Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach was one of five beach landing sectors of the amphibious assault component of Operation Overlord during the Second World War.
On June 6, 1944, the Allies invaded German-occupied France with the Normandy landings.[1] "Omaha" refers to an 8-kilometer (5 mi) section of the coast of Normandy, France, facing the English Channel, from east of Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to west of Vierville-sur-Mer on the right bank of the Douve river estuary. Landings here were necessary to link the British landings to the east at Gold with the American landing to the west at Utah, thus providing a continuous lodgement on the Normandy coast of the Baie de Seine (Bay of the Seine river). Taking Omaha was to be the responsibility of United States Army troops, with sea transport, mine sweeping, and a naval bombardment force provided predominantly by the United States Navy and Coast Guard, with contributions from the British, Canadian and Free French navies.
The primary objective at Omaha was to secure a beachhead 8 kilometers (5 miles) deep, between Port-en-Bessin and the Vire river, linking with the British landings at Gold to the east, and reaching the area of Isigny to the west to link up with VII Corps landing at Utah. The untested American 29th Infantry Division, along with nine companies of U.S. Army Rangers redirected from Pointe du Hoc, assaulted the western half of the beach. The battle-hardened 1st Infantry Division was given the eastern half.
Opposing the landings was the German 352nd Infantry Division. Of its 12,020 men, 6,800 were experienced combat troops, detailed to defend a 53-kilometer (33 mi) front. The German strategy was based on defeating any seaborne assault at the water line, and the defenses were mainly deployed in strongpoints along the coast.
The Allied plan called for initial assault waves of tanks, infantry, and combat engineer forces to reduce the coastal defenses, allowing larger ships to land in follow-up waves. But very little went as planned. Difficulties in navigation caused most of the landing craft to miss their targets throughout the day. The defenses were unexpectedly strong, and inflicted substantial casualties on landing U.S. troops. Under intense fire, the engineers struggled to clear the beach obstacles; later landings bunched up around the few channels that were cleared. Weakened by the casualties taken just in landing, the surviving assault troops could not clear the exits off the beach. This caused further problems and consequent delays for later landings. Small penetrations were eventually achieved by groups of survivors making improvised assaults, scaling the bluffs between the most well-defended points. By the end of the day, two small isolated footholds had been won, which were subsequently exploited against weaker defenses further inland, achieving the original D-Day objectives over the following days.
German reactions[edit]
Observing the build-up of shipping off the beach, and in an attempt to contain what were regarded as minor penetrations at Omaha, a battalion was detached from the 915th Regiment being deployed against the British to the east. Along with an anti-tank company, this force was attached to the 916th Regiment and committed to a counterattack in the Colleville area in the early afternoon. It was stopped by "firm American resistance" and reported heavy losses.[95] The strategic situation in Normandy precluded the reinforcement of the weakened 352nd Division. The main threat was felt by the Germans to be the British beachheads to the east of Omaha, and these received the most attention from the German mobile reserves in the immediate area of Normandy.[96] Preparations were made to bring up units stationed for the defense of Brittany, southwest of Normandy, but these would not arrive quickly and would be subject to losses inflicted in transit by overwhelming Allied air superiority. The last reserve of the 352nd Division, an engineer battalion, was attached to the 916th Regiment in the evening. It was deployed to defend against the expected attempt to break out of the Colleville-St. Laurent beachhead established on the 16th RCT front. At midnight General Dietrich Kraiss, commander of the 352nd Division, reporting the total loss of men and equipment in the coastal positions, advised that he had sufficient forces to contain the Americans on D+1 but that he would need reinforcements thereafter, to be told that there were no more reserves available.[97]
RAF at Omaha Beach[edit]
It may come as a surprise to learn that a contingent of RAF personnel also landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day.
In order to provide frontline infantry the best possible aerial protection, both on the beaches and as they moved forward to secure the beachhead, it was necessary that the Allied Air Forces provided radar detection and guidance to be in place on the evening of the D-Day invasion.
As a result, a relatively small force of about 160 Royal Air Force technical personnel, together with their attached supporting Signals and other units, were scheduled to land on Omaha beach in Normandy at high tide on D-Day (about 11:00hrs), immediately after the first waves of American assault troops had secured the beach and their Engineers had made it safe.
