, and machine-gun positions around the perimeter. Although the 716th Infantry Division was thinly stretched along 30 miles of the shoreline, approximately 200 German troops (125 infantry and 85 artillery men) were garrisoned in or around the point.
The task fell to Lt. Col. James Earl Rudder's 2nd Ranger Battalion and called for 3 Companies (D, E, and F) of the battalion to scale the heights. Company D was to approach the heights on the west, while E and F were to attack on the east. The main Ranger force (5th Battalion and Companies A and B of the 2nd) were to wait off shore for signal of success and then land at the Point. In addition to destroying the guns, the Rangers were to move inland and cut the coastal highway that connected Grandcamp and Vierville. They were then to wait for the arrival of the US 116th Infantry from Omaha Beach to the east - scheduled to relieve them at noon on the 6th. Once linking up with the main force, they were then to move on Grandcamp and Maisy to the west in order to attempt to link up with the forces that were to land at Utah beach.
The Landing
H-Hour was scheduled for 0630 on June the 6th. The Rangers approached the point with their flotilla of ten landing craft and four DUKW's, but the seas were rough and one LCA sank after taking on excessive water. Ten minutes later, a supply craft sank leaving only one survivor. In the confusion and strong tide, they approached the beach near Pointe de la Percée, at over 3 miles east of their objective. Rudder immediately realized his error and headed west toward the point, but not before losing another DUKW to 20mm fire. The error proved to be costly because the Rangers were now 35 minutes behind schedule at which time the defenders at the point were able to reenter their positions after the bombardment. The main Ranger force was to wait until 0700 at which time if the landing was successful, they would follow the landings at Pte-du-Hoc. If not, they would land on the western side of Omaha and fight their way westward to the point. The designated time came and went and word was given to land at Omaha - Rudder and his Rangers were on their own.
The Rangers headed for the cliffs, but now they found themselves only on the Eastern side of the point when the plan called for landings on both sides. The beach at the base of the cliff was only 30 yards wide and heavily cratered from the bombardment. In order to climb the heights, the Rangers' LCA's were equipped with rocket-fired grappling hooks and the DUKW's were fitted with fireman ladders. But, because of the shelling from the USS Texas and others, earth had piled up at the base of the cliff and the DUKW's couldn't approach close enough to the cliff to effectively use their ladders. On the other hand, the piling at the base gave the men somewhat cover from enemy fire and also made the height to climb less.
After several failed attempts (due to the weight of soaked ropes) and due to the assistance of naval artillery (especially the British destroyer the Talybont), the Rangers finally struggled to the top after incurring only 15 casualties. As men reached the top, they went off in small groups to accomplish their missions.
They reached the gun emplacements only to find that they had been removed and telephone poles had been temporarily installed. Lt. Col. Rudder then split his command into two. One group stayed behind to establish a command posts, while the other went in search of the missing guns. The second group headed south and found the guns in an apple orchard, where they had been removed in order to be saved from the bombardment. They were unguarded and were destroyed with thermite grenades. The primary mission of the Rangers had been accomplished.
Up to this point, the German defenders had not yet recovered from their initial confusion. They were slowly regrouping and assembling, and later that day the 916th and 726th counterattacked the Ranger positions. Throughout the day, the USS Satterlee, Barton, and Thompson gave fire support to the Rangers when possible. By nightfall, the Ranger were forced back into a 200 yard wide defensive position inside the battery. The Rangers had lost 1/3 of his men and ammunition was running low.
By June 7th, the next day, of his original 225 men, Rudder had fewer than 100 and almost no food. Despite attempts of the 5th Ranger Battalion that had landed at Omaha Beach four miles to the east, the Rangers remained under siege. By the 8th of June, the 5th Ranger Battalion finally relieved Rudder's position. They were almost 2 days behind schedule.
In the end, Rudder's Rangers had suffered 70 percent casualties and held off five German counterattacks. Rudder was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his service at Point du Hoc and went on to command the 109th Infantry Regiment later in the war.
Omaha Beach
The US 1st Army, V Corps had the mission of securing the beachhead between Port-en-Bessin and the Vire River and to advance towards St. Lo. The Corps was to arrive in 4 stages with the 1st Division (with the 29th attached) leading the landings with about 34,000 men in the morning, followed by another 25,000 men after noon. The 1st Division was a veteran unit which had served through the campaigns of North Africa and Sicily. While for the most part, Normandy would be the 29th Division's first experience in combat. Two American Regimental Combat Teams (RCTs) of four rifle companies each, were tasked with the initial landing (the US 29th 116th RCT and the US 1st 16th RCT), followed by the remainder of the 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions. Fire support included naval gunfire from the battleships, cruisers, and destroyers offshore, heavy bombing by B-24 Liberators, the 741st and 743rd DD (dual-drive amphibious) tank battalions, several battalions of engineers and naval demolition personnel, and several howitzer battalions.
Terrain
The beach at Omaha Beach sector was about 7,000 yards long with a gentle slope that forms a crescent with bluffs located at each end. The tidal range averaged about 300 yards between the low and high water mark. At the high water mark, the ocean ends at a shingle that reaches up to several feet high. On the western part of the sector, the shingle had piled against a seawall which ranged in height anywhere between 4 to 12 feet. Behind the sea wall was a paved beach road from Exit D-1 to Exit D-3. At the middle of the beach, approximately 200 yards stands between the seawall and the bluffs. Near Exit D-1 stood a small number of villas and at Exit D-3 stood the small village of les Moulins. At four points along the beach were small draws (or valleys) which were thought to offer protected exits off the beach (these were actually heavily defended). At Exit D-1 (the exit to Vierville), the draw had a paved road. The draws offered the only way for armor to reach the high ground. Inland from the beach stood the three farming villages of St. Laurent, Colleville, and Vierville with the hedgerow country beginning immediately behind the beaches.
Objectives
The immediate objective of the Omaha landings was to secure a beachhead between Port-en-Bessin and the Vire river and then to advance southwards towards St. Lo. Another objective of the V Corps was link with the VII Corps to the east (via the small town of Isigny). Isigny was a small town where the highway from Paris to Cherbourg crossed the Aure river. This highway, as did most that were located near the beach, ran east to west. The Corps was also to advance beyond the Aure river and towards the Cerisy Forest area to the south.
Enemy Defenses
32 fortified areas were located between the Vire River and Port-en-Bessin. Especially fortified were the Vire Estuary, Grandcamp, and Port-en-Bessin. In all, 12 strongpoints were able to direct fire on Omaha beach. Obstacles of three sorts were existent on Omaha Beach. These consisted of gate-like structures (approximately 10 feet high and strapped with mines) placed about 250 yards from the high-water line. Next, about 200 yards from shore, heavy logs were driven into the beach floor at an angle with mines strapped to the ends and along the logs. These were followed by the 5 ½ tall metal hedgehogs that were buried in the sand. There were no mines in the tidal sand, so if the troops could reach the shingle, they could reach relative safety (although enfilade fire made this position precarious at best). Beyond the shingle, the Germans had placed mines (in most cases these were marked) and barbed wire. In spots where the sea wall was above the shingle, the barbed wire was placed on its top.
