Navy Battleships Decimate Nazis at Omaha Beach – D-Day Normandy 79th Anniversary

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

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.

D-Day Invasion of Omaha Beach

As entrenched Nazi forces mounted attacks, three U.S. battleships — the USS Texas, the USS Nevada and the USS Arkansas — pounded German coastal defenses with deck-mounted guns. In return, German fast boat and torpedo boat attacks, fortified by Luftwaffe air support, brought heavy casualties upon U.S. forces.

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 in an interview last year .

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.”

The German destruction of ports greatly delayed and complicated the Allied approach, allowing German forces to regroup.

While recalling the naval portion of the assault, called Operation Neptune, Nasuti made a point to emphasize naval forces were supporting U.S. Army troops fighting ashore.