Sgt Eagle
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UTAH BEACH
D-DAY AT UTAH BEACH
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WHY WAS IT NECESSARY TO LAND ON UTAH BEACH ?
Land on the European continent.
Following the conference which took place in CASABLANCA on january 1943, the allies decided to create a new battle front in order to relieve the heavily engaged Russian armies on the eastern front. OVERLORD was to be the operation code name.
« We will pursue the war until complete unconditionnal surrender by the ennemy »
Until the end of march 1944, General Dwight EISENHOWER and his military strategists had planned to land on the three following beaches.
- OMAHA BEACH
- JUNO BEACH
- GOLD BEACH
The principal key of success in this huge operation would be to provide supplies to the allied armies. They needed a fonctional deep water harbour immediately. CHERBOURG harbour was chosen. LE HAVRE was not retained because it would have been too difficult to resist to the powerful 15th german army stationed with their famous Panzer Tank Division just near PAS DE CALAIS.
The geographical shape of the Cotentin along with large flooded areas by the germans would make the capture of CHERBOURG very difficult with a heavy loss of human life beginning at OMAHA BEACH : Landing on UTAH BEACH would prove to be vital.
American paratroopers open the way.
The first 48 hours of a military landing are the most critical, the installation of structures allowing special units, armored vehicules, tank and supplies to land on the beach requires time and incredible organization. The presence of a large flooded area around the sector of UTAH BEACH increased the difficulty, because they formed a natural barrier slowing down the units progression.
The assault of a fortress : Europe.
The WEHRMACHT underwent a heavy defeat on the russian front, that is why from spring 1943. In 1944, ROMMEL decided to fortify the coast and the beaches facing ENGLAND.
On the german position W5 situated at SAINTE MARIE DU MONT, lieutenant JAHNKE had under his command about 75 Bielorussians who’s average age was about 50 years old.The german stronghold W5 was made of around 20 bunkers connected to each by trenches. W5 was 800 meters long (half a mile) and 300 meters wide (quater of a mile).
This german position was protected by mined fields and a large flooded area. The whole installation was surrounded by barbed wire.
The whole beach was inundated with anti-landing obstacles with the view to ripping open the landing boats. At the beginning of 1943, the ennemy built an anti-tank wall, 1m80 high, going from the Grand Vey to Morsalines, around about 25 kms of coastlines. The purpose of this wall was to stop tanks from penetrating german’s military positions.
At the sunrise june 6th , been assured of the complete destruction of german battery at SAINT MARTIN DE VARREVILLE by arial bombing, parachutists from the 101st Airborn Division could now controlled the high points around the marshlands as well as the four principal roads. The telephons wires having been cut, germans found themselves isolated.
Hard fighting took place all the day long around the Barquette’s locks as well as the bridges over the Merderet and the Douve river.
6 JUIN 1944 : dawning of the day. (continuation)
During the night the sea was covered with warships. From 4 o’clock a.m onwards men from the 4th Infantry Division, the 1st Engineer Special Brigade and the US Army bombed disposal unit boarded the landing barges stationed 10 nautical miles from the coast.
At 5.30 a.m, powerful battleships and destroyers
began naval bombing on the german’s strategic
coastal position and over the german batteries
at AZEVILLE and CRISBECQ. Amongst the
warships were the BAYFIELD, BLACK PRINCE
and the proud USS NEVADA which had survived
the attack on PEARL HARBOUR,
on 7th december 1941.
At 6.30 a.m : "H HOUR".
Some men of the Engineer and US NAVY were already active demining and clearing the beach of its obstacles.The first twenty landing crafts opened their ramps on the beach at low tide, and 600 men belonging to the 2nd Battallion of the 8th Infantry Division of the 4th Division under the command of General BARTON ran without cover to the sand dunes.
A few minutes later, 28 of the 32 amphibious Shermans of the 70th Tank Battallion reached the beach.
Lieutenant JAHNKE watched powerless the allies took control of the beach. The young Lieutenant couldn’t help but see how disorganized his defense system was : artillery guns out of use, many wounded men. As a last resort, he tried using the final weapon he had against Colonel HUFFER’s tanks : the GOLIATH but their fragile guiding system had been damaged by the allied bombing.Before 9o’clock, german position W5 no longer existed, the last ennemy having surrendered.
