Omaha Beach: D-Day, June 6, 1944

Book Description

Omaha Beach saw the greatest drama and loss of life on D-Day and was critically important to subsequent Allied total victory in World War II. In this gripping new book, historian Joseph Balkoski tells the story of June 6, 1944, when largely untested American troops assaulted the German army's Atlantic wall. Equal parts oral history and meticulous reconstruction, including the invasion's diplomatic and strategic context, Omaha Beach is the closest the modern reader can get to experiencing the Normandy landings firsthand. A fitting tribute to the veterans as well as an engaging narrative, it promises to become a classic on one of America's, and indeed, the world's, most important days in history. This brilliantly researched and engagingly written comprehensive history of this momentous battle includes many never before published first-person accounts by the men who were there, many given within days of the invasion! Also included are comprehensive lists of all Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross winners at Omaha Beach as well as: ù the Order of Battle ù casualty list for the first twenty-four hours ù organization of a 30man assault boat ù weapons and equipment carried in the assault by a typical soldier and a series of detailed maps allowing the reader unparalleled insight into the minute-by-minute combat on Omaha Beach.

Customer Reviews:

Understanding Omaha.......2007-04-05

I read the book several years ago, just prior to visiting the Normandy Beaches. Bought it to have my own copy and read it again. The book's great strength (drawback for some readers, maybe) is its huge volume of detail. It is thoroughly researched; written with clarity; tells the story fully. The human side of this Day In History is also illustrated in meaningful detail; descriptions of unbelievable heroism are numerous; only three Medals of Honor were awarded;many DSCs. Issue: General Cota should have received the Medal of Honor; saved many lives; inspired leadership. A really fine and exciting book.

A Great Book.......2007-04-03

I am not going to go on at length since there are already some well written reviews here. I just wanted to add my vote that this is a great book. I think it is the finest book on Omaha written, including Ryan's and Ambrose's. I also recommend Bernage's work for the graphics and photos.

A Great Description of Omaha Beach That Takes You There.......2007-03-27

This is a great "you are there" description of D-Day on Omaha Beach in Normandy. Joseph Balkoski has done an excellent job of presenting the official and personnel accounts of people who were there that longest day of the war. The descriptions by the veterans take you into the landing craft, onto the beach, and up and over the bluffs that overlooked the beach. His telling of the story dispels the usual belief that the soldiers were stuck on the beach all day and only got off the beach near the end of the day as depicted in the movie "The Longest Day".

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a real detailed story focused on this one beach of the D-Day invasion. I would really recommend it to someone who is a wargamer such as myself since reading the stories makes me want to recreate these small firefights as well as the overall battle. I am sure there are many people who feel that way.

Balkoski's style of telling history is very well done and he has done an excellent job of bringing the materials together so that others can follow in the footsteps of the brave men of that day.

I can't want to read Utah Beach!

Utah Beach: The Amphibious Landing And Airborne Operations On D-Day, June 6, 1944

A Great Historical Resource.......2006-12-14

Joseph Balkoski's book on Omaha Beach is a great historical resource like his book Utah Beach. Omaha Beach tells the story of when largely untested American troops assaulted the German army's Atlantic wall. This is a great read covering the events of the day almost minute by minute. It reads like a great documentary. This is not written in the format of a memoir. Balkoski relies mainly on primary sources such as after action reports, unit journals, and citations to create his blow by blow narrative. He includes the invasion's diplomatic and strategic context. Omaha Beach is the closest the modern reader can get to experiencing the Normandy landings firsthand.

Sprinkled throughout the battle account are the accounts of those in the battle. It is a classic. It is a must for any D-day library. It also included comprehensive lists of all Medal of Honor and Distinguished Service Cross winners at Omaha Beach. It has: the Order of Battle, unit casualty list for the first twenty-four hours, unit organization of a 30man assault boat unit weapons, and equipment carried in the assault by a typical soldier, and a series of detailed maps allowing the reader unparalleled insight into the minute-by-minute combat on Omaha Beach.

Best ever Omaha Beach book!.......2006-12-03

I decided at first to write a long review of this book, but upon reading the other reviews here I trimmed my review to simply this...

