Custom «WWII “Battle of Omaha» Essay Paper

The coded name OmahaBeach refers to the invasion of the Normandy in 1944 during the Second World War. The beach is located in France at the coast of Normandy and provides a link between the British and the American landings. History identifies this beach as the ideal defensive position for the Germans. This is because of the topographical structure characteristic of the beach; an enclosed battlefield is surrounded by cliffs. The allied forces apparently took a risk in this attack by approaching the beach directly from the sea. This exposed them to the line of fire from the defending German forces. Many individuals lost their lives during the attack.      

In planning their attacks, the allied forces failed to review historical occurrences, which would have helped in reducing the number of casualties. The defending German forces had been prepared for the attacks by setting up their defensive machinery along the beach. The allied forces, on the other hand, had seemingly been working out their attack plans for a long period. This entailed gathering information that would enable them to outdo the German forces. It was in their favor that they had a strong air force and numerous ships which would enable them to take control of the sea. The armored tanks were to be used as a form of cover for the soldiers. However, this never came to be following the unfavorable weather conditions that disrupted the plans of the allied group (Rickard, 2009).        

•  

  0

  Preparing Orders

•  

  0

  Active Writers

•  

  0%

  Positive Feedback

•  

  0

  Support Agents

 

Title of your paper

Type of service

Type of assignment

Number of pages

-

+

Academic level

Timeframes

Spacing

Currency

USD

• Total price

Continue to order

 

In their tactical mission, the allied forces had divided their forces into groups. This would enable them to take the German forces by surprise as each group followed its predecessor after a set time. The air forces were the first to pose their attack on the beach. This was a strategy to provide cover for the infantry. Soldiers were delivered along the shores of the sea in ships; however, the disruptive weather led to a great loss of armory. This left the allied forces at the mercy of the German forces that lay in wait for the attacks.     

Official history map displaying the Corps’ D-day objectives (Cromwell, 2012)

Opening Moves

The American soldiers divided the beach into a number of sections to enable them take over the Omaha and overwhelm the German soldiers. Different troops were given distinctive destinations with the preliminary attacks being made by the two Regimental Combat Teams.    

Following a thorough preparation of the soldiers, the allied fleets were delivered in the Normandy coast. Ships assigned for transportation took position, and the assault was set to begin. The strong tidal waves and winds, however, introduced challenges for the soldiers. The majority of the troops was drifted to different destinations from their prescribed landings. This disadvantaged the soldiers who were required to formulate new strategies for the attack. Others were unfortunate and lost their lives very soon in the sea. The majority of the soldiers lost their armory in the confusion whereas others had to disarm to wade off the deep waters. Under these conditions, the soldiers were left exhausted from fighting for their lives and struggling to find a way through the sea waves (Lewis, 2001). 

This weak start off for the allied forces and the loss of soldiers as well as armory was far more than what the soldiers had been prepared for. The surviving soldiers did not lose hope and kept surging forward unarmed ready to face their fate. The engineers who came in superior landing crafts followed this first group. However, the German forces being already in position and advantaged with the beach topography destroyed these immediately. This further put the American team in jeopardy. A number of the soldiers were able to make it to a strip where they took a rest and evaluated what the next move should be. The soldiers were confused whether to remain as they were and await the instructions of their leaders or make their own decision and move ahead with the attack.

Phases of Operations/Key Events

Despite the prior hiccups, the attacks continued. The survivors of the initial attacks reorganized themselves. Supportive firearms were delivered to the soldiers by the destroyer team. This appeared to be the only unfailing breakthrough for the soldiers. The destroyers were able to move further towards the Germans and managed to destroy a number of their defense positions. Communication, which had been destroyed at the start of the attacks, was restored between the destroyers and the naval team; this enabled the allied forces to regain their composure and continue with their mission.

This co-ordination paved way for the second troop, which forged forward following directives from their leaders. This attracted the landing of more troops. A number of the troop leaders was also ashore trying to reorganize their attack strategies. Courageous soldiers attempted to cross the minefields, which led to losing their lives on the way. However, this did not deter the determination of the soldiers. They were finally able to cut their way through the fields and reach the foot of the bluff. This provided a way for the soldiers who seemingly worked their way up the obstacles (Lewis, 2001).  

The allied forces were now at a lateral position to fight the German forces at a close range. Hand grenades were now the main source of destruction. With a way through to reach the higher grounds of the beach where the German troops had been taking cover, the allied forces were placed at a fair battlefield. They had the same advantage as their opponents. These advances helped in the breaching of the German territory, progress was made inland and the allied forces were able to take over most parts of the Omaha. This put the German forces at a disadvantage, which did not allow them room to stage a counter attack. American forces kept landing on the beach even in the late night. They could not allow the breakthrough be jeopardized.

Outcome of the Battle of Omaha Beach

The American forces managed to take over the OmahaBeach from the Germans after gaining an advantage in the first day of the attacks. This is in spite of the original hiccups at the start of the attacks. During the next days, focus was put on merging the conquered beachheads into one supply area, a mission that took time to establish. This victory, however, led to the loss of lives of many soldiers. The number of casualties on that day is usually unknown as approximate values have been provided through history. There was massive destruction of equipment and machinery which seemingly outlined the shore of the beach.

Different troops took over different villages inland. The OmahaBeach was established as one of the two Mulberry Harbors. A breakwater was formulated from the scampering of ships. This formed an offloading point for supplies of equipment and support soldiers. The injured soldiers were also taken from the battlefields in the same way the supplies came in. Currently, the remains of the unfolding events can be identified during the low tides.   

A cemetery is on the Eastern side of the Omaha Beach. This is in honor of the courageous soldiers who gave their lives while serving their country. This is a symbolic reflection of the occurrences of the battle that led to the taking over of the presently attractive beach of Omaha. Currently, the American government has established a visitor’s center near the cemetery where individuals can go and view films of the historic events. The American Military usually maintain and manage this cemetery. The terrifying visionary at the battlefield of Omaha is acclaimed to still haunt the soldiers that survived the attacks.