[Illustration: FRANCE SOLDIERS DESCENDING A LADDER into waiting assault craft. Climbing down along the high vertical side of a transport into a heaving and swaying assault craft while loaded down with ammunition, equipment, and rations was in itself a difficult task. The ladder shown here, constructed of chains separated by wooden pieces, was a great improvement over the old rope nets. The latter tended to bunch and stretch, making the descent extremely difficult and slow.] [Illustration: FRANCE INFANTRY MAN AND MEDICS in the LCVP nearing a beach. Advancing at full speed, the assault craft approached the beaches in the immediate wake of the rocket ships. Other landing craft can be seen on the beach. At right is an LST. Overhead are three barrage balloons.] [Illustration: FRANCE PART OF THE BEACH ON BAIE DE CAVALAIRE. On the left of the invasion coast in the U. S. sector, one division was to assault the beach area from Cap Cavalaire to the Cap de Saint-Tropez, including the town of Saint-Tropez. One battalion landing on the beach shown above advanced along the coastal road and cleared the town of Cavalaire-sur-Mer (portion of town is at left in photo), and by 1330 on D Day reached a road block, in the vicinity of Cap Negre, held by the French.] [Illustration: FRANCE BEACH ON THE ANSE DE PAMPELONE. All beach defenses were reduced in forty minutes after landings were made. The engineers started clearing the beaches of mines and laying beach pontons since the gradient was too shallow for ships to come up to the beach. One battalion attacked inland and seized the high ground north of the town of Rainatuelle (upper left). Two battalions moved north and northeast and seized the hills (upper right). Saint-Tropez is just behind these hills.] [Illustration: FRANCE THE CAP SARDINEAU BEACHES. Another of the three assault divisions landed here in the center of the corps invasion area at H Hour (0800) on D Day. The three small beaches (shown above) lay along a curving bay between Cap Sardineau and Pointe de l’Arpillon. The divisional area extended inland 15 to 20 miles to le Luc and le Muy where the airborne troops had previously landed. After clearing the beaches, the division’s mission was to contact the paratroopers to the north and the divisions on each flank.] [Illustration: FRANCE POINTE D’ANTHÉOR BEACH. On the extreme right of the invasion coast, this beach at an inlet near Pointe d’Anthéor was small and not well suited for a major landing. The landings took place on the beaches on both sides of the inlet which ends where the highway runs beside the railroad bridge. Here the Germans directed their fire upon the assault boats and made several direct hits, causing casualties. The assault troops placed a road block across the coastal highway and occupied the ground northwest of Rade-d’Agay.]