DAY 06.06.2024 | Omaha Beach, Normandy, 6:35 am

Saving Private Ryan, Steven Spielberg (1999) - Omaha Beach Scene

First Wave at Omaha Beach

An account of the “epic human tragedy” that unfolded when Allied troops landed on the shores of Normandy on D-Day

By S. L. A. Marshall, The Atlantic (November 1960)

"At one thousand yards, Boat No. 5 is hit dead on and foundered. Six men drown before help arrives. Second Lieutenant Edward Gearing and twenty others paddle around until picked up by naval craft, thereby missing the fight at the shore line. It’s their lucky day. The other six boats ride unscathed to within one hundred yards of the shore, where a shell into Boat No. 3 kills two men. Another dozen drown, taking to the water as the boat sinks. That leaves five boats.

"Lieutenant Edward Tidrick in Boat No. 2 cries out: “My God, we’re coming in at the right spot, but look at it! No shingle, no wall, no shell holes, no cover. Nothing!”

"His men are at the sides of the boat, straining for a view of the target. They stare but say nothing. At exactly 6:36 A.M. ramps are dropped along the boat line and the men jump off in water anywhere from waist deep to higher than a man’s head. This is the signal awaited by the Germans atop the bluff. Already pounded by mortars, the floundering line is instantly swept by crossing machine-gun fires from both ends of the beach.

"Able Company has planned to wade ashore in three files from each boat, center file going first, then flank files peeling off to right and left. The first men out try to do it but are ripped apart before they can make five yards. Even the lightly wounded die by drowning, doomed by the waterlogging of their overloaded packs. From Boat No. 1, all hands jump off in water over their heads. Most of them are carried down. Ten or so survivors get around the boat and clutch at its sides in an attempt to stay afloat. The same thing happens to the section in Boat No. 4. Half of its people are lost to the fire or tide before anyone gets ashore. All order has vanished from Able Company before it has fired a shot."

— Read/download the full story here (pdf)

80 years ago, men of the 1st Infantry Division leave the port of Weymouth,
Dorset in Southern England en route to Omaha Beach in Normandy.

On June 6, 1944, soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division’s 16th Infantry Regiment
storm the Easy Red Sector of Omaha Beach in Normandy.

Drone footage shows Normandy D-Day beaches 80 years on

Drone Tour of the D-Day Beaches

D-DAY

On June 6, 1944, known as D-Day, the Allied forces launched the Normandy landings, a pivotal operation in World War II. The countries that participated in this monumental event were the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, France*, and several other Allied nations. The United States led the assault on Utah and Omaha beaches. British forces were responsible for the attacks on Gold and Sword beaches, while Canadian troops landed at Juno Beach. French resistance fighters also played a crucial role in the operation, disrupting German defenses and supporting the landings. Additionally, forces from Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Greece, and the Netherlands contributed to the operation, providing essential support and reinforcements that were critical to the success of the Normandy invasion. (MNC)

* French Navy, commandos, paratroopers, French Air Force 

80 years ago, General Eisenhower meets with paratroopers
of the 101st Airborne’s 502nd PIR at Greenham Common Airfield
on the evening before the D-Day invasion. Their next stop…Normandy

80 years ago, the 101st Airborne Division’s “Filthy 13” prepare for their jump into Normandy.

Prior to their combat jump on D-Day with the "Filthy 13", Pvt. Clarence Ware
puts the final touches on Pvt. Charles Plaudo’s war paint in England.

80 years ago, paratroopers Tommy Lonergan & Johnny Hale of the 101st Airborne
Division pose for the camera before their combat jump into Normandy.

Round-canopy jump onto Carentan from C-47 Pegasus
after cross-Channel flight from the UK

Ces Français qui ont débarqué sur les plages normandes

Les hommes du Commando Kieffer : Paul Rollin

Il a surmonté tant d'épreuves pour la quitter. Ce 16 mai 1944, il sait que bientôt il reverra la France. "Rien ne peut m'arriver, écrit-il aux siens. Qu'il sera beau, l'instant où je vous retrouverai tous." Un du commando Kieffer. Tué le 6 juin à Ouistreham. Paul Rollin. 20 ans.
Source :  Paroles de Combattants de la Libération

L'expression commandos Kieffer désigne les hommes du 1er Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins Commandos (1er BFMC) créé au printemps 1942 en Grande-Bretagne par la France libre (FNFL) et commandés par le capitaine de corvette Philippe Kieffer. 177 membres du bataillon ont participé  au Débarquement de Normandie (Sword Beach, Ouistreham), seuls représentants de la France à débarquer sur les plages, puis dans les combats qui ont suivi en Normandie. (Wikipédia)

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