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| The invasion's first steps would be dangerous and quite costly. When the paratroopers and glider units made their approach toward their drop zones under the blanket of night, un-anticipated German anti- aircraft artillery bombarded the Douglas C- 47's that transported them. These attacks resulted in mis-drops of the units. Paratroopers jumped into the wrong zones and the gliders mostly crashed and were destroyed, the survivors having to doctor their friends and themselves, and still work toward accomplishing their vital missions. Still, the glider troops miraculously secured most of their objectives before sunrise, and as the first wave of US Army Engineers and Rangers hit the beach at Utah, the Paratroopers were actively taking out the artillery that would have shelled and decimated the arriving mass of troops. The defenses on the beaches were nothing to take lightly. There were several tools the German's used in an attempt to thwart an invasion, many of which had devastating effects on those who landed on the beaches of Normandy. Along the shoreline in the water near the beaches, thousands of weighted- mines floated half-sunk, waiting for unknowing victims to run them over. The beach itself was flustered with landmines and other such traps. Probably the most identifiable items of the D- Day scenery were the large metal obstacles, called "hedgehogs," which the German's used to line the beaches to thwart tanks and other vehicles, as well as large masses of troops, from making their way onto the beaches. Some of these Hedgehogs had mines built near them, so a soldier attempting to take cover might instead be killed by an explosive buried in the sand. Along the ridges of the cliffs and hills surrounding the beaches of the landing area were MG (Machine Gun) |
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| nests, constructed of sandbags and wood, and sometimes concrete, and large concrete structures called "Pillboxes". An MG Nest usually had an anti-personnel machine gun in it and one or two other soldiers, but the German Pillbox was solid concrete, with a roof and a "murder-slot" window that covered a wide angle of fire from their elevated position, and also provided a large amount of cover for the soldiers inside them. These Pillboxes accounted for many of the German kills during the invasion of Normandy. When finally the Allies would get beyond the beaches massive defenses, they would encounter several swiftly trained and battle-hardened companies of German soldiers, many of which were the dreaded SS. These soldiers were hiding in trenches dug behind the pillboxes and MG nests, and throughout the forests for tens of miles surrounding the area. If the landing of the primary forces not already in Normandy would succeed, they would only be at the start of a tedious invasion process. |
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| As the nighttime invasions were taking place and the German's stationed in Normandy near the landing sites had become aware of what was going to soon happen, panic erupted. General Rundstedt, whom was away visiting his wife, learned of the attacks and attempted to contact his commanding officer, and even Hitler himself, to order reinforcements. He understood that the three Panzer (tank) divisions stationed in Pais-de-Calais could make a significant stand against the coming invasion... but his superiors felt these were diversionary tactics that the Allies had hoped would weaken the forces stationed where they'd believed the true invasion would occur. Even when the early morning horizon viewable from Omaha beach was literally filled ship-to-ship with a massive invasion force, his commanders continued to believe it was all a clever ruse to trick the German's into sending relief to a phoney front. At approximately 6:30am, Utah beach was landed upon, followed shortly by the other beaches. Allied soldiers were met with heavy resistance. Most of the Allied soldiers killed on D- Day had died during |
| that first attack. Cover was limited for Allied soldiers. Many of the engineers were killed on the landing craft and never made it to the beach, so soldiers would step on mines and in turn take out several of their fighting companions. This horribly bloody battle raged on for hours, but when the first batch of US Soldiers were able to break through the German lines and take out several of the pillboxes that had ended so many Allied lives, the tables had been turned, and as the second wave of Allied soldiers arrived, many of the forces were pushing the Germans back into the nearby forests. As the Allies took the beaches, Rundstedt and his cabinet were still furiously trying to call out for reinforcements. When they finally decided to contact Hitler himself, it was discovered that the Dictator had taken a sleeping pill and "was not to be disturbed." This sleeping pill would cost him dearly, as without Panzer support to thwart the Allied invasion, the German's had no hope of deflecting the Allied might. When the beaches were secured and Allied transports filled with vehicles began landing at the beaches rather than just soldiers, it was only a matter of time before the German's in the nearby towns would be crushed as well. The Allied soldiers pushed onward to take several key villages and towns in Normandy by the end of the first day of Operation Overlord. Probably the most crucial of these towns was Sainte Mere- |
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| Eglise, where several German companies of soldiers were stationed. When the American Airborne forces dropped into Normandy, many landed here, and fought desperately until US Army Rangers and British SAS soldiers arrived to help relieve them. When the invasion of Normandy was nearly complete, soldiers in Sainte Mere- Eglise raised the American flag over French soil, signifying that the Allies were well on their way toward victory. |