How Strong Were the German Defences at Omaha Beach on D-Day? WW2 Walking The Ground

British historians James Holland and writer and comedian Al have made their way to the legendary Omaha Beach, the most famous of all D-Day landing zones, to dive deep into this crucial stretch of the Normandy coast that holds such significance in the outcome of World War 2. Their historical walkthrough kicks off at WN60, the Westernmost German stronghold, where remnants of bunkers and trenches still stand today, serving as a haunting reminder of the fierce battles that took place here. They discuss the strength of the German defences above Fox Green and Easy Red sectors, where the US 1st Infantry Division came ashore under devastating fire. They imagine what the tension and fear must have been like for the under-trained German soldiers perched on the headlands as they witnessed the US forces assaulting the beach on the morning of June 6th, 1944.
Join historian James Holland and comedian Al Murray, from the hit podcast We Have Ways of Making You Talk, as they walk in the footsteps of the World War 2 soldier in Normandy, uncovering fascinating insights and captivating tales of bravery along the way. Subscribe now to ensure you never miss an episode: / @ww2walkingtheground

[@davidsullivan7743]

Really enjoying this, it's great to hear two knowledgeable experts explain it on the actual ground

[@callumgordon1668]

Brilliantly described and informative. A fascinating watch.

[@M_Holien]

Excellent nuggets in between the banter and some good insights. Thanks to the whole team presenting these two gentlemen at the tip of the entertainment spear.

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@hamsteronthepaintingtable6465]

Thanks for another great instalment, reminds me of the scene in The Longest Day and the German commander in the command bunker, sees the invasion force at sea. Always awesome that scene😊

[@kevinhendon]

This is getting better by te episode👍👍👍👍

[@LukeEdwards-x8c]

Cracking series ❤

[@callumgordon1668]

Over 20 years ago we holidayed near Isigny Sur Mer and a holiday in Normandy kindled an interest in serious history about WWII, during which I’ve read and watched and valued anything of you guys that I’ve come across. Intelligent, informative, accessible, entertaining but respectful. Omaha, as you say is a beautiful beach, an amenity for locals and tourists and our then 2yo little boy played in the sand and surf every day. A poignance that wasn’t lost on us, especially after visiting the adjacent US cemetery, the Commonwealth Cemetery at Bayeux and the German one at La Cambe. Our little boy is now a young man, probably older than most of the soldiers that fought in Normandy and WWII and I’m grateful that in part due to their sacrifice he is unlikely to ever experience what those oh so young men did and that part of that sacrifice means that children and their families in Western Europe can safely play on beautiful beaches. Would that it could be so everywhere.

[@cmarnold78]

Ahhhh the dude that does all your audio books. Thought I recognized the name and voice!

[@scottscottsdale7868]

Wait. James Holland and Tom Holland are brothers?

[@jesseratcliff3508]

Yes.

[@sugarresin]

Have you guys read Heinrich Severloh's 'the Beast of Omaha's' memoirs? And how his MG42 machine gun post was responsible for the majority of the casualties inflicted on the US infantry on Dog Green

[@DJhinckley]

On the basis that entire deaths for Omaha was approx 1600 and total casualties around 2800, Severlohs claims to have fired 12000+ rounds, killed over 2000 and fired continuously for 12 hours look a tad over exaggerated. Its debated whether Severloh even manned an MG42, as more likely he was in one of the M1917 positions his unit had, given his war record. Casualties in front of WN62 his units MG42 position were approximately 300+ on the day. So, the questions are, where did Severloh get all his extra ammunition and spare gun barrels from? And how did he manage to be responsible for 70% of all Omaha casualties from his one single WN position? There is actually a very famous Robert Capa photo, from D Day second wave showing soldiers avoiding fire behind a couple of tanks,, the position is fire coming from right side WN64, and not WN62. Sevetloh lied.

[@InTheFootstepsofHeroes]

No, he didn’t. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJa9l4CFbreXrZYsi=BlU34So6_6PKIcXL

[@CGM_68]

Just 1 German Division (12,020 men) defending 33 miles (53km) of coastline; almost half of whom have no combat experience. What were they thinking of?

