Navy D-Day Utah Beach Amphibious Attack Achieves “Tactical Surprise”

Navy D-Day Amphibious Assault Achieves ‘Tactical Surprise’ at Utah Beach

By Kris Osborn – Warrior Maven

Battling rough seas with five-foot waves, thrashing wind gusts and heavy enemy fire, U.S. Navy amphibious landing craft attacking Utah Beach on D-Day actually managed to achieve total tactical surprise.

Although amphibious forces eventually took heavy German artillery fire as they got closer, the amphibious landing force was well protected by Allied air superiority and cloudy weather.

“As our forces approached the French coast without a murmur from the enemy or from their own radio, the realization that once again almost complete tactical surprise had been achieved slowly dawned,” said Sir Bertram Home Ramsay, Naval Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Naval Expeditionary Force for the invasion, according to Naval Heritage and History Command’s “Operation Neptune – The Invasion of Normandy.”

Achieving surprise certainly did not mean naval support at Utah Beach was easy. Many became seasick on the way to the beachhead due to rough seas, and incoming enemy fire forced many soldiers to swim for more than 200 yards offshore, carrying at least 50 pounds of supplies.

The overall Navy mission at Utah Beach, which included the Army’s 82nd Airborne, 101st Airborne and 4th Infantry Division, not only required supporting the initial landing and attack mission, but also a need to sustain support as troops fought inland.

“They were not only off-loading troops but bringing supplies in and keeping them supplied once they dropped the troops off. The Navy worked to keep the supply lines open for food, ammunition and other supplies,” Guy Nasuti, Naval History and Heritage Command historian, told Warrior Maven in an interview.