I own and run a battlefield touring company in Normandy and have read many many books on the fighting on Omaha Beach on D-Day. There is no better book than this one, that's it it's absolutely the definitive book on the subject. The author has lived overlooking the beach, he's from Maryland - home of the 29th division and he has studied the units involved for thirty years. This book will never be bettered. I cannot sing its praises loudly enough.

Average customer rating:

Sets a new standard of Overlord scholarship
Narrow focus
Fallacious Arguement
A good book that few will read
Response to "a reader" from McLean, VA

Omaha Beach: A Flawed Victory
Adrian R. Lewis
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 080782609X
Release Date: 2000-12-03

Book Description

The Allied victory at Omaha Beach was a costly one. A direct infantry assault against a defense that was years in the making, undertaken in daylight following a mere thirty-minute bombardment, the attack had neither the advantage of tactical surprise nor that of overwhelming firepower. American forces were forced to improvise under enemy fire, and although they were ultimately victorious, they suffered devastating casualties.

Why did the Allies embark on an attack with so many disadvantages? Making extensive use of primary sources, Adrian Lewis traces the development of the doctrine behind the plan for the invasion of Normandy to explain why the battles for the beaches were fought as they were.

Although blame for the Omaha Beach disaster has traditionally been placed on tactical leaders at the battle site, Lewis argues that the real responsibility lay at the higher levels of operations and strategy planning. Ignoring lessons learned in the Mediterranean and Pacific theaters, British and American military leaders employed a hybrid doctrine of amphibious warfare at Normandy, one that failed to maximize the advantages of either British or U.S. doctrine. Had Allied forces at the other landing sites faced German forces of the quality and quantity of those at Omaha Beach, Lewis says, they too would have suffered heavy casualties and faced the prospect of defeat.

Customer Reviews:

Sets a new standard of Overlord scholarship.......2006-12-14

Mr Lewis's extensive research is narrowly, and wisely, focused specifically on the planning for the Omaha Beach landing. His thesis is, there were two diametrically opposed amphibious operations philosophies. The first, espoused by British commanders, was a night attack with minimal gunfire support, thus maximizing surprise. The British with minimal resources, needed to exploit surprise. The US ideal was, maximum gunfire and air support with a large landing force to ensure a beachhead; American forces having more resources at their disposal. Finally, a excessive faith in what aerial attack could achieve almost spelled disaster on Omaha.
The Overlord landings in general, were a compromise of both these methods. A landing at first light, and with minimal naval gunfire support-to maximize surprise; but with mass and an aerial bombardment to overwhelm the defenses. As history demonstrated, this was almost a recipe for disaster. The "Soldier's General" (a newspaper attribution, he was never considered that by this troops) Bradley comes off badly here. Overall, a detailed study of how coalition planning can fail and a useful tonic to the "Greatest Generation" media. Highly Recommended.

Narrow focus.......2006-06-29

This is an important book on D-Day by an academic who has the time and ability to analyse the original documents and not rely on recycling what others have already written. It gives a tremendous amount of information on what happened behind the scenes in preparing for the invasion and the various arguments that took place over how the invasion should be carried out eg why Omaha had combat teams from 2 divisions but all under the command of one of them. It also clearly identifies a lot of things that did not happen as planned that are lost in more general books.

However the narrow focus on Omaha means that the conclusions the author draws are not fully suported. He suggests that rather than the Allies being unlucky at Omaha they were lucky on the other beaches, but there is little in the book on what happened(and why)at other beaches to support this.

Fallacious Arguement.......2004-07-06

I enjoyed this book and the viewpoint presented. I did notice the Author's frequent references to Navy/Marine Corps experience in amphibious operations. However, by June 1944, the British and American Armies in the European Theaters had more hands on experience with Corps and Army sized landings than did the Navy/Marine Corps team in the Pacific.

Prior to 6 June 1944, the largest landing operations conducted by the Navy/Marine Corps team in the Central Pacific had been Division sized or smaller landings, and not all of them had been unqualified successes. The landing on Saipan, on 15 June 1944, was the first Corps sized amphibious operation the Navy/Marine Corps team conducted in the Pacific. It was characterized by a number of mistakes, landing units on wrong beaches, overestimating the capabilities of some equipment, specifically amphibious tractors, and underestimating the Japanese capability to resist. The Saipan landings did not achieve what the planners expected them to achieve. By June 17, D+2, the two Marine Divisions had been stopped well short of their D+2 objectives and had taken 10% casualties. Further, the Navy/Marine Corps leadership had no clear plan for landing reinforcements on Saipan in the event that their plan did miscarry.

