European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 18, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse Omaha Beach the worst of the Nightmare of .1 Phuth Ralph of in Sicam my through Chr Lim Ord on ii a Csc i on 77it a rot a is cd a t 7/h German a fits or Sis ou5 Schmo Alloi by Don Tate staff Britt r hit .1 Soldier. Sheie is no mort1 exposed Plai e in the would no Nimori Perfet i Field of fire in which to get his life i Ukly wasted tin an open Beach. Mil Ilii Beach code named Omaha was the Moody Lisl. Atm Iii ins of the 1st ind 21th infantry divisions i Mie from 1 i Mill s out through the Gray smoke How ing june morning packed together rot King and getting and seasick on llu1 1 lit Bottoni a wave assault that see incl to some like Riding in loom in Iron coffins bound inn and weaving past Long stakes with Contact mines on the lips that would explode at a lout h. If i Soldier Stu k Bis head up and did t get it shot off be uni lil see a lot of those Iron coffins swamped Mil inking with the corpses see men plunging Over the sides of other boats Anil flailing to stay above Waler in their heavy gear. Ahead was the Beach Long Ian. Smooth curving. In belter times a wonderful place to cat h the Sun. At it 10 . On Lune i i a it was the easiest place in the world i catch yourself some death and a lot of men caught it. I cunning just lie bind the Beach Wen Steep Green Bluffs rising Iso feel. The germans in Irenc bes and Concrete pillboxes were shooting Clown the throats of the wide open yanks As they came struggling in wading and stumbling knee deep hip Csc up neck deep through the surf some of them ending up floating dead in the water. I Gibly five German Mac him.1 gun Loie up the Sanci and flesh across hundreds of Yards of Low title beat h Mil ripping Over us like giant Riecl steels As one go put in came the sounds of Anli Lank guns and the big ibs firing from re info cell Concrete emplacements were angled so that Only tin heaviest of Ali real bits from the front could take them out. Germans were firing from interlocking angles Down the l and sending shells shrieking out at Ros the water at those slow moving soldiers who were trying to Advance Oil of the sea who were getting chewed up by the Little guns Anil blown up by the big ones. Bobbing death washed up on Shore and then washed Back out to . Omaha was divided into attack ones called Charlie dog. ind i of and subdivided into sectors by the colors Green while and red designating where specific units were supposed to hit tin1 Beach Siulc Nemy fire High seas smoke Mist Tusl Anil Strong wind and lateral currents swept units into wrong Landing positions by a thousand or More Yards so thai squads companies battalions found themselves trying to get organi a d Anil Figol All mixed in with elements of other displaced outfits. Guns clogged with wet Sand. Plans and timetable s were for Golly a. Command and control often Hail to be improvise to on the spol by those d enough to stick their Heads up and Brave enough to get their whole bodies up and going. I he and to Uncle a were sprawled everywhere ii was hard to move without stopping on Little lakes of american blood pooling in stretches of Sand that would forever go into history dubbed with names like the bitterly fought for Tasy ked Iwho named thai oni s and i of Green and dog Luule some Chi took cover behind German Beach is t ailed hedgehogs others just Al alleged i i m in the and and water and said words to the i on and others Craw Letl up and tried to Burrow and shrink and to Shappe in Mlo the strips of rocks Small i s called so unset closer to the Bluffs Llu Bui i d one is looking More like the big lilo in one Mil Ibe s Rhonal Wirtl men of the in. B in i n the i h Iii i i Vul i i a punning up Andi i the in in seas r Vith in wire mime .1. I i. Of the mulls Cert i in. Of in l Uliuli in Llu nid j i
