D-Day anniversary: Why it's called "Utah Beach"

Thursday marked the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when the Allied forces landed at Normandy, France in the biggest sea-to-land invasion in military history.

Why it matters: The D-Day invasions began the liberation of France and the rest of western Europe, laying the groundwork for the Allied victory in World War II.

Zoom in: One of the key landing sites became known as Utah Beach — apparently a random selection, according to a 1994 AP historical report .

The intrigue: The name wasn't the U.S. Navy's first choice because it sounded too much like "Omaha" on radios.

• The original code name was "Oregon," but the Army personnel started calling the beach "Utah."

Zoom in: Utah was the westernmost of the five D-Day landing sites.

• Troops there were tasked with securing a nearby, deep-water port to control supply lines.

Of interest: President Teddy Roosevelt's eldest son, Theodore Jr., led the invasion at Utah beach.

What happened: The ocean currents pushed the troops about 2,000 yards from where they'd planned to land — but in a spot that turned out to be less defended than the original site.

• It took another 20 days to capture the port, but the Allied troops held the beachhead.
• Of 21,000 infantry troops at Utah beach, fewer than 200 died. Another 2,500 died from about 14,000 who arrived via parachute and glider.
• Another 700 died in other units.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to remove an edit that incorrectly stated Teddy Roosevelt was the president during the D-Day invasion.

Sign up for Axios Salt Lake City for free.