Pointe du Hoc

Pointe du Hoc

One of the largest German coastal batteries with six guns. Being of 6-inch caliber and of a range of about 10 miles, these cannons would be a threat to both Omaha and Utah beaches (i.e the whole American sector). Because neither the air nor the naval bombardment would be enough to be sure all guns were destroyed before the invasion started, the task was given to Lt. Col. Rudder and the 225 U.S Rangers of the 2nd battalion to finish the job on D-day.

Mission seemed impossible : after landing on the small rocky beach, they had to scale the cliff, a sheer wall of about 100 feet (with their rope ladders and grappling hooks) and find and destroy the guns. Mission was accomplished though, by 1st Sgt. Lomell and S/Sgt Kuhn in about two hours, but the surviving Rangers still had to hold their ground in face of the German counter-attacks until relieved on June 8… Total casualties resulted very high.

Thanks to the first help of a group of locals to make this incredible site a place of memory, it has been well preserved since, with its monuments and a number of bunkers and also bomb craters all over this 30-acre battlefield. One can still enter some of these bunkers (both above ground and underground) especially the Observation and Command Post.