The Omaha Beach Defences

The defence of Omaha-Beach was not a continious line of Bunkers, dug outs, guns and weapons of all kind.

As the Nazis didn't have enough men in 1944 they set up a line of strongpoints that were able to defend the most valuable exits from the beaches from Norway down to the Spanish border.

Omaha-Beach gives us a good example of how these strongpoints or Widerstandsnester looked like. Not all of them had lots of AT-Guns or artillery. Most of them were located above the beach on the bluffs and had (still have) a great view over the beach. The AT-guns were so positioned that they were not clearly visible from the sea and that their guns would point out sideways, protected by a huge wall. This enabled the Germans to be protected from direct fire from sea.

Behind the larger Bunkers were trenches and underground shelters for the men. Around the strongpoints was barbed wire and usually a minefield. Only one dirt road led to the WN's that ended at a well guarded check point.
The averge crew of a strong point at Omaha-Beach was between 25 and 50 men.
Ammunition was stored to be able to stop the first 5 to 6 waves. Then supply and men should have arrived, what in case of D-Day never happened as they were mostly destroyed by the Allied Air Forces.

Directly at the coast in Widerstandsnestern (Resistance nests) 716 Infanterie Division / scince 1942	CO General Wilhelm Richter HQ in Caen (where the Caen Memorial is now located) Strenght / Division ca. 7.770 Men about half of the men the Division should have had. Regiments: 726 und 736
In the second Line: 352 Infanterie Division Assembly area at St. Lô then moved to the coast ca. 7.400 Men	Generalleutnant Dietrich Kraiss HQ in Le Molay-Littry
Grenadier Regiment 914	LTC Ernst Heyna - 2 Battalions
Grenadier Regiment 915	LTC Karl Meyer - 2 Battalions
Grenadier Regiment 916	Col Enst Goth - HQ in Trevieres - 2 Battalions
Artillerie Regiment 352 Co. LTC. Wilhelm Ocker	Artillerie Regiment 352 Commander Oberstleutnant Wilhelm Ocker I. Art. Btl /352 Kdr. Major Pluskat HQ Chateau d'Etreham I. Batt. des I. Art. Btl /352 Kdr. Leutnant Frerking {buried at La Cambe} Location north of Houtteville - 8 Km nörth of Bayeux 10,5 cm Leichte Feldhaubitze 18/40 / 6-8 rounds - Minute Distance 1.233 m. Observation Post at WN 62 Lt. Grass, Wachtmeister Fak, Uffz. Beermann, Gefr. Warnecke, Gefr. Schultz II. Batt. des I. Art. Btl / 352 North-West Formigny close to Montigny III. Batt. des I. Art. Btl /352 Kdr. Hauptmann Wilkening behind the street from Colleville to St. Laurent Observation Post (B-Stelle) at St. Honorine des Pertes - WN 59 II. Art. Btl /352 Kdr. ??? HQ St.-Clement north-east Isigny 12 Guns 10,5 cm III. Art. Btl /352 Kdr. ??? HQ La Noé at Arromanches 12 Guns 10,5 cm IV. Art. Btl /352 Kdr. ??? HQ Asnieres-en-Bessin Guns: sFH 18 with 15cm caliber
352. Panzerjäger Abteilung (Tank Destroyer) HQ in Mestry, south west of Colombières	352. Panzerjäger Abteilung (Anti Tank Guns - self propelled) HQ in Mestry, southwest of Colombières I Batt. Pz j Abtlg 352 14 Marder III ( 7,5 cm Pak) II Batt. Pz j Abtlg 352 10 Sturm Geschütze (assault guns) with 75mm gun III Batt. Pz j Abtlg 352 37mm Flak on Opel trucks
352. Pionier Abteilung Engineers	HQ in St. Martin de Blagy, south-west Trévières 3 Companies
Füsilier Battailon 352 Division reserve	HQ in the area of Caumont l'Evente
Sturm Flak Regiment - III Flak Corps CO. General Wolfgang Pickert	Guns: 88mm - Modell 18 Flak-Sturm Regiments 1-4 with 3 Battalions à 3 Batteries with 4 x 88mm and 4 x 20mm or 4 x 37mm guns