Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach was one of the principal landing points during the Normandy landings on June 6th 1944. The beach is about 3.5 miles long.To the west of the beach, the American 29th Infantry Division were to land, to the east, the 1st Infantry Division. The principal objective of the Omaha Beach landing was to secure the line between Port-En-Bessin and the river Vire, before pushing south towards St Lo.
The Germans had adequately prepared their 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 landings at Omaha Beach resulted in heavy Allied casualties. Had the Germans counter-attacked, the position of the US forces would likely have been far worse.
The American success at this beach, although costly, was largely due to enormous efforts to hide the actual location of the invasion, which the entire world had expected to take place around this time. The effort to confuse the Germans as to where the Allies would actually invade worked so well that Hitler withheld German reinforcements from the Normandy area for weeks, well after the decisive moment had passed.
- See also : World War II