Yagil Henkin

Omaha Beach, Easy Red Sector Yagil Henkin

Experience the greatest amphibious assault in the history of warfare through the eyes of those who made history on D-Day, June 6th, 1944, in the exact same places where they fought!As you walk a mile-long stretch of "Omaha Beach" in Normandy, this book will take you through the D-day invasion of occupied France, explaining it through the terrain you'll be walking and the stories of the people who fought exactly in those places on D-Day. You will start at the American military cemetery at St. Laurent-sur-mer; you will follow the allied and German planners through their respective plans, down to the "Colleville Draw". Tou will meet Franz Gockel and his fellow German soldiers of WN62 - the German stronghold which lays all the way from the 1st Infantry Division monument to the beach itself, and understand how they tried in vain to stop the invasion, and how did they feel facing the greatest invasion ever. You will walk the beach, understanding allied mistakes and failures in planning and execution of the landing, failures which made "Bloody Omaha" the hardest beach of them all, nearly jeopardizing the whole plan. You will trace the route taken by the famous photographer Robert Capa and walk past the places where he took his famous photographs of D-Day. You will meet the small groups of brave American soldiers who survived the carnage and snatched victory from the Jaws of defeat, even as their high command struggled to get a clear picture of the battle. you will climb back to the American cemetery following the footsteps of Lt. John Spalding and his small band of brothers from Easy Company, 2nd battalion, 16th infantry, on their lonely fight to reach the top of the cliffs overlooking one of the most famous beaches in history. By the end of the tour, returning to the American military cemetery, you will have a clear picture both of the battle and of the men who waged it. Dr. Yagil Henkin teaches military history at the Israeli Army's Command and Staff College. He regularly leads battlefield tours, both in Israel and Western Europe. He is the author of several books in Hebrew and English, among them "Exodus in Reverse: the 1956 Suez war and the new world order in the Middle East". Dr Henkin is also an avid hiker, and co-authored (with Jaacob Saar) guides to the Israel National Trail and other long-distance trails in Israel (http: //www.amazon.com/Israel-National-Trail-Jerusalem-Hike/dp/9659124945). This book was originally published under the title "Uneasy Red" (6/2014)