[dragoon500ly]

Sources are Omaha A Flawed Victory by Adrian Lewis, D-Day by Steven Ambrose and D-Day by Tute, Costello and Hughes and the 6juin1944.com web site.


The Omaha Beach defenses had their strongpoints covering the approaches to the five woody draws that allowed vehicle access inland. From East to West these were WN-60 (one 75mm gun, 3 tobruks with 50mm mortars, one 81mm mortar, one FlaK 38 20mm AAA gun and flamethrowers), this covered the eastern side of the F-1 Draw leading into Cabourg.

WN 61 (one 88mm PaK in pillbox; one 50mm PaK in open emplacement, one tobruk with a R35 tank turret [37mm gun], 2 tobruks with Mgs and flamethrowers) was positioned half down the bluff between the F-1 and E-3 Draws, providing flanking fire for both. Across the E-3 Draw was WN-62 (two 75mm guns in pillboxes, two 50mm PaKs in open emplacements, three MG positions, one tobruk with MG, two tobruks with 50mm mortars, inw twin AAMG in concrete emplacement, an artillery observation post as well as flamethrowers) The E-3 Draw led up to the village of Colleville-sur-Mer and the position of WN-63 (a company command post/radio station).

WN-64 (one 76.2mm gun, one 20mm AAA gun and two tobruks with 50mm mortars) and WN-65 (one 50mm Pak in pillbox, one 50mm Pak in open emplacement, one 75mm gun and two tobruks with 50mm mortars) controlled the access to the E-1 Draw

The D-3 Draw had the only hard-surfaced road leading inland to St. Lourent-sur-Mer and was protected by WN66 (one 50mm PaK in open emplacement, one 75mm PaK in pillbox; 2 tobruks with R35 [37mm gun] tank turrets, two 81mm mortars in open emplacements and one double-embrasure pillbox with MGs) on the eastern side of the draw, WN-67 (320mm rocket launcher position) at the head of the draw (on the outskirts of St. Lourent-sur-Mer), WN68 (one 50mm PaK in open emplacement, one 75mm PaK in open emplacement, two tobruks with R35 [37mm] tank turrets, one double-embrasure pillbox with MGs) on the western side of the draw, and WN69 (one 20mm AAA gun and several MG positions) on the western side of the village and controlling the read leading to Vierville-sur-Mer.

Midway between the D-3 Draw and the D-1 Draw was WN70 (one 75mm gun in pillbox, one 75mm gun in open emplacement, four tobruks with Mgs, two 81mm mortar emplacements and one 20mm FlaK gun).

Defending the D-1 Draw was WN71 (an artillery observation post, several MG positions, one tobruk with MG, one 81mm mortar emplacement and a double-embrasure pillbox with MGs) on the eastern side and WN-72 (one 88mm PaK in pillbox, one 50mm PaK in a double-embrasure pillbox, several MG positions, one tobruk with MG and a double-embrasure pillbox with MGs) on the western side. Overlooking WN72 was WN73(one 75mm gun in pillbox, three tobruks with 50mm mortars, several MG positions and an observation post).

Finally, on the western end of Omaha Beach was WN74 (two 75mm guns in emplacements).

Mention has been made several times of a “tobruk”, this was a concrete placement with a small ammunition storage chamber offset from a circular firing position that place the weapon at roughly ground level. This was a universal position that could take a machine gun, be fitted with a stand to hold a 50mm mortar or even be fitted with a tank turret (usually removed from one of the thousands of captured French light tanks).