Omaha Beach defenses

This gun emplacement inflicted the most harm. Aimed at right angles to the ocean it raked the beach with
murderous fire. It was finally taken out by Rangers coming from the right, as depicted by Tom Hanks
in the opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan. Back in the day,
as now, there was a casino and numerous holiday houses on the shoreline.

It took only about 150 Germans to create most of the carnage on Omaha Beach. The gun emplacements and bunkers were brilliantly placed to put maximum crossing fire on the Americans as they moved over the sand in plain view.

Entrance to Pvt. Goeckel's living quarters.

Our guide, Ron Drez, has interviewed as many as 3000 veterans during his career as a writer/historian.. Among them were Germans, notably a Pvt. Franz Gockel. Drez got to know Gockel and stood with him at his deadly Omaha Beach position on more than one occasion. This morning he read from Gockel's personal account of the courageous Americans rushing toward him for hours on the morning of D-Day, as he cut them down with his Czechoslovakian-made machine gun, aiming at the troops as they disembarked their landing craft. He had trained diligently for this duty and defended Strong Point 62 until finally, at about 11 a.m., the Americans chased him out, killing most everyone else. His 150 comrades, in their hardened positions, had created 90 percent of the casualties of the day.

Dog Red. Visitors are amazed at the immenseness of the beach at low tide when the assault troops arrived. Low tide
avoided the obstacles placed by Rommel, but left a great distance for men under fire.
The tide moves back in quickly, adding to the difficulties.. The largest building marks the exit to the high ground
with the gun emplacement in the cliffs to the right. The photographer  is  well within its range.
The objective was to clear the draw  to allow logistics to move forward. It was dearly paid for.