The Normandy invasion is generally considered the turning point of World War II for the Allies. The invasion took place on June 6, 1944 and covered 5 landing areas along the Normandy coast. For the Allies, this was an all or nothing gamble to secure a foothold in Europe. If the invasion had failed, the outcome of the war could have been different. This paper will highlight the two of the landing areas in which the Americans were involved and one in which the British were involved, and what happened on those beaches.
Omaha Beach was the code name for one of the five landing areas of the Normandy Invasion, which involved American troops. The beach stretched over 6 miles and was the largest of the five assault areas. The Germans, under Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, had already built a formidable defense in which to protect the battlefield. The waters and beach of this landing area were heavily mined and there were a dozen strong points, called "resistance nests".
A LCVP (Landing Craft, Vehicle, Personnel) from th...
Allied invasion plans and german positions in the ...
Landing craft and tanks at Omaha beach during the ...Leading the army for the U.S. was Lieutenant General Omar Bradley. The assault was to take place at 0630 hours by the U.S. 1st Infantry Division and the 116th Regiment. The objectives of the first Division were ambitious.
First, capture the villages of Vierville, Saint-Laurent, and Colleville; and then it was to attack south toward Pointe du Hoc. From the beginning, everything went terribly wrong at Omaha Beach. Throughout the landing, gunners from the German army poured deadly fire into the ranks of the invading Americans. At 0830 hours the entire landing had ceased at Omaha Beach. The troops on the beach realized that the planned exits were not the way off. Slowly, they scaled the cliffs in small groups. Meanwhile, navy destroyers drifted in, scraping their bottoms in...