In 1940 after the evacuation of Dunkerque the British forces planned a return to France. In 1942 the U.S. and Great Britain began to discuss a very large invasion across the English Channel and onto the coast of Normandy because the German forces were least expecting it there. General Dwight D. Eisenhower was in charge of the invasion of Germany. General Eisenhower picked June 1944 as the invasion day, code name D-Day. The goal of the invasion was to take over the beach so the British and American forces could bring supplies and equipment.                                         

The Landing Area

The area stretched for 4 miles (6km) between Vierville in the west and Colleville in the east. Grassy slopes packed the entire length of the beach, 150 feet high (46km), which provided a perfect defense position for the Germans.

The Area

Between the slopes and the concrete seawall that was used to keep the water from ruining the beach was boobie trapped and had mines on it. Without the benefit of armored vehicles designed to clear such obstacles quickly, men of the 16^th Infantry Regiment were exposed to enemy fire for long periods as they tried to force their way through.

Obstacles

Obstacles of many kinds were placed at random on the beach below the high-water mark to prevent large ships from coming ashore. This type was called a hedgehog by the Allies. The hedgehog was an important obstacle to the Germans, these large metal objects would float in the water. As ships approached the shore they would collide with these obstacles and tear up the bottom of the enemy’s ship. As they waded ashore under heavy fire, U.S. solders turned the presences of the obstacles to an advantage by taking cover behind them.

The Landing Craft

Only a handful of Sherman DD water tanks reached the shore with the first group of soldiers. On this part of the invasion they were not enough to make a significant impact on the German defenses. As the morning wore on, however, more tanks and artillery landed and began to take out gun positions and bunkers.

The Single Shelf

The shelf that ran almost the whole length of the beach was the only protection U.S. soldiers had from ferocious enemy fire. If they were to move inland at all, gaps had to be made in the banks of loose stone to allow tanks and other vehicles to pass through. It was not until 10:00, when the rising tide was approaching the huge pile of dirt called a shingle that engineers managed to make the necessary openings.

The Home Front

The people back home were very worried about the people that have gone to fight but they kept on with their lives. They probably were glad that we were invading Germany because what the Germans were doing was wrong and horrible.

The Men

For the men that were there it was frightening and horrifying because there was bullets flying everywhere and people were dying left and right. There were British and Americans there. The men were fighting for their countries.

The Outcome

The great part was that the U.S. won. They won by holding their ground and believing in each other. This was very important because it

would make us able to bring in supplies, equipment, and men. This was also important to us because we lost a lot of supplies during the battle. If they didn’t have supplies and equipment the soldiers would die.

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