Omaha beach was the biggest D-Day invasion site at six miles wide. The attack began on June 6, 1944. The German forces protecting the beach were the 352nd division. They were under the command Erwin Rommel. Omaha Beach was divided into sections. The 116th Regiment of the 29th Division attacked the three Dog sections and the Easy Green section of the beach. The 16th Regiment of the 1st Division attacked the Fox Green and Easy Red sections of the beach. The U.S. forces were commanded by Omar Bradley. They were trying to take over the beach and then the towns to the south and west of the beach. When it came time to attack, it seemed to go off the rails. The Sherman Tanks that were sent to accompany the troops failed to cross the Channel. The strong winds that day blew the landing ships offcourse. Around 8:30 the U.S. stopped sending in troops and started bombarded the Germans. At the end of the day, the U.S. had sustained 2,400 casualties, and the Germans had sustained 1,200 casualties. The U.S. had managed …show more content…
It was the largest beach and has cliffs separating the beach from the nearby towns. The Germans had set up ‘Dragon’s Teeth’, devices that would take out the landing boats. They also had tranches connecting all their defenses. The U.S. forces planned to start the attack at 06:30 hours. But fate didn’t go the their way at first. Of the 29 Sherman Tanks sent to cross the Channel, only two made it. The other 27 sank, with their crews trapped inside. The strong winds also resulted in troops landing in the wrong place. No one knew what section they were supposed to attack. The only cover the U.S. units had was up against the cliffs. Though getting across the beach became fatal. For the troops to get off the beach, they had to climb the cliffs. They were led by U.S. Rangers while the navy drew fire away from them. Though it seemed like a massacre, the U.S. had landed 34,000 troops that day.