By Steven J. Zaloga, Howard Gerrard

Within the early hours of D-Day, 1944, a bunch from the united states military second Rangers Battalion have been despatched on one of many mythical raids of global struggle II. The challenge was once to scale the cliffs overlooking Omaha seashore and attack the German coastal artillery at Pointe-du-Hoc. It was once proposal that just a raid may possibly make sure that the weapons might stay silent in the course of the D-Day landings. yet allied intelligence was once wrong.After mountain climbing the cliffs less than competitive German hearth and securing the battery website, the Rangers found that the weapons themselves have been now not there. It was once in basic terms because of the heroic activities of the Rangers concerned that the weapons have been positioned in firing positions dealing with Utah seashore and destroyed ahead of they can be used. within the first of a new sequence for Osprey, this act of audacious bold is dropped at existence, whole with illustrated paintings, maps and infrequent German debts. Taking a extra serious examine the tale, Steven Zaloga analyses each aspect, from the intelligence failings to the confidence of the Rangers' within the face of such odds.

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Additional info for Rangers Lead the Way: Pointe-du-Hoc, D-Day 1944

Sample text

The USS Herndon was the first to engage the batteries around 0655hrs, and twice more through 0815hrs. Around 0740hrs, the destroyer USS Shubrick was provided coordinates of the batteries from a spotter plane and engaged them with 5in fire. Although this temporarily halted the German gunfire, at 0820hrs the Maisy batteries tried to engage Shubrick with data from their forward observer bunkers on the coast. The Shubrick responded, and again temporarily silenced the bunkers. Around noon, the Maisy batteries again tried to strike targets on Utah Beach and this time were targeted by the cruiser HMS Hawkins and the The Raid Dutch gunboat HNMS Soemba.

Of the 54 J-projectors on the LCAs, only 19 grapnels were successfully launched over the cliff edge. The LCA 887 team fired two J-projectors on reaching the beach, but recognizing the problem posed by the waterlogged ropes, dismantled the remaining four launchers and carried them to shore. Sgt John Cripps then launched the rockets by hand using a battery, becoming injured and partly blinded by the launch blast. Only two of the smaller Schmuerly rockets were successfully fired, both with the LCA 861 team.

Cdr Dennis on Princc Charles, having failed to receive the signal and not seeing the alternate flare signals from Pointe-du-Hoc, decided to follow the plan and order the three flotillas to land on Dog Green. However, the radio on ML 163 also failed but the Fairmile led the flotillas towards Dog Green according to plan. The 501st Flotilla containing Cos A and B, 2nd Rangers, was on the right side of the assault wave and heading towards the eastern shoulder of the Vierville draw into the Stiitzpunkt Vierville kill-zone.

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