Pointe du ok

In the Pointe du Hoc sector (sometimes mistakenly referred to as Pointe du Hoe due to a mistake made by the American military cartographer) ^{[2] [3]} , as part of the Atlantic rampart, the Nazis built six casemates to house 155 mm guns captured from the French. Pointe du Oak is located between Utah Beach (to the west) and Omaha Beach (to the east). Thus, the guns stationed in the sector threatened the allied forces landing on both of these beaches and could inflict heavy losses on them. Although several bombardments and shelling from ships were carried out, intelligence found that the fortifications were too powerful and a ground attack was needed. Therefore, the 2nd ranger battalion was entrusted with the task of destroying the fortified point (before the landing of the main forces in the course of day D).

Before the attack, the guns were transferred to another place, a mile from Pointe du Hoc, however, the fortifications were in order and still posed a significant threat to the landed if artillery observers were placed there. The battalion commanders and senior officers knew that the guns had been removed from the fortifications, but this was unknown to the rest of the rangers right up to the attack ^[4] .

The ranger battalion was led by Lt. Col. James Earl Rudder. According to the plan, three companies of rangers landed from the sea to the foot of the cliffs and under enemy fire had to climb up using ropes, ladders, cat hooks, at the top of the cliffs they were to engage in battle with the enemy. The operation was to be carried out before the landing of the main forces. The Rangers trained under the command of the British commandos in climbing the cliffs of the Isle of Wight .

Major Cleveland A. Little was to lead the companies D, E, and F of the 2nd Ranger Battalion (Detachment A) during the assault on the Pointe du Oak sector. During a meeting aboard the British ship Ben My Chree, he heard that sources from the Free France organization reported that the guns that were supposed to be in the sector were removed from there. Little had already drunk a little ^[5] and raised his voice, saying that in that case the assault would be meaningless. At the last minute, Temporary Rangers Commander Rudder replaced Little ^[4] (since he no longer trusted him ^[6] ). Little was later transferred to the 90th Infantry Division , while in its ranks he was awarded the cross for outstanding services ^[7] .

Despite the initial obstacles in the form of weather conditions and navigation problems, which led to a 40-minute delay and the loss of the advantage of surprise, the British landing boat landed the rangers at the foot of the cliffs. The Rangers were equipped with rocket launchers that released hooks and cords to cling to the rock. As soon as the Rangers began to climb the cliffs, the Allied destroyers the American Satterlee and the British Talybont gave them fire support, not allowing the Nazis on top to shoot down the rangers ^[8] . Having reached the fortifications, most of the rangers first learned that the main purpose of the assault - the gun battery - was removed from the position, possibly due to air attacks in preparation for the landing. Field Marshal Rommel ordered the relocation of the battery, which had only recently been installed to protect the coast of Normandy. The transfer of guns was completed on June 4, 1944, but adverse weather conditions did not allow reconnaissance to detect the transfer of guns in time. The rangers regrouped at the top of the cliff and sent a small group in search of guns. The group found five of the six guns nearby and destroyed them with grenades with a termite mixture ^[5] . The new battery position was inland and was directed exclusively against the Utah Beach landing sector.

After the assault, the rangers, who believed that they were holding a vital position, and cut off from the rest of the Allied forces, repelled several attacks from the German 916th Grenadier Regiment. On June 7, parts of the 116th Infantry Regiment of the 29th American Infantry Division made their way to them, breaking through the enemy’s defenses in the Omaha Beach sector ^[8] .

Initial plans included the participation in the first attack of a large ranger force in the amount of eight companies (companies A, B and C of the 2nd ranger battalion and the entire 5th ranger battalion) if successful. The second wave was supposed to join the signal attack with rockets from the top of the cliffs, but the signal rockets were fired too late, and the rest of the rangers instead of Pointe du Oak landed in the Omaha Beach sector. Thanks to this, the assault forces stuck in the Omaha Beach sector received reinforcements in the form of over five hundred rangers. There is an assumption that it was the rangers who helped to avoid the catastrophic failure of the operation, as they broke through the cliffs and bypassed German forces. At the end of the two-day operation, about 90 people left the 225 landed rangers in the ranks ^{[9] [10]} .

After the battle, some rangers made sure that French civilians took part in the battle on the side of the Germans. Several French residents accused of shooting at American forces and helping the Germans as artillery observers were executed ^[11] .

The assault on the Pointe du Oak is reflected in the computer game Call of Duty 2 , the player being in the company “D” of the 2nd ranger battalion must destroy the artillery battery and repel the German counterattacks ^[12] . Another version is presented in GI Combat, a real-time war game from Strategy First and Freedom Games. There is a version of Pointe du Oak in the real-time strategy game Company of Heroes . Pointe du Oak is on the map of the game Forgotten Hope 2, a modification of Battlefield 2 .

The film " Longest Day " also contains scenes of storming the cliffs of Pointe du Ouc.

Pointe du Hoc is now a memorial and museum dedicated to the battle. Most of the original fortifications were left in place. The area is dotted with funnels from bombs. On January 11, 1979, an area of ​​13 hectares was transferred to the disposal of the American government, which laid the responsibility for its condition on the Battle Monument Commission. Despite the strong artillery fire, several casemates were perfectly preserved. For tourists there is the opportunity to visit some underground rooms, pre-stocking a lantern, as there is no lighting. The bunker for sheltering personnel is a typical Todt facility, which can be used to study the structure of similar facilities in other countries ^[13] . Dangerous places with a risk of collapse are fenced with special signs and wire. From the parking lot to the bunkers there is a "walk of fame" with the names and portraits of the participants in the battles.

• Pointe Du Hoe 2d Ranger Battalion 6 June 1944 // Small Unit Actions . - United States Army Center of Military History , 1991. - ISBN CMH Pub 100-14.
• Rangers Lead The Way, Pointe-du-Hoc D-Day 1944 ; Steven J. Zaloga. Osprey Raid Series # 1; Osprey Publishing 2009. ISBN 978-1-846-03394-0

• American D-Day: Omaha Beach, Utah Beach & Pointe du Hoc
• D-Day - Etat des Lieux: Pointe du Hoc
• Pointe du hoc
• President Reagan's speech at the 40th anniversary commemoration
• Ranger Monument on the American Battle Monuments Commission website
• The World War II US Army Rangers celebrate the 50th Anniversary of D-Day
• Photos from Point du Hoc

• Migraction.net: seawatching at Pointe du Hoc - for visitors interested in seabirds at this site