o, the landings might have failed. Fierce resistance by British antitank gunners at Periers-sur-le-Dan turned the tide in the evening. On June 7 the beachhead consisted of three separate sectors: the British and Canadian between Caen and Bayeux; that of the American 5th Corps, between Port-en-Bessin and Saint-Pierre-du-Mont; and that of the American 7th Corps, west of the Vire River behind Utah Beach. The narrow gap between Gold and Omaha at Port-en-Bessin was quickly closed, but it was not until June 12 that the American corps was able to join hands after a bitter battle to capture Carentan. The beachhead then formed a continuous zone, deepest southwest of Bayeux, where the 5th Corps had driven nearly 15 miles inland. Meanwhile, work had been proceeding pell-mell to complete the two artificial harbors, known by their code name, Mulberry. The outer breakwater of sunken ships was in place by June 11. The floating piers were half-finished by June19, when a heavy storm destroyed much of the material. The Americans then decided to abandon their Mulberry, while the British harbor was not in use until July. Most supplies meanwhile had to be beach-landed. The price paid by the invasion forces was a stiff one. By evening on D-Day, the Allies had managed to land 130,000 men on the beaches, plus another 22,000 dropped by air. The entire assult force had suffered 8,600 casualties. No exact figures are possible, either for the number of men landed or for casualties, for D-Day alone. These figures are estimated as close as possible. REFERENCESHastings, Max (1984). Overloard D-Day, June 6, 1944 New York, Simon and SchusterPatrick, Stephen A. (1986). The Normandy Campaign Australia, Sun BooksAmbrose, Stephen A. (1994) D-Day New York, Simon and Schuster...