The victory on Omaha Beach may have been flawed, but the Navy/Marine Corps team from the Central Pacific did not have the experience to eliminate the flaws.

A good book that few will read.......2004-06-18

Omaha Beach is a book that anyone interested in D-Day should read. Unfortunately, since it focuses on military doctrine and planning, rather than the actual battle, few people will actually read it. Lewis, in this extensively researched book, analyzes the planning of the Normandy assault, specifically looking to discover why the landings at Omaha Beach were nearly a failure. To do this, Lewis discusses the abilities and defects of the various generals involved in the overall planning (Eisenhower, Montgomery, Bradley). He also analyzes the different beach assault doctrines of the Americans and the British, and how those doctrines factored into the decisions the three leaders made. Lewis clearly shows that by the time these three had thoroughly screwed up, generals Gerow and Huebner (commanders of the II Corps and 1st Infantry Division, respectively) had very limited ability to make changes. They were, in fact, handed a flawed plan and commanded to carry out essentially a suicide mission.

Lewis shows that beach assault doctrine for the British and Americans differed substantially. The British, who controlled operational planning in the Mediterranean and Western European theaters, preferred landings that maximized surprise. Thus, they conducted landings in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy at night with minimal shore bombardment. The Americans, on the other hand, preferred a direct daylight assault that maximized their firepower advantage (learned the hard way at Tarawa). Thus, by 1944 and 1945, landings in the Pacific used shore bombardments that lasted not minutes or hours, but days. Both doctrines produced successful landings. So what happened at Omaha Beach?

Lewis argues that the near-failure occurred because new doctrine based on improper expectations was invented by Montgomery and allowed to be put in place by Eisenhower. Bradley compounded the problem by refusing to listen to the objections of Gerow and Huebner. This new doctrine was a bad blending of American and British doctrines. As a result, the planning produced a daylight assault intended to achieve tactical surprise. Essentially, two incompatible features of American and British doctrines were melded. This was particularly a result, Lewis argues, of Montgomery's over-reliance on airpower. It was assumed that a long naval bombardment was not necessary since heavy bombers would blast beach defenses and obstacles away in one quick bomb run. This would preserve surprise, but of course would require daylight landings.

Since airpower in World War II was hardly accurate, it is no surprise that the bombers did not hit a single thing on the beach. Coupled with bad intelligence and other serious planning disasters, the landings at Omaha Beach nearly failed. The reader is left wondering how such incompetence at high levels was allowed, but is also left wondering in amazement at the achievement of the men who landed on that beach. Lewis shows that they stormed ashore after literally 99% of the landing plan had completely failed, yet they were still able to make it.

This is a good book, one that demonstrates very well the difficulties of planning and coalition warfare. It also takes a lot of the shine off of the records of the top commanders in Europe. Many of the honors in the records of Eisenhower, Montgomery, and Bradley are certainly well-deserved, but this book shows that some weren't, and that the successes of D-Day were due far more to tactical leadership (division HQ and down) and the sheer willpower of the ordinary soldiers. It certainly seems that the "top brass" set them up to fail.

Response to "a reader" from McLean, VA.......2004-05-19

Lewis' scepticism of carpet bombing is well justified in the context of the book. While carpet bombing was an important part of the eventual breakout, it was not without its problems. For example, the initial bombing raid did more damage to the American infantry, indeed killing a four star general, than it did to the Germans. The breakout then had to be delayed while the American forces were rebuilt. The second carpet bombing raid was more successful. They didn't have time to conduct two raids to get one right on D-Day.

