Omaha Beach: V Corps' Battle for the Normandy Bridgehead

Writing a tour guide and historical synopsis of the US landing at Omaha Beach on 6 June 1944 is a daunting task, but one well executed by Sandhurst graduate Tim Kilvert-Jones in this Battleground Europe volume. Like other volumes in this series on the D-Day landings, Omaha Beach only focuses on the actions that occurred on and around that particular landing site. Overall, Omaha Beach is an excellent summary of the US V Corps landings on D-Day, as well as a decent tour-guide of the contemporary battlefield. Omaha Beach consists of seven chapters, beginning with a strategic overview and a full chapter on the Overlord plan relating to Omaha and Pointe du Hoc. The third chapter covers the loading and sea passage. The three main chapters cover the Ranger assault at Pointe du Hoc, the 29th Division landing and the 1st Division landing. An epilogue chapter covers events following D-Day, primarily the Allied logistical build-up on Omaha. There are also six appendices but no order of battle for either side. As usual in Battleground Europe titles, numerous excellent photographs complement the text, but the maps are not as good in this volume as in other volumes in the series. While Kilvert-Jones does utilize and synthesize information from other accounts, such as Joseph Balkoski's excellent Beyond the Beachhead and Robert J Kershaw's D-Day Piercing the Atlantic Wall, he offers value-added material in terms of his expertise as a retired regular army officer. This book is designed as a professional learning tool for young officers on a staff ride of the Normandy battlefields - a tool I wish that I had as a captain when I made such a staff ride in 1989 - and as such, it offers many useful insights for those who wish to study the art of war as related to Omaha Beach. The author effectively addresses the mission, the enemy, the troops available, the weather and the operational time line. There are two areas where the author does come up short in his military analysis, in my opinion. First, is the issue of terrain. While the author correctly identifies the draws leading off the beach as key terrain he fails to complete the equation. The fact is that both the Germans and Americans had identified the draws as key terrain and acted upon it, is one of the key reasons for the heavy casualties on Omaha. The Germans could only man the defenses on Omaha with a reinforced battalion at any one time, and they chose to concentrate their defenses on resistance nests covering each of the four draws. Only a few snipers and obstacles were left to cover the area between draws, and this area comprised dead space to the heavy weapons sited in most of the resistance nests. Thus, the main German engagement areas were in front of the draws, which is precisely where the Americans landed. The Americans headed strait for the draws because they optimistically assumed that the preliminary air and naval bombardment would smash the resistance nests and obstacles, allow

Having just returned from the Normandy beaches, I found that this book is essential for anyone who visits the battlefield, either by actually walking the ground, or even vicariously by reading in the comfort of your own home. The author, Tim Kilvert-Jones, provides concise, but essential, background material on the strategic setting in 1944, German defensive plans and organization, Allied invasion plans, and the Allied air and naval operations that preceded the invasion. Of particular note is the key role played in Allied planning by intelligence, terrain analysis, weather, and deception operations. The core of the book is a tour of the three main sections of Omaha Beach: Pointe du Hoc and the tactical sectors of the 29th and 1st Infantry Divisions. For each area, Kilvert-Jones has selected excellent vantage points that allow one to view the terrain. The instructions for reaching each vantage point and for driving about the battlefield are clear and accurate. For each vantage point, the author provides detailed descriptions of the actions that occurred there; the narrative is exciting and fast-paced. The tour of each part of the battlefield is supported by excellent maps and photos. This book should appeal to veterans, military professionals, and anyone interested in getting a close-up view of this historically significant battleground.