Article by: Neal Ulen

First Wave at Omaha Unboxing
First Wave at Omaha (2009)

Omaha Beach was one of five beach landing sectors designated for the amphibious assault component of operation Overlord during the Second World War. On June 6, 1944, the Allies invaded German-occupied France with the Normandy landings. “Omaha” refers to an 8-kilometer (5 mi) section of the coast of Normandy, France, facing the English Channel, from east of Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes to west of Vierville-sur-Mer on the right bank of the Douve River estuary. Landings here were necessary to link the British landings to the east at Gold with the American landing to the west at Utah, thus providing a continuous lodgement on the Normandy coast of the Bay of the Seine. Taking Omaha was to be the responsibility of United States Army troops, with sea transport, mine sweeping, and a naval bombardment force provided predominantly by the United States Navy and Coast Guard, with contributions from the British, Canadian and Free French navies.


Omaha Beach East/West Maps

These maps and historical actions can be found in Critical Hit’s Advanced Squad Leader module: Omaha East/West.

Download the Omaha Beach VASL Map

 Also watch the Unboxing Video

ASL Map Spotlight: Omaha Beach
Omaha West Map (Critical Hit)
ASL Map Spotlight: Omaha Beach
Omaha East Map (Critical Hit)
ASL Map Spotlight: Omaha Beach
Combined Omaha West and East Maps (Critical Hit)

June 6, 1944

The primary objective at Omaha was to secure a beachhead eight kilometers (5.0 miles) deep, between Port-en-Bessin and the Vire River, linking with the British landings at Gold to the east, and reaching the area of Isigny to the west to link up with VII Corps landing at Utah. The untested American 29th Infantry Division, along with nine companies of U.S. Army Rangers redirected from Pointe du Hoc, assaulted the western half of the beach. The battle-hardened 1st Infantry Division was given the eastern half.

ASL Map Spotlight: Omaha Beach
Omaha Beach Draws (Wikimedia Commons)
ASL Map Spotlight: Omaha Beach
Draw Comparison

Opposing the landings was the German 352nd Infantry Division. Of its 12,020 men, 6,800 were experienced combat troops, detailed to defend a 53-kilometer (33 mi) front. The German strategy was based on defeating any seaborne assault at the water line, and the defenses were mainly deployed in strongpoints along the coast.

ASL Map Spotlight: Omaha Beach
Troops in LCMs approach Omaha Beach (U.S. National Archives)

The Allied plan called for initial assault waves of tanks, infantry, and combat engineer forces to reduce the coastal defenses, allowing larger ships to land in follow-up waves. But very little went as planned. Difficulties in navigation caused most of the landing craft to miss their targets throughout the day. The defenses were unexpectedly strong, and inflicted heavy casualties on landing U.S. troops. Under heavy fire, the engineers struggled to clear the beach obstacles; later landings bunched up around the few channels that were cleared.

ASL Map Spotlight: Omaha Beach
Knocked out bunker (U.S. National Archives)

Weakened by the casualties taken just in landing, the surviving assault troops could not clear the heavily defended exits off the beach. This caused further problems and consequent delays for later landings. Small penetrations were eventually achieved by groups of survivors making improvised assaults, scaling the bluffs between the most heavily defended points. By the end of the day, two small isolated footholds had been won, which were subsequently exploited against weaker defenses further inland, achieving the original D-Day objectives over the following days.

.END OF BRIEFING.


ASL maps can be considered to be a form of artistic expression, and the Map Spotlights are meant as quick history lessons on available historical Advanced Squad Leader actions. These articles are meant to highlight both a short history of the battle portrayed for players unfamiliar with the setting, as well as show the ASL map on which it plays out.Citation: “Omaha Beach.” Wikipedia, 21 Oct. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omaha_Beach..


© 2022-2023, Neal Ulen. All Rights Reserved. Please read the Copyright & Fair Use Notice.
ASL-Players.net is not affiliated with Hasbro, AH Games, Inc., or MMP, Inc. Advanced Squad Leader is a trademark of AH Games, Inc.


5 COMMENTS

  1. I’ve personally played or playtested every scenario on Omaha West. I was a huge fan of, and helped develop the original First Wave at Omaha. I had an entire team of playtesters that seemed to immensely enjoy the module.

    1
    0
  2. Hey Neal, stumbled over your Reddit posts and especially your ASL tutorials. Good stuff!

    Greetings from Germany.

    Best
    Max

    0
    0

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here