THE 225 MEN FROM THE 2ND RANGER BN LOADED SHIPS AND LANDING CRAFT TO STORM....

 78 years ago today, 225 men from the 2nd Ranger Bn loaded ships and landing craft to storm the beaches of Normandy today, and take 'the high ground' at Point Du Hoc.

If they failed, it was believed that all of D-Day would have failed. Point Du Hoc was (and is) the only site from where German artillery fire could cover the whole beach.

A few hours ago, they would have been climbing 100ft cliffs, on ropes secured by rifle and small rocket-propelled grappling hooks and ladders (on loan from the London Fire Brigade) under downward heavy fire and grenades. In the first 'special operation' of the D-Day landings.

If they were lucky enough to make it across the beach to the cliffs (Note: under withering machine gun and mortar fire), they would fire off the grappling hooks, and up they went. Two Rangers would climb, stop every 10-15ft, and provide covering fire straight up as two more climbed up behind them to take their position. And the whole thing would start over.

Successive bounding on ropes going straight up a cliff while Germans are shooting straight down at you from above (as well as from the flanks).....think about it.

Of course, once they scaled to the top of the cliffs, the guns that were supposed to be on-site had been moved inland approximately 1 mile, a measure implemented by the Germans to protect the guns from sabotage, so the Rangers had to push through bunkers and endless lines of enemy troops to get to the gun emplacements and set the charges.

 So not only did they have to scale a cliff under fire and then ensure a foothold at the top, the men of 2nd Ranger Battalion also had to battle through German fortifications, mazes of trench systems, and through hedgerows, in order to complete their mission, silencing the guns, and securing a victory that day.

Out of 255 from the 2nd Bn, only 90 survived. That doesn't even count the wounded. But they "displayed the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission, though they be the lone survivor.

Balls that clanked. These men truly 'Lead the Way'. Rest easy, my WWII brothers.

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