In Saving Private Ryan, the opening landing takes place on Omaha Beach.
The film begins on 6 June 1944, during the Allied Normandy landings of the Second World War. Its long opening sequence follows American soldiers coming ashore under intense German fire, presenting the confusion and danger of the assault from the viewpoint of ordinary troops.
Omaha was one of five main Allied landing beaches in Normandy. It was assigned primarily to U.S. forces and became notorious for heavy casualties because of German defenses, difficult terrain, and exposed approaches. The film’s landing scenes were shot in Ireland, not on the real beach.
A common mix-up is Utah Beach, another American landing area farther west. The film’s fictional mission to find Private James Francis Ryan follows the Omaha sequence but is not itself a documented single mission.