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American troops landed on Utah Beach 6 June 1944 (D-Day and H-Hour, 06:30). The American contribution to the liberation of France is recognized in monuments at this site.
I visited the site 8 March 2012. It is an impressive reminder of the importance of the United States to the liberation of Europe. The allied unit was the 4th U.S. Infantry Division.
Here's a map to see where the U.S. and other allies landed on that significant day in world history. Utah is the furthest landing point of Operation Overlord, the Normandy Invasion on 6 June 1944. The area is about 3 miles across.
At the end of the day, 23,500 American soliders and 1,700 vehicles landed. And 197 Americans died. They progressed about 4 miles to be within a mile of Sainte-Mère-Église.
Read more about D-Day and World War II at this site.
I visited the Grand Bunker museum on a cold and rainy 8 March 2012. The concrete bunker museum offers
visitors a view of the German Shooting Command and Management Station at
Ouistreham, Normandy, France near Sword Beach. The 17-metre (52 feet) high construction has five
levels and was part of Nazi Germany’s Atlantic Wall defense against the
expected allied invasion of France.
The bunker was built in 1943-1944. The bunker was disabled
by a direct hit from British battle cruiser, H.M.S. Frobisher on D-Day, 6 June
1944. It is located near the site of the Sword Beach landings. Troops led by Lt. Bob Orrell eventually
captured the bunker on 9 June and took 52-53 (sites vary in number) prisoners.
The rooms in the museum have been restored to their
functions at the time of D-Day. The museum opened in 1987. At the upper level, we
get a full view of the beaches where Operation Overlord took place.
At the lower levels, we glimpse life for the German soldiers
as they await the inevitable allied invasion.
Vehicles and war machines are on the grounds.
Rating: 4 of 5. It is a very good portrayal of a unique
aspect of WWII. On the web you will see most ratings are 4 or 5 out of 5. The
only significant negative is the glare, which interferes with viewing the contents of items
behind glass (a common problem of many museums).
Location: Avenue
du 6 Juin, 14150 Ouistreham, France.
Admission: There
is a modest charge to enter the museum. Check the website for current prices.
Hours: The museum
is open most days of the year, but there are some closures so check the website
for details. Opening times vary from 9:00 or 10:00 am and close at 6:00 or 7:00
pm, depending on the time of year.
I was in Normandy, France
for the 75th anniversary events. The sacrifices were incredible! So many died in the pursuit of
freedom. D-Day was the beginning of the end of World War II.
Many Flags- People working together
D-Day
is the day, the Allied forces of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and other allies amassed
the largest armada in history to invade German occupied France and liberate Western
Europe forcing Germany and Italy out of World War II.
The “D” refers to the
designated day for the operation and the “H” in H-hour is the hour the scheduled
operation began.
Troops
from other allied nations were also represented: France, Poland, Belgium,
Netherlands, Australia, Greece, Czechoslovakia, Norway, and New Zealand.
Other nations were involved in the war effort at many other locations around the world. It was truly, and sadly, a world war.
Five Beaches of the D-Day Invasion
On
4 June, chief meteorologist James Stagg of Scotlandtold U.S. General Dwight D.
Eisenhower the weather looked good for 6 June. On 5 June Eisenhower gave the order for
Operation Overlord—telling the troops, "The eyes of the world are upon you".
The
invasion forces left southern England on 5 June 1944.
5 June On Our Way
17:00
The largest armada in world history left the south coast of England
with troops, supplies, and ammunition. Eventually, naval forces would include 6,939 warships and vessels: 4,126 landing crafts and boats, 1,213 combat ships, 736 other craft, and 864 merchant ships.
22:00
Airborne troops make final checks and begin boarding Horsa Gliders.
D-Day 6 June 1944
00:16
British paratroopers land on target at two bridges later named Pegasus and
Horsa, on the path to Caen (Read more about Pegasus Bridge).
00:26
British forces defeat Germans to take Pegasus bridge. A nearby house (now a museum) is among
the first liberated from German occupation.
Pegasus Bridge, Normandy / Geoff Sutton 2012
01:11
German General Marcks gets word of paratroopers, but decides to wait.
01:55
American paratroopers land around Sainte-Mère-Eglise on the path to Cherbourg.
After several hours of fighting, the first village is liberated (Read more about the Americans at Sainte-Mère-Eglise).
U.S. Paratrooper Survives at Sainte-Mère-Eglise
04:30 British capture the Merville Battery (Read more about the British atMerville).
05:23 Allied warships begin firing on the German defenses along the coast. Naval operations were under the command of British Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay.
06:00
American bombers join British bombers, but many bombs fall behind the German defenses. Over 2,000 British, Canadian, and American bombers attacked areas along the coast.
Landing Craft- National WWII Museum, New Orleans
6:30H-Hour: Americans land on Omaha and Utah Beaches in specially designed landing craft (Higgin's Boats). The US zones were under the command of General Omar Bradley.
Utah Beach/ Geoff W Sutton 2012
07:00
U.S. Rangers scale the cliffs to attack the guns of Pointe-du-hoc
7:25
British forces land on Sword and Gold Beaches.
British land at Sword Beach/ WWII Museum
Gold Beach in 2019
7:55
Canadian and British forces land on Juno Beach. 9:00 African-American Soldiers of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion reach the beaches. Their task to construct a curtain of hydrogen-filled balloons with steel cables over the beaches. Read more at NBC.
