Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach was the Allied codename for one of the principal landing points during the Normandy landings on June 6 1944. The beach is about 3.5 miles long, from Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to Vierville-sur-Mer.

"Bloody Omaha"

The Germans had adequately prepared their Atlantic Wall defences along the obstacle-strewn beach, and the gentle downward slope gave them an excellent field of fire. Certain sections of the beach, particularly above the high-water mark, were mined. The German 352nd Division defending Omaha Beach was one of the better trained German units in the area. About half of the swimming Sherman DD Tanks intended to give armoured support swamped and sunk before reaching shore, due to adverse weather conditions and deployment orders that were inappropriate for such conditions -- half the tanks were launched as planned, from 6 kilometers out. The Allied air bombardment of the beach defenses prior to the landings was largely ineffective: most of the bombs fell too far inland. The initial naval bombardment was also ineffective, due to to the short time allotted to the naval guns (40 minutes). The German defenses were largely intact when the first assault waves hit the beach. The assault troops had almost no cover or craters on the 400-yard deep beach at low tide. Carefully planned assault waves turned into chaos as wind, waves, and current scattered most of the landing craft far from their assigned targets. Tired and seasick troops, weighed down by wet and sand-filled gear, could not run across the open sand (as often portrayed in movies). Most could only walk or trot across the exposed sand.

Related Topics:
Germans - Atlantic Wall - Mined - German 352nd Division - DD Tank

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The landings at Omaha Beach resulted in heavy Allied casualties. The official record of the 1st Infantry Division stated that "Within 10 minutes of the ramps being lowered, company had become inert, leaderless and almost incapable of action. Every officer and sergeant had been killed or wounded... It had become a struggle for survival and rescue". The invaders suffered over 2,400 killed, most in the first few hours.

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Casualties per unit varied widely. Squads landing directly in front of the most fortified German positions were wiped out as the landing craft ramps dropped. Other units, lucky to land between bunkers or on portions of the beach obscured by smoke, made it onto the beach with few losses. Another factor was the skill and courage of landing craft coxswains. Some emptied their boats too far off the beach, after hitting sandbars, and the soldiers had to drop their weapons and supplies or drown in the surf. Other coxswains made every effort to land the troops right on the beach with multiple attempts and risking their craft. The first wave was hit the hardest. Later, larger landings were more successful.

Related Topics:
Landing craft - Coxswain - Sandbars

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