D-Day 1944: Omaha Beach (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

Average customer rating:

A Fresh Look at a Well-Known Subject

D-Day 1944: Omaha Beach (Praeger Illustrated Military History)
Steven Zaloga
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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D-Day 1944 (3) Sword Beach & British Airborne Landings
D-Day 1944 (4) Gold & Juno Beaches
Operation Cobra 1944: Breakout from Normandy (Campaign)
D-Day 1944
Caen 1944: Montgomery's break-out attempt (Campaign)

ASIN: 0275982661

Book Description

The D-Day landings of June 6, 1944, were the largest amphibious military operation ever mounted. The greatest armada the world had ever seen was assembled to transport the Allied invasion force across the Channel and open the long-awaited second front against Hitler's Third Reich. Of the landings on the five assault beaches, Omaha Beach was the only one ever in doubt. Within moments of the first wave landing a third of the assault troops were casualties. Yet by the end of D-Day the Atlantic Wall had been breached and the U.S. Army's V Corps was firmly entrenched on French soil. The D-Day landings of June 6, 1944, were the largest amphibious military operation ever mounted. During the late spring and early summer of 1944, the roads and ports of southern England were thronged with the troops, vehicles, and ships of the invasion force. The greatest armada the world had ever seen had been assembled to transport U.S. 1st Army and British 2nd Army across the narrow strip of the Channel and open the long-awaited second front against Hitler's Third Reich. The events of this single day took four years of planning and organization and represented one of the most crucial moments of the entire Second World War. The landings were split into four sectors: two British/Canadian and two U.S. Omaha was the easternmost of the two U.S. beaches, and the plan was that the landing forces should rapidly link up with their fellow Americans to the west on Utah beach and the British further to the east on Gold Beach. Allied intelligence had missed and entire German division amongst the defenders at Omaha and things went badly wrong. The first wave of landings suffered heavy casualties, many of the tanks and engineers with special equipment to help the troops get off the beach were lost. The U.S. troops appeared pinned down on the beach and General Eisenhower even considered withdrawing them. However, in determined attacks the German strong points were overcome one by one. At Pointe du hoc, the U.S. Rangers had to scale vertical cliffs before making their assault. Eventually the German defenses were cracked, allowing the troops to begin to push inland.

Customer Reviews:

A Fresh Look at a Well-Known Subject.......2003-08-27

The Battle of Gettysburg and the landings on Omaha Beach are two of the most covered subjects in American military history, and readers should approach any new books on these subjects with a great deal of caution. ... As usual, Zaloga does not disappoint and he is able to present a few facets of a well-known operation that are ignored in other accounts. In fact, Zaloga did considerable research at the National Archives and the Army War College library, which enabled him to do far more than merely summarize secondary sources.

Omaha Beach starts with a well-written introduction and chronology, followed by sections on opposing commanders (much better than in previous Zaloga volumes), and a 16-page section on opposing plans that is very interesting. The 6-page section on opposing armies is decent, although perhaps not as in-depth as some readers would like. The 45-page campaign narrative is well written and focuses primarily on the events on D-Day itself, devoting only a few pages to the expansion of the beachhead in the week after the invasion. Zaloga also includes a section on the battlefield today and an annotated bibliography. The maps are quite good in this volume and include four 2-D maps (German forces around Omaha, the assault landing plan, V Corps D-Day objectives, and V Corps D-Day operations) and three 3-D Bird's Eye View maps (the 16th RCT sector, the 116th RCT sector and Point du Hoc). The three color battle scenes by Howard Gerrard are: landings on Easy Red Beach, Dog Red Beach and Rangers at Point du Hoc. In addition, Zaloga has combed the NARA archives for some photographs that go beyond the standard D-Day images. Indeed, Zaloga consistently demonstrates that a good author can make even a well-worn topic seem fresh.

Zaloga clarifies a number of interesting but obscure points about D-Day. While several sources note Major General Corlett's suggestion to use amtracs as in the Pacific invasions, few follow this tantalizing lead. Zaloga notes that, "in fact, the US Army had shipped over 300 amtracs to Europe in 1944, but the lack of demand for their use in the Overlord plan meant that they were reserved for Operation Swordhilt, a contingency operation in which Patton's uncommitted Third Army was intended to reinforce Overlord in the event of failure at one of the beaches." Zaloga, the armor expert, also adds a great deal of clarity to the role of US tanks on Omaha Beach. Most sources tend to suggest that the majority of the armor foundered in the English Channel and thus the role of tanks was negligible. Zaloga points out that both DD and tanks with wading trunks were used, as well as Sherman dozer tanks. Although many of the DD tanks sank, enough of the tanks with wading trunks made it ashore to play a decisive role in silencing the German resistance nests. Furthermore, the popular idea that arrogant American commanders spurned the use of Britain's specialized armored engineer tanks is disputed by Zaloga; the V Corps did in fact request over 100 British "funnies," but British industry could not meet the demand in time for D-Day. Zaloga also does a fine job pointing out just how crucial naval support was in suppressing enemy defenses and making up for the lack of heavy weapons ashore. On the other hand, Zaloga notes that the Americans had not trained to employ close air support and had included no air liaison teams in the invasion force.

