UTAH beach is the most westerly
of the two American landing beaches and was closely
tied up with the airborne landings of the 82nd and 101st
Airborne Divisions.
The airborne
landings were scheduled for 0130 hours on 6 June and
one of their tasks was to secure the exit roads from
UTAH beach for the seaborne landings -one which they
achieved despite being dropped over a wide area. Today
those exit roads are named after individual American
soldiers.
The landings
from the sea were those of the 4th Infantry Division
commanded by Major General Raymond O Barton and they
began at 0630 hours. Despite landing in the wrong
place the Division, spurred on by Brigadier General
Theodore Roosevelt, made a successful landing and by
the end of the day over 23,000 troops had come ashore
with just 210 being killed. At the Divisional D-Day
rehearsal at Slapton Sands in England more than three
times that number had been killed.
There are
several memorials around UTAH and in the centre of their
landing area is the UTAH Museum built around a German
blockhouse which offers a panoramic view of the landing
beach.
Details of
the actions here, a suggested tour route and pictures
of what there is to see are in our guide book. More
details can be seen by clicking HERE.
