The 116th Infantry Regiment (29th Div.) had the sector 'DOG' and the 16th Infantry Regiment (1st Div.) got 'EASY' and 'FOX' as their objective. From the start everything goes wrong, such as the DD tanks, they were dropped way too far out at sea to reach the beach (only five of them made it). Even the air bombardment, to soften the German defence, had failed, the bombs were dropped too far inland. The well trained German 352nd Division held their fire until the landing craft reached the beaches.

When the ramps fell of the landing craft all hell broke lose. In shear panic soldiers jumped over the side of the crafts and many drowned under their heavy packing. Thirty men from LCA (Landing Craft Assault) No 105 were all killed instantly by machinegun fire. Within 10 minutes Company A of the 116th Inf. Reg. Lost all their officers and the men of the first wave was not a fighting unit anymore, they became a rescue unit that tried to safe their comrades from the boiling bloody sea. 116th was part of the 29th Division of the National Guard Division. Owing to this the 116th was one big club of friends, a lot of them knew each other from when they were kids. From Company A, B and D of the 1st Battalion all the recruited men came from Virginia, from places like Bedford, Lynchburg and Roanoke. From Bedford alone, a small town with just 3000 inhabitants, 23 young men died at OMAHA. Also three 'sets' of brothers lost their precious life on this beaches.

The landing on the beaches was done with incoming tide. During the waves of fighting forces storming the beach, it became also crowded with vehicles (which were put out of action as soon as they hit the beach). It was utterly chaos. The ‘Exit DOG-1’ at Vierville-sur-Mer was blocked by an enormous concrete wall but could not be penetrated because of the constant shelling by the Germans. The USS Texas used her huge guns in trying blowing a gap into it, but to no avail. The anti-tank wall was breeched around 17.00 hours when it was blown by engineers.

The position where the anti-tank wall once was, between the cliff wall and the casemat of Wn 72, is now marked with a bronze plaque. In this casemat you may find the 8,8cm gun that on D-Day played havoc on the American troops.

Vierville-sur-Mer was a heavy defended place. Not only the exit was blocked, but also some strongpoint’s defended this place, such as Wn 72 and, a couple of hundred meters to the west, Wn 73. If you stand at Wn 72, you can see the dark square of a bunker against the cliff which had once a 7,5cm gun in it.

Wn 71 is positioned global above the bronze plaquet to commemorate the destruction of the concrete wall. An interesting piece of bunker of Wn 71 can be found when you head for Vierville-sur-Mer on top of the cliff. Just as you pass the corner, look left to the top of the cliff for the machinegun position which is integrated into the cliff. It is possible to visit more of Wn 71, go into the suburb of Vierville-sur-Mer and walk to the edge of the cliff. But this is only for the diehard who wants to see everything.

The same is for a visit to Wn 73. It is a very steep climb for what is left of the complex. But there is an interesting bunker to find. It has her field of fire in the direction of Vierville-sur-Mer, mainly the church tower. Also in this complex was the so called ‘strong house’. This was the target for the Rangers during D-Day. The last standing piece of ruin were pulled down in 1990. Only some fragments are left of it and a small German bunker.

The whole area of Vierville-sur-Mer is littered with remnants of D-Day. At low tide, for instance, some pieces can be seen of Mulberry ‘A’ harbour. And when you have the time, take a stroll on top of the cliff for a grand view. On the next page some more on this sector, Omaha Beach.

Wn 72, the casemat for the 5cm, Then and Now
(Above: as a anchor for a anti-aircraft barrage balloon)