On the 6th June 1944 Operation Overlord, the codename for the Battle of Normandy, saw the U.S. 4th Infantry Division land on Utah Beach. Their mission was seal off the Peninsula and move northward to liberate Cherbourg.
The Utah Beach Memorial stands overlooking the sand dunes, built on one of the German bunkers, paying tribute to the courage and sacrifice of the U.S. VII Corps forces during World War II. This American monument commemorates the D-Day Landings at Utah Beach as part of Operation Overlord. The plot of land where the monument stands was donated to the United States in perpetuity by the village of Sainte Marie du Mont.
The terrain at Utah Beach differed from other invasion beaches as its dunes are relatively shallow, scattered with defensive gun emplacements, followed inland by expanses of flooded and marshy terrain crossed by narrow causeways.
Despite these challenges and the formidable German defences, U.S. forces landed 1.3 miles away from their intended destination due to strong currents. As it turns out this area of Utah was less well protected, leading to a successful landing with relatively few casualties. Out of the 23,000 troops that landed by sea at Utah Beach, 197 men were killed.
