Utah: The Success of the Americans

Early 1944, General Eisenhower took command of Operation Overlord. He immediately decided to add a new landing beach to the south of the Cotentin peninsila: Utah Beach. From this landing zone, the American troops hoped to rapidly advance towards Cherbourg to take control of the port, a crucial facility to support the considerable logistic effort that would ensure Overlord's success. On the morning of 6th June, officers from the first wave of assault set foot on Utah, to realise that their troops had landed over a mile south of their intended landing zone. Without wasting a second, they decided to continue operations from this very beach, the choice that was to seal the success of the Utah landings.