The gentle crescent curve of the shoreline allowed for excellent fields of fire against any landing troops. Since the Germans had prepared their defenses for quite some time, they were able to train their guns accurately onto the beach. Most of the strong points protecting Omaha beach were located near the entrance of the draws and contained machine guns as the main armament as well as light artillery pieces. In addition, in this sector, there were 8 concrete casements and 35 pillboxes which contained gun sizes up to 88mm guns.
No coastal batteries or heavy guns were present in the Omaha sector, although 6 155-mm howitzers were believed to be located at Point du Hoc. The defenses in this sector were designed to be almost entirely on the beach or just behind it with almost no defensive positions beyond this point. For the German defenders, it was expected that defensive reserves would be rushed to counter any landings.
The 716th Infantry Division occupied a 50-mile sector between the Orne River and the Vire Estuary. It was considered a static unit and thought to be composed of over 50% foreign troops (Russians and Poles). Reinforcements were expected to come from the 352nd Infantry Division which was thought to be stationed in and around St. Lo. The 352nd was a veteran unit of the Russian front and was expected to provide the main opposition to the V Corps. The Allies had expected the German Air Force to mount an all-out offensive against the D-Day landings and they were believed to be able to mount 1,500 sorties that day. The German navy was not expected to conduct any appreciable attempts at hampering the invasion force. Pre-Landing Bombardment
Omaha Beach was to be bombarded by air and naval guns one half-hour before landings. As part of the entire program, so as not to give away the true locations of the landings, the entire coast had consistently been bombed. The USS Texas and Arkansas 14-inch and 12-inch guns were to fire from 18,000 yards off shore at pillboxes, casements, and the battery at Pointe du Hoc. 3 cruisers and 8 destroyers also would be able to approach nearer and support the landings. After the landings, the bombardment would move inland or be directed by naval shore fire control parties who accompanied the landings. The Approach
Enemy guns had been sited to cover every part of the beach; nevertheless, there were sectors where units landed which met very little opposition. Furthermore, of the nearly 200 craft carrying the assault infantry to shore in the first 2 hours, only about 10 are known to have been hit by artillery before debarking their troops, none were sunk by this fire, and in only a few cases were the casualties serious. Larger craft, particularly LCI's, appear to have been a favored target by the Germans and appear to have incurred more damage. More startling to the assaulting troops was the fact that the beach had not been hit by the air bombardment. The reason for this turned out to be due to overcast -- the pilots did not want to endanger the landing troops by releasing their bombs too close. The Landings
The sectors of Omaha beach were given the codenames of Charlie, Dog, Easy, and Fox (west to east). The first wave of landings, scheduled for 0630 at dawn, was to consist of 96 tanks, the Special Engineer Task Force, and eight companies of assault infantry.
The Special Engineer Task Force was comprised of both Army and Navy demolition specialists whose mission was to clear paths through the obstacles in preparation for the remainder of the landing force. The accompanying tanks and assault infantry were to provide covering fire. Along the beach, a strong current flowed parallel to the coast from west to east at speeds as strong as 5 miles per hour. This caused nearly every team to land further to the east than anticipated. In some cases, in addition to landing in the wrong areas, the teams of engineers landed where no tanks or infantry were able to provide protective fire. The teams, of course, were laden with equipment and explosives. They were often dropped in deep water and weighted down which made them especially dangerous targets. And, since the landings were launched at the beginning of low tide, they found that the tide was already beginning to cover some of the obstacles. But, despite so much lost equipment and a 41 percent casualty rate, the engineers were able to blow six gaps in the obstacles, although many of these could not be properly marked and thus, became useless during high tide.
The infantry landed at the same time and most ran aground well before their intended landing points. As they approached, they could hear the bullets hitting the ramps that had yet to be lowered. Many were weakened from seasickness and once reaching shore, had to cover another 200 yards of open beach until reaching the seawall.
29th Infantry Division (116th RCT)
Dog Green was located directly in front of enemy positions guarding the Vierville draw. Company A of the 116th was due to land on this sector with Company C of the 2nd Rangers on its right flank. Several LCAs were hit and others had devastating fire brought upon them. Some reached the beach only to find there was no cover for them to hide behind and many returned to the water and the nearest obstacles. The enemy positions on the bluffs above were able to inflict heavy casualties. Fifteen minutes after landing, Company A was out of action for the day. Estimates of its casualties range as high as 66%. A Ranger company of 64 men (in two LCA's) landed shortly after near the Vierville draw. An antitank gun hit one LCA and a dozen men were killed while a machine gun opened up on the second LCA as the men debarked. When the Rangers reached the base of the cliff, they had lost 35 men. To the east of the Les Moulins draw, small grass fires had been started and obscured the landings in this area. The units landing in this area met relatively less resistance. Company G of the 116th RCT landed east of Dog Red instead of Dog White and was able to reach the shingle with little loss due to the smoke. But, they were significantly off their intended landing areas and were unsure of what to do next. At Easy Green, another section of Company G encountered heavier fire and one team lost 14 men before they reached the shingle, but overall were intact. Company F landed according to plan astride the Les Moulins (D-3) draw and ran directly into the heavily fortified position. But, because they were downwind of the grass fires, they escaped the disastrous fate that befell Company A. But, some sections encountered heavy fire from the Germans and encountered over 50% casualties.
Only two boats managed to land on Easy Red (between E-1 and E-3). These men encountered very light resistance. Further to the east, only about ½ reached the shingle. After the first ½ hour, only about a hundred men and only 4 DD tanks were on Easy Red Beach.
Company E was supposed to land at Easy Green, but drifted nearly a mile to the east and found itself 3/4 of a mile east from the nearest 29th Division unit. To make matters worse, men were scattered over two sectors. Two LCVPs were able to make land without any incidences and deliver their men right on the beach, while the other four boats took heavy fire.
The 29th Infantry had sustained heavy casualties and the first-wave seemed to have failed from onlookers who were able to witness it. Also, only two gaps had been made through the obstacles and the tide was rising quickly. This meant that reinforcements would that much more difficult.
1st Infantry Division (16th RCT)
Only 2 boats of out of 12 landed where they were supposed to. At Fox Green, all units that were supposed to land on this sector landed to the east. Instead, sections of Company E and Company F (who were supposed to land in Easy Red), along with sections from 116th Company E (who had drifted from the west) landed in this sector. Unfortunately, they landed astride a heavily defended area with almost no cover available (there was no sea wall available).
