CONTENTS

Foreword		iii
Launching the Invasion		1
	Tactical Aspects of the Terrain	3
	Enemy Defenses	4
	The VII Corps Plan	7
	Mounting the Operation	12
The Airborne Assault		14
	The 101st Airborne Division Lands	14
	Fighting for the Northern Beach Exits	17
	Capture of the Southern Beach Exits	20
	Securing the Southern Flank	23
	The 82d Airborne Division Astride the Merderet	30
	The Capture of Ste. Mère-Eglise	31
	Along the Merderet	34
	The Airborne Divisions at the End of D Day	41
The Seaborne Assault		43
	Task Force U Moves In	43
	Clearing the Beaches	47
	The 4th Division Pushes Inland	50
	The Landing in Retrospect	55
	German Reaction to the Landings	57
Securing the Beachhead (D Plus 1)		61
	The 82nd Division at Ste. Mire-Eglise	61
	The 12th and 22d Infantry Regiments Pursue Their D-Day Objectives	65
	The Southern Flank on D Plus 1	71
	The Beachhead at the End of D Plus 1	74
The Battle for Carentan (8-15 June)		77
	St. Côme-du-Mont	77
	The Causeway Attack	78
	The Left-Wing Attack on Carentan	87
	Securing Carentan	90
Breaking the German Line In the North		95
	The Penetration at Ecausseville	95
	The Montebourg-le Ham Highway	100
	The Advance Toward Montebourg	103
	Crisbecq and Azeville	104
	Ozeville	107
	The Capture of Quinéville	110
	The Enemy Situation	115
Securing the Douve Line		119
	Crossing the Merderet	119
	The 90th Takes Over the Attack	125
	The 9th Division Is Committed	131
	Attack Along the Douve River Line	136
Sealing Off the Peninsula		141
	The 9th Division Cuts the Escape Routes	142
	The Enemy Gamble	145
The Drive On Cherbourg		150
	The First Day	151
	Advance to the Fortified Line	158
	German Defenses in the Hilly North	164
	The Corps Front on 21 June	165
The Fortress Is Breached		171
	The Final Drive Begins	172
	The Right Flank	173
	The Center	177
	The Left Flank	179
The Fall of Cherbourg		183
	The City Is Reached	183
	The Drive Into the City	187
	Organized Resistance Ends	193
APPENDIX A: Clearing the Cap Levy and Cap de la Hague Areas		201
APPENDIX B: Battle Casualties Sustained by VII Corps, 6 June-1 July 1944		210
APPENDIX C: Allied Chain of Command and Order of Battle		211
APPENDIX D: Enemy Chain of Command and Order of Battle		213

Maps

1.	Enemy Forces in Cotentin Peninsula as Estimated Prior to D Day	2
2.	Allied Assault Routes, 6 June 1944	13
3.	502d Parachute Infantry on D-Day, 1st and 3d Battalions	16
4.	506th Parachute Infantry and 3d Battalion, 501st, on D Day	23
5.	501st Parachute Infantry on D Day, 1st and 2d Battalions	26
6.	505th at Ste. Mère-Eglise, 6 June 1944	32
7.	D Day Along the Merderet, 82d Airborne Division	36
8.	4th Infantry Division on D Day	49
9.	VII Corps Beachhead, End of D Day	57
10.	Enemy Forces in Cotentin Peninsula as They Actually Were on D Day	58
11.	Securing Ste. Mère-Eglise, D+1, 7 June 1944	62
12.	12th and 22d Infantry, D+1, June 1944	64
13.	101st Airborne Division on D+1, 7 June 1944	70
14.	VII Corps Beachhead, End of D+1	73
15.	Attack on St. Côme-du-Mont, 8 June 1944	76
16.	Attack on Carentan: The Causeway Fight, 10--11 June 1944	80
17.	Attack on Carentan: The Left Flank, 10-11 June 1944	86
18.	The Fall of Carentan, 12 June 1944	88
19.	German Counterattack on Carentan, 13 June 1944	90
20.	Ecausseville and le Ham, 8-11 June 1944	94
21.	The Normandy Beachhead, 14 June 1944	112
22.	508th at Chef-du-Pont, 8-9 June 1944	120
23.	The la Fière Bridgehead, 9 June 1944	122
24.	90th Division West of the Merderet, 10-13 June 1944	127
25.	VII Corps Front, Night 18/19 June 1944	148
26.	4th Division Attack, 19 June 1944	152
27.	Clearing Cap de la Hague Peninsula, 28 June--1 July 1944	202
Maps I-XIV are in inverse order inside back cover.
I.	Cotentin Peninsula
II.	Airborne Plan, 6 June 1944
III.	VII Corps Objective, D Day
IV.	4th Division Plan, 6 June 1944
V.	101st Airborne Division Drop Pattern
VI.	82d Airborne Drop Pattern, 6 June 1944
VII.	Utah Beach: 8th Infantry Landing Plan
VIII.	Drive to Quinéville Ridge: First Phase, 8-11 June 1944
IX.	Drive to Quinéville Ridge: Second Phase, 12-14 June 1944
X.	Securing the Douve Line, 14-16 June 1944
XI.	Cutting the Peninsula, 9th Division, 17-18 June 1944
XII.	VII Corps Objectives, 19 June 1944
XIII.	The Advance North, 19-21 June 1944
XIV.	The Final Drive on Cherbourg, 22-26 June 1944

