Omaha Beach First Assault Wave

"Never had there been a dawn like this." - Cornelius Ryan, The Longest Day The US assault waves on Omaha Beach were led by the 116th Regimental Combat Team, destined for Dog sector on the left; and the 16th Regimental …

1944-06-06

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"Never had there been a dawn like this." - Cornelius Ryan, The Longest Day The US assault waves on Omaha Beach were led by the 116th Regimental Combat Team, destined for Dog sector on the left; and the 16th Regimental Combat Team hitting Easy and Fox sectors. The first wave also included two battalions of tanks from the 741st and 743rd. A persistent swell and strong undertow kept pushing the incoming troops toward the wrong sections of the beach. Heavily-fortified German positions delivered a withering roll of fire the moment any LCA crash-landed in. Exhausted and sea-sick survivors reaching the water's edge would find no protection, save for a 200-yard dash to the seawall. Many simply collapsed, or tried to find cover behind the numerous beach obstructions. Yet in the face of intense small arms and artillery fire, a handful of young soldiers rallied and began to act. The first infiltrations were made between the E-1 and E-3 exits. Advances against other strong points were also successful and while it was not apparent at the time, German defenses were starting to crumble.

Omaha Beach, France

Omaha, commonly known as Omaha Beach, was the code name for one of the five sectors of the Allied invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, during World War II. "Omaha" refers to an 8-kilometer (5 mi) section of the coast of Normandy, France, facing the English Channel, from east of Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to west of Vierville-sur-Mer on the right bank of the Douve River estuary. Landings here were necessary to link the British landings to the east at Gold with the American landing to the west at Utah, thus providing a continuous lodgement on the Normandy coast of the Bay of the Seine. Taking Omaha was to be the responsibility of United States Army troops, with sea transport, mine sweeping, and a naval bombardment force provided predominantly by the United States Navy and Coast Guard, with contributions from the British, Canadian, and Free French navies.

Wikipedia: Omaha Beach

German

American

Game Type: Standard

Board Type: Beach

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