Pointe Du Hoc

Located to the west of Omaha Beach, the six 155mm cannon based at Pointe du Hoc, with their 25,000yd range, represented a major threat to the US forces scheduled to land on the beach. Regarded as impregnable from the sea, as a result of sheer cliffs, the battery was heavily defended on the landward side, with heavily concreted casements, tunnels and interlinked trenches. Manning the battery were some 125 infantry and some 85 artillerymen. Against this formidable target was sent three companies of Lt-Col James E. Rudder's 2d Ranger Battalion. Landed on the morning of 6 June 1944, Rudder's troops faced immense problems in seeking to ascend the supposedly impregnable cliffs but eventually succeeded in their objectives. However, with less than half his force still alive, Rudder faced determined German counterattacks and was not to be relived by other US forces until 8 June-two days later than scheduled. Peter Howard provides a graphic account of the background to the raid, the men and equipment used, the tactics adopted and how the raid evolved. Drawing upon contemporary source material, archival material and specially prepared artworks, the book provides a detailed analysis of the raid and its consequences.