The vertical assault to silence the guns of Pointe du Hoc
In short: On D-Day, US Rangers faced a deadly climb up 35-metre cliffs to destroy German artillery. While intelligence suggested the guns might have been moved, the mission proceeded under heavy fire. The resulting battle left the elite force decimated, fighting for survival in a shrinking enclave against relentless German counter-attacks.
Pointe du Hoc, a 35-metre cliff overlooking the English Channel, was a vital fortification of the German Atlantic Wall. In 1943, the Germans established a battery there using six captured French 155 mm K418(f) guns. By the spring of 1944, they began upgrading the site with H671 concrete casemates to protect the guns and increase defensive capability, though only two were finished before the Allied invasion.
The mission fell to the US 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder. The plan required Rangers to scale the cliffs using ropes, ladders, and grapples while under fire. The assault faced immediate setbacks: landing craft sank or were swamped, and navigation errors caused a 40-minute delay. By 07:10 am on 6 June 1944, the force reached the base of the cliffs with only about half its original strength.
Upon reaching the summit, the Rangers discovered the artillery battery was largely empty, as German forces had been removing guns one by one. Despite this, they successfully destroyed the firing mechanisms of five of the six guns using thermite grenades. The battle turned into a desperate defensive struggle against the German 914th Grenadier Regiment. By the time the Rangers were relieved on 8 June, the initial force of over 225 men had been reduced to approximately 90 fighting men, with 77 killed and 152 wounded.
The assault remains a subject of historical scrutiny. While some suggest the mission was unnecessary due to the guns' removal, historians like Thomas M. Hatfield note that command had reviewed orders as late as 28 May and found no indication that the presence of the guns was in doubt. The site remains a memorial today, with original fortifications and bomb craters still visible on the landscape.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Pointe du Hoc
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