A large section of the landing sector at Easy Red was situated between two stongpoints (WN 64 and WN 62). The Engineers here were able to open 4 gaps through the approach. This was important because on all of Omaha Beach, only 6 gaps total would be opened. The 37th and 149th Engineer Combat Battalions worked furiously to get these obstacles cleared, while Company E, 16th RCT was able to take WN 64 from the rear. Two destroyers had been instrumental in neutralizing strongpoints between Les Moulins to Fox Red and at least 5 destroyers had moved in to support the landing troops. The USS Frankford was especially effective against the strongpoints covering the E-1 and by 1000 hours, it was secured. Following the first landings, the 18th RCT was to land at 0930, but was delayed due to congestion on the beach and strong currents. They lost 28 landing craft to underwater obstacles, but overall landed in much better condition than the 16th RCT. The 18th RCT found pillbox west of the E-1 draw still active, but with the continuation cooperation of the destroyers, they were able to neutralize it. The Engineers were also to move to clearing the inland obstacles. This later became the main route off Omaha beach on D-Day.
Fox Beach on the other hand fared much worse. Company E of the 16th RCT and company E of the 116th RCT landed on the western section of Fox Green and most were caught in the machine gun crossfire as the ramps lowered. Company F of 16th RCT was scattered from E-3 to over a thousand yards to the east. About 1/3 were casualties before the could make it to the shingle.
Nearly all units drifted east of their intended targets. Others that did not land on time, were delayed. Dog White and Easy Red had almost no troops on its beaches.
Subsequent Landings
The 2nd wave started landing at 0700 and found much of the same situation. Very little progress had been made since the first landings and very little had been done to silence the enemy defenses. Companies had landed so far from their intended targets and were so intermixed, that organization was very poor. In the cases where the landings took place directly in front of the enemy strongpoints, casualties were extremely high - especially among officers and NCO's.
As subsequent personnel and equipment landed, they found the beach more and more crowded. The shingle was nearly completely occupied and those coming in had to remain on the open beach. In most cases, the different units on the beaches were on their own to make their way off the beaches. Despite the chaotic situation and the large casualties, the units managed to slowly make their way off the beach and up to the bluffs. Nearly every unit had landed at the wrong areas and was forced to adapt to the current situation. Groups of men of 20 or 30 slowly worked their way through the beach defenses. Notably, the teams bypassed the draws and assaulted directly over the bluffs. This was probably due to landing in the wrong areas and the forced improvisation that was needed to penetrate inland, and the well-placed enemy positions guarding the draws. Unfortunately, this meant that the routes to be used by the armor and vehicles were not open.
By 0730, General Cota of the 116th command group had landed at Dog White along with Colonel Canham. They found most of the 29ers huddled behind the seawall - unable to move. Knowing that the position was vulnerable to German artillery, they split up to gather men and find a way off the beach.
Conclusion
The landings at Omaha Beach had incurred significant casualties and in fact, the enemy defenses were stronger than expected. Very little progress had been made in the push to the interior and this caused significant backups on the beach. Of the 2,400 tons that were planned to arrive on the beach on D-Day, only 100 tons were delivered. Operations on the 7th and 8th of June would be spent deepening the bridgehead.
Understandingly, casualties were high among those first units, which landed on Omaha Beach. Casualties for V Corps that day were about 3,000 (killed, wounded, and missing) with the 16th and 116th sustaining about 1,000 casualties each.
German responseThe Germans were found to be unable to launch any significant counterattacks. The 352nd itself was so stretched that the best it could hope for was to hold onto the ground it held. In many places, if the Germans had been able to put together a coordinated counterattack, the Americans would've been in a serious predicament. But, it appears the unit was intent on stubborn defense, in anticipation of reinforcements from the rear. It had significantly delayed the schedule at Omaha, but unless the delay was followed up with a swift counterattack, it would be meaningless.
By evening on D-Day, General Gerhardt landed, set up his command post near the Vierville exit, and waited to take over command of the 29th Division. Pointe du Hoc was still isolated and known to have sustained heavy casualties. 1st Battalion of the 116th, along with the 5th Ranger battalion, companies A, B, and C of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, and several tanks moved west along the Grandcamp highway towards Pointe du Hoc. It just failed to reach the Rangers at Point du Hoc by the end of June 7th due to stiff enemy resistance.
I only outlined the American units that participated in the landings due to space.
Credits:
MilitaryHistoryOnline.com
Omaha Beach - written by Brian WilliamsCopyright © 2000 Brian Williams
Pointe du Hoc - written by Brian WilliamsCopyright © 2000 Brian Williams
Utah Beach - written by Brian Williams. Copyright © 2000 Brian Williams.
The Airborne Landings - written by Brian WilliamsCopyright © 2000 Brian Williams
D-Day Museum, Portsmouth
Dwight D. EisenhowerPresidential Library and Museum
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I appreciate your constructive comments and opinions.
I want to make sure that some of you know this was a great day in the history of the world. It took courage and guts from all those involved especially those who stormed the beaches in the first and second waves!
Here is a very brief history of that day.
D-Day was June 6, 1944 — the day on which the Invasion of Normandy began — commencing the Western Allied effort to liberate mainland Europe from Nazi occupation during World War II.
This operation brought together the land, air and sea forces of the allied armies in what became known as the largest invasion force in human history. The operation, given the code name OVERLORD, delivered five naval assault divisions to the beaches of Normandy, France. The beaches were given the code names UTAH, OMAHA, GOLD, JUNO and SWORD. The invasion force included 7,000 ships and landing craft manned by over 195,000 naval personnel from eight allied countries. Almost 133,000 troops from England, Canada and the United States landed on D-Day. Casualties from the three countries during the landing numbered 10,300.
The majority of troops who landed on the D-Day beaches were from Great Britain, Canada and the US. However, troops from many other countries participated in D-Day and the Battle of Normandy, in all the different armed services: Australia, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland.
11,590 aircraft were available to support the landings. On D-Day, Allied aircraft flew 14,674 sorties, and 127 were lost.
In the airborne landings on both flanks of the beaches, 2395 aircraft and 867 gliders of the RAF and USAAF were used on D-Day.
Operation Neptune involved huge naval forces, including 6939 vessels: 1213 naval combat ships, 4126 landing ships and landing craft, 736 ancillary craft and 864 merchant vessels. Some 195,700 personnel were assigned to Operation Neptune: 52,889 US, 112,824 British, and 4988 from other Allied countries.
By the end of 11 June (D + 5), 326,547 troops, 54,186 vehicles and 104,428 tons of supplies had been landed on the beaches.
As well as the troops who landed in Normandy on D-Day, and those in supporting roles at sea and in the air, millions more men and women in the Allied countries were involved in the preparations for D-Day. They played thousands of different roles, both in the armed forces and as civilians.
