The Bedford boys : one American town's ultimate D-Day sacrifice

Summary

The memorable opening scene of Saving Private Ryan, which portrayed the appalling scenario on Omaha Beach, where allied bombs had failed to knock out German gun emplacements or do any damage whatsoever to beach defences was loosely based on Bedford's story. The first wave of seasick young GIs were being tipped out into the tide to be picked off by waiting machine gun fire and shelling, acting more as target practice than a tangible threat. Incredible bravery and luck did in some instances prevail, and with the help of a more successful bomibing campaign later in the day, Omaha was finally taken. Company A was in that first wave of landings - known, jokingly as the suicide wave by soliders before the attack.