Pointe du Hoc 70 years ago today
Republished almost every year;
Rangers Mission for D-Day, 6 June 1944
The Ranger Group, attached to the 116th Infantry and commanded by Lt. Col. James E. Rudder, was given the mission to capture Pointe du Hoc and destroy the guns. The Ranger Group was made up of two battalions: the 2d Rangers, under direct command of Col. Rudder, and the 5th Rangers, under Lt. Col. Max F. Schneider. Three companies (D, E, and F) of the 2d Battalion (Task Force A) were to land from the sea at H-Hour and assault the cliff position at Pointe du Hoc. The main Ranger force (5th Battalion and Companies A and B of the 2d, comprising Task Force B) would wait off shore for a signal of success, then land at the Point. The Ranger Group would then move inland, cut the coastal highway connecting Grandcamp and Vierville, and await the arrival of the 116th Infantry from Vierville before pushing west toward Grandcamp and Maisy.
One DUKW was hit and sunk by 20-mm fire from a cliff position near the Point. The nine surviving LCAs came in and managed to land in parallel on a 400-yard front on the east side of Point du Hoc, landing about 0705. Allied naval fire had been lifted since H-Hour, giving the Germans above the cliff time to recover. Scattered small-arms fire and automatic fire from a flanking machine-gun position hammered the LCAs, causing about fifteen casualties as the Rangers debarked on the heavily cratered strip of beach. The grapnel rockets were fired immediately on touchdown. Some of the water-soaked ropes failed to carry over the cliff, but only one craft failed to get at least one grapnel to the edge. In one or two cases, the demountable extension ladders were used. The DUKWs came in but could not get across the cratered beach, and from the water’s edge their extension ladders would not reach the top of the cliff.
Despite all difficulties, the Rangers used the ropes and ladders to scramble up the cliff. The German defenders were shocked by the bombardment and improbable assault, but quickly responded by cutting as many ropes as they could. They rushed to the cliff edge and poured direct rifle and machine gun fire on the Rangers, augmented by grenades tossed down the slope. The Rangers never broke, continuing to climb amidst the fire as Ranger BAR men picked off any exposed Germans. The destroyer USS Satterlee (DD-626) observed the Rangers’ precarious position, closed to 1500 yards and took the cliff top under direct fire from all guns, a considerable assist at a crucial time.
Within ten minutes of the landing the first Americans reached the top of the cliffs.
I may just watch “The Longest Day” tonight. “What does ‘bitte, bitte’ mean?”
Category: Historical
Pictures cannot do justice to how high the cliffs are. Been there a couple of times and always in awe of what those men did. Hope all of you have the chance to go there some day.
One day I hope to be able to go to Normandy to see the beaches for myself. Thank God for men and women like those who liberated Europe.
Especially my father though obviously I’m biaised. He wasn’t at Normandy on 6 June. He was busy helping to liberate Rome. I can only imagine that he felt at least some relief after surviving Montecassino. From what I understand, the entry into Rome was unopposed. I do know that the war scarred him forever.
Rest in peace, dad…and thanks. I miss you every day.
“bitte, bitte” means “please, please.” Having not seen the video, from context, I assume it’s a cry for mercy
That would be correct, the scene, if I remember it right, shows a German soldier pleading for his life after he had just mowed down some troops.
When I get some time later today I’m going to watch a REAL leader speak to those who were there and show his true appreciation for our veterans. For those two brain-deads who are unaware I’m speaking of Reagan speaking there in 1984.
Sparky. Is this the one? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEIqdcHbc8I&app=desktop
That’s the one.
Have been channel surfing this a.m. to see coverage of D-Day. Hit MSNBC just as this asshole, not sure of his name, was talking about the “24th Rangers” climbing Point Du Hoc. Sigh! I missed “fearless leaders” speech, thankfully. The same guy then talked about one cemetery that is mostly tankers from Patton’s 3rd Army. “They fell from the sky to fight and die.” Airborne tankers. Back to surfing.
I found a link to a photo story of Pointe du Hoc. It’s in the ‘that was then, this is now’ style.
http://news.msn.com/world/wwii-d-day-then-and-now?gt1=51501
It probably won’t last long, but the comparison photos are worth taking a look.