The Airborne LandingsIn preparation for the invasion of Normandy, there were a total of 4 ready airborne divisions in England during the Spring of 1944:
U.S. 82nd (All-American) U.S. 101st (Screaming Eagles) British 6th British 1st
The first three of these units were given the missions of securing the eastern and western flanks of the beachhead by destroying bridges and laying mines. Their main mission was to allow for the main invasion force to come ashore without the immediate threat of German flank attacks. They were tasked to destroy bridges where the enemy was likely to stage a counterattack, and to secure bridges where Allied forces were expected to go immediately on the offensive.
82nd's Mission
The US 82nd Airborne Division's mission was to protect the far right flank of the invasion in the Cotentin peninsula. It hoped to accomplish this by destroying bridges over the Douve River and by securing the Merderet River by occupying both sides. It also had the mission to capture Ste. Mere-Eglise from the German garrison stationed there. The capture of Ste. Mere-Eglise was important because it straddled the main road between Carentan and Cherbourg.
101st Mission
The US 101st Airborne Division's mission was to secure four exits across the marshland near the coast for the invading US 4th Infantry Division at Utah beach. These causeways needed to be secured because on each side of the exits, it was flooded several feet deep in places. The 101st also were tasked to destroy two bridges over the Douve and to capture the La Barquette lock just north of Carentan. The lock controlled the water height of the flooded areas and it was essential that it be captured.
6th's Mission
The British 6th Airborne Division was to land Northeast of Caen and secure the left flank of the invasion force by controlling bridges over the Orne Canal and River. The left flank of the invasion force was much more vulnerable to German armored attack since the 21st Panzer was stationed just outside of Caen and the 12th SS Panzer miles to the east. Potentially, if the Panzer Divisions were not stopped by the British 6th, they could attack Sword and the rest of the landing beaches.
Cotentin Peninsula
Facing the Allied landing at Utah beach were the 709th German Division and the parts of the newly-arrived 91st, with the 243rd which was several miles away on the Western shore. The 709th and the 243rd were "static" units which were little more than non-mobile coastal defenses manned by relatively lower quality troops. A large number of the battalions in the peninsula were either very young, or very old, and several were composed of Russian ethnic minorities (Cossacks, Tartars, etc.). In contrast, the 91st, which had recently arrived to the peninsula from the eastern front, was much better trained and mobile equipped. No armor was immediately available in the area except for the 100th Panzer battalion which was equipped with older and captured equipment. Also of consequence was the German 6th Parachute Regiment, commanded by Colonel Frederick von der Heydt - a highly-trained and experienced fighting unit which closely resembled their American airborne counterparts.
The Flight
Starting at around 11 PM on June 5th, approximately 13,000 American parachutists would descend upon the peninsula via hundreds of twin-engined C-47s. The C-47 was a DC-3 aircraft that held 18 parachutists (known as a "stick" to the men). At the low speed of 120 mph, the flight would take them over an hour. The parachutists were weighed down with nearly their body weight in equipment and weapons. They would be prepared as much as possible since they would be dropping behind enemy lines - cutoff from the invading force. Whatever weapons they would fight with would be carried on their backs or strapped to their harnesses. The exception to this would be the artillery battalion of twelve 75 mm howitzers which would accompany the division. Later, heavy mortars and heavier anti-tank could be brought in by glider. In any case, there was no guarantee that the parachutist would form up with his unit once soon after he left the plane - if at all.
The planes took off and flew at 500 feet for about half and hour to avoid detection by German radar. After a slight ascent to make landfall and avoid the AAA guns, the final approach would be at 700 feet. Meteorologists had called for a calm night and nearly the entire flight was without incident. But, as the flights approached the coast of France, they encountered a cloud bank that dispersed many of the planes...only a few minutes before the dropzone. Between the chaotic mess that followed the dispersal and the enemy flak, several planes were damaged or destroyed...along with numerous injured parachutists within. In addition, because of flak, many pilots increased their speed and varied their altitude dramatically. Despite these dangerous conditions, the green light was given for the crew to jump. Aircraft speeds had reached as high as 150 mph (normal jump speed was 90 mph) - which led to numerous injuries.
At 700 feet, the descent took less than one minute. By this time, German flak artillery and AAA were shooting at anything in the sky...including the parachutists themselves. Many were hit on their way down or drowned upon landing in the flooded plains of the Douve and Merderet rivers. Although the plains were mostly only 2 to 3 feet deep (in some places more), the weight of the men, in conjunction with the dragging of the parachute could easily prove fatal. In contrast, unopened chutes among the Americans were very uncommon with their static-line parachutes. In addition, the Americans carried a reserve chute just in case. Of course, trees, buildings, anti-glider poles and other obstacles lent to a large number of injuries. But, many were injured from the impact of the landing itself - which resulted in usually sprains and broken legs. But, by far, the potentially most dangerous situation arose from the unexpected turbulence and the resulting dispersal of the units.
The Landings
Units found themselves scattered all over the Cotentin Peninsula. In almost every case, several hours were spent just trying to find out where they were and to find others in the same Battalion or even Regiment. In some cases, contact with other friendly units were not made for days. Commanders who had landed in the drop were forced to gather any men they could find on their way to their objective - in the dark. Teams that had formed to blow up communications center or bridges found themselves without the necessary equipment because either it or the men carrying it were lost. About 60 percent of the equipment dropped was either lost by falling into swamps or into enemy-controlled areas. Ste Mere-Eglise
Ste Mere-Eglise stood in a pivotal location between Cherbourg and Caen whose capture fell to the 82nd Airborne. Unfortunately, sections of two planeloads of parachutists (2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 505th Parachute Infantry) were dropped directly over the village. To make the decent even worse, a farmhouse had caught fire either from tracers or the preceding aerial bombardment and illuminated the entire surrounding sky - making perfects targets out of the descending paratroopers. Many were killed on their way down, at least two were drawn into the fire itself, and many more were killed by the Germans after becoming entangled in trees and roofs. The few who did make it alive to the ground were almost immediately taken prisoner. After the initial excitement, curiously, the Germans went back to bed after the immediate threat subsided.
The commander of 3rd Battalion, 505th, Lt. Col. Ed Krause, had landed one mile west of the village and quickly began gathering stray men. Within an hour, he had managed to round up around 180 men and began heading straight into the village. As mentioned above, after all the immediate paratroopers were either killed or captured, and the fire had been put out, the German garrison went back to bed. Krause entered the town unhindered and was shown the German billets by a local Frenchman whom they ran across. 30 Germans were captured and about 10 were killed - while others fled to the nearby woods. By 6 A.M. Krause had secured the village and thus, cut off German communication and the main route between Cherbourg and the rest of the German Army.
