The World War II Pointe du Hoc Ranger Monument is located
on a cliff eight miles west of Normandy American Cemetery and
Memorial, which overlooks Omaha Beach. It was erected by the French to honor
elements of the American Second Ranger Battalion under the command of Lieutenant Colonel
James E. Rudder. During the American assault of Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, these
elements scaled the 100-foot cliff and seized the German artillery pieces that could have
fired on the American landing troops at Omaha Beach. At a high cost of life, they
successfully defended against determined German counterattacks.
The monument consists of a simple granite pylon positioned atop a
German concrete bunker with tablets at its base inscribed in French and
English. The monument was formally transferred to the American Battle Monuments
Commission for perpetual care and maintenance on January 11, 1979. This
battle-scarred area on the left flank of Omaha Beach remains much as the Rangers left it.
