In contrast, the Utah Beach landings were relatively uncontested, with assault units landing on largely unoccupied beaches and experiencing far less action than the landings at Omaha. The filmmakers chose to begin the narrative with a depiction of the more dramatic story of Omaha, despite the historical inaccuracies it would create. In addition, the film depicts the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich as the adversary during the fictional Battle of Ramelle; in fact, the 2nd SS was not engaged in Normandy until July, and then at Caen against the British and Canadians, 100 miles to the east (160 km). Furthermore, the Merderet River bridges were not an objective of the 101st Airborne Division but of the 82nd Airborne Division, part of Mission Boston.