(NEXSTAR) – About four miles west of Omaha Beach sits a key site in Operation Overlord.
“If we if we look at a straight line, here’s Omaha Beach. Here’s Utah Beach. And right between them is Point du Hoc,” said Normandy American Cemetery Superintendent Scott Desjardins.
Pointe du Hoc is formidable, but on June 6th, 1944, an elite group of soldiers faced the challenge of making the steep climb while weighed down with equipment.
“Two hundred twenty Rangers will scale 100-foot cliffs of Pointe du Hoc,” said Desjardins. Only 90 survived, but their mission was critical, not only because of Pointe du Hoc’s position but also its weaponry.
“Those cannons are very particular because they’re French cannons of World War I and they have a range of 12 miles, which means from Pointe du Hoc, you can land artillery shells on this beach. You can land artillery shells at Utah Beach, and you can land artillery shells into our troop carriers,” said Desjardins.
It was essential for Allied Forces to capture that spot. “It was the priority mission for the 6th of June, the first one that had to be completed,” said Desjardins.
Even though it came at a high cost, the soldiers accomplished their mission. “The amazing thing about Pointe du Hoc is those 220 Rangers held back six German counterattacks over two days and held a point by themselves. They were very, very outnumbered, heavily outnumbered,” he said.
Reminders of the battles endure on the ground which is scarred by craters from the allied bombings and those imprints leave little to the imagination about the scale and scope of the attack.
“People don’t understand that the 6th of June was a horrible, horrible day,” said Desjardins.
Bunkers still sit at the top of the hill. The shelters provided protection for enemy Axis troops and then for the Allied troops.
Now, the bunkers are filled with visitors who follow in the footsteps of the soldiers who held that ground.
“You can imagine this very quickly how difficult it was to climb those towers — those cliffs — as you were being shot at,” said Desjardins.
Pointe du Hoc features a peaceful, yet somber, memorial: a symbolic granite dagger created by the French government.
The site is under the care of the American Battlefield Monument commission which works to preserve the site.
“It’s hard to fight Mother Nature. The climate’s not been too friendly to us,” said Desjardins.
Despite Mother Nature, the mission to honor the legacy of those who fought endures.
It’s a place where sacrifice is remembered and honored for all who come to visit.