For the Germans, Zaloga notes that the shortage of artillery ammunition was a critical deficiency - by the evening of D-Day most of the nearby guns had exhausted their basic loads. Zaloga also does a great job detailing just how thick the fog of war was on Omaha on June 6, 1944 and how this greatly affected the command of control of both sides. One of the most interesting tidbits that Zaloga presents is a post-invasion study by the British that notes that the Germans had four times as many machineguns and three times as many anti-tank guns covering the Omaha Beach area compared to the defenses on the other beaches. The tidal conditions were also worse and the prepatory bombardment was much shorter than the British beaches. Finally, Zaloga notes that there has been a recent tendency to exaggerate the casualties on Omaha Beach - about 2,000 - and he places it in perspective by noting that the US Army suffered about 1,200 casualties every day in the weeks of hedgerow fighting that followed D-Day.

Omaha Beach and Beyond: The Long March of Sergeant Bob Slaughter
Average customer rating:

Worth a Read

A great recouunting of history from the "greatest generation"

D-Day Survivor's Moving Story of His Wartime Experiences and Beyond

Omaha Beach and Beyond: The Long March of Sergeant Bob Slaughter
John Robert Slaughter
Manufacturer: Zenith Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0760331413

Book Description

Before D-Day, regular army soldiers called the National Guardsmen of Virginias 116th Infantry Regiment "Home Nannies," "Weekend Warriors," and worse. On June 6, 1944, on Omaha Beach, however, these proud Virginians who carried the legacy of the famed Stonewall Brigade showed the regular army and the world what true valor really was. In this moving World War II memoir, the author captures the day-to-day comings and goings of GI Joe from preGWorld War II National Guard days through induction, training, deployment overseas, and more training. All leads up to D-Day and Normandy on June 6, 1944, when Sergeant Bob Slaughter came across Omaha Beach with Company D of the 116th Infantry. This was the beginning of his long march to final victory in Europe, a march that would take him and his fellow soldiers of Company D, at least those who survived, to Holland, the Bulge, and on into Germany itself.

Customer Reviews:

Worth a Read.......2007-09-19

I just finished reading Sgt. Slaughter's book and I highly recommend it. Much has been written about what it was like to land on Omaha Beach, but very little has been written about the training that the GI's went through prior to the invasion. I particularly liked the anecdotal accounts of Sgt. Slaughter's drill sergeant and the accounts of some unauthorized departures from base (particularly to get a steak dinner!). The descriptions of Sgt. Slaughter's training as a 29th Ranger was very interesting as very little is available about this unit.

This book is an easy book to read (it kept me turning the pages) and tells a very good and compelling story. Through the eyes of the author, the reader experiences a different aspect of war - the compassion of soldiers and the camaraderie forged by war.

A great recouunting of history from the "greatest generation".......2007-07-05

Bob Slaughter has captured a piece of history in a unique and fascinating manner. His recounting of personal and historical events surroundnig one of the defining events of modern time is not only a good documentary but entertaining. Knowing him as a fellow "Stonewall Brigade" member adds even more interest from my perspective. He tells the story from a real life perspective ... how it really was then and what it took to succeed in the mission. Reading this book will certainly give you a great view of what the men and women went through to win the war. He pulls no punches in revealing some mistakes made in planning and execution at every level. Anyone who thinks "freedom is free" should read this to learn the real "cost of freedom."

D-Day Survivor's Moving Story of His Wartime Experiences and Beyond.......2007-06-24

Sgt. Bob Slaughter, a D-Day veteran, was the moving force behind the implementation of the National D-Day Memorial and, now at the ripe old age of 82, is the Chairman of the Foundation for the memorial. His book, some 60 years in the making, movingly tells the story of what it was like on Omaha beach, Normandy, 6 June 1944 and thereafter.

The author's story really begins at the tender age of 15 when he convinces his parents to allow him to sign up for the Virginia National Guard. He joined in early 1941 and was in basic training at 16, after his unit was called up for federal service with other local Virginia outfits.

