I ran across this web site some time back. A lot of good reading and some free E Books. They are selling this limited edition print of Company E landing at Omaha Beach. I found it captivating and thought others here might as well. I will provide the link but if someone wants to post the actual pic in their response that would be great. The struggle is real for me getting Google Chrome to perform such tricks!
Print

Thank you sir!

Damn that looks like a long stretch to the far side of the beach much less the top of the cliff! All while under withering fire.

Most infantry on Omaha Beach had to wade approximately 50 yards in from their landing craft up to the shore. It was then approximately 300 yards of open ground strewn with obstacles to a bank of shingle and seawall (the short rise visible as a dark line in the photo). This was the only real cover for the majority of the beach, and it was only approximately 5-8 feet tall, so it provided minimal protection from fire from the cliffs. Beyond that, it was then another approximately 200 yards of ground strewn with mines and obstacles to the cliffs, which were 100 to 170 feet tall, although there were a few heavily defended draws with gradual slopes to allow easier access from the beach to the cliffs.

Imagine humping the length of 5.5 football fields, starting out in waist/chest deep water, loaded down with gear, under artillery and small arms fire the whole time, with only a brief section halfway through to try to take a little bit of cover and catch your breath.

Thank you for linking that. Next time I'm in Europe I need to make it to Normandy. And a bunch of other sites but I've really wanted to make it there.

I was reading Battle at Best a bit ago, basically a collection of interviews from a bunch of famous battles, and I was struck by how many times during the landings that they simply wrote "no accounts, all lost" for whole landing crafts.

Thanks. I’ve always found that an extremely powerful photo.

quote:

Originally posted by Anubismp:
Thank you for linking that. Next time I'm in Europe I need to make it to Normandy. And a bunch of other sites but I've really wanted to make it there.

I was reading Battle at Best a bit ago, basically a collection of interviews from a bunch of famous battles, and I was struck by how many times during the landings that they simply wrote "no accounts, all lost" for whole landing crafts.

Two good books on the American beaches are 'Omaha Beach' and 'Utah Beach', both by Joseph Balkowski.