The Gliders
At 3:00 AM, the gliders carrying heavier equipment (jeeps and antitank guns) and reinforcements began to arrive in the area. The paratroopers who had landed earlier were able to secure the immediate area for landing, but were unable to silence the German anti-aircraft. As a result, the tow planes were forced to climb and release at a higher altitude - making the gliders even more vulnerable. No one had seemed to take into account the enormous hedgerows in the countryside and factor this into the glider landings. As a result, glider casualties were extremely high as they landed. In addition, the glider troops were also lost when they landed in most cases.
Objectives
In most cases, the American objectives of the Airborne units had not been secured by dawn (the time the invasion force would be coming). But, the unintended effect of the wide dispersal of the paratroopers was to lend great confusion to the German command. The German command could not determine where the Americans were concentrated (they in fact weren't) and what their objectives were to be. The French resistance had cut so many telephone lines that German HQ could not determine the full extent of the invasion. More importantly, the Germans could not determine whether or not if this airborne invasion was the real invasion or just a diversionary tactic. To add to the German confusion, all of the high German commanders were not present in the local area, but were away attending a map exercise in Rennes to the south.
Utah
At 0300 on the morning of June 6th, fleets of Allied bombers roared overhead delivering thousands of tons of bombs onto the German coastal defenses. These were followed at 0500 by the naval bombardment which had been planned to immediately precede the invasion itself. The battleship USS Nevada's 14-inch guns were assigned to the bombardment of the German batteries on Utah beach, while the USS Texas was to fire at Pointe-du-Hoc where the Rangers were to land as part of the Omaha landing. On the western end of Omaha proper, the USS Arkansas pounded a battery at Les Moulins. Several cruisers and destroyers also jumped into the bombardment with pre-determined targets and as opportunity arose. At such close range, there was very little trajectory to the shots and many Americans who were coming in to land, could feel the vacuum of the shells passing overhead. Needless to say, the bombardment was a very welcome sight to those troops about to land. At approximately 0620, the Nevada turned its guns to the beach and began bombarding a concrete seawall. Immediately after the bombardment, the plan called for a rocket bombardment by LCT(R)s (Landing Craft, Tank with Rocket launcher). This was to be followed by the 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry, in 20 Higgins boats which carried a 30-man assault team each. Also, 2 squadrons of DD tanks (Dual-Drive, amphibious tanks) were to accompany the first wave. Following the first wave would be the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry, in 32 more Higgins boats. The third wave would include 8 LCTs (Landing Craft, Tank) carrying some bulldozer tanks and Shermans. Then, almost immediately afterwards, units of the 237th and 299th Engineer Combat Battalions would follow.
Of course, during the actual operations, nearly everything didn't work out as planned. The various units did not arrive on time or arrived too early. Most units landed at the wrong places due to the smoke and strong currents. But, the greatest cause for the confusion was the loss of 3 of the 4 LCCs (Landing Craft, Control) to sea mines. The LCCs were responsible for bringing in the LCTs and without the LCCs, the LCTs were forced to circle aimlessly.
Even though the DD tanks were to accompany the first wave, these were moving so slow that many of the infantry transports overtook them. The DDs were to launch 2 miles offshore and then drop their rubber "skirts" that made them amphibious, but were having a slow time approaching the shore. Carrying on with the assault, as the LCVPs approached the shore, they fired smoke canisters to signal the lifting of the naval bombardment.
The first wave of troops were scheduled to land in Higgins boats at 0630 shortly after the naval bombardment. But, because of the sinking of the LCCs and all of the confusion, the landings were slightly off by a couple thousand yards and had arrived a little late. Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr.. (the son of the ex-president) was the assistant division commander to the 4th and was in the first wave to hit the beach. He took control of the troops who had just landed with him and they began to move forward. The DD tanks who were to land simultaneously with the troops, landed about 15 minutes behind the first wave.
The intended landing site was to be opposite Exit 3, but because of the confusion, it ended up nearer to Exit 2. Luckily, the new position was significantly less defended than the original landing site. Only sporadic fire from German infantry small arms and the occasional German 88 were firing upon the American positions on the beach.
The engineers followed the first wave with their demolition teams. Their job was to clear a path for the invasion before the tide covered the obstacles. Since the invasion began at the lowest point in the tide, time was against them to complete their mission.
The 4th Division's first task was to get off the beach and secure the exits and the causeways. Hopefully, the Airborne had secured the interior section of the causeways, since crossing them would prove very hazardous.
In many cases, the beach became so congested that units were forced to advance forward - even though this meant straight through minefields. As predicted, many men were wounded trying to negotiate through the fields. By 0645, the Shermans started to arrive on the beach - firing at any active fortifications or resistance. Several Shermans were lost to mines also, but those tanks that remained headed toward Pouppeville.
Within 3 hours, exits 1, 2, and 3 had been secured and by 1PM, when leading elements of the US 4th approached Pouppeville, they found that it was secured by the 101st Airborne, who had captured it earlier that morning.
By the end of the day, the 4th Division had established a 4-mile deep penetration inland and were within reach of Ste-Mere-Eglise, where the 82nd had fought throughout the night.
Overall, the Utah landings were a great success. Casualties were very light due to the effective pre-landing bombardment and the accidental landings that put them some 2000 yards from the initial location - more or less out of harm's way. Estimates put casualties at less than 1% of the committed force.
The Germans were unable to mount a counterattack or a solid defense against the invasion, due in part to the US Airborne landings. The landings came as a surprise to the German defenders and they found themselves unprepared.
Pointe du Hoc
The Objective
Pointe du Hoc was located on the coast to the west of the Omaha beach landings and was the position of six 155mm cannons with a range of 25,000 yards. These cannons had a commanding view of both Omaha and Utah beaches and the potential to cause much damage to the invading force. The area had been bombed since May and then grew in intensity during the three days and nights before D-Day. During D-Day, the USS Texas bombarded the point as did 18 medium bombers of the Ninth Air Force at H-20.
The point stood on cliffs between 85 to over 100 feet high at whose base was a very small rocky beach that offered no protection. Because the point was positioned on near impregnable cliffs, the Germans had concentrated their defenses in anticipation of a ground assault from inland. Above were heavily fortified concrete casements interlaced with tunnels, trenches, and machine-gun positions around the perimeter. Although the 716th Infantry Division was thinly stretched along 30 miles of the shoreline, approximately 200 German troops (125 infantry and 85 artillery men) were garrisoned in or around the point.
