The First Wave - Dog Green Sector
Able Co. 1/116th Inf, 29th Div. After Action Report.
At 0636, the first ramps dropped in water that was waist-deep to over a man’s head. The ramps were instantly enveloped with concentrated murderous crossing of automatic fire and mortars. The only way to get ashore with a chance for safety was to dive head-first into the water. Shorline was 200 yards out. One third of the men drowned.
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At 0643, Able company had sustained 65% casualties. Those who survived kept moving shoreward only to find that they could not hold there due to lack of cover; they went back into the water only to be shot while so doing. Wounded men dragged themselves ashore and upon finding the sands, lay quiet and gave themselves shots of morphine, only to drown with the oncoming tide. German machinegunners and snipers concentrated on the party.
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At 0646, Able had become inert, leaderless and almost incapable of action. All officers killed. Every NCO was either killed or wounded. The CO was killed along with all 30 men from his LCA. No more orders were given. Able Company has still not fired a weapon.
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At 0656, Able had ceased to be an assault company and had become a forlorn little rescue party bent on survival. Any attempt had foregone to get forward against the enemy. Those who had reached the sands crawled back and forth into the water, pulling men to the land to save them from drowing, in many cases, only to have them shot out of their hands or to be hit themselves.
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At 0816, only 6 men men from Able had worked up to the edge of the cliff. They saw no others from the company who had advanced as far.
Out of the initial 200 men, only a small group of survivors joined the rest of the BN that night. #reality #war #dday #stayzero #zerofoxtrot #ww2 #hell #omaha