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POZNAN, Poland – On June 6th, 1944 at 4:15 a.m., an early morning haze surrounds V Corps soldiers as they await to embark upon the challenge of a lifetime: penetrating Adolf Hitler’s fortress in Normandy, France. After months of hard and realistic training, V Corps soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division and the 29th Infantry Division stormed Omaha Beach, marking a strategic turning point during World War II.
At 6:30 a.m., the largest amphibious assault in history began. Before waves of Victory Corps soldiers stormed Omaha Beach, Maj. Gen. Leonard T. Gerow had taken command of V Corps in July 1943.
Some under his command noted "a tendency in combat to move his headquarters too close to the front," a habit that sometimes put Victory Corps’ command post right on the front line, closer to combat than any of the division command posts.
Historian Russell Weigley cited that Gerow, a man who had no combat experience before D-Day, was "the epitome of a meticulous, painstaking staff officer."
Though some Army leaders considered giving him command of V Corps a risk, Gerow proved to be a steady, competent, and tireless combat leader. Leading up to the invasion, Gerow ensured the corps trained diligently, as he himself honed his own skills as an operational planner. With the help of his capable plans section, Gerow tested and contributed to multiple plans for Operation OVERLORD. Gerow’s leadership proved vital during the invasion of Omaha Beach, one of five target beachheads.
During the initial assault, 34,142 soldiers and 3,306 vehicles stormed the beach, meeting heavy resistance. Gerow maintained his composure when the success of the invasion was in doubt, trusting the commanding officers below him to lead the action. Bad weather was the least of the command’s worries.
The invasion of Omaha Beach did not go as planned. Almost three-fourths of the assault vehicles and artillery munitions capsized or foundered. Nearly all the M4 Sherman tanks launched nearly 6,000 yards out at sea failed to reach the shore. Many of the landing crafts carrying soldiers were unable to reach the shore, forcing the men to struggle by foot. Two to three hundred yards of an open and mined beach separated them from the heavily fortified German defenses. Heavy losses began almost immediately after landing.
Expecting to encounter resistance from a single German army regiment, the troops instead confronted major elements of the German 352nd Infantry Division. As German defenses pinned down American troops on the beach, a slow realization occurred among the allies: virtually every unit had landed in the wrong place. Their carefully prepared assault plans were now worthless. At first impression, the landing was a disaster.
As Gerow anxiously waited for information on board the command ship U.S.S. Ancon, he finally received word that the Corps’ attack had made its way inland. Omaha was tenaciously defended by the occupying forces, resulting in one of the bloodiest confrontations of the D-Day campaign. Multiple Victory Corps soldiers of various ranks earned the Medal of Honor for their bravery that day. They fought for their lives and the lives of their comrades. By mid-day, valor and leadership at all levels resolved the dangerous situation. The bunkers and machine gun positions were silenced, the beach secured, and the corps headquarters was established on French soil.
The victory over Germany came at a sobering cost, with V Corps taking approximately 2,500 casualties. The corps’ mission was far from over, but the closing of the gap on Hitler’s Europe had begun. By June 11, V Corps reached its D-Day objectives.
Source: U.S. Army V Corps history archives
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| Date Taken: | 06.04.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 06.05.2024 14:57 |
| Story ID: | 472965 |
| Location: | POZNAN, PL |
| Web Views: | 93 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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