As Allied troops reached the Normandy shore, their landing efforts were hampered by heavy-surf conditions. The U.S. Army Center for Military History describes this picture: “Three Rhino barges and a petrol barge are being hammered by surf somewhere along the coast of France. Photographer: Bacon. SC 193920.” Click on the image for a better view.
With the English Channel behind them, Allied troops stormed the beaches and dug in for the fight. In addition to military photographs (and a movie like Saving Private Ryan), poignant paintings and drawings by on-the-scene artists (like Alexander P. Russo and Mitchell Jamieson) help us to at least superficially contemplate what these soldiers went through.
Invading forces were not the only ones who suffered casualties during D-Day and its aftermath. Nearby French towns and villages, like Caen and Verville-Sur-Mer, were also damaged.
By June 10th, life in Verville-Sur-Mer (whose road led to Omaha Beach) was getting back on track. Barrage balloons, visible from the village, were intended to prevent low-flying German aircraft from strafing the beaches.
Exhausted Allied troops took brief periods of rest in the quaint, heavily damaged Norman town. They still had a long road ahead of them ... to Paris and a battle to liberate the capital of France.