Fascinating. Gave me pause to reflect of the sacrifices made that day and in the days/months that followed.
We watch the movies and see pictures like those above and they barely touch reality how massive operation overlord was.
70 years later we are still working on casualty list. Still recovering remains.
I think allot about the contrast, Estimates of allied losses for only the 24 period following the landing are close to 4000. This is more than the number killed at Pearl Harbor or even on 9/11 but there was a sense of pride, a willingness to suffer those losses for a greater good.
Radio broadcast in the US that night (very early on the 7th over there) were nothing but patriotic music and news updates.
One of the things that is not often talked about is the fact that the vast majority of the soldiers were green. there were a few NCOs and officers that has seen combat in North Africa and Italy however most were seeing it for the fist time. That they were able to perform that way they did, to think on their feet and adapt to what was by all accounts a complete cluster fuck is amazing.
The propaganda machine deserves credit for the success of the invasion. Patton’s fake Army had so completely fooled the German high command that they held the bulk of their forces in reserve for 3 days, thinking Normandy was a diversion.
Had they committed those forces Allied forces would very likely have been forced back.
It a fair to say that the world owes a debt to the greatest generation that can only be repaid by never forgetting them, and why they had to suffer the horrors of that war.
I do the graphics for a small website / blog.
While I don’t normally like to post links to that site in another blog, it may be appropriate here.
Our feeling / article on June 6 is here:
http://raisedonhoecakes.com/ROH/2014/06/06/70-years-ago-today/#more-15967
Just got back from two weeks in France during which we spent 3 days in Normandy. My express reason for this was to see Omaha, Utah, the Normandy American Cemetery and a few of the little towns inland which were taken by American paratroopers. As is said above, if you get the chance, I strongly suggest that you visit this amazing place. There is a palpable feeling of both somberness and appreciation for the sacrifices made there. I was heartened to see the American flag flying in lockstep with the French flag nearly everywhere in Normandy. At the Normandy American cemetery I was amazed to see easily north of 1,000 school children touring the grounds as part of school field trips. You can still see, 70 years later, that the people here appreciate the sacrifices made and celebrate the freedom they have because of those sacrifices. After the Normandy American Cemetery, I found Pointe du Hoc to be one of my favorite places during this visit – it is out of the way, so there were less people there and you feel the destructive power of war as you stand at the top of those cliffs among craters from the shelling as big as a house and see 15′ thick concrete bunkers simply shattered and lying scattered about. I will be going back to this beautiful corner of the world and will carry the impact of my visit for the rest of my life. My deepest respect to those who gave so much there.
To all those who “gave the last full measure of devotion” on D-Day and those who lived to tell their stories, I hold them in the highest esteem, respect and honor. Great men all. I thank them for all they gave to their and our country. But thank you, seems such small words to express my gratitude for all they gave. I truly don’t think we have words to express it. it is something we hold in our hearts…along with them. May they never, ever be forgotten.
While not Pointe du Hoc:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCwB7LHk-p4
Tough jumps!
Go to the beach parking area. Walk up on the bluffs and sit in the firing positions; walk the communication trench that runs between them. Picture the wire and the smoke, noise, and incoming fire from aircraft and ships.
Go down to the beach, it is marked in sections with the original designations. Walk to the edge of the water. Turn around and look at the bluffs. Picture the obstacles. Imagine the Higgins boats, bodies, soldiers sprinting for cover, blood, artillery and mortar fire, and the machine gun fire from those bluff positions. Walk toward the bluff. The feeling is breathtaking – not in a good way.
Visit the Meuse/Argonne area — Verdun. the ossuary. Look at the range of hills. Imagine it without trees – 3 miles by 15 miles, all mud, deep enough for hundreds of men to drown in. 10 months of trench warfare. 65 million artillery rounds. They still find unexploded rounds, sometimes the hard way.
Go west to Belleau Wood, Montfacon, Chateau Thierry, and the Argonne.
Go east to Bastogne.
Go north to Liege, Maastricht, Nijmegen, and Arnhem.
Most have an American cemetery.
Many died on these battlefields – French, German, English, American, Belgian, Italians. May God have mercy on them all. Let us all remember and learn.