Rangers Lead the Way - Pointe-du-Hoc, France
Posted by: ToRo61
N 49° 23.833 W 000° 59.359
30U E 645888 N 5473557
The book 'Rangers Lead the Way – Pointe-du-Hoc D-Day 1944' describes a
legendary raid of the US Army 2nd Rangers Battalion during World War II.
Waymark Code: WMN25E
Location: Normandie, France
Date Posted: 12/11/2014
Views: 25
Pointe-du-Hoc is a promontory with a 100 ft cliff overlooking the English Channel on the coast of Normandy in northern France.
Pointe-du-Hoc overlooks Omaha Beach, which was a vital landing point for Allied troops during the D-Day operation. Led by Lieutenant Colonel James E. Rudder, the Second Ranger Battalion was tasked with capturing German artillery at Pointe Du Hoc to ensure the safety of the troops landing on the beaches below.
In the early hours of D-Day, 1944, a group from the US Army 2nd Rangers Battalion were sent on one of the legendary raids of World War II. The mission was to scale the cliffs overlooking Omaha beach and assault the German coastal artillery at Pointe-du-Hoc. It was thought that only a raid could ensure that the guns would remain silent during the D-Day landings. But allied intelligence was wrong. After climbing the cliffs under aggressive German fire and securing the battery site, the Rangers discovered that the guns themselves were no longer there. It was only due to the heroic actions of the Rangers involved that the guns were located in firing positions facing Utah beach and destroyed before they could be used.
ISBN Number: 9781846033940
Author(s): Steven J. Zaloga
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