The task fell to Lt. Col. James Earl Rudder's 2nd Ranger Battalion and called for 3 Companies (D, E, and F) of the battalion to scale the heights. Company D was to approach the heights on the west, while E and F were to attack on the east. The main Ranger force (5th Battalion and Companies A and B of the 2nd) were to wait off shore for signal of success and then land at the Point. In addition to destroying the guns, the Rangers were to move inland and cut the coastal highway that connected Grandcamp and Vierville. They were then to wait for the arrival of the US 116th Infantry from Omaha Beach to the east - scheduled to relieve them at noon on the 6th. Once linking up with the main force, they were then to move on Grandcamp and Maisy to the west in order to attempt to link up with the forces that were to land at Utah beach.
The Landing
H-Hour was scheduled for 0630 on June the 6th. The Rangers approached the point with their flotilla of ten landing craft and four DUKW's, but the seas were rough and one LCA sank after taking on excessive water. Ten minutes later, a supply craft sank leaving only one survivor. In the confusion and strong tide, they approached the beach near Pointe de la Percée, at over 3 miles east of their objective. Rudder immediately realized his error and headed west toward the point, but not before losing another DUKW to 20mm fire. The error proved to be costly because the Rangers were now 35 minutes behind schedule at which time the defenders at the point were able to reenter their positions after the bombardment. The main Ranger force was to wait until 0700 at which time if the landing was successful, they would follow the landings at Pte-du-Hoc. If not, they would land on the western side of Omaha and fight their way westward to the point. The designated time came and went and word was given to land at Omaha - Rudder and his Rangers were on their own.
The Rangers headed for the cliffs, but now they found themselves only on the Eastern side of the point when the plan called for landings on both sides. The beach at the base of the cliff was only 30 yards wide and heavily cratered from the bombardment. In order to climb the heights, the Rangers' LCA's were equipped with rocket-fired grappling hooks and the DUKW's were fitted with fireman ladders. But, because of the shelling from the USS Texas and others, earth had piled up at the base of the cliff and the DUKW's couldn't approach close enough to the cliff to effectively use their ladders. On the other hand, the piling at the base gave the men somewhat cover from enemy fire and also made the height to climb less.
After several failed attempts (due to the weight of soaked ropes) and due to the assistance of naval artillery (especially the British destroyer the Talybont), the Rangers finally struggled to the top after incurring only 15 casualties. As men reached the top, they went off in small groups to accomplish their missions.
They reached the gun emplacements only to find that they had been removed and telephone poles had been temporarily installed. Lt. Col. Rudder then split his command into two. One group stayed behind to establish a command posts, while the other went in search of the missing guns. The second group headed south and found the guns in an apple orchard, where they had been removed in order to be saved from the bombardment. They were unguarded and were destroyed with thermite grenades. The primary mission of the Rangers had been accomplished.
Up to this point, the German defenders had not yet recovered from their initial confusion. They were slowly regrouping and assembling, and later that day the 916th and 726th counterattacked the Ranger positions. Throughout the day, the USS Satterlee, Barton, and Thompson gave fire support to the Rangers when possible. By nightfall, the Ranger were forced back into a 200 yard wide defensive position inside the battery. The Rangers had lost 1/3 of his men and ammunition was running low.
By June 7th, the next day, of his original 225 men, Rudder had fewer than 100 and almost no food. Despite attempts of the 5th Ranger Battalion that had landed at Omaha Beach four miles to the east, the Rangers remained under siege. By the 8th of June, the 5th Ranger Battalion finally relieved Rudder's position. They were almost 2 days behind schedule.
In the end, Rudder's Rangers had suffered 70 percent casualties and held off five German counterattacks. Rudder was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his service at Point du Hoc and went on to command the 109th Infantry Regiment later in the war.
Omaha Beach
The US 1st Army, V Corps had the mission of securing the beachhead between Port-en-Bessin and the Vire River and to advance towards St. Lo. The Corps was to arrive in 4 stages with the 1st Division (with the 29th attached) leading the landings with about 34,000 men in the morning, followed by another 25,000 men after noon. The 1st Division was a veteran unit which had served through the campaigns of North Africa and Sicily. While for the most part, Normandy would be the 29th Division's first experience in combat. Two American Regimental Combat Teams (RCTs) of four rifle companies each, were tasked with the initial landing (the US 29th 116th RCT and the US 1st 16th RCT), followed by the remainder of the 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions. Fire support included naval gunfire from the battleships, cruisers, and destroyers offshore, heavy bombing by B-24 Liberators, the 741st and 743rd DD (dual-drive amphibious) tank battalions, several battalions of engineers and naval demolition personnel, and several howitzer battalions.
Terrain
The beach at Omaha Beach sector was about 7,000 yards long with a gentle slope that forms a crescent with bluffs located at each end. The tidal range averaged about 300 yards between the low and high water mark. At the high water mark, the ocean ends at a shingle that reaches up to several feet high. On the western part of the sector, the shingle had piled against a seawall which ranged in height anywhere between 4 to 12 feet. Behind the sea wall was a paved beach road from Exit D-1 to Exit D-3. At the middle of the beach, approximately 200 yards stands between the seawall and the bluffs. Near Exit D-1 stood a small number of villas and at Exit D-3 stood the small village of les Moulins. At four points along the beach were small draws (or valleys) which were thought to offer protected exits off the beach (these were actually heavily defended). At Exit D-1 (the exit to Vierville), the draw had a paved road. The draws offered the only way for armor to reach the high ground. Inland from the beach stood the three farming villages of St. Laurent, Colleville, and Vierville with the hedgerow country beginning immediately behind the beaches.
Objectives
The immediate objective of the Omaha landings was to secure a beachhead between Port-en-Bessin and the Vire river and then to advance southwards towards St. Lo. Another objective of the V Corps was link with the VII Corps to the east (via the small town of Isigny). Isigny was a small town where the highway from Paris to Cherbourg crossed the Aure river. This highway, as did most that were located near the beach, ran east to west. The Corps was also to advance beyond the Aure river and towards the Cerisy Forest area to the south.
Enemy Defenses
32 fortified areas were located between the Vire River and Port-en-Bessin. Especially fortified were the Vire Estuary, Grandcamp, and Port-en-Bessin. In all, 12 strongpoints were able to direct fire on Omaha beach. Obstacles of three sorts were existent on Omaha Beach. These consisted of gate-like structures (approximately 10 feet high and strapped with mines) placed about 250 yards from the high-water line. Next, about 200 yards from shore, heavy logs were driven into the beach floor at an angle with mines strapped to the ends and along the logs. These were followed by the 5 ½ tall metal hedgehogs that were buried in the sand. There were no mines in the tidal sand, so if the troops could reach the shingle, they could reach relative safety (although enfilade fire made this position precarious at best). Beyond the shingle, the Germans had placed mines (in most cases these were marked) and barbed wire. In spots where the sea wall was above the shingle, the barbed wire was placed on its top.
