Pointe du Hoc

The most spectacular scenery along the coast is at Pointe du Hoc. Wild grasslands lead past ruined blockhouses to a cliff-top observatory and gun post. For the American landings to succeed, the Allies determined that the Germans had to be removed from this cliff, their most heavily fortified position. The site was bombed heavily during April and May -- and most intensely on June 6 -- making this the most massively bombarded site of the D-Day targets.

It remains hard to imagine how Colonel James Rudder (Go Aggies!) and his 225 Rangers managed to scale the jagged cliffs with rope ladders and capture the German defenses in one of the most heroic and dramatic episodes of the war. Atop the cliff, Rangers found the German guns had been removed. The guns were in an undisclosed position over a mile inland. Ranger volunteers strongly pursued and accomplished their mission by rendering the guns inoperable. The Rangers held Pointe du Hoc, repelling German counterattacks for nearly two days, until the surviving 90 Rangers were relieved on June 8 by the 5th Ranger Battalion.