Shortly thereafter, the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. America, and the Virginia National Guard, was now caught up in World War II.

After initially guarding the East coast his unit was sent to England. On the way his transport, a converted oceanliner, inadvertently ran into a British warship, cutting it in two and killing several hundred British sailors.

While in England, the author volunteers for a ranger battalion and trained intensively in Scotland but this unit never saw combat, was disbanded, and the men were sent back to their original units.

The author's training then continues in England for the invasion of Normandy. The invasion comes, of course, on 6 June 1944. The author is in on the third wave of landings that day, but the carnage experienced by his unit, D Company of 116th Infantry, 29th Division, on the beaches was no less than many on the first wave. That first day his Company suffered over 40% casualties, about one-third of whom were from his hometown, Roanoke, Virgina. (The D-Day Memorial is in Bedford, Virginia. Bedford suffered even heavier losses during the invasion, 23 alone on D-Day, than Roanoke.) The author's description of that day, as men were crushed by their own landing craft or shot and drowned under the weight of their 60-pound packs, is quite intense and not soon forgotten. Particularly memorable is the author's recognition that, at 6 feet 5 inches, he displayed an especially large and inviting target to the German defenders.

The author's story continues as he survives D-Day, is twice wounded (once in the head and once in the kidneys) but rejoins his unit in the fight across France and into Germany.

After being released and coming home in July 1945, the author describes the personal turmoil and feelings he and other veterans felt after the war. After being trained so long as killing machines, it was not so easy to disengage those instincts. Along with many veterans, the author kept fighting after the war ended, only this time with his fists.

He eventually settles down and becomes a newspaper reporter but, as the years go by, becomes more and more peeved that not only was there no national memorial to those Americans who fought and died on D-Day but the younger generation(s) seemed to know, or care, little about it. After his retirement, he began to spend more and more time on obtaining a memorial. His efforts were finally rewarded after public attention on D-Day was increased as its 50th anniversary approached.

His book is an important asset not just to the history of World War II but also as to the post-war stresses of veterans and a nation's recognition of its heroes.

OMAHA BEACH: V Corps Battle for the Normandy Beachhead (Battleground Europe Series)

Average customer rating:

Barely adequate Omaha book

OMAHA BEACH: V Corps Battle for the Normandy Beachhead (Battleground Europe Series)
Kilvert Jones
Manufacturer: Pen and Sword
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 085052671X

Book Description

Operational oversights and the fortunes of war left a larger number of German defences intact on this crucial beach, making for the most difficult of all the battles on June 6, 1944. All of the units, events and personalities of the Omaha landing are covered in full detail, backed up with numerous photographs, maps, suggestions for further reading and a guide to touring the battlefield sites as they are today.

Customer Reviews:

Barely adequate Omaha book.......2007-02-15

I don't know what happened here, the author Tim Kilvert-Jones penned the truly excellent Sword Beach edition of the Battleground Europe series, and I bought this expecting it to be as good. Sadly I was wrong, this is frankly a very disappointing book. Firstly there are errors in the text - two photos of the German bunker at WN65 are labelled WN64, and a full page photo of troops onboard ship was taken off the other American beach Utah, and there is a modern picture of the lane leading to where the guns were inland from Pointe du Hoc - fine except it's the wrong lane. Secondly the battlefield tour unlike the highly detailed routes in other books in the series is very very basic - consisting of only 5 stands. The text fails to mention interesting places to stop and visit like the Dog White Sector and WN60 above Fox Red, and really just points out the monuments. Compared to the author's Sword beach book, this was a major let down for me.

Finally, the text section of the book before the battlefield guide part, is frankly "dull as dishwater". 50 pages is devoted to the overall planning of Overlord, which I would propose is not something the average buyer of this book would be looking for, as it is covered in hundreds of general D-Day books. For the actual Omaha beach portion, it used the same old standard US National Archive photos interspersed with maybe half a dozen brief veteran's accounts collected by the author. Also the text could have done with being broken down into clearly defined chapters relating to perhaps each beach sector or exit. All in all I'll stick with the word "disappointing."

I wonder if the publisher reduced the authors original manuscript to fit the format of the book?