Illustrations

U.S. Commanders in the UTAH Beachhead Operation	xii
UTAH Beach From the Air	5
Beach Defenses	6
Beach Defenses	7
Anti-Invasion Preparations	8
Anti-Invasion Preparations	8
Anti-Invasion Preparations	9
Anti-Invasion Preparations	9
Loading Out	11
Loading Out	11
General Eisenhower Talks to Paratroops	15
Maj. Gen. Maxwell D. Taylor	17
Glider Elements of the Airborne Divisions	19
Glider Landings	21
Glider Landings	21
Pouppeville	24
The la Barquette Lock
The la Barquette Lock
Maj. Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway	30
The Battle Around Ste. Mère-Eglise	31
Ste. Mère-Eglise	35
Assault Elements of Force U	44
Opposition on the Beach on D Day	46
Opposition on the Beach on D Day	46
First Aid	48
Beach Exits	49
Beach Exits	49
Maj. Gen. Raymond O. Barton	50
Infantry Troops Arrive at GREEN Beach	51
A DD Tank of the 70th Tank Battalion	52
Glider Landings	54
Wading Through the Inundations	55
Situation in the Cotentin	59
The Approaches to the Crisbecq Fortifications	67
The Crisbecq Fortifications	68
Fortifications Along the Beach	69
Fortifications Along the Beach	69
The Carentan Causeway	79
Scene of the Causeway Fight	81
The Last Phase of the Causeway Fight	84
Carentan	86
German Armor	91
The Hangar and Ecausseville Areas	96
German Dual Purpose 88-mm. Gun	98
The Orchard Area West of the Hangar	99
Clearing St. Marcouf	105
Headland Batteries at Azeville and Crisbecq	106
Headland Batteries at Azeville and Crisbecq	106
Quinéville	115
Movement of Supplies, Equipment, and Personnel	116
Ship-to-Shore Movement of Supplies	117
The la Fière Bridge and Causeway	124
Brig. Gen. Jay W. MacKelvie	126
The Southern Crossing of the Merderet	127
Maj. Gen. Eugene M. Landrum	129
The Gently Rolling Terrain of the South Cotentin	130
The Gently Rolling Terrain of the South Cotentin	130
The Terrain West of the Merderet	132
Maj. Gen. Manton S. Eddy	133
St. Sauveur-le Vicomte	139
The Valley of the Douve	140
Barneville-sur-Mer	143
Elements of the 39th Infantry	146
The City of Montebourg	154
Maj. Gen. Ira T. Wyche	155
Terrain in the North Cotentin	157
Terrain in the North Cotentin	157
The City of Valognes	160
Crossroads 148	167
Buzz-Bomb Installations	168
Defenses at the Port of Cherbourg	170
Defenses at the Port of Cherbourg	170
A Tank Trap Near les Chevres	176
Crossroads 177	178
The Bois du Mont du Roc Area	181
A Strong Point Is Destroyed in the Advance on Cherbourg	182
On the Heights South of Cherbourg	187
Fort du Roule's Dominating Position	188
Fort du Roule's Dominating Position	188
The Valognes-Cherbourg Highway	189
Air Bombardment Chipped and Scarred Fort du Roule	191
Infantrymen Work Their Way Around Fort du Roule	195
Street Fighting in Cherbourg	196
Interrogation of German Commanders	197
The Naval Arsenal	198
The City and Port of Cherbourg	200
Air Support in the Cap de la Hague Peninsula	205
Railway GUns Near Laye	206
UTAH Beach, October 1945	208
Insignia of Major Units Participating in the UTAH Beach Operation	209

U.S. COMMANDERS IN THE UTAH BEACHHEAD OPERATION. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lt. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, Maj. Gen. J. Lawton Collins. (Ranks as of June 1944; photograph taken June 1944.)