1st Infantry Division troops were among those landing on Omaha Beach June 6, 1944. It was the scene of some of the heaviest fighting during the D-Day invasion in Normandy.

Dr. Robert Smith, Fort Riley Museums Director, explained that during the landing the troops needed to get off the beach quickly. There were only five ways, or draws, off the beach. “There were between 75 and 100-foot cliffs on either side, and you had the Germans looking down on those 1st Infantry Division Soldiers. It wasn’t very pleasant and that’s an understatement.”

An earlier bombardment of the German fortifications at Omaha Beach did not work very well. The 16th Infantry Regiment of the Big Red One was the assault regiment, and was followed by the 18th. “The 16th took about two-thirds of the casualties on Omaha Beach that day. The 18th took about another one-third of those casualties. They were the followup regiment.” Smith described the scene on Omaha Beach as “incredibly chaotic.”

Today the Big Red One is headquartered at Fort Riley. On Thursday, the 75th anniversary of D-Day will be commemorated on post with a ceremony at 4 p.m. The ceremony will pay tribute to the 316 Soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division who were killed on June 6, 1944.  There will be a reading of the names of the fallen, remarks by Brig. Gen. Todd Wasmund, 1st Infantry Division Deputy Commanding General for Supportm and a 21-gun salute fired by the 1st Infantry Division artillery.