The gentle crescent curve of the shoreline allowed for excellent fields of fire against any landing troops. Since the Germans had prepared their defenses for quite some time, they were able to train their guns accurately onto the beach. Most of the strong points protecting Omaha beach were located near the entrance of the draws and contained machine guns as the main armament as well as light artillery pieces. In addition, in this sector, there were 8 concrete casements and 35 pillboxes which contained gun sizes up to 88mm guns.
No coastal batteries or heavy guns were present in the Omaha sector, although 6 155-mm howitzers were believed to be located at Point du Hoc. The defenses in this sector were designed to be almost entirely on the beach or just behind it with almost no defensive positions beyond this point. For the German defenders, it was expected that defensive reserves would be rushed to counter any landings.
The 716th Infantry Division occupied a 50-mile sector between the Orne River and the Vire Estuary. It was considered a static unit and thought to be composed of over 50% foreign troops (Russians and Poles). Reinforcements were expected to come from the 352nd Infantry Division which was thought to be stationed in and around St. Lo. The 352nd was a veteran unit of the Russian front and was expected to provide the main opposition to the V Corps. The Allies had expected the German Air Force to mount an all-out offensive against the D-Day landings and they were believed to be able to mount 1,500 sorties that day. The German navy was not expected to conduct any appreciable attempts at hampering the invasion force. Pre-Landing Bombardment
Omaha Beach was to be bombarded by air and naval guns one half-hour before landings. As part of the entire program, so as not to give away the true locations of the landings, the entire coast had consistently been bombed. The USS Texas and Arkansas 14-inch and 12-inch guns were to fire from 18,000 yards off shore at pillboxes, casements, and the battery at Pointe du Hoc. 3 cruisers and 8 destroyers also would be able to approach nearer and support the landings. After the landings, the bombardment would move inland or be directed by naval shore fire control parties who accompanied the landings. The Approach
Enemy guns had been sited to cover every part of the beach; nevertheless, there were sectors where units landed which met very little opposition. Furthermore, of the nearly 200 craft carrying the assault infantry to shore in the first 2 hours, only about 10 are known to have been hit by artillery before debarking their troops, none were sunk by this fire, and in only a few cases were the casualties serious. Larger craft, particularly LCI's, appear to have been a favored target by the Germans and appear to have incurred more damage. More startling to the assaulting troops was the fact that the beach had not been hit by the air bombardment. The reason for this turned out to be due to overcast -- the pilots did not want to endanger the landing troops by releasing their bombs too close. The Landings
The sectors of Omaha beach were given the codenames of Charlie, Dog, Easy, and Fox (west to east). The first wave of landings, scheduled for 0630 at dawn, was to consist of 96 tanks, the Special Engineer Task Force, and eight companies of assault infantry.
The Special Engineer Task Force was comprised of both Army and Navy demolition specialists whose mission was to clear paths through the obstacles in preparation for the remainder of the landing force. The accompanying tanks and assault infantry were to provide covering fire. Along the beach, a strong current flowed parallel to the coast from west to east at speeds as strong as 5 miles per hour. This caused nearly every team to land further to the east than anticipated. In some cases, in addition to landing in the wrong areas, the teams of engineers landed where no tanks or infantry were able to provide protective fire. The teams, of course, were laden with equipment and explosives. They were often dropped in deep water and weighted down which made them especially dangerous targets. And, since the landings were launched at the beginning of low tide, they found that the tide was already beginning to cover some of the obstacles. But, despite so much lost equipment and a 41 percent casualty rate, the engineers were able to blow six gaps in the obstacles, although many of these could not be properly marked and thus, became useless during high tide.
The infantry landed at the same time and most ran aground well before their intended landing points. As they approached, they could hear the bullets hitting the ramps that had yet to be lowered. Many were weakened from seasickness and once reaching shore, had to cover another 200 yards of open beach until reaching the seawall.
29th Infantry Division (116th RCT)
Dog Green was located directly in front of enemy positions guarding the Vierville draw. Company A of the 116th was due to land on this sector with Company C of the 2nd Rangers on its right flank. Several LCAs were hit and others had devastating fire brought upon them. Some reached the beach only to find there was no cover for them to hide behind and many returned to the water and the nearest obstacles. The enemy positions on the bluffs above were able to inflict heavy casualties. Fifteen minutes after landing, Company A was out of action for the day. Estimates of its casualties range as high as 66%. A Ranger company of 64 men (in two LCA's) landed shortly after near the Vierville draw. An antitank gun hit one LCA and a dozen men were killed while a machine gun opened up on the second LCA as the men debarked. When the Rangers reached the base of the cliff, they had lost 35 men. To the east of the Les Moulins draw, small grass fires had been started and obscured the landings in this area. The units landing in this area met relatively less resistance. Company G of the 116th RCT landed east of Dog Red instead of Dog White and was able to reach the shingle with little loss due to the smoke. But, they were significantly off their intended landing areas and were unsure of what to do next. At Easy Green, another section of Company G encountered heavier fire and one team lost 14 men before they reached the shingle, but overall were intact. Company F landed according to plan astride the Les Moulins (D-3) draw and ran directly into the heavily fortified position. But, because they were downwind of the grass fires, they escaped the disastrous fate that befell Company A. But, some sections encountered heavy fire from the Germans and encountered over 50% casualties.
Only two boats managed to land on Easy Red (between E-1 and E-3). These men encountered very light resistance. Further to the east, only about ½ reached the shingle. After the first ½ hour, only about a hundred men and only 4 DD tanks were on Easy Red Beach.
Company E was supposed to land at Easy Green, but drifted nearly a mile to the east and found itself 3/4 of a mile east from the nearest 29th Division unit. To make matters worse, men were scattered over two sectors. Two LCVPs were able to make land without any incidences and deliver their men right on the beach, while the other four boats took heavy fire.
The 29th Infantry had sustained heavy casualties and the first-wave seemed to have failed from onlookers who were able to witness it. Also, only two gaps had been made through the obstacles and the tide was rising quickly. This meant that reinforcements would that much more difficult.
1st Infantry Division (16th RCT)
Only 2 boats of out of 12 landed where they were supposed to. At Fox Green, all units that were supposed to land on this sector landed to the east. Instead, sections of Company E and Company F (who were supposed to land in Easy Red), along with sections from 116th Company E (who had drifted from the west) landed in this sector. Unfortunately, they landed astride a heavily defended area with almost no cover available (there was no sea wall available).
