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This scene, commemorating the 60th Anniversary of D-Day, depicts
the 743rd Tank Battalion leaving the beaches the evening of June
6th. Their ordeal began over
12 hours earlier. At H-50, the 741st Tank Battalion, scheduled
to land in the 16th Infantry’s sector suffered a terrible
disaster. Of the thirty-two Sherman tanks that debarked 6,000
yards off the eastern half of Omaha beach only six tanks made
it to shore. The remainder sank to the bottom of the English
Channel due to heavy seas. Someone in the 741st used a tank radio
to contact the 743rd Tank Battalion to inform them of their fate,
saving the lives and tanks of the 743rd and allowing them to
get to shore to protect the infantry. The 743rd Tank Battalion
was able to successfully land most of their Sherman’s in
the initial wave on Omaha’s western beaches. They provided
invaluable support to both the 116th Infantry and the 16th Infantry
on the eastern beaches.
Signed by the artist. |
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