#utahbeach

[whencyclopedia]

Utah Beach

Utah Beach was the westernmost of the five beaches attacked in the D-Day Normandy landings of 6 June 1944 and the one taken with the fewest casualties. Paratroopers were also dropped behind Utah, and despite being widely dispersed and suffering heavy casualties, they managed to secure this western flank of the invasion and liberate the first French town, Ste-Mère-Église.

Operation Overlord

The amphibious assault on the beaches of Normandy was the first stage of Operation Overlord, which sought to free Western Europe from occupation by Nazi Germany. The supreme commander of the Allied invasion force was General Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), who had been in charge of the Allied operations in the Mediterranean. The commander-in-chief of the Normandy land forces, 39 divisions in all, was the experienced General Bernard Montgomery (1887-1976). Commanding the air element was Air Chief Marshal Trafford Leigh Mallory (1892-1944), with the naval element commanded by Admiral Bertram Ramsay (1883-1945).

Nazi Germany had long prepared for an Allied invasion, but the German high command was unsure where exactly such an invasion would take place. Allied diversionary strategies added to the uncertainty, but the most likely places remained either the Pas de Calais, the closest point to British shores, or Normandy with its wide flat beaches. The Nazi leader Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) attempted to fortify the entire coast from Spain to the Netherlands with a series of bunkers, pillboxes, artillery batteries, and troops, but this Atlantic Wall, as he called it, was far from being complete in the summer of 1944. In addition, the wall was thin since there was no real depth to the defences.

Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt (1875-1953), commander-in-chief of the German army in the West, believed it would be impossible to stop an invasion on the coast and so it would be better to hold the bulk of the defensive forces as a mobile reserve to counterattack against enemy beachheads. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel (1891-1944), commander of Army Group B, disagreed and considered it essential to halt any invasion on the beaches themselves. Further, Rommel believed that Allied air superiority meant that movements of reserves would be severely hampered. Hitler agreed with Rommel, and so the defenders were strung out wherever the fortifications were at their weakest. Rommel improved the static defences and added steel anti-tank structures to all the larger beaches. In the end, Rundstedt was given a mobile reserve, but the compromise weakened both plans of defence.

The German response would not be helped either by their confused command structure, which meant that Rundstedt could not call on any armour (but Rommel, who reported directly to Hitler, could), and neither commander had any control over the paltry naval and air forces available or the separately controlled coastal batteries. Nevertheless, the defences were bulked up around the weaker defences of Normandy to an impressive 31 infantry divisions plus 10 armoured divisions and 7 reserve infantry divisions. The German army had another 13 divisions in other areas of France. A standard German division had a full strength of 15,000 men.

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[andyevansphotos]

(via "Utah Beach Normandy France" Framed Art Print for Sale by AndyEvansPhotos)

[yvesofficiel]

Ne jamais oublier le sacrifice de ceux tombés au combat sous les balles et les obus meurtriers de la dictature.

Le devoir de mémoire nous oblige.

À vous, Héros. Merci 🙏

#DDay #6juin #UtahBeach #Normandie #OmahaBeach

[paolovesbeer]

I needed sun ☀️♥️ . . . . . . . . . . . . . #sun #sol #soleil #french #beach #normande #normandie #utahbeach #summer #good #vibes #verano #été #rojo #rouge #red #swim #swimsuit #♥️ #bigthighs #thic #curvygirl (en Utah Beach) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz02CDuoWl6/?igshid=1fjp3qamltnrt

[parishortstay-blog]

Pointe du Hoc #Dday visit in #normandy #normandie #france #normandybeach #normandytourisme #photooftheday #love #day #instagood #photography #veteran #omahabeach #utahbeach https://www.instagram.com/p/BzLgKXSADGi/?igshid=7ws6rouxwtqi

[decadesoflife-photography]

In der Nacht vom 5. zum 6. Juni 1944 landeten amerikanische Fallschirmspringer im Zuge der Operation Overloard im Umkreis von Utah Beach, insbesondere auf dem Marktplatz von Sainte-Mère-Eglise. John Steele, einer von Ihnen, hatte weniger Glück, denn er blieb mit seinem Fallschirm am Kirchturm hängen. In Erinnerung an den D-Day und die Freiheit Frankreichs, ist dieses Missgeschick nun Anziehungspunkt von Touristen und Geschichtsinteressierten. Und damit wünsche ich Dir einen schönen Sonntag! ✌🏻 #decadesoflife #history #Geschichte #fotografie #photography #Reise #travel #Church #pursuit #soldier #airborne #overlord #dday #utahbeach #normandie #normandie #saintemereeglise #cherbourg #france #wwii #wwiihistory #battlefield #freedom #alliance #American #Europe #accident #liberté (at Sainte-Mère-Église) https://www.instagram.com/p/Chy1zectWUh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[svenleviking83]