Average customer rating:

Battle Zone Normandy: Omaha Beach
Stephen Badsey , and Tim Bean
Manufacturer: Sutton Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Orne Bridgehead (Battle Zone Normandy)

ASIN: 0750930179

Book Description

At dawn on D-Day the US Army's 1st and 29th infantry divisions launched their attack on Omaha Beach. The assaulting infantry were compelled to wade through shoulder-high water, under murderous fire, many being killed as they struggled ashore. Despite appalling difficulties, a bridgehead had been established by the evening of June 6.

Normandy : Omaha Beach (Battleground Europe) (Battleground Europe)

Average customer rating:

Good Military Analysis and Synthesis
Normandy: Omaha Beach

Normandy : Omaha Beach (Battleground Europe) (Battleground Europe)
Kilvert Jones
Manufacturer: Combined Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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GOLD BEACH - JIG: Jig Sector and West - June 1944 (Battleground Europe. Normandy)
Utah Beach : Normandy (Battleground Europe Series)

ASIN: 158097015X

Book Description

Saving Private Ryan has brought home to a new generation just how harrowing the landing at Omaha Beach was on D-Day. Located in between the other American objective of Utah Beach and the British and Canadian beaches Sword, Gold and Juno, failure to secure Omaha Beach would have resulted in the failure of the entire invasion. Operational oversights and the fortunes of war left a larger number of German defenses intact on this crucial beach, making for the most difficult of all the battles on June 6, 1944. Americans on Omaha Beach sustained about 60% of all casualties on D-Day.

All of the units, events and personalities of the Omaha landing are covered in full detail, backed up with numerous photographs, maps, suggestions for further reading and a guide to touring the battlefield sites as they are today.

Customer Reviews:

Good Military Analysis and Synthesis.......2002-02-14

Writing a tour guide and historical synopsis of the US landing at Omaha Beach on 6 June 1944 is a daunting task, but one well executed by Sandhurst graduate Tim Kilvert-Jones in this Battleground Europe volume. Like other volumes in this series on the D-Day landings, Omaha Beach only focuses on the actions that occurred on and around that particular landing site. Overall, Omaha Beach is an excellent summary of the US V Corps landings on D-Day, as well as a decent tour-guide of the contemporary battlefield.

Omaha Beach consists of seven chapters, beginning with a strategic overview and a full chapter on the Overlord plan relating to Omaha and Pointe du Hoc. The third chapter covers the loading and sea passage. The three main chapters cover the Ranger assault at Pointe du Hoc, the 29th Division landing and the 1st Division landing. An epilogue chapter covers events following D-Day, primarily the Allied logistical build-up on Omaha. There are also six appendices but no order of battle for either side. As usual in Battleground Europe titles, numerous excellent photographs complement the text, but the maps are not as good in this volume as in other volumes in the series.

While Kilvert-Jones does utilize and synthesize information from other accounts, such as Joseph Balkoski's excellent Beyond the Beachhead and Robert J Kershaw's D-Day Piercing the Atlantic Wall, he offers value-added material in terms of his expertise as a retired regular army officer. This book is designed as a professional learning tool for young officers on a staff ride of the Normandy battlefields - a tool I wish that I had as a captain when I made such a staff ride in 1989 - and as such, it offers many useful insights for those who wish to study the art of war as related to Omaha Beach. The author effectively addresses the mission, the enemy, the troops available, the weather and the operational time line.

There are two areas where the author does come up short in his military analysis, in my opinion. First, is the issue of terrain. While the author correctly identifies the draws leading off the beach as key terrain he fails to complete the equation. The fact is that both the Germans and Americans had identified the draws as key terrain and acted upon it, is one of the key reasons for the heavy casualties on Omaha. The Germans could only man the defenses on Omaha with a reinforced battalion at any one time, and they chose to concentrate their defenses on resistance nests covering each of the four draws. Only a few snipers and obstacles were left to cover the area between draws, and this area comprised dead space to the heavy weapons sited in most of the resistance nests. Thus, the main German engagement areas were in front of the draws, which is precisely where the Americans landed. The Americans headed strait for the draws because they optimistically assumed that the preliminary air and naval bombardment would smash the resistance nests and obstacles, allowing the landing troops to move rapidly off the beach through these defiles. Thanks to Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, many Americans are now convinced that all of Omaha Beach was a slaughterhouse. Not true. As Kilvert-Jones notes, some troops landing inadvertently in the dead space between the draws and they were able to reach the bluffs virtually unscathed. The failure of the Americans to appreciate the significance of dead space (since virtually all the German bunkers were identified before the landing) on Omaha Beach was as serious defect in terrain analysis as their failure to anticipate the defensive value of bocage. Had the US troops landed between the draws, hundreds of lives would have been saved.

