“American invaders spring from the ramp of a Coast Guard-manned landing barge to wade those last perilous yards to the beach of Normandy.” Into the Jaws of Death is a photograph taken on June 6, 1944, by Robert F. Sargent, a chief photographer’s mate in the United States Coast Guard.

Robert F. Sargent

In the early hours of June 6, 1944, more than 150,000 British, American and Canadian soldiers landed on a 50-mile-long stretch of the coastline of Normandy, northern France. Here they faced the Atlantic Wall, a system of minefields, bunkers, trenches, artillery and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe. Thousands of German troops were stationed here. A series of bloody battles ensued on the beach, resulting in nearly 10,000 Allied soldiers killed on the first day.

One year before the invasion, the Germans send their Wehrgeologen, the military geology unit of the SS, into the Bretagne and Normandy to supervise the construction of the coastal defenses. The Hindernisbau consisted of a system of anti-vehicle obstacles along the beaches, bunkers hidden in the rocky cliffs and low-lying areas to be flooded in case of a successful landfall of Allied troops.

At the beginning of the war the United States forces didn’t include specialized geology units, but after 1941, with the U.S. joining the fight against Nazi Germany, first civilian and later also military geologists were recruited. British and American geologists studied almost one million aerial photographs of the shores of Normandy to find the best landing sites for the invasion. In January 1944, British divers risked their lives to collect soil samples from selected sites. Geologists created top secret geological maps of the coast and beaches, showing the different sediments deposited there by waves and marine currents. In fine-grained sand and mud, heavy equipment and soldiers can get stuck, making them an easy target for the German artillery. Coarse-grained pebbly sand can limit the maneuverability of tanks, needed to overcome the defenses of the shore-line.

Between Le Havre and Cherbourg the geologists found beaches with just the right sediments. The medium-grained sand here reflects the rocky outcrops of Paleozoic metamorphic rocks and sedimentary rocks of the Permian-Triassic periods found further inland. The sand is composed mostly of grains of quartz and feldspar, transported here by rivers and marine currents, and limestone and shell fragments, resulting from the erosion of the seabound cliffs. The target 50-mile stretch of coast, delimitated by steep rocky cliffs in the west and mud flats in the east, was divided into five sectors. Two American divisions would land on the sectors Utah and Omaha, three Anglo-Canadian divisions would land on Gold, Juno and Sword.

Simplified geological map of Normandy.

D.Bressan

The geology inland also played a strategic role in the ensuing conflict. The Cherbourg peninsula and terrain east of the city of Caen is dominated by unfavorable loam and clay soils, weathering products of the underlying metamorphic rocks in the west and sedimentary rocks in the east. German engineers, taking advantage of the impermeable soils, flooded such areas to prevent the landing of paratroopers and to slow down the advancing troops. The Calvados Plateau, located northwest of Caen, is formed by Jurassic limestone covered by a layer of sand, deposited here during the last ice age, some 20,000 years ago. Limestone landscapes are characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. This flat and dry area was ideal terrain to quickly advance and especially suited for landing planes, so the strategic important airfields were built here. Boreholes were drilled in the limestone to reach the local aquifers and provide the ever-growing number of soldiers with fresh water. The limestone provided also material for buildings and construction works, especially gravel of good quality to build roads was needed.

The landing of the infantry was accompanied by heavy bombardment to create a breach in the coastal defences. One of the most strategically important locations was Pointe du Hoc, a rocky peninsula overlooking Omaha Beach. The craters left there by the bombs and grenades are still visible today. In 2006, geographers Joseph Hupy and Randy Schaetzel introduced the term bombturbation to describe this modern “trace fossil” of human warfare.

Craters at Pointe du Hoc. Source and Credit: Wikipedia-user Marchall.

Marchall

Forty years after the invasion, geologists Earle F. Mc Bride and M. Dane Picard collected some sand from one of the most contested landing sites at Omaha Beach. Observing the samples under the microscope, the two geologists found mineral grains and fragments of marine animals, as expected. However, they also found strange magnetic grains and small spherules of unknown origin. They realized that those were sedimentary particles generated during the invasion. The magnetic grains are the fragments of metallic shells and ammunition, while the glass spherules are actually sand melted by the heat of explosions. In September 2013, the two artists Andy Moss and Jamie Wardley, with the help of many volunteers, used the very same sand to create a temporary monument to the fallen soldiers. Geologists believe that the weathering-resistant glass spherules in the sands of Normandy will last another thousand years.

Omaha Beach sand seen through a binocular microscope. Pastel grains are carbonate rock fragments, carbonate skeletal grains, and iron-oxide-coated quartz grains. Rust coated shrapnel grains are visible in the center of the photo.

Bride & Picard

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” American intruders spring from the ramp of a Coast Guard-manned landing barge to wade those last risky lawns to the beach of Normandy.” Into the Jaws of Death is a photo handled June 6, 1944, by Robert F. Sargent, a primary professional photographer’s mate in the United States Coast Guard.

Robert F. Sargent

In the early hours of June 6,1944, more than150,000 British, American and Canadian soldiers arrived at a50- mile-long stretch of the shoreline of Normandy, northern France. Here they dealt with the Atlantic Wall, a system of minefields, bunkers, trenches, weapons and strongholds constructed by Nazi Germany in between1942 and1944 along the coast of continental Europe. Countless German soldiers were stationed here. A series of bloody fights occurred on the beach, leading to almost10,000 Allied soldiers eliminated on the very first day.

One year prior to the intrusion, the Germans send out

their Wehrgeologen(************** ), the military geology system of the SS, into the Bretagne and Normandy to monitor the building of the seaside defenses. The Hindernisbau included a system of anti-vehicle challenges along the beaches, bunkers concealed in the rocky cliffs and low-lying locations to be flooded in case of an effective landfall of Allied soldiers. (********* )

At the start of the war the United States forces didn’t consist of specialized geology systems, however after1941, with the U.S. signing up with the battle versus Nazi Germany, very first civilian and later on likewise military geologists were hired.(**************** )British and American geologists studied nearly one million aerial pictures of the coasts of Normandy to discover the very best landing websites for the intrusion. In January (*********************************************** ), British scuba divers risked their lives to gather soil samples from chosen websites. Geologists produced supersecret geological maps (**************** )of the coast and beaches, revealing the various sediments transferred there by waves and marine currents. In fine-grained sand and mud, heavy devices and soldiers can get stuck, making them a simple target for the German weapons. Grainy pebbly sand can restrict the maneuverability of tanks, required to get rid of the defenses of the shore-line.

(************ )

(************ )In Between Le Havre and Cherbourg the geologists discovered beaches with simply the ideal

sediments. The medium-grained sand here shows the rocky outcrops of Paleozoic metamorphic rocks and sedimentary rocks of the Permian-Triassic durations discovered even more inland. The sand is made up mainly of grains of quartz and feldspar, transferred here by rivers and marine currents, and limestone and shell pieces, arising from the disintegration of the seabound cliffs. The target 50- mile stretch of coast, delimitated by high rocky cliffs in the west and tidal flat in the east, was divided into 5 sectors. 2 American departments would arrive on the sectors Utah and Omaha, 3 Anglo-Canadian departments would arrive on Gold, Juno and Sword.

(****************** )

(******* )

Streamlined geological map of Normandy.

D.Bressan