#dday #utahbeach #wwiihistory #dday #normandy #normandie #normandyfrance #6juin1944 #plagedudebarquement #shotoncanon #canoneosr #svenforsansphotographe #devoirdememoire🇫🇷 #plusjamaisça #neverforget #omahabeach #collevillesurmer #cimetiereamericaincolleville #blackandwhitephotography (à Utah Beach) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeeeteiKpia/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[eltee1]

M4A1E8 Sherman at the Utah Beach museum in Normandy France. (June 2018)

[utahbeachmuseum]

Utah Memory Field, rassemblement historique du 3 au 10 juin 2019 à Utah Beach ! . . Utah Memory Field : Historical meeting on Utah Beach from June the 3rd to June the 10th #historicalreenactment #ww2 #campmilitaire #secondeguerremondiale #utahbeach https://www.instagram.com/p/BqDZsfcnRiL/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=2up2jzshvo37

[scorpion6knives]

To say honored is an understatement. To say humbled doesn’t even begin to explain... a great friend took this picture while on his vacation. This is the Scorpion 6 Patch, on Utah beach, in Normandy... It means beyond measure to me. Rangers Lead The Way #neverforget #neverforotten #utahbeachnormandy #utahbeach #normandy #WWII #greatestgeneration (at Utah Beach, Normandy France) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn5a1W1Byi4/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ozey5ffqs1tq

[sbwriel-cymraeg]

Having some serious Normandy blues tonight. Is it June 2019 yet?! Take me back! #normandy #normandie #wwii #worldwar2 #ww2 #airborne #paratrooper #europetrip #bestholidayever #history #1940s #utahbeach #takemeback #rollonnextjune #normandybeach #bandofbrothers #reenactment #memories #lefrance #igotstheblues

[agnesgarf]

Quand la mer te manque... When you miss the sea... 🐎 🐎 🐎 #igersfrance #igf407 #horses #chevaux #utahbeach #nuages #clouds #nuvole #iloveclouds #ilovehorses #horsesofinstagram (at Utah Beach) https://www.instagram.com/p/COYRGCPl06j/?igshid=1ik2ycbsis2yl

[outskirtspress]

Amazon Featured Book of the Week

Amazon Featured Book of the Week

Now available on Amazon.com! A Russian in the American Army – WWII: The Fighting 4th Infantry by Karl Thomson (5 Stars – 4 Customer Reviews) Price: $25.95 Karl Thomson’s “A Russian in the American Army – WWII: The Fighting 4th Infantry.” This is the story of a young Russian boy brought to the United states in the early 1930’s. He came to love and embrace the U.S. as his home. As soon as he…

[vacationsoup]

New Post has been published on https://vacationsoup.com/utah-beach-a-d-day-landing-beach/

Utah Beach - A D-Day Landing Beach

Utah Beach is my choice for day 19 of the Normandy Advent Calendar. Despite the horrors of D-Day, I love this photo and the freedom it represents.

There are five landing beaches - Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. Utah Beach is the most westerly of the beaches and is around 50km south east of Cherbourg. It is an extensive stretch of coastline; going from the beach beyond the village of Sainte-Marie-du-Mont north to the beach at Quinéville.

Utah beach is separated from the other D-Day beaches by extensive marshes known as Les Marais. The marshes caused problems for the American airborne troops as they parachuted in. Furthermore, the seaborne assault didn't go to plan with the majority of the American forces coming ashore a couple of miles south of the designated zone. However, this error worked in their favour, as the soldiers setting foot on French soil here met with relatively little resistance.

Monuments At Utah Beach

There are various monuments as you approach Utah beach including those to Major Richard Winters, Danish soldiers and the 2nd Armoured Division. If you park near to the D-Day Landing Museum (Musée du Débarquement Utah Beach) you can discover other monuments. In the area around the museum are the following monuments: US Navy monument, Higgins Boat monument, 1st Engineer Special Brigade monument and also an M4 Sherman tank.

The video below includes photos of the preparations and the battle on Utah and Omaha beaches.

Utah and Omaha Beaches

#NormandyAdventCalendar #VacationSoup #BookDirect #Normandy #UtahBeach #DDay

We spent 3 weeks creating the best online guide to Normandy on the web. It includes everything from a bucket list, must see attractions to the best places to eat and drink.

It covers Mont St Michel, Monet’s garden, the D Day beaches, wine tours and much more. .

It’s packed with our personal recommendations, maps and videos.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR THINGS TO DO IN NORMANDY GUIDE

[weehughie]

A soldier of World War Two... • • #asoldierofworldwartwo #poppy #poppyappeal #royalbritishlegion #statue #dday75years #swordbeach #junobeach #ww2 #worldwar2 #ddaybeaches #worldwartwo #southsea #southseacommon #goldbeach #omahabeach #utahbeach #remember #remembrance #anniversary #briankiddway #iphonex #southseacastle #ddaystory #ddaymuseum #portsmouth #southsea (at The D-Day Story) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4rzLbwB9XE/?igshid=1p40xl3ma1nda

[alexargo29-blog]

Utah Beach