As the United States did not have their own radar available by D-Day, it was agreed by the Government of the United Kingdom that one of its own Mobile Ground Controlled Interception Radar Units, (GCI 15082), would be lent to the US. The British mobile radars, being able to detect the range, bearing and height of potential enemy aircraft, were ideally suited for this role, provided they could be located on favorable sites and were available for immediate use on the night of the landings.[98]
GCI 15082 was formed as a Ground Controlled Interception unit in August 1943 at Renscombe Down, near Swanage in Dorset. It was equipped with what was then the latest in radar, including height-finding apparatus, and it was used primarily for the control of night fighters in forward fighting areas. The unit was mobile, with heavy equipment mounted on Crossley trucks and smaller apparatus on Bedfords. Operational status, following arrival at a designated site, was expected to be reached in two hours.
In order to provide this air cover, three Base Defence Wings (re-designated as "Sectors" – BDS - in May 1944)[98] were begun to be formed from 1 January 1944 with the appointment of Group Captain Moseby as the Commanding Officer of No. 21 BDS at RAF Church Fenton, North Riding of Yorkshire.[98] At a later date, the second and third Wings, Nos 24 and 25, were formed, the former with effect from 1 February 1944 at RAF Acklington, Northumberland, and the latter with effect from 1 March 1944 at RAF Castle Camps, Cambridgeshire.[98]
The plan had been for 21 BDS to land at Easy Red Beach at around 11.30 am when the tide would be in and to drive ashore. However, at the appointed hour for 21 BDS to land, the beach had not been taken, so they were ordered to circle offshore until the situation improved. Slowly, US Forces began to penetrate the bluffs and by early afternoon, at several points along the beach, advances were being made.[98]
By mid-afternoon, the first draw had been taken (E-1), quickly followed by E-3. There was now a chance to land 21 BDS, and so at 5.00pm, 6 hours behind schedule, they were ordered in. However, while they should have landed at the E-1 draw, they were actually put ashore closer to the D-3 draw, which was still being viciously fought over.
The tide was also low, and so the vehicles were dropped far out on the flat, sandy beach into low water. There were deep, hidden channels. The whole contents of one LCT drove off the ship and straight into a deep channel, never to be seen again.
Other vehicles became stuck in deep sand and mud and became drowned out by the advancing tide. Those that made it to the edge of the shingle found themselves trapped with no exit off the beach. They became sitting targets for the German mortar and artillery shells that picked them off, one after another.
The US forces that were on the beach with them were traumatized and immobile. Many men were dead or injured. 21 BDS’ position was grave, and they too were suffering casualties. The only solution was to get off the beach and get into the shelter of a ravine.
Several of the British Officers managed to organize themselves and some of the Americans to utilize an abandoned bulldozer to break through the shingle and effect their escape.
Their plan was successful, and the remaining, unscathed vehicles were driven a few hundred yards to the comparative safety of the destroyed hamlet of Les Moulins. Out of the original 27 vehicles, only 8 survived, and 21 BDS had lost 11 dead and 39 seriously injured out of their starting complement of about 150.[98]
Along with many detachments of the US 5th Army, they had suffered shocking losses, and had endured a frightening ordeal. Despite losing most of their equipment, they were able to re-group on 7 June and salvage some vehicles from the beach, though still under sniper fire. By the 8th June, they had established a temporary working base at the airstrip close to St. Laurent and claimed their first “kill” on the 9th June.[98]
Six men were awarded either the Military Cross or Military Medal from 21 BDS.[99]
One tragic error that the RAF committed was to send these men into conflict in their RAF blue battle dress, treated with “anti gas” material - once this uniform got wet, it became more grey than blue and became far too similar to the German grey uniform. It was reported that, on many occasions, the ill-fated 21 BDS were being shot at from both sides.[98]
Replacement vehicles and men were sent over after a week or so, and the rest of 21 BDS were operational by 1 July. 21 BDS went on to become the joint most successful GCI unit on the Western Front, with over 46 enemy aircraft downed in the first three months of the invasion alone.[98]