As of 7 June 1944, the men of the 606th QM Graves Registration Unit began collecting the bodies that strewn the 3,7miles-long beach. The ‘Beach Groups’ were confronted with several difficulties: the abundance of bodies on the beach and the understaffing of their unit. The demining officers could not come to their help, as they were taken by the necessity of opening the beach exits and clearing the area. The bodies were thus hastily buried in a temporary cemetery at the foot of the cliff between Vierville-sur-Mer and Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer. Some years later, they were transferred to the new Normandy American Cemetery which overlooks Omaha Beach and covers 0,27 sq. miles (70 hectares).