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Utah Beach was the codename for one of the Allied landing beaches during the D-Day Invasion Of Normandy , as part of Operation Overlord on 6 June , 1944 . Utah was added to the invasion plan toward the end of the planning stages, when more Landing Craft became available. Despite being substantially off course, the U.S. 4th Infantry Division landed there with relatively little resistance, in contrast to Omaha Beach where the fighting was fierce. Utah beach, about 3 miles (5 km) long, was the westernmost of the five landing beaches, between Pouppeville and La Madeleine . A practice run for these landings, known as Exercise Tiger , took place in April 1944 on the southern coast of the United Kingdom . This training exercise resulted in 749 American servicemen perishing and nearly 300 being wounded after poorly executed naval escort permitted an attack by German E-boats on the landing force. PLAN OF ATTACK The landing was planned in four waves. The first consisted of 20 s (or Landing Craft, Tanks), each carrying four amphibious DD Tank s, were scheduled to land at the same time or as soon thereafter as possible. The second wave consisted of another 32 Higgins boats with additional troops of the two assault battalions, some combat engineers, and also eight naval demolition teams that were to clear the beach of underwater obstacles. The third wave, timed for H plus 15 minutes, contained eight more Higginses with dozer tanks. It was followed within 2 minutes by the fourth wave, mainly detachments of the 237th and 299th Engineer Combat Battalions, to clear the beaches between high- and low-water marks. D-DAY fires on positions near Utah beach]] Two hours before the main invasion force, a raiding party, armed only with knives, swam ashore at Îles Saint-Marcouf , thought to be a German observation post. It was unoccupied. The first wave arrived at the line of departure on time and all 20 craft were dispatched abreast. Support craft to the rear were firing machine guns, possibly with the hope of exploding mines. When the LCVPs were 300-400 yards (270-360 metres) from the beach, the assault company commanders fired special smoke projectors to signal the lifting of naval support craft fire. Almost exactly at H Hour the assault craft lowered their ramps and 600 men waded into waist-deep water for the last 100 or more yards to the beach. The actual touchdown on the beach was therefore a few minutes late, but the delay was negligible and had no effect on the phasing of the succeeding waves. Enemy Artillery had fired a few air bursts at sea, but otherwise there was no opposition at H Hour. The first troops to reach shore were from the 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry. The 1st Battalion landed a few minutes later. Both came ashore considerably south of the designated beaches. The 2nd Battalion should have hit Uncle Red Beach opposite Exit 3. The 1st Battalion was supposed to land directly opposite the strong point at les Dunes de Varreville. The landings, however, were made astride Exit 2 about 2,000 yards (1,800 metres) south. This error was potentially very serious, for it could have caused great confusion. But, in fact, it did not. The original plans, in which each assault section had a specific mission, could not be carried out in detail, of course. Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. , assistant commander of the 4th Division, had requested several times, against his commander's best judgement, to go in the first wave and personally lead the initial attack on the beach strong points. His written request was finally approved by Gen. Barton, 4th Division Commanding General. Roosevelt was the only general to land with the initial seaborne assault wave on D-Day and, at 57, he was the oldest soldier to land. When Roosevelt realized the landing craft had drifted south with the current and smoke more than a mile from their objective—and that the first wave was a mile off course—he personally made a reconnaissance of the area immediately to the rear of the beach to locate the causeways which were to be used for the advance inland. He then returned to the point of landing, contacted the commanders of the two battalions (Lt. Cols. Conrad C. Simmons and Carlton O. MacNeely ), and coordinated the attack. Roosevelt's famous quote was, "We’ll start the war from here!" These impromptu plans worked successfully and with little confusion. With artillery landing close by, each followup regiment was personally welcomed on the beach by a cool, calm and collected Roosevelt, who inspired all by humor and confidence. He pointed almost every regiment to its changed objectives. For his actions on Utah beach, Roosevelt was later awarded the Medal Of Honor . The German forces responsible for the defense of the beach were elements of the 709th Infantry Division, commanded by Generalleutnant Karl-Wilhelm Von Schlieben , and the 352nd Infantry Division, commanded by Generalleutnant Dietrich Kraiss . SUCCESS 1944 .]] By the end of D-Day, some 23,250 troops had safely landed on the beach, along with 1,700 vehicles. Only about 200 casualties were recorded during the landings. Several factors contributed to the success at Utah compared to the bloody battle at nearby Omaha:
The true cost of Utah Beach is reflected in the heavy airborne casualties: The 101st alone lost about 40% of its forces on D-Day. Also, the 1,000 casualties during Exercise Tiger , a practice run for the Utah assault, also could be considered part of the price for D-Day. NOTABLE PEOPLE ON UTAH BEACH
UTAH BEACH SONG In June 1994, the town of Carentan (Normandy), near Sainte-Mère-Eglise, produced an important show to commemorate its liberation by the 101st airborne forces in June 1944. This song, written by Daniel Bourdelès, is extracted from this show. Utah Beach Lace waves on its bared back the beach is soft and hurtless pulling on it the sea rollers as we ride up a blanket They won't keep cold our memories kings can born and die in the future White balls are bouncing lights pushed by the children laughs These are immensely songs of peace in this ambush world Utah Beach colored it is almost beautiful even with its all on edge pain The old requiem long shivers always undulate on the beach Seaweed make chrysanthemum dreams on the shell marble Some ladies go on a pilgrimage between Sainte-Mère-Eglise and clouds Original French song written by Daniel Bourdelès in the CD "La mémoire du ciel". SEE ALSO REFERENCES
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