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Normandy Invasion Preparations, 1944
U.S. Army Rangers await the invasion signal in a landing craft. Photographed in an English port, circa early June 1944.
One man is holding a "Bazooka" rocket launcher. Another has an M1 "Garand" rifle.
Photograph from the Army Signal Corps Collection in the U.S. National Archives.
More on the 2nd Rangers on D- Day
D-Day: Interview with Two U.S. 2nd Ranger Battalion Members Who Describe the Attack at Pointe-du-Hoc » HistoryNet
I have seen this photo before but did not notice the cross cut gas cylinder lock screw before. Doesn't that seem early for that???
Frank
i think the 'bazooka' was used to launch climbing ropes for getting up the cliffs
Let me try again
The M7 was adopted 11 Feb 1943 per S. Duff - red book p168. It could be a early "non returning" spring type lock screw.
The popet valve screw was adopted 13 Jan 1944
I imagine that these were issued only with grenade launchers at the time and not to every rifle.
I just think it is pretty cool when pictures can verify what is written in the refrence books. Now if there are any carbine pictures with type 3 bands from WWII....oh sorry wrong forum!
Thanks for the info on the grenade launchers!
Frank
Company C landed at H-Hour on Omaha Beach. Their mission was to clear the enemy from the top of Pointe du La