Pointe du Hoc | Liberating France

[00:00:19]Hello everyone. I'm Johnny and this is Point to Hawk. that Cliff made famous during D-Day, but made most famous by the men who braved it and gave their lives to take it. So, let's find out why.

[00:00:35]Point Duh Hawk is a promontory, a hard ridge of rock projecting into the English Channel on the northwestern coast of Normandy. During the war, the site was home to a series of German fortifications, part of the Atlantic Wall, to defend France from Allied liberation. Here, six large 155mm guns were positioned to threaten American landings at both Utah and Omaha beaches.

[00:01:02]It was up to 225 men to take out these guns. These men were of the US Army Provisional Ranger Group consisting primarily of the Second Ranger Battalion commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James E.

[00:01:15]Rudder alongside elements of the Fifth Ranger Battalion.

[00:01:20]The plan called for the Rangers to attack Point Duok before the main Normandy landings. They would be landed by sea at the foot of the cliffs which rose upwards of 110 ft or 35 m. They were to scale them using ropes, ladders, and grappling hooks while under fire.

[00:01:39]Once at top the cliffs, the Rangers were to engage the enemy, then take and disable the guns. to prepare the Rangers they trained under the direction of British commandos on the aisle of white.

[00:01:52]The assault force was supported by a joint British and American naval bombardment with the Royal Navy operating the landing craft. The force consisted of one landing craft tank, 12 assault landing craft of which two were dedicated to carrying supplies and four modified duck amphibious trucks.

[00:02:13]These ducks converted to swans were made especially for the assault with extending ladders built for fire trucks which in theory would greatly speed up the ascent. However, the swans were not properly deployed and became stuck on the beach and one was sunk by German fire.

[00:02:31]One was able to provide some minor fire support from its vicer machine guns at top its ladder but overall they were ineffective.

[00:02:42]One landing craft fully loaded with troops sank during the operation with all but one man drowning. Another was swamped and abandoned. Both supply landing craft were swamped with one able to dump its supplies and stay afloat.

[00:02:58]Setbacks delayed assembly of the rangers at the base of the cliffs by 40 minutes.

[00:03:02]Their ascent began at 7:10 a.m. with about half the force they began the day with protecting the men assembling. And during their climb, naval bombardment continued from the USS Texas, USS Satderly, USS Ellison, and HMS Talibond.

[00:03:21]The men began their ascent once the landing craft launched their rope ladders attached to grappling hooks.

[00:03:29]Each landing craft was armed with six launchers as it was anticipated that many ladders might be cut or destroyed.

[00:03:36]Launchers fired an assortment of different types of toggle ladders and ropes as different rope ladders were better for different types of cliff face.

[00:03:46]The ladders and hooks were rocket launched sent upwards of 60 m or 200 ft up and over the cliffs. This allowed plenty of opportunity for the hooks to be dragged and catch something secure.

[00:03:58]The men below would pull on them until they felt significant resistance.

[00:04:03]Beyond this, the rangers were equipped with portable launchers and stackable ladders.

[00:04:09]The ropes and ladders were designed for two men to climb at a time. This was considered safer than climbing alone as the added weight stiffened the rope ladders. They were further pulled taut by men on the ground.

[00:04:23]All but 15 rangers who assembled on the beach head made it to the top. 15 were killed or injured by sustained raking fire to their left.

[00:04:35]The original plan for this attack was once this first Ranger force captured the cliff tops, they would signal for reinforcements, some 500 additional rangers.

[00:04:46]But because of the delay in the landing, the signal came too late and the supporting rangers were diverted to Omaha Beach. It is important to remember the number of moving parts and countless priorities that had to be weighed during the entirety of the Normandy invasion.

[00:05:02]One of the most complicated invasions in history.

[00:05:06]Once at top the cliffs, the small force now consisting of about 200 rangers was on its own. And it was further discovered that their radios were ineffective. To their surprise, their objectives, the large 155mm guns, were missing.

[00:05:23]The Allies did have French resistance reports that the guns were moved, but this information was not briefed to the men.

[00:05:32]The former Ranger commander for the mission, Major Lidle, had become aware of this and protested the entire mission. However, he was replaced by Lieutenant Colonel Rudder. Allied intelligence believed correctly that though the Germans were moving the guns, they were likely planning on strengthening the position.

[00:05:52]Once assembled on top of the cliffs, the Rangers engaged the Germans at the nearby gun batteries and took the empty casemates for the missing guns. 35 Rangers then took up positions on the main road and created a roadblock.

[00:06:07]Shortly thereafter, patrols were sent out with the main guns discovered only a short distance inland. They were unguarded in an apple orchard where they were better concealed from the air. All guns were destroyed or rendered inoperable by thermite grenades.

[00:06:25]For the rest of the day, the Rangers held off counterattacks from the German 914th Grenadier Regiment and suffered heavy casualties.

[00:06:34]By the evening, one patrol from the fifth rangers that landed at Omaha Beach made it through to link up with the Rangers at Point Duok.

[00:06:44]The next day, consideration was given to sending the 84man Marine detachment aboard the USS Texas as reinforcements, but the chain of command ultimately decided these men were needed in reserve. The Rangers would only finally be relieved by the second and fifth Rangers, and the first battalion of the 6th Infantry on the morning of June 8th.

[00:07:08]After 2 days of fighting, 77 of the 225 soldiers that landed at Point Duok had been killed with another 152 wounded.

[00:07:19]The Point Duhawk mission remains highly debated by historians as to its value and success.

[00:07:26]Losses were indeed high and the operation was not smooth by any means.

[00:07:32]But this was to be expected. It was a daring mission. And though the attacking Rangers could have had better intel or better support, the Germans too failed in protecting a highly defendable position and defending the main objective, the guns.

[00:07:48]Surprise invasions offer planning disadvantages to both sides.

[00:07:54]The debate over the value of these guns or their movement should be minimal.

[00:07:59]These guns, though older World War I French artillery pieces, had a firing range over 18 km, able to shell both Omaha and Utah beaches.

[00:08:10]It is extremely likely they would have caused significant damage if they weren't destroyed. Their movement also made them easier targets for the Rangers as they were naively unguarded.

[00:08:22]Ultimately, those who won at Point Duok were those who made the best out of a chaotic situation.

[00:08:28]that is to say those who were prepared for the nature of war. The guns were destroyed, positions taken, German soldiers killed, and even a handful of French collaborators acting as observers for the Germans were executed.

[00:08:52]All right, I'm Johnny. Thanks for watching. Do make a point or not of grappling the like button. But most importantly, do take care and make sure your rope is snug before you ascend.