American History

Eisenhowers plan for D Day was to fully control the seas and the air as such the date of the invasion was initially set for early May however was changed till June due to the fact that more landing crafts were not available. This was to ensure that the allied troops would be able to overwhelm the Germans stationed at Normandy. The plan of attack was to initially bombard the German positions with artillery as well as bombs from the air to ensure than a sea based invasion wouldnt be beset by an entrenched German defense.  Eisenhower set D- Day for June 5th however didnt order the invasion till June the 6th. This was due to the fact that at the time severe weather conditions would make it difficult if not highly improbable to launch an invasion force. Even German commanders at the time relaxed since even they thought that no invasion would come. Eisenhower learning from history did almost exactly what George Washington did when he crossed the frigid Delaware. With weather conditions far from optimal, with heavy raining beating down over the their ships he ordered the largest seaborne invasion in history taking the Germans by surprise.  2700 ships moved into position and on the morning of June the 6 they approached the French coast. The German forces were caught by surprise rather spectacularly when a massive naval barrage and fighters dropping bombs reduced their forces and lowered resistance. One beach though, Omaha was able to escape severe bombardment.

The taking of the 5 beaches
The battle of Sword beach started out with an aerial bombardment of the German beach front defenses and artillery sites, which was followed by a naval bombardment to soften up any remaining German troops. Sword beach was invaded by British and French infantry troops with the goal of taking two locations two German batteries which overlooked the sea and a blockhouse as well as the Casino (not a literal casino).
The targets were successfully taken by French troops over time however the German batteries which were the main goal of the British troops were devoid of guns which were stripped off by the retreating Germans.
The battle of Juno beach consisted of Canadian forces having to face 2 heavy batteries of 155mm guns and 9 medium batteries of 75mm guns. Not only that the Germans were heavily entrenched in concrete fortifications with machine gun artillery. The initial waves that attacked suffered a lot of damage however with the use of tanks the troops were able to successfully penetrate inland and capture the fortifications.

At Gold beach the fighting was equally as intense and the casualties were numerous however this was due to the fact that the same type of tanks used at Juno beach were not immediately available due to delays this of course resulted in numerous casualties until the tanks finally arrived and the troops were able to successfully capture the village on the beach used by the Germans as a makeshift fortification.

The battle of Utah beach was the one which resulted in the least casualties out of all the beach landings due to the fact that it was lightly defended, had few fortifications and was easily taken as a result.

During the battle of Omaha beach the main objective of the Allies was to secure a beachhead which was between Port en Bessin and the Vire River it should have been simple enough however problems besieged the Allies from the start of this particular battle. The land craft missed their targets resulting in problems with formation. The defenses in the area were unexpectedly strong as it turned out Omaha was the most well defended beach that was able to escape a majority of the bombardment from the ships and the planes. resulting in numerous casualties on the American side not only that engineers were also offloaded sometimes with their tools in the wrong area resulting in them getting stuck in the sand which made them sitting ducks for German Artillery. This logistical nightmare resulted in the deaths of some 5,000 men since due to errors with the coordinates as to where to land as soon as the transports hit the beach they were beset by German artillery. However due to the efforts of American troops who were able to take two isolated footholds on the beachhead the subsequent waves were able to take advantage of this and eventually captured the beachhead within 3 days.

Taking of Port du Hoc
At Pointe du Hoc in area four miles west of Omaha Beach, the Germans had erected a fortified position for a coastal battery of six 155-mm howitzers that were seized from the French  four guns were in open emplacements and two were enclosed in cases, with further construction work on cases reported under way in April and May. This battery was one of the most dangerous elements in the German coastal defenses of the assault area. With a 25,000-yard range, the 155s could put fire on the approaches to Omaha Beach and on the transport area of the soldiers.

The Ranger Group, attached to the 116th Infantry and commanded by Lt. Col. James E. Rudder, was given the mission of capturing Pointe du Hoc and neutralizing the dangerous German coastal battery. The Group was made up of two battalions the 2d Rangers, under direct command of Colonel Rudder, and the 5th Rangers, under Lt. Col. Max F. Schneider. Three companies (D, E, and F) of the 2d Battalion were to land from the sea at H Hour and assault the cliff position at Pointe du Hoc. The main Ranger force (5th Battalion and Companies A and B of the 2d) would wait off shore for signal of success, then land at the Point. The Ranger Group would then move inland, cut the coastal highway connecting Grandcamp and Vierville, and await the arrival of the 116th Infantry from Vierville before pushing west toward Grandcamp and Maisy.

The soldiers were tasked to scale a 30 meter cliff wall using nothing but ropes and ladders and then subsequently destroy  the German coastal defense guns which were thought to target the Omaha and Utah landing areas. The commanders of the Ranger group did not know at the time that the guns had been moved before the attack would take place as such they had to go further inland to locate them. They were successful in their missions and were able to destroy the guns however the fortifications in the area were vital positions since a single German observer in the area could have radioed in the positions of targets on the beaches for German artillery to aim at. The result was that the Rangers had to dig themselves in and capture the fortifications and hold the positions to ensure that no one could use them. The troops stationed there had to fight for two straight days to hold the position losing a majority of the force however they were successful and prevented any German spotters from using the location to call down artillery on the arriving troops and ships.

101st and 82nd  Airborne Drops
On June 5-6, 1944, the paratroopers of the 82nds three parachute infantry regiments and reinforced glider infantry regiment boarded hundreds of transport planes and gliders and, began the largest airborne assault in history. They were among the first soldiers to fight in Normandy, France.

The division dropped behind Utah Beach, Normandy, France between Ste Mere-Eglise and Carentan on June 6th, 1944. They were reinforced by the 325th GIR the next day. The division remained under strong German pressure along the Merderit River. Eventually, the 325th GIR crossed the river to secure a bridgehead at La Fiere on June 9th. It was during this action that Pfc Charles N. DeGlopper single-handedly defended his platoons position and subsequently was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism.

The next day the 505th PIR captured Montebourg Station and on June 12th the 508th PIR crossed the Douve at Beuzeville-la-Bastille and reached Baupt. They established a bridgehead at Pont lAbbe on June 19th. The division then attacked down the west coast of the Cotentin Peninsula and captured Hill 131 on July 3rd. The following day the 82nd seized Hill 95 overlooking La Haye-du-Puits.

By the time the All-American Division was pulled back to England on July 13, 1944, General James M Gavinit had seen 33 days of bloody combat and suffered 5,245 paratroopers killed, wounded or missing.

The US 101st Airborne Divisions mission was to secure four exits across the marshland near the coast for the invading US 4th Infantry Division at Utah beach.  These causeways needed to be secured because on each side of the exits, it was flooded several feet deep in places.  The 101st also were tasked to destroy two bridges over the Douve and to capture the La Barquette lock just north of Carentan.  The lock controlled the water height of the flooded areas and it was essential that it be captured.