D-Day - The Untold Story

Page 2 of 6

• 1. Operation Overlord
• 2. Surveying Omaha Beach
• 3. Witnessing the horror
• 4. Historical discrepancies
• 5. The element of surprise
• 6. Find out more
• Print entire article

Surveying Omaha Beach

In addition to conducting a general reconnaissance of the invasion areas, the location of known losses was be examined, and a record made of the disposition of ships and equipment at the time. It is known that there were at least 5000 ships involved in Operation Neptune, and as many as 8000 support aircraft - ranging from fighter planes to paratroop transports. The landing craft in the British and American sectors taking part in the action number more than 3200 - not including the specialised vehicles and equipment, such as amphibious tanks.

Once survey work was completed for the 2000 survey along Utah Beach, attention turned to the larger area adjacent to Omaha Beach, and in the shadow of the American Cemetery to the southwest. Using high-resolution sonar, magnetometer and GPS equipment, 121 survey transects were laid out. These supplied innumerable images, among which several shipwrecks were clearly identified.

'The launch of the first group of DD-Tanks proved disastrous ...'

The wreckage of what may be a Landing Craft, Tank (LCT) shows up among these images, lying upside down off Omaha Beach, its bow facing bottom of the frame. What may be the remains of a 'Rhino Barge' shows up in another, sitting broken on the seafloor, its internal framing exposed, corroded. These craft were used to ferry large numbers of vehicles to shore from Landing Ships, Tank (LSTs) standing off at sea with their bay doors open, disgorging cargo onto these low-to-the-water, shallow-draft barges, driven by outboard motors.

Among the most interesting images is a collection of approximately eight vehicles, assumed to be tanks, at a considerable distance offshore along the eastern end of the survey area at Omaha Beach. Although not certain, these tanks are most likely the "DD", or Duplex Drive, amphibious tanks assigned to support the American Infantry in the first wave of the invasion, and lost on D-Day.

Sixteen LCTs were carrying full complements of DD-Tanks - to be launched approximately four kilometres offshore. To provide the necessary buoyancy, large canvas skirts were erected around the upper portion of the vehicle, to be lowered upon reaching the surf zone. The launch of the first group of DD-Tanks (741st Armored Battalion) proved disastrous, sending 27 to the sea floor, swamped by heavy seas.

NextPrevious

Published: 2002-06-01