WWII: German static defenses at Omaha Beach on D-Day 1944

Of the five beaches stormed on D-Day, June 6. 1944, Omaha Beach was the deadliest for Allied soldiers. The beach itself was defended with a series of (often underwater) obstacles and traps, such as Belgian Gates, Czech Hedgehogs, mines, and ditches, which primarily acted to immobilize tanks, transport ships, and other vehicles. Despite aerial and naval bombardment in the hours before the invasion, German soldiers were well protected and dug-in on higher ground, with defenses that were much stronger than expected. The fact that the Allied engineers were so slow in clearing and moving through the defenses left many exposed to enemy fire, and this was compounded by later arrivals of troops. Eventually, some smaller groups of American soldiers were successful in gaining positions on higher ground, eliminating some defenses and giving engineers more opportunity to remove some of the barriers on the beach. By the end of the day, the Allies had taken a much smaller beachhead than originally planned, and it took several more days to secure their original objective on D-Day. Almost 3,700 American soldiers, over 10 percent, of those who landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day were casualties, 777 of whom died (German figures are less clear).