Where the LST 540 landed on Omaha during the Normandy landings on June 6.

I am looking for the LST 540 during the Normandy landings. I found that he arrived in Normandy on June 6 and that he was off the coast of Omaha on D-Day. He docked in Omaha on D+1. that's all I found. But I am not sure.

I would like to find information on the area of Omaha beach where he landed and what equipment or unit he landed on.
Or even any other information on this LST during the Battle of Normandy.

 

LST-540 was assigned to LST Flotilla 4 and attached to Group 11, Division 21, based out of the port of London. It was under British control for Operation NEPTUNE and was assigned to Follow-on Force 'L-3', which landed British reinforcements from 6 June until 10 July 1944, when it returned to USN control.

None of its assigned vessels, including LST-540, appear to have landed on OMAHA during this period. All of its landings would likely have been on GOLD or JUNO. Initially, Group L-3 loaded at Southend-on-Sea with elements of British I Corps and 51 Highland Infantry Division and Landed on NAN and MIKE Beach, GOLD Area beginning on 7 June.

 

Okay, I didn't expect it because when I consulted the obituaries of the veterans of this LST 540 or the newspaper articles about veterans they all mentioned a landing on Omaha on June 6, 1944.
Could this be an error of the times?

 

I think that's one of the possibilities because with the research I've done, the only beach that stands out is Omaha.
But I also find it on other beaches like Gold.

 

Most USN personnel speaking from memory would probably say they landed on "OMAHA" because it was so well-known. They may not have known exactly where they landed exactly unless they were an officer or part of the bridge crew.

 

Actually, the "official" landing places were pretty hard-and-fast because it was such a crowded road stead landing control was vital. LST also did not land troops and cargo from boats - they were direct landing vessels. Most of them unloaded by drying out and refloated on the next tide. Nor would there be a good reason for British and Commonwealth troops like the headquarters and residuals of I British Corps to unload in the sector of V U.S. Corps and it would be even less likely that any troops or equipment from the 51 Highland Division would land there. To give you an idea of how tightly regulated landings were, when the Susan B. Anthony was mined and sank while carrying the Advance Group of the 90th Infantry Division to UTAH, the craft recusing the personnel were all assigned to OMAHA, so landed them on OMAHA and they then had to wait before transport could be arranged to get them to their correct beach. The Assistant Divisional Commander and his staff were the only ones to get to UTAH on 7 June and it required him commandeering one of the CG rescue craft to do it.

 

Some of LST 540 documentation in that time period. You can see that Juno Beach is mentioned in the Muster Lists and that the ship changed Flotilla’s etc. During the time period 1 Jun to end July, LST 540 operated between England and British Beach Heads. At the end of July LST Flotilla FOUR was disbanded and became part of LST Flotilla EIGHTEEN. LST 540 continued to operated with LST Flotilla EIGHTEEN until the end of Dec 1944, moving Troops and Supplies to France thru Beach Heads and thru Ports.

In Dec 1944, LST 540 (with other LST’s of the Flotilla) were prepared for transfer BACK to the US as shown on the documents near the end of this post.

I also found one document (on the very bottom of this post) that indicated in Nov 1944 that ALL the ships on LST Flottilla EIGHTEEN were involved in shuttling troops and supplied from England to La Havre, Cherbourg, Omaha and Utah beaches……so this is possibly where the information that LST 540 was at American beaches













Below is document showing LST’s of this Flotilla using Utah and Omaha Beaches

 

Are you looking for a specific person on LST 540?? If yes, if I could have his name I can check the muster rolls for the ship during that time period?

 

Its name is Madison W Beers. I have already found him on the personnel lists of LST 540 he is present on board the LST from February 1944 until the end of its use by the American army.
His role was to be a radio operator, liaising between the beach and the LST.

 

US Navy, not US Army. Beers progressed from Sea2c (Seaman 2d Class ) to RM2c (Radioman 2d Class) in his time aboard 540. He transferred from 540 to the USN Separation Center in Bainbridge MD in February 1946.