[@PalleRasmussen]

The millions of Red Army soldiers in the east.

[@phillydelphia8760]

Defending that kind of position requires very little skill or experience. Realistically, these beach defenses aren't really designed to stop anyone. But to hold them up for long enough that the counter attack can arrive to push them back into the sea. Why waste well trained and highly experienced troops on a static defense? That's the logic that I would imagine they went with. Edit: also the allies had been waging a campaign of disinformation to lead the Germans to believe that the actual landings and biggest hit was to come at Calais, rather than Normandy.

[@InTheFootstepsofHeroes]

The 352nd Infantry Divison was brought in to the area but were tasked mostly as a reserve to meet any invasion force. Their Artlillery were augmented for defending the beach, with observers located at resistance nest along the beach.

[@InTheFootstepsofHeroes]

@@PalleRasmussen Rommel was more concerned about the 2 million Allied soldiers across the channel and their air armada.

[@PalleRasmussen]

@@InTheFootstepsofHeroes but he did not decide what divisions were sent east or west.

[@Filmmaker809]

Would have worked if you had not talked over one another. Come on.

[@DaveHalliday-zd3hi]

Great content,been looking for an 'on the ground' perspective of normandy for a long time,keep up the good work

[@DDDD-pv7fw]

One of the best channels on KZbin, was just there in Normandy for the 80th Anniversary. God Bless all those who served !!

[@heinkle1]

Saving Private Ryan fooled us with the giant concrete towers

[@jabonorte]

Loving the video content! Doing a great job for the French tourist board

[@PalleRasmussen]

Woody had a good episode on The Colville Draw a week or so ago. How defences developed since 1942, etc.

[@nickbudd7296]

Just some pointers on the defending episode. There were five draws, not four. Two 8.8cm guns, not one. 352ID wasn’t poorly trained - level 2 of 4 levels of competency - with offensive training yet to be achieved. And it was well-equipped as per TOE. 716ID by nature was not a front line unit, being static, Niels is the expert here. The top/rear of the bluffs had two Kompanien of 352ID who were in direct support of the WNs. So they must be taken into account. Mostly Ost Battalion is not correct either.

[@tonyhuntington]

A brilliant unscripted show I feel like I'm sitting with 2 old friends having a chat

[@harrygoatleaf4032]

No mention of the fact that the likely success of the landing was so precarious at one stage that the Americans contemplated cancelling it when at the early stage US soldiers could not get off the beach but stayed behind the cover of the sea wall due to the amount of German defensive fire.

[@JamesBouault]

WN60 was the position that fired on my Grandad's 550 LCA Flotilla (Royal Navy) as they brought in US troops of I and L company of the 16th Infantry Regiment during the first wave on D-Day (the map used at the beginning of the video i believe has a small mistake, Company I with the arrow pointing to the east were part of the 16th Infantry Regiment not the 116th as shown). They were meant to land on Fox Green sector at 6.30am but ended up landing at around 7am on Fox Red instead due to the strong sea current pulling their landing craft to the east. Also a combination of sea mist and the smoke fires above the cliffs hindered navigation for Grandad's flotilla. Indeed, half of Grandad's flotilla (6 LCAs) were so far east they were heading towards Port-en-Bessin! They realised their mistake and turned around, now going parallel to the coast line back towards Omaha Beach. They arrived on Fox Red over an hour late. Grandad's flotilla had the misfortune of coming ashore directly opposite WN60, meaning they came under sustained and heavy machine gun fire from this position on their run into the beach, causing loses to the US troops and to the Royal Navy personnel - 550 Flotilla lost 5 men during that first wave, but a positive was that the steep cliffs under WN60 offered the US troops below some protection once they did come ashore.