At midday, the first soldiers of the 4th Division linked up with a group of parachutists in POUPPEVILLE, 4 kms south of UTAH BEACH.
At 1.00 p.m, tanks entered into the town centre of SAINTE MARIE DU MONT. The same evening a second column backed up by the 22nd Infantry Regiment arrived at RAVENOVILLE. They brought to nothing the german’s forces established along the coast.
The 12th Infantry Regiment was stopped at TURQUEVILLE (3 kms east of SAINTE MERE EGLISE) in the evening of the 6th of june 1944, by a Wehrmacht’s Geogian Battallion, which they overcame early the next morning.
Sgt Eagle
Last edited by Sgt Eagle, 1/30/2005, 8:33 am
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From this day till the ending of the world we in it shall be remembered ,we Band Of Brothers Henry V-W.Shakespear
Eendracht maakt Macht !
GO Belgium
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1/30/2005, 8:23 am
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Sgt Eagle
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Re: UTAH BEACH
UTAH was less deadly than OMAHA.Next page The first day of the landing on UTAH BEACH was less deadly than on OMAHA (« Bloody OMAHA ») with « only » 197 killed in action and 60 missing soldiers. The shore landing at UTAH BEACH was a success with 20 000 GI’s, 1720 vehicules, and 1695 tons of supplies arriving on french ground.
DETAILED REPORT OF THE DAY : UTAH BEACH.
UTAH BEACH becomes an impressive artificial harbour.
On june 5th 1944, the allied fleet was making it’s way towards the coast of Normandy. As well as the warships were 13 old ships especially conveyed to be sunk in a demi-circle between the Saint Marcouf Islands and the coast, forming a solid wavebraker.
On june 5th 1944, the allied fleet was making it’s way towards the coast of Normandy. As well as the warships were 13 old ships especially conveyed to be sunk in a demi-circle between the Saint Marcouf Islands and the coast, forming a solid wavebraker.
The 1st Engineer Special Brigade built in only 5 days a road called « the allied road » boarded the coast between UTAH BEACH and SAINT MARTIN DE VARREVILLE.
The number of these men had now passed from 23 000 to 70 000 soldiers. Their missions were to install and to manage the harbour.
The port of UTAH BEACH was operationnal between 6th june 1944 and the 1st november 1944, and during that period 836 000 men, 220 000 vehicules and 725 000 tons of equipment, supplies came through the harbour.
The surrounding fields were rapidly changed into storage fields.
Two airfields were built in record time during summer 1944, this enabled the fighter squadrons P47 (thunderbolt) to intervene rapidly.
-One situated near BRUCHEVILLE 5 kms south of UTAH
-One situated in the hamlet called «LA LONDE» (at Beuzeville-au-Plain)
By the end of the « longest day », the american army had set up a solid position from the beach. Unlike other sectors, on UTAH all the prepared targets had been achieved for the following reasons.
Precise and effective naval and arial bombing.
Military attack at low tide, hence rendering the anti-landing obstacles unsuccessful.Soldiers landing 1800 m further south than planned, protected them from the artillerie at CRISBECQ and AZEVILLE, who couldn’t reach them.
General Theodore ROOSEVELT’s decision to start the invasion, inspite of this error.
CARENTAN was liberated after intense fighting on june 12th 1944 by the 101st Airborne Division, making possible the link up with the 29th Infantry Division, which had landed on the 6th june 1944 at OMAHA BEACH. The same day, the guns of CRISBECQ were brought to complete silence.
On 18th june 1944, after crossing marshland the americans isolated the german garrison of CHERBOURG, by cutting of the Cotentin peninsula near BARNEVILLE.
June 20th 1944 VALOGNES was liberated.
June 27th 1944, the germans surrendered in CHERBOURG, leaving a completely devastated harbour, which only became operationnal on 26th of july 1944.
Capturing the CHERBOURG fortress was one of the first allied victory in Normandy.
The battle of Normandy continued for a further 9 long weeks until the destruction of the 7th german army in FALAISE on 20th of august 1944.
Five days later, PARIS WAS LIBERATED
Sgt Eagle
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From this day till the ending of the world we in it shall be remembered ,we Band Of Brothers Henry V-W.Shakespear
Eendracht maakt Macht !
GO Belgium
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1/30/2005, 8:31 am
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