9:32
BBC broadcasts that the allies have landed in France to audiences in the UK and worldwide.
10:15
German General Rommel learns of the invasion and returns to France. He had been celebrating a birthday in Germany.
11:15
Canadians and British capture Saint Aubin-sur-Mer (Calvados).
12:00
Hitler at his Bavarian Alps Headquarters believes the allies will be driven
back.
14:00
Soldiers continue to land with equipment.
14:30
Allies reach Caen but do not capture it. Germans execute previously captured
French resistance fighters.
15:00
The first sections of ingeniously designed prefabricated harbours arrive (Mulberry Harbours) from England.
18:00
German Panzer division attacks British forces.
20:00
British and Canadians join forces and approach Bayeux.
20:10
Canadians capture Taillerville.
21:00
More than 140,000 Allies have landed along 55 miles.
At
the end of D-Day, 4,413 allies died. Many are buried in the cemeteries at
Normandy. When we consider the entire battle of Normandy, more than 425,000 men were killed, injured, or missing. Among the allied airmen, 16,714 died and 37,00 died amongst the ground forces.
Pointe du Hoc is a monument constructed by the French to honor the courageous assault on this German defense site above the American landing sites of Omaha and Utah beaches. The American Rangers were under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James E. Rudder. On 6 June 1944, the men climbed the 100-foot cliffs to disable the position.
The Rangers left their landing crafts at 7:10 a.m. and reached the top by 7:40 a.m. amidst heavy enemy fire.
The Merville Gun Battery was part of the German “Atlantic
Wall” defenses against an allied invasion. The Merville Gun Battery was assigned
to a the British under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway.
Otway’s parachute troops were scattered wide of the target. He
began the assault just before 3:00 am on D-Day (6 June 1944) with about 150 of
540 troops. The actual attack began about 4:15 am. The fighting was fierce and
included hand-to-hand combat. After about 20-minutes the Germans surrendered.
German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel ordered rapid completion
of the site in March 1944. This site consisted of a command bunker, a trench
system, and thick concrete casemates. The defense included a 20 mm anti-aircraft
gun and several machine guns in an enclosed area surrounded by two fences of five
(or six)-foot-high barbed wire, which was more than 10 feet wide. A minefield
lay between the barbed wire fences. On the beach side was an anti-tank ditch,
which was 10 feet deep and 14 feet wide.
Sainte-Mère-Église
is a town in Northwest Normandy France. It has become well known for the site
of early landings of American paratroopers at 01:40 am—about an hour after
British troops took Pegasus Bridge.
Sainte-Mère-Église / Geoff Sutton 2012
Before the troops
landed on the beaches, British and American paratroopers landed inland to attack
strategic targets. This village, named after the historic church of St Mary,
was on a route that would allow Germans to attack the American invasion force
landing on Omaha and Utah beaches.
Inside the church, Sainte-Mère-Église/ Geoff Sutton 2012
The Americans
were from the U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. Unfortunately, the town was
on fire, which made the paratroopers visible thus many were killed before they
landed. Some landed in trees. One well-known paratrooper hung from the church
spire-- Private John Steele of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment.
Depiction of Steele/ Photo by Geoff Sutton 2012
Steele acted as
if he were dead. He was taken down and kept as a prisoner. Later, he escaped.
By 0500, the Americans took the town and held it until reinforcements arrived
from Utah Beach the next day, 7 June.
Inside the church/ Sutton 2012
Steele is honoured by a nearby tavern, Auberge John Steele, near the town square.
Pegasus Bridge represents an early D-Day success story for
the allies. Shortly before midnight on 5 June 1944, the 6th British Airborne
Division, under the command of Major John Howard, left Dorset in the south of
England. Halifax bombers towed the gliders over the channel and unhooked the
gliders who were able to land on time and within a few yards of each other.
British Glider / Geoff Sutton 2012
They landed early on the 6th June at 00:16. They overcame
German resistance in 10 minutes. The bridge was captured intact over six hours
before the beach landings. A message was sent back to England within 90 minutes.
The first British solider of the Normandy invasion was killed by gunfire when
they stormed the bridge, Lieutenant Den Brotheridge. The Gondrée family who
owned one of the first houses liberated in France, honoured the soldier with a
plaque in the nearby churchyard. Other soldiers are buried at a cemetery near
Ranville.
The British targeted two bridges between the Ouistreham
beach and the important city of Caen. The British troops arrived in six Horsa gliders.
Three took the Bénouville Bridge and the other three took the bridge at
Ranville.
The operation took the Germans by surprise, but the troops
had to work quickly and safely because the bridges were rigged with explosives.
The charges were disabled by the Royal Engineers.
The bridge was renamed Pegasus in honour of the winged horse
on the badge of the airmen. The old bridge was replaced in 1994 and is now in a
museum park. The old Gondrée house is now a café and museum.
Pegasus Bridge Lift Mechanism/ Geoff Sutton 2012
Pegasus Bridge, a bascule (movable) bridge, was constructed
in 1934. The bridge rolled back to lift the bridge above the water level. The
bridge is over the Caen Canal and part of a direct route between the landing
beaches and Caen. The bridge at Ranville is over the River Orne and was renamed
Horsa Bridge—for the type of glider used by the troops.
.JPG)
