The Battle of Cherbourg: First Allied Victory in Normandy

In developing plans for the Allied invasion of France, from the very beginning, SHAEF planners considered the vital need to secure deepwater ports to bring in all the supplies needed to support an army of hundreds of thousands of troops.Cherbourg, at the tip of the Cotentin Peninsula, was the closest to the landing beaches chosen for Operation ‘Overlord’.The planners therefore decided to land forces at the base on the peninsula, in order to enable the rapid capture of Cherbourg, and also to widen the front of the landing.The First US Army was tasked to capture it as quickly as possible. In the early hours of June 6, paratroopers from the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions landed inland from Utah Beach to capture the beach exits, and secure the crossings over the Douve River at Carentan.On June 10, the 101st Airborne Division captured Carentan, thus liaising with the Omaha beachhead and ensuring the Allies a continuous front. This success allowed VII Corps to advance westward to isolate