[@WargamingHistory]

Two 88mm one at either end one at WN72 and one at WN61. Incorrect numbers on the Tanks too lads, Zagola has higher numbers. 741st B coy 5 DD tanks made it ashore. One of these knocked out the 88mm in WN61 and the 75mm in WN 60. A coy 14 deep wading landed and 7 dozers, three were destroyed by the 50mm in WN61. All of A cots tanks were lost by the end of the day. In the western end 743rd 32 DD and 7 deep wading and 3 tank dozers landed 6 were lost to the 88mm and 50mm in WN72 almost immediately.

[@chadgrov]

If any of you history buffs are also into video games I highly suggest checking out the game called Hell Let Loose - WW2 first person shooter, nothing like call of duty, much more tactical, slower paced and intense. You can basically call it “playing” Band of Brothers instead of just watching it. Omaha and Utah beaches are maps in the game. As well as Foy, Kursk, Remagen, Driel, Hurtgen Forest, Saint Marie Egliese and Saint Marie Du Mont, Carentan, etc. it’s quite good, and visually stunning Edit: on Omaha beach there is a strong point named after the real life “draw” believe its WN70

[@Lee.Enfield-303]

Al, lend James some of your brylcreem 😜 Watching these videos makes me want to break my enforced abstinence of Hell Let Loose, but the reality wont match the expectation.

[@RR-uj2vx]

Or, James could wash his hair. Bet his jeans need a wash, too.

[@jasonmussett2129]

The situation for the Germans was made worse because of lack of ammo-enough for forty five mins

[@andrewflindall9048]

I would be interested to know the source for the 'plan to land between the strongpoints and come at them from behind'? On the face of it, the 'plan' appears to be little more than 'one company per sub-sector'.

[@maverick4177]

No wonder there were so many offers of “handy hock” followed by gun fire in a lot of cases I’d imagine

[@robertsessoms]

Bad weather kept Bombers from hitting it right before the landings

[@siras2]

0:14 "We're starting at the Western end" ummm - Eastern end.

[@tutts999]

Very interesting watch, well done to everyone involved.

[@djtrainspotter]

I was expecting to see a few more views of the area.

[@user-kj1mp9eo9v]

My father’s 1st cousins , French, are still in Normandie…. I just saw on another video that the Germans were trying to move huge forces up from the south in the middle of France to bolster against the Norman invasion of the allies… But Americans and British dropped machine guns and supplies to the French resistance fighters in the middle of France, who blow up rail lines and made it difficult for the Germans to mobilize their troops up to Normandy… This is a major factor in why the German defense were not as strong as they could’ve been… Hitler was trying to put tanks railways and usher them up to Normandy from the Vichy part of France… finally, on the French side of things that is on my French family side, my great grandfather good friend/cousin was Eugene Lefebrve, who was responsible for the French resistance in Pont-Audemer

[@WW2WalkingTheGround]

Great comment! Thank you.

[@britishmuzzleloaders]

"Acrid stench of cordite".... which the Americans didn't use... I digress... Another fine episode!

[@TheBioniXman]

You cannot spell. What is the word in the title that is similar to Defences?

[@glynmatthews6697]

Thanks so much for being the absolute best thing onYT fur some considerable time!!

[@RonaldReaganRocks1]

Man, the guy in the tan jacket looks exactly like Rik Mayall.

[@Eric-kn4yn]

These 2 guys are waffeling on wheres the facts

[@andrewflindall9048]

There were two divisions to pile in, but they only assaulted two brigades (regiments if you're a yank) up, same as GOLD, JUNO and UTAH

[@siras2]

Approx 1500 men (750 per Division) in the 1st wave at Omaha.

[@julianwilcox399]

Well also the crap US landing craft that meant you had to wade in from 500m out. It the US had taken the British crafts we offered you that you deemed 'gimmicks' you wouldnt have lost as many men . Arrogance, which was a main theme in WW2 despite joining "our team". I have said for years The Yanks had the 2 easiest beaches and yet made a total mess of it because they wouldnt listen to people who had been there

[@wessexdruid7598]

5:02 Al - if you want biodiversity and protected species, visit the Salisbury Plain Training Areas - or better still, Porton Down!

[@jcallear8529]

how dare you say the smell of cordite is an acrid smell to ex members of the armed forces and my service the rn it is the smell of freedom