Omaha beachhead (6 June - 13 June 1944).

Format:

Book

Government document

Contributor:

Center of Military History, issuing body.

Series:

CMH pub ; 100-11.

American forces in action series

CMH pub ; 100-11

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

World War, 1939-1945--Campaigns--France--Normandy.

World War, 1939-1945.

Normandy (France)--History.

Normandy (France).

Military campaigns.

France--Normandy.

Genre:

Online resources.

History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (viii, 167 pages) : illustrations, maps (some color)

Edition:

World War II, 50th anniversary, commemorative edition.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : Center of Military History, U.S. Army, 1994.

Summary:

Illustrated with over 40 photos and 15 maps of the engagement.The momentous events of the 6th of June 1944, D-Day, still resonate around the world, almost 200,000 Allied Soldiers were thrown against the Nazi dominated coast of France in a bid to free Western Europe from the Fascist grip that had held it since 1939. The plan was audacious, ambitious and exceptionally dangerous, the Allied Planners had decided to attack across five sectors over the beaches of Normandy, from the British and Canadian forces on the right at the mouth of the river Orne to the American Troops at the base of the Cotentin Peninsula. Without doubt the toughest sector of all was the beach code-named "Omaha" it was vital as it linked the Americans with the British landing to the east; however it was beset with sheer cliffs at either end of the beach, a deep sloping beach, the most advanced defences and the best of the German troops on the coast.As this book recounts in vivid detail, the reality on the beaches was truly hellish, wide beaches swept by artillery, mortar, machine gun and rifle fire filled with casualties as men clung to the beach obstacles for the only cover to be had. As the American troops on the ground struggled forward, errors in navigation led to reinforcements being routed to the wrong beaches and supporting amphibious tanks sank in the rough seas. That any of the men made it off the beaches at all was a miracle based on inspired leadership, hard training and sheer courage in the face of horrendous death dealing fire.As immortalised in the film Saving Private Ryan, this book produced by the American Army Historical Section recounts in superb, often brutal, detail the struggle on Omaha Beach. It is tale never to be forgotten and as the narrative based on the personal interviews with the men and officers of the 1st, 2nd and 29th divisions, along with the official reports and documents it is as engaging as it is authoritative.

Contents:

Operation Neptune

Assault plan

D-Day the landings

Assault of the bluffs

Advance inland

Attainment of D-Day objectives (7-8 June)

The Attack of 9-11 June

The Attack of 12-13 June

Conclusion.

Notes:

Originally published: Washington, D.C. : Historical Division, War Dept., 1945. (American forces in action series).

Sixteen col. maps.

Electronic reproduction. [Place of publication not identified] : HathiTrust Digital Library, 2016.

Online resource, PDF version; title from title page (CMH, viewed December 26, 2018).

Other Format:

Print version: Omaha beachhead (6 June - 13 June 1944)

OCLC:

954176569

Access Restriction:

Use copy Restrictions unspecified