D-Day 1944 Omaha and Utah Beaches by Steven J. Zaloga (2005-05-04)

INCLUDES: TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PART 1: OMAHA BEACH CHRONOLOGY OPPOSING COMMANDERS OPPOSING PLANS OPPOSING ARMIES D-DAY OMAHA BEACH IN RETROSPECT THE BATTLEFIELD TODAY PART 2: UTAH BEACH CHRONOLOGY OPPOSING COMMANDERS OPPOSING ARMIES OPPOSING PLANS D-DAY THE BATTLEFIELD TODAY FURTHER READING INDEX FROM THE INTRODUCTION: "IT WAS A DAY OF WAR THAT WOULD CHANGE THE COURSE OF THE WORLD FOREVER, AND FOR THE BETTER. AND ON JUNE 6, 1944, TWO BATTLEGROUNDS IN PARTICULAR BECAME CRITICAL TO THE ALLIES' SUCCESS-THE BEACHES CALLED OMAHA AND UTAH. THE GERMANS WERE EXPECTING THE MAIN ALLIED ASSAULT FROM ACROSS THE ENGLISH CHANNEL TO COME AT CALAIS. BUT OTHER POTENTIAL ATTACH POINTS WERE VIGOROUSLY DEFENDED, TOO. IN FACT, ON OMAHA BEACH, FULLY ONE THIRD OF THE FIRST ALLIED ASSAULT WAVE BECAME CASUALTIES WITHIN MOMENTS OF HITTING THE BEACH. THE COASTLINE WAS DIFFICULT, AND THE GERMAN SOLDIERS WERE BETTER AND MORE EXPERIENCED HERE THAN AT ANY OF THE OTHER FOUR BEACHES HIT THAT DAY. A DEAR PRICE WAS PAID, BUT THE ATLANTIC WALL WAS BREACHED BY NIGHTFALL. UTAH WAS THE WESTERNMOST BEACH THAT THE ALLIES ATTACKED ON DA-DAY. SITUATED AT THE BASE OF THE COTENTIN PENINSULA, IT OFFERED ACCESS TO CHERBOURG, A KEY PORT FOR THE ALLIES' OVERALL STRATEGIC PLAN. FROM THERE, THE ARMY OF FREEDOM COULD MOVE ON TO THE OTHER PORTS OF BRETON. A FACT THAT MANY PEOPLE LOOK PAST IS THAT THE DAY STARTED NOT WITH THE LANDINGS AT DAWN, BUT BY AIRBORNE LANDINGS OF PARATROOPERS OVERNIGHT...DARING SOLDIERS DROPPED BEHIND ENEMY LINES TO WREAK HAVOC AND START TAKING KEY BRIDGES, CROSSROAD AND OTHER IMPORTANT POINTS. UNDER DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES, THEY GOT ENOUGH OF THE JOB DONE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. IN ONE DAY THE SCRIPT WAS WRITTEN. THE DRAMA THEN PLAYED OUT THROUGH THE SUMMER, FALL, AND WINTER, INTO THE NEXT SPRING. BUT IT ALL STARTED ON D-DAY 1944, MUCH OF IT ON OMAHA AND UTAH BEACHES. HERE IS THE COMPLETE STORY."