Press Release

Pointe du Hoc landslide May 05, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press release

Pointe du Hoc landslide May 05, 2022

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The American Battle Monuments Commission announces a landslide at Pointe du Hoc. The erosion took part of the cliffs on May 5, 2022.

ARLINGTON, Va. (May. 6, 2022) — Due to progressive erosion at Pointe du Hoc (PDH), part of the outcrop overlooking the English Channel collapsed today. No one was injured in the landslide, which fell into the sea, and there is no risk for visitors. PDH remains open to the public.

The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) continues to work to conserve and preserve the popular site in order to continue to tell the story of PDH, the U.S. Army Rangers and their importance to the D-Day landings.

“We’ve known since 2011 that the cultural landscape at Pointe du Hoc is at risk because of the erosion of the cliffs,” said Scott Desjardins, superintendent of Normandy American Cemetery and Pointe du Hoc. “The base of the cliffs has become increasingly fragile over time. We continue to study the situation in order to find ways to mitigate the risk and preserve the site while continuing to tell the heroic story of Lt. Col. James E. Rudder and his men who climbed the cliffs on June 6, 1944 to aid the success of the allied landings in Normandy.”

About American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC): The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) operates and maintains 26 cemeteries and 32 federal memorials, monuments, and commemorative plaques in 17 countries throughout the world, including the United States. The four memorials in the United States are: the World War I Memorial in Washington, D.C.; the Honolulu memorial located within the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii; the West Coast Memorial located within the Presidio National Park in San Francisco, Calif; and the East Coast Memorial located within Battery City Park in New York, N.Y. Since March 4, 1923, ABMC’s sacred mission remains to honor the service, achievements, and sacrifice of more than 200,000 U.S. service members buried and memorialized at our sites. For more information about ABMC, visit abmc.gov.

Media Contact

For more information or if there are further questions, please contact:
Hélène Chaulin                                                                                   
+33 (0)6 38 13 56 25
chaulinh@abmc.gov