Omaha Beach is the code name

Code name

A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage...

 for one of the five sectors of the Allied

Allies of World War II

The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...

 invasion of German-occupied France in the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944, during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. The beach is located on the coast of Normandy, France, facing the English Channel

English Channel

The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...

, and is 5 miles (8 km) long, from east of Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes

Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes

Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northewestrn France.-World War II:Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes is located at the eastern end of Omaha Beach, one of the landings sites on D-Day, at the beginning of the Battle of Normandy, during World...

 to west of Vierville-sur-Mer

Vierville-sur-Mer

-External links:* *...

 on the right bank of the Douve River estuary

Estuary

An estuary is a partly enclosed coastal body of water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea....

. Landings here were necessary in order to link up the British landings to the east at Gold Beach

Gold Beach

Gold Beach was the code name of one of the D-Day landing beaches that Allied forces used to invade German-occupied France on 6 June 1944, during World War II....

 with the American landing to the west at Utah Beach

Utah Beach

Utah Beach was the code name for the right flank, or westernmost, of the Allied landing beaches during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, as part of Operation Overlord on 6 June 1944...

, thus providing a continuous lodgement

Lodgement

A lodgement is an enclave taken by and defended by force of arms against determined opposition made by increasing the size of a bridgehead, beachhead or airheadOxford English Dictionary lodgement, lodgment "3. The action of establishing oneself or making good a position on an enemy's ground, or...

 on the Normandy coast of the Bay of the Seine.