The 4th Infantry Division
The 4th Infantry Division was a regular army division
which arrived in England in January 1944 to train and prepare for the cross-channel
invasion. The 4th was assigned to conduct the initial D-Day landings on
Utah Beach, at the western most end of the invasion area on the Cotentin
Peninsula.
The 8th Infantry Regiment of the division was
to conduct the initial assault, reinforced with an attached battalion of
the 22nd Infantry Regiment. Its mission was to occupy the high ground along
the road running between Sainte-Marie-du-Mont and Les Forges, then push
westward across the Merderet River. The remaining units of the 22nd Regiment
and the 12th Infantry Regiment were to be the follow-up forces and were
to assist in the seizure of the causeways exiting Utah Beach and occupation
of the surrounding high ground. On D-day the 4th Division also had attached
one other regiment, the 359th Infantry, of the 90th Infantry Division,
the first follow-on division in its sector. The 4th Division had surprisingly
little difficulty in the initial assault, taking only light casualties
and quickly gaining a lodgment. The assault forces were erroneously landed
some 2,000 yards south of the intended beach, but this mistake proved valuable
because much stronger German defenses were in position at the designated
landing site. Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., assistant commander
of the 4th Division, made the decision to continue the landing where it
was and quickly led the forces off the beach. Roosevelt had volunteered
to lead the first wave of the assault force, and proved to be an inspiration
to the troops on Day with his gallant conduct. His actions that day, improvising
and leading an attack out of the unexpected locale, won him a Medal of
Honor.
After gaining control of the beaches, the 4th
Division's lead regiment crossed the flooded areas on existing causeways
and moved west to establish contact with the airborne units. Follow-on
forces attacked northwest to enlarge the beachhead. By dusk most of the
division had gotten ashore and pushed some 4 to 7 miles inland. The next
day, the 4th Division broke through to Sainte-Mère-Église, and relieved
elements of the 82nd Airborne Division. The division was then ordered to
attack towards Cherbourg and secure the area beyond the beach.
The 4th Infantry Division had been the first unit
to land and cross the Normandy beaches. It had also made the largest gains
of the attacking forces on D-Day, while suffering only light casualties.
The seizure of the westward invasion area was crucial in the success of
Operation Overlord and enabled the American forces to subsequently take
the entire Cotentin Peninsula by the end of June.
For
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