The only way to get through this flooded area was over the five causeways. Germans flooded a large part of the area behind the beach. These units were composed largely of prisoners of war from the Eastern Front who had chosen service in the German army over a prisoner of war camp they were often led by fanatic German officers. The beach and the inland area were defended by the 709. Utah was separated from the other landing beaches by the double estuary of the Douve and Vire. At low tide, the beach was about 750 meters wide. Utah was a sandy beach with a concrete sea wall and grassy dunes. It was the very reason why a landing on Utah Beach was included in the Overlord plan. One such a port, Cherbourg, lay at the tip of the Cotentin peninsula. If they wanted to supply the troops that landed, the Allies had to get their hands on a deep water port in the near future.
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