Evening star., 1948-06-06

to 0tue the men the maximum
!. The intdntrymen Ddded
Coast Guard Photo.
the invaders. This was the objec-
tive Of the Utah landing. This
beach was to b the spFingboard
for the capture Of Cherbourg. The
function Of the airborne divisions
was to 20 tantalizs and confuse the
enemy that the drive on Cherbourg
from Utah could Be gotten we'll
under way before the defense forces
could be properly .deployed.
Most Daring in History
Meanwhile, the British Id Army
was to establish three beachheads
east Of Omaha and push as far as
possible inland to protect the
American left flank and prevent the
German forces from being aug
mented by fresh divisions from the
north Of France and the Low Coun-
tries. All in all, Operation Neptune
was planned as the largest and
most daring military move in his
tory.
Plans for the operation called for
an army of approximately 10000
ashore before dusk on D day. This
was to be built up during the next
IA days to = strength of about =
half million. This was the maxi
mum possible with the cross s-Channel
transportation available and allow
ing for the replacements required.
The day-by-day schedule was met
with almost no variations. In addi-
tion to the troops, 70,656 vehicles OF
all sorts were landed in Normandy
during these first two weeks.
The first move was to drop the
paratroopers. The 10lst Airborne
Division began dropping southeast
Of Ste. Mere-Eglise at 1:30 am.
There were many crash landings and
the men jumped over . large area.
but still they were able to assemble
in the dim moonlight in sufncient
strength to take the two towns Of
st. Martin in-de-Varreville and Poup-
fpeville Almost precisely one hour
llater-the invasion had to 60 on a
precise time schedule-the African
and Sicilian veterans Of the 82d
Airborne dropped on both sides Of
the Merderet River in q position to
hold the main road between Caran-
tan and Cherbourg.
Relatively Easy Landing
| The first ground troop assault Of
the continent was at Utah near q
little sand spit with the picturesque
name of Pointe de Ia Madeleine
petite Mumeau des Dunes. 1t was .
low-lying beach. Inland in the face
of the sunrise stretched flooded
meadows, the so-called prairie
marelageuses." The 1st and I'd Bat
talions Of the 4th Infantry Divisions
9th Infantry Regiment got their first
men ashore at $50 am, followed
closely by the 10th Tank Battalion
which had been attached to the
division. This battalion launched 30
amphibious tanks 5000 yards on
shore, and arrived at the beach In
two waves with the loss of only
one tank.
The infantry landing was rela-
lively easy. as had been anticipated.
The lightness of the resistance
encountered, however, was due in
part to a fortunate error. The
initial landing was made about
1900 yards southeast Of the pre-
scribed beach. This later was found
so strongly defended that it could
have been carried from the sea only
with heavy losses. The rifiemen
pushed inland rapidly across the
flooded marshes toward ste. Mere
Eglise to relieve the men Of the 10lst
Airborne.
! Before midnight they not only
had secured . strip Of beach 1000
yards wide but foreward elements
had penetrated inland nearly 10
miles. The 7th Corps, commanded
by 1t. Gen. J. Lawton Collins, had
secure foothold from which to launch
its historic drive westward and
northward toward Cherbourg. For
the next week there was . steady
buildup of troops which could land
in relative security-the Texans Of
/ the Goth and the African,and sicil-
| ian veterans Of the 9Th Division
| In rapid succession.
Success in Doubt
Omaha Beach, fronted by . far
different and more heaEily pro-
tected terrain, was far more difilcult
to take and hold. The first waves
of the LIST and 18th Infantry Divi-
sions rushed ashore at 6:35 an. S
minutes later than the first landings
at Utah because Of the difference in
the time Of high tide. Ahead were
low bluffs with fully manned enemy
defenses, the various types Of con-
crete pillboxes and other defense
posts OF the Germans.
The infantrymen waded ashore
through heavy seas and under heavy !
fire.
For several hours the success OF
the operation was in doubt. Groups |
we're disorganized when many OF
the officers were killed. Snipers and
machine gunners concentrated on
the leaders. But the American /
troops continued to pour In regard
less OF tide conditions.
Despite the heavy losses this
plan came very close to accom-
plishment Ths bluffs wus svR-