Pointe du Hoc, 1944

The attack by Rudders Rangers on Pointe du Hoc, as one of the opening acts of D Day, is without doubt an epic of military history. As a result of Montgomerys upscaling of the invasion General Bradleys First US Army had to deal with a dangerous coastal gun battery that would dominate the approaches to both Omaha and Utah Beaches. When the plan to climb the defended cliff and put the guns out of action was first discussed, an astounded staff officer said Two old ladies with brooms cold sweep them off those cliffs!Lieutenant Colonel James Rudder, commander of the Provisional Ranger Group consisting of 2nd and 5th US Rangers, set about training his men and developing techniques to get up the hundred-foot-high cliff. Rocket fired grapples, ladders of various types and even free climbing of a similar lose cliff on Englands south coast were practiced.On D-Day everything that could go wrong did go wrong. Lesser men would have given up, with the force having navigated towards the wrong