Nazis Attack US Battleships: Operation Neptune – US Navy D-Day Omaha Invasion

The Perils of Operation Neptune: The U.S. Naval Invasion of Omaha Beach – D-DAY

By Kris Osborn – Warrior Maven

Struggling to withstand dangerous Nazi attacks on U.S. supply boats, three famous U.S. Navy battleships faced heavy resistance as they closed-in on the German-held Cotentin Peninsula as part of the D-Day invasion of Omaha Beach.

German fast boat and torpedo boat attacks, fortified by Luftwaffe air support, brought heavy casualties upon U.S. forces attacking Omaha.

The three U.S. Navy battleships, the USS Texas, the USS Nevada and the USS Arkansas pounded German coastal defenses with 16-inch guns, as land forces pushed up Omaha Beach.

Nazi resistance to the U.S. attack on the Cotentin Peninsula, called the Battle of Cherbourg, forced the U.S. to move more naval resources to the well-defended peninsula.

“The Germans did destroy most of the ports and the piers to make it much more difficult to move supplies. Guys going into the battle in the Fall and Winter were still fighting in Summer clothes,” Naval History and Heritage Command historian, Guy Nasuti told Warrior Maven in an interview.

Naval History and Heritage Command’s formal assessment reinforces this point. While citing German strategy, the assessment writes “the invader was to be denied access to all ports.”