Omaha Beach

Omaha Beach. Liberation Pointe. , Assaulted by the 1st U.S. Infantry Division and the 29th U.S. Infantry Division, Omaha Beach was divided into four major landing areas: "Charlie," "Dog," "Easy," and "Fox." It was also the most heavily defended landing beach and costliest in terms of casualties. Underestimated German troop strength, as well as poor visibility due to lingering smoke from aerial bombings, rough seas, and fog contributed to the heavy American casualties., The 1st U.S. Infantry and 29th U.S. Infantry Divisions suffered 2,000 casualties. Nazi artillery struck many of the landing craft before they reached the shore, and the boats that did arrive frequently landed in the wrong location. The carnage was so intense, Lieutenant General Omar N. Bradley considered abandoning the mission., Small breakthroughs began to occur by late morning, and by evening, the Americans were able to maintain a small presence about 1.5 miles deep. Nearly 35,000 men came across "Bloody" Omaha Beach, with total casualties of 4,700 killed, wounded or missing.,

Omaha Combatant Forces , Allied Forces , United States. Allied Units , 1st Infantry Division . 29th Infantry Division . U.S. Army Rangers . U.S. Navy . U.S. Coast Guard, Axis Forces , Germany. Axis Units , 352nd Infantry Division . 439th Ost Battalion, "Nothing had prepared me for the terrible shooting all around, all the bodies, all the death." , Sergeant Peter Cardinali, 5th Ranger Battalion

, Joe "Eddie" McCann, Jr., 15, , Coxswain, US Navy , Everett, WA , U.S. Navy Coxswain Joseph "Eddie" McCann, Jr. delivered one of the first infantry units of the first wave on D-Day. He was the youngest coxswain in world war two, joining the Navy at 13 and being a decorated veteran at 15, seeing action in North Africa and Sicily. In April 1944, McCann survived Operation Tiger, operating a small boat to rescue forty-five men from Nazi torpedo boats that his three American LSTs on D-Day's practice maneuver., John J. Pinder, Jr., 32, , Radio Technician Fifth Grade, 16th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division , McKees Rocks, PA , Radio Technician Fifth Grade John J. Pinder, Jr. was a radio operator in the first wave onto Omaha Beach. He was wounded twice, choosing not to be treated, began bringing critical radio gear in from the surf, and establishing vital communications on the beach. In the process, he received a third, fatal wound. He earned the Medal of Honor for his actions., Captain Edwin R. Perry, 26 , Corps of Engineers , Weehawken, NJ , Captain Edwin R. Perry commanded a demolition squad to remove underwater obstacles on Omaha Beach. Perry's boat was hit by an artillery shell, and after swimming ashore under heavy fire, he reorganized the remnants of his team, leading them to demolish the beach obstacles, so troops and equipment could safely land. For his actions, he received the Distinguished Service Cross., The Magnificent Eleven. Life magazine photographer, Robert Capa, accompanied Company E, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division. Amidst the carnage, Capa managed to take a few rolls of film, (around 110 frames), get back on an LCI boat, and get back to develop the film. In haste, the dark room technician dried the film too quickly, destroying all but eleven shots of what actually happened on those first assault missions., [Caption:] , The greatest invasion in history relied on an intricate multipart attack. A prolonged aerial bombardment in the weeks leading up to D-day was followed by further air attacks on German positions in the early hours of June 6. Beginning around 0500 hours, Navy guns again hammered the Germans; the amphibious landings followed. In addition, some 24,000 men made airborne landings in Normandy, either by parachuting or landing in gliders.