7 Leadership Lessons of D-Day by John Antal

Author:John Antal
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: eBook ISBN: 9781612005300
Publisher: Casemate Publishers & Book Distributors, LLC
Published: 2017-04-19T04:00:00+00:00

This is a cutaway diagram of Omaha Beach, depicting the distance to the shingle, the shelf, and the commanding heights. The only way off the beach was through three valleys or draws at five points along the beach, codenamed west to east D-1, D-3, E-1, E-3, and F-1. The Germans blocked these draws with obstacles and covered them with artillery, mortar, antitank cannon, machine guns, and small-arms fire. (Wikimedia Commons)

It was a unique idea with much promise but was not yet battle-tested.

Upham’s tank battalion, the 743rd, was an independent tank battalion. Independent tank battalions were not assigned to US Army armored divisions, but were instead attached to infantry divisions to support the infantry’s ability to fight German armor and execute combined-arms operations. The integration of the effects of infantry, tank, and artillery units, if properly orchestrated, could create a striking power greater than the sum of its individual parts. The 743rd was organized as a standard medium tank battalion and consisted of a headquarters and headquarters company (HHC), service company, three medium tank companies (A, B, and C companies), and a light tank company (Company D). The three medium tank companies were equipped with Sherman tanks and the light tank company with M5 Stuart tanks. The battalion’s radio codename was “Verify.”

Two of the 743rd’s DD tank companies, Baker and Charlie companies, were equipped with DD tanks. Each company had 16 DDs, and these tanks were expected to be the tip of the Allied spear on Omaha. Another battalion that would land at Omaha Beach, the 741st Tank Battalion, was similarly equipped and trained. The plan called for two tank battalions to launch their 32 DD tanks, for a combined total of 64 DD tanks, to swim to the beach. During training exercises, they practiced swimming as far away as 3,000 yards to the beach.

Four DD tanks were loaded on each LCT. When the launch order was given, the LCTs would lower their ramps and the DDs would plunge into the water, appearing like a “tank in a canvas bucket.” Rear-mounted propellers would propel the tank to the shore at a speed of 6 knots (about 7mph). Following behind the LCTs would come smaller Landing Craft, Infantry (LCI), which carried Navy Beach Units and Army combat engineers. These LCIs would move forward of the slower-swimming DDs and arrive on the beach a few minutes ahead of the tanks. The DD tanks of the 743rd and 741st tank battalions would subsequently land and spread out along the length of Omaha Beach. From these positions, they would provide critical support to protect the Army engineers and the Navy demolition teams as they blew gaps in the German beach defenses to clear the way for the follow-on tank and infantry assault.

The 743rd was to land in the west at Dog Green, Dog White, Dog Red, and Easy Green beaches. The 741st would occupy the rest of Omaha to the east. Able Company, 743rd Tank Battalion, commanded by Captain Vodra Phillips, with 16 Sherman tanks

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