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Why did the 101st Airborne Division need to secure the exits from Utah Beach?
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Utah Beach
Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division wade ashore at Victor sector, Utah Beach, on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Amphibious tanks are lined up at the water's edge.
The 101st Airborne Division was tasked with securing the inland exits from Utah Beach to facilitate the movement of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division off the beach during the dawn invasion.1
The terrain immediately behind the landing area consisted of low-lying, flooded marshes that severely restricted movement inland. Because of these environmental conditions, all land traffic was forced to rely on four specific causeways that exited the beach through the flooded lowlands. By seizing the inland sides of these four causeways, the 101st Airborne ensured that the seaborne invasion force could successfully exit the beach and advance toward their objectives, including the port of Cherbourg.1