The second issue that Kilvert-Jones skirts around is that of senior American generalship and planning. There is no doubt that the troops in the 1st and 29th Divisions were well-served by the superior combat leadership of men like BGN Cota and COL Taylor on D-Day, but these were not the men who planned the landings on Omaha. Rather, the inferior leadership and lack of imagination of General Bradley and General Eisenhower are the issue. Whenever one studies Overlord, it is difficult not to be impressed by the incredible logistic planning that went into moving thousands of troops across the sea, as well as technical marvels like PLUTO and MULBERRY and the incredibly successful deception plan. On the strategic level, Overlord was a masterpiece. Yet at the tactical level, particularly at Omaha, Overlord seems to have been planned by men who ignored every lesson of the last thirty years. Bradley rejected British offers of armored "funnies" from the 79th Armored that were far superior at obstacle removal under fire than dismounted engineers - who suffered 41% casualties on Omaha. Nor would Bradley consider using Underwater Demolition Teams or amphibious tractors as used in Pacific invasions. Bradley never really thought about how troops could cross 300-400 meters of open sand under fire from interlocking machinegun nests - a basic lesson learned from the First World War. The fire support plan for Omaha ignored the use of smoke, which would have greatly reduced the accuracy of German fire. Although often described as an excellent tactician, Bradley clearly was not. Indeed, the divisional leaders in the 1st and 29th Divisions questioned the landing plan, but were over-ruled by Bradley who didn't want a plan complicated by gadgets or fancy tactics. Kilvert-Jones mentions the irony of Bradley considering a withdrawal as his troops were actually getting off the beach and Eisenhower was planning a mass air strike to demonstrate how out-of-touch these "leaders" were. After the battle, Eisenhower blamed the "intelligence failure" in detecting the German 352nd Division at Omaha as the primary reason for the heavy casualties. In fact, the American GIs triumphed at Omaha in spite of, not because of, their senior leadership.

Normandy: Omaha Beach.......2000-06-21

Having just returned from the Normandy beaches, I found that this book is essential for anyone who visits the battlefield, either by actually walking the ground, or even vicariously by reading in the comfort of your own home. The author, Tim Kilvert-Jones, provides concise, but essential, background material on the strategic setting in 1944, German defensive plans and organization, Allied invasion plans, and the Allied air and naval operations that preceded the invasion. Of particular note is the key role played in Allied planning by intelligence, terrain analysis, weather, and deception operations. The core of the book is a tour of the three main sections of Omaha Beach: Pointe du Hoc and the tactical sectors of the 29th and 1st Infantry Divisions. For each area, Kilvert-Jones has selected excellent vantage points that allow one to view the terrain. The instructions for reaching each vantage point and for driving about the battlefield are clear and accurate. For each vantage point, the author provides detailed descriptions of the actions that occurred there; the narrative is exciting and fast-paced. The tour of each part of the battlefield is supported by excellent maps and photos. This book should appeal to veterans, military professionals, and anyone interested in getting a close-up view of this historically significant battleground.

6 June 1944: Twentieth Anniversary of the Normandy Landings At Omaha and Utah Beaches. (Juin, 1964: 20e Anniversaire Du Débarquement En Normandie)

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6 June 1944: Twentieth Anniversary of the Normandy Landings At Omaha and Utah Beaches. (Juin, 1964: 20e Anniversaire Du Débarquement En Normandie)

Manufacturer: Paris S.P.E.I.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000G0K6XU

America in World War II: Europe [9 vols]: Normandy 1944 The Battle of the Bulge Operation Cobra 1944 Lorraine 1944 D-Day 1944: Omaha Beach D-Day 1944: ... 1945 (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

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America in World War II: Europe [9 vols]: Normandy 1944 The Battle of the Bulge Operation Cobra 1944 Lorraine 1944 D-Day 1944: Omaha Beach D-Day 1944: ... 1945 (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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D-Day: Omaha Beach
Milton Shapiro
Manufacturer: Random House (Merchandising)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: School & Library Binding
ASIN: 0679205756

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