Pointe du Hoc; June 6, 1944
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
Been there several times and it always takes my breath away. Balls of steel to climb that cliff.
This day qualifies as a day for my special flag: one that flew in an F16 over Afghan. Daily flag is a Lowes.
“Where does America get such men?”
–James Michener
It is a solemn, special day of remembrance for me. My father, uncles and many cousins from WWII and three of them, including my Dad, there on D-Day. I agree with James Michener, “Where does America get such men?”, as TOW wrote above.
I am, this weekend, at Arnold Air Force Base in Tullahoma Tennessee to do IWQ. During WWII this was called Camp Forrest and there is a monument, just as you come on post, to the 2nd and 5th Rangers who trained here during the war. I suspect that most people drive right past it without ever looking, but the history of these places fascinates me. While the base belongs to the Air Force, the Tennessee guard maintains.a strong presence and runs a lot of training through here.
It’s been a long time since I have seen that movie, but I am pretty sure that “bitte, bitt means “please, please” from my half forgotten high school German.
Unbelievable courage and uncommon valor were common virtues that day of days.
I will be watching Band of Brothers, collectors edition, today.
Godspeed to all those men of that horrible day.
Nobody said it as eloquently as President Reagan. He was truly a man of honor and was not afraid to say it either.
http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/reagan-d-day.htm
While Dad did not come ashore, he most certainly was a vital part of D-Day, at 15,000ft.
Dad’s bomber squadron flew 8 sorties against fortifications and access roads along the beaches and access roads, in the week prior to the landings. On 06 June, he flew two more missions further inland to destroy railroads and convoys.
I have photos of his plane, all shot to shit from that day. They did not land very well on the return to Snetterton, coming to a stop beyond the runway.
While there were some really tough battles and bombardments endured in RVN, I admit there was never ANYTHING there that compared to the valor required throughout this campaign. No matter how tough we jarheads thought we were, I really can’t say most (self included) of us would have willingly attempted to climb that cliff. My hat is off to all who suffered that “worst of the worst” challenge to overcome all odds and face death head on.
I was in Nam with the 1/101 and 3/82nd. I was a relative REMF but did get shot at without effect.
What those guys went through always sends a chill. Just watched Private Ryan. I can’t imagine the horror of the ramp dropping on the landing craft and it being immediately filled with bullets. I’ve already mentioned the balls it took to climb Point du Hoc. Greatest Generation indeed.
Watching “A Company of Heroes” on UNC PBS. Probably avail on other PBS stations. Story of 2/506 of the 101st in D Day and Market Garden. So far so good.
Awesome program. Highly recommend.
I spent the 6 last year wandering all around the area of the invasion. Awoke before dawn and wondered what the sky was like 70 years prior. My Father was a medic onboard LST 336, he never really spoke about his experiences, why I don’t know. My biggest regret in life is that I never really asked him about it, and he has been gone for 20+ years.
Want to read some interesting D Day history? Google “Maisy Battery.” This is where many suspect the guns from PdH were relocated to. French resistance fighters told the Allies the guns were gone well before the assault…many documents regarding the decision making are still classified, leaving contemporary historians scratching their heads over the reasons for the PdH attack.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1574521/Amateur-historian-unearths-Nazi-battery.html
Fascinating story…
One more read for those who are interested…
http://www.historynet.com/does-pointe-du-hoc-still-matter.htm