188 TURNING THE TIDE 1943 –194 4
The US 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions
were tasked with securing a beachhead
6 miles (10 km) long at Omaha beach,
then linking up with other Allies landing
at Utah beach to the west and Gold
beach to the east.
The assault started at 6:35 am with
a first wave of troops from the US 1st
Infantry Division, but the operation did
not go according to plan. The Allied
bombers providing air cover missed their
targets, and the naval gunfire was poorly
directed. As soon as the landing craft
hit the beach, the Germans defending
the cliffs rained shell, mortar, and machine-gun fire on the US troops
as they tried to disembark. Most of the amphibious tanks were
swamped and sank in the heavy swell, as did the supporting artillery.
Within minutes of the initial landing, one-third of the assault troops
had become casualties. Lieutenant-General Omar N. Bradley had to
make a snap decision on whether to continue the landings, or pull out
and switch reinforcements to Utah beach. He chose to continue.Gaining a foothold
The landing started to improve as the Americans, reinforced by a
second wave from the 29th Infantry Division, slowly managed to
move up the beach and toward the surrounding bluffs. A flotilla of
Allied destroyers steamed close inshore to provide much-needed
artillery support. By late afternoon, tanks and other vehicles were
moving off the beach. Despite determined resistance by the German
defenders, by the end of the day some 34,000 US troops had landed
at Omaha beach and secured a beachhead.OMAHA BEACH
Of the five D-Day landings in Normandy on June 6, 1944,
Omaha was the costliest for the Allies. Hampered by
deep, rising water, and assaulted by heavy German fire
from well-defended cliffs, around 2,400 US soldiers were
killed or injured in the landing.
△ Anti-tank mine
The Normandy beaches were
defended by mines such as this
German T-42, devised to explode
when a tank drove over it.COMMAND DIFFERENCES
The German response
to the invasion was slowed
by power struggles. Rommel
(center) argued for a fight on
the beaches, whereas Gerd
von Rundstedt, his superior,
planned for a counterattack
when the Allies were
ashore. However, the need
for Hitler’s permission
delayed von Rundstedt’s
plan until the afternoon
of D-Day.US_188-189_F_Omaha_beach.indd 188 04/03/19 10:47 AM