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By Peter Simunovich, John-Paul Brisigotti, Phil Yates, Vincent Wai

By the beginning of June 1944 the beaches of the tranquil French coast of Normandy had been transformed by the occupying German Army into something not nearly so picturesque. A dozen bunker complexes dotted the high bluffs overlooking the five kilometre-long crescent of sand between Vierville-sur-Mer and Colleville-sur-Mer, littered with obstacles designed to punch holes in any landing craft willing to brave them. At each end, forbidding cliffs lined the water's edge, making an assault there impossible. Four gullies, 'draws' to the Americans landing there, sliced through the forbidding bluffs. These were the only way off the beach for vehicles, and the most heavily fortified points. The most important of the draws were the two to the east called Dl and D3 by the Allies, as both had roads winding up inland from the beach. The beach the Allies codenamed Omaha had become the outer wall of Hitler's Festung Euro pa, Fortress Europe, and the English Channel its moat.

Surprises

Across this countryside wind and rain came in a dark grey mass that blotted out the sun. Weather reports from the German meteorologists predicted much the same for the rest of the week. With the stormy weather and the lack of Allied activity many of the Axis commanders were away from their posts, confident that the expected invasion was still far off. The defenders were thus shocked to see the Allied fleet off the coast in the early morning hours of 6 June.

For the Allies the day would begin with an equally nasty surprise. Allied intelligence services expected the defenders of Omaha Beach to be a single second-rate battalion. Their maps put the well-trained and equipped 352. Infanteriedivision (352nd Infantry Division) at St. L6 far to the rear. Unknown to the Allies, the division had moved forward, taking over the beach defences at Omaha months earlier. What they already expected to be a hard fight had become even harder.

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