Art Reference - Fox Red Sector, Omaha Beach

My latest art panel. The previous one I did depict some German units on the eastern end of 𝙊𝙢𝙖𝙝𝙖 𝘽𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝. This panel covers some of the US units who would have landed on the far eastern end of Omaha on D-Day.

𝟏: 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜, 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐄, 𝟏𝟏𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝟐𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
This Medic of the 29th “Blue and Gray” Division had planned to land on the western end of Omaha Beach with the rest of the 116th Infantry Regiment. Due to the carnage and rough seas of the day, some Company E boats drifted far east and landed with the 1st Infantry Division on Fox Sector. This ‘Doc’ wears the M41 Parsons field jacket with OD wool shirt and trousers treated with anti-gas impregnation. On his right shoulder he wears a gas detection brassard - this would turn pink if exposed to chemical agents. He wears his black M7 waterproof gas mask bag in the standard fashion on his chest. Like most Medics, he carries more than one canteen on his M36 pistol belt that is supported by the special yoke harness used by medics.

𝟐: 𝐍𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭 (𝐍𝐂𝐃𝐔), 𝐆𝐚𝐩 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 #𝟏𝟓
Before the waves of assault troops were to hit the beach, several ‘Gap Assault Teams’ were to go ashore and destroy German obstacles. For this young Navy demolitionist, his job has gone from rigging obstacles with explosives to clinging on to life after getting shot in the neck. His demolition equipment, an Army GP bag and reel of primacord along with HPK wire cutters, rest at his side. His uniform solely consists of the one-piece HBT coveralls. M16 ‘violet’ smoke grenades, used to warn friendly troops of primed obstacles, are hooked to his M36 Army suspenders. His helmet has the typical Navy blue-gray band, and he has streaked Vesicant gas detection paint along the top (this paint worked the same as the brassard). Oddly, he carries the M1A1 ‘Paratrooper’ Carbine with folding stock and wears Corcoran jump boots. Preparing for D-Day in England, many Army and Navy units struggled to obtain combat equipment for their engineers. It is not entirely known how, but in order to meet this requirement, Army and Navy engineers were either given or stole equipment from Army paratroopers.

𝟑: 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐅, 𝟏𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
This mustached Sergeant of the 1st ‘Big Red One’ Division, likely a veteran of North Africa and Sicily, gives his troops cover-fire as they make their way up the ‘F-1’ draw. His Thompson sub-machine gun is a ‘transitional’ variant, combining elements of the M1928A1 and M1 variants. The 20-round magazines for his Thompson are stashed inside his limited issue bag, which happens to have a M16 ‘red’ smoke grenade clipped to the strap. Like most assault troops, he has laced camouflage ‘scrim’ through the net on his helmet. Unlike the 29th Division, several 1st Division troops were known to wear the waterproof M7 gas mask bag on the leg like a paratrooper instead of the chest.

𝟒: 𝐏𝐅𝐂, 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐅, 𝟏𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧
As the rifle-grenadier in his boat team, this 1st Division PFC gets ready to fire an M19 white phosphorus grenade from his Springfield M1903A1. Over his gas impregnated uniform, he wears the assault vest, issued in quantity to assault troops for D-Day. Like his sergeant, he has laced ‘scrim’ around his helmet and wears his M7 gas mask bag on his leg.

𝟓: 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥, 𝟔𝐭𝐡 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐝𝐞
Also tasked with destroying beach obstacles were the Army Engineer Special Brigades (ESB), identifiable by the white crest and blue & yellow Army Engineer insignia on their helmets. This poor engineer is one of many killed on the beach. Like the Navy demolitionist, he wears HBT’s and Corcoran jump boots. Additionally, he wears an M41 Parsons field jacket and an inflated US Navy floatation belt. On his pistol belt, he carries a Cattaraugus 225q knife, and his canteen is held in a British-made pouch (identifiable from the 4 stitches and different ‘U.S.’ stamp). Dropped to his right is his M1 Carbine, and on his left is a demolition bag (“Satchel Charge”).