A large section of the landing sector at Easy Red was situated between two stongpoints (WN 64 and WN 62). The Engineers here were able to open 4 gaps through the approach. This was important because on all of Omaha Beach, only 6 gaps total would be opened. The 37th and 149th Engineer Combat Battalions worked furiously to get these obstacles cleared, while Company E, 16th RCT was able to take WN 64 from the rear. Two destroyers had been instrumental in neutralizing strongpoints between Les Moulins to Fox Red and at least 5 destroyers had moved in to support the landing troops. The USS Frankford was especially effective against the strongpoints covering the E-1 and by 1000 hours, it was secured. Following the first landings, the 18th RCT was to land at 0930, but was delayed due to congestion on the beach and strong currents. They lost 28 landing craft to underwater obstacles, but overall landed in much better condition than the 16th RCT. The 18th RCT found pillbox west of the E-1 draw still active, but with the continuation cooperation of the destroyers, they were able to neutralize it. The Engineers were also to move to clearing the inland obstacles. This later became the main route off Omaha beach on D-Day.
Fox Beach on the other hand fared much worse. Company E of the 16th RCT and company E of the 116th RCT landed on the western section of Fox Green and most were caught in the machine gun crossfire as the ramps lowered. Company F of 16th RCT was scattered from E-3 to over a thousand yards to the east. About 1/3 were casualties before the could make it to the shingle.
Nearly all units drifted east of their intended targets. Others that did not land on time, were delayed. Dog White and Easy Red had almost no troops on its beaches.
Subsequent Landings
The 2nd wave started landing at 0700 and found much of the same situation. Very little progress had been made since the first landings and very little had been done to silence the enemy defenses. Companies had landed so far from their intended targets and were so intermixed, that organization was very poor. In the cases where the landings took place directly in front of the enemy strongpoints, casualties were extremely high - especially among officers and NCO's.
As subsequent personnel and equipment landed, they found the beach more and more crowded. The shingle was nearly completely occupied and those coming in had to remain on the open beach. In most cases, the different units on the beaches were on their own to make their way off the beaches. Despite the chaotic situation and the large casualties, the units managed to slowly make their way off the beach and up to the bluffs. Nearly every unit had landed at the wrong areas and was forced to adapt to the current situation. Groups of men of 20 or 30 slowly worked their way through the beach defenses. Notably, the teams bypassed the draws and assaulted directly over the bluffs. This was probably due to landing in the wrong areas and the forced improvisation that was needed to penetrate inland, and the well-placed enemy positions guarding the draws. Unfortunately, this meant that the routes to be used by the armor and vehicles were not open.
By 0730, General Cota of the 116th command group had landed at Dog White along with Colonel Canham. They found most of the 29ers huddled behind the seawall - unable to move. Knowing that the position was vulnerable to German artillery, they split up to gather men and find a way off the beach.
Conclusion
The landings at Omaha Beach had incurred significant casualties and in fact, the enemy defenses were stronger than expected. Very little progress had been made in the push to the interior and this caused significant backups on the beach. Of the 2,400 tons that were planned to arrive on the beach on D-Day, only 100 tons were delivered. Operations on the 7th and 8th of June would be spent deepening the bridgehead.
Understandingly, casualties were high among those first units, which landed on Omaha Beach. Casualties for V Corps that day were about 3,000 (killed, wounded, and missing) with the 16th and 116th sustaining about 1,000 casualties each.
German responseThe Germans were found to be unable to launch any significant counterattacks. The 352nd itself was so stretched that the best it could hope for was to hold onto the ground it held. In many places, if the Germans had been able to put together a coordinated counterattack, the Americans would've been in a serious predicament. But, it appears the unit was intent on stubborn defense, in anticipation of reinforcements from the rear. It had significantly delayed the schedule at Omaha, but unless the delay was followed up with a swift counterattack, it would be meaningless.
By evening on D-Day, General Gerhardt landed, set up his command post near the Vierville exit, and waited to take over command of the 29th Division. Pointe du Hoc was still isolated and known to have sustained heavy casualties. 1st Battalion of the 116th, along with the 5th Ranger battalion, companies A, B, and C of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, and several tanks moved west along the Grandcamp highway towards Pointe du Hoc. It just failed to reach the Rangers at Point du Hoc by the end of June 7th due to stiff enemy resistance.
I only outlined the American units that participated in the landings due to space.
Credits:
MilitaryHistoryOnline.com
Omaha Beach - written by Brian WilliamsCopyright © 2000 Brian Williams
Pointe du Hoc - written by Brian WilliamsCopyright © 2000 Brian Williams
Utah Beach - written by Brian Williams. Copyright © 2000 Brian Williams.
The Airborne Landings - written by Brian WilliamsCopyright © 2000 Brian Williams
D-Day Museum, Portsmouth
Dwight D. EisenhowerPresidential Library and Museum
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I appreciate your constructive comments and opinions.
Monday, June 2, 2008
The last five days have been hell!
Hello all!
I had another round of my congestive heart failure acting up so back in hospital on the 27th of May. I had put on 30 pounds of fluids and it was effecting my breathing and heart. So I spent the last 5 days being pampered by the nurses and the other ladies essential to keeping a good nurse's station going. What I have never understood are the people who go into hospital and make the nurses and other staff members lives miserable. It stands to reason that if you want good treatment and do not want someone spitting in your food you will treat people nice! LOL
You know I am so sick and tired of watching the so-called "news shows" on TV. You would think the only damn thing that is going on in the world was the Democratic Primary. We have landed on Mars and there are earth quakes in China where millions of people have perished, but you will play hell seeing it reported on the network news! Forget Iraq and Afghanistan where America's best are fighting for this ungrateful nation! God forbid they put anything on the screen that is important and what we really want to see.
No wonder the average American is a semi-illiterate dumb ass who has no training in Civics, History or Geography! Have you ever taken the time to actually look at the educational system in the country? If I had school age children and could not afford a good private school, I would be at every school board meeting demanding accountably for the lame and political correct bastards that have ruined our system of education!
Well enough of my ranting's for now.
I appreciate and value your opinions so please comment.
Carl
I had another round of my congestive heart failure acting up so back in hospital on the 27th of May. I had put on 30 pounds of fluids and it was effecting my breathing and heart. So I spent the last 5 days being pampered by the nurses and the other ladies essential to keeping a good nurse's station going. What I have never understood are the people who go into hospital and make the nurses and other staff members lives miserable. It stands to reason that if you want good treatment and do not want someone spitting in your food you will treat people nice! LOL
You know I am so sick and tired of watching the so-called "news shows" on TV. You would think the only damn thing that is going on in the world was the Democratic Primary. We have landed on Mars and there are earth quakes in China where millions of people have perished, but you will play hell seeing it reported on the network news! Forget Iraq and Afghanistan where America's best are fighting for this ungrateful nation! God forbid they put anything on the screen that is important and what we really want to see.
No wonder the average American is a semi-illiterate dumb ass who has no training in Civics, History or Geography! Have you ever taken the time to actually look at the educational system in the country? If I had school age children and could not afford a good private school, I would be at every school board meeting demanding accountably for the lame and political correct bastards that have ruined our system of education!
Well enough of my ranting's for now.
I appreciate and value your opinions so please comment.
Carl
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