Utah Beach

Utah Beach. Liberation Pointe. , Over 21,000 men of the 4th U.S. Infantry Division (ID), with elements of the 90th Infantry Division and the 4th Mechanized Cavalry Group, stormed Utah Beach. Utah Beach was divided into three sectors: "Tare," "Uncle," and "Victor." The mission of the 4th ID was to secure the beach and the four major causeways that led into the towns to link up with the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions., Paratroopers dropped inland through the night and secured key positions. U.S. Navy shelling of German defenses, followed by Army Air Forced bombings, were successful as well. The 4th ID was to secure the beach and the four major causeways that led into the towns to link u with the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions., Paratroopers dropped inland through the night and secured key positions. U.S. Navy shelling of German defenses, followed by Army Air Forces bombings, were successful as well. The 4th ID landed two thirds of a mile from their planned zone in a less defended area, allowing them to advance four miles inland, securing roads and working with the airborne divisions. The Americans landed 23,500 troops onto Utah Beach with 200 casualties.,

Utah Combatant Forces. Allied Units , 4th Infantry Division . 90th Infantry Division . 4th Cavalry Regiment . U.S. Navy . U.S. Coast Guard, Axis Units , 91st Infantry Division . 919th Grenadier Regiment, "We will start the war from right here." , Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., 57 , Asst. Commander, 4th U.S. Infantry Division , - upon learning that his Soldiers landed almost a mile from their target on Utah Beach

, Captain E. Briner Ashway, 22, , 556th Quartermaster Railhead Co., , Mechanicsburg, PA , Ashway led his quartermaster troops onto Utah Beach and inland to manage vital supplies. In preparation for D-Day, Ashway was part of Exercise Tiger on April 28, 1944. His boat was severely damaged, and he suffered major head trauma. He returned a few weeks later to land on Utah. After D-Day, Ashway was attached to the 3rd Army and General Patton's history making advance across Europe., Brigadier Gen. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., 57 , Asst. Commander, - 4th Infantry Division, , Oyster Bay, NY , General Roosevelt, Jr. realized quickly that the troops landed over a mile from their target. His quick thinking and confident decision-making made Utah Beach the most successful of the Allied landings. He was the oldest soldier that landed and he suffered a heart attack and died a few days after the landing. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor., Dennis Shryock, 21, , Explosives Specialist, , Naval Combatant Demolition Unit 136, , Springfield, IL , U.S. Navy Gunner's Mate First Class Dennis Sryock, a member of one of thirty-four demolition teams sent to Europe, was one of the first men on Utah Beach. Despite the intense fire, his unit worked obstacle to obstacle, lacing each with sixty pounds of explosives and clearing the way for the allies to land., Pregnant Birds, Turtles, and Iron Fish. There were thirteen Native American Comanche "Code Talkers" using their tribal language to transmit secret communications on Utah Beach. The Code Talkers were distributed in pairs and played a significant role in the invasion, confirming targets for the Allied ships offshore., They developed their own words that even other native speakers would not understand: a submarine was an iron fish, a bomber was a pregnant bird, and a tank was a turtle. Their code was never broken, and the Code Talkers were credited with saving numerous American and Allied lives. While some of the Code Talkers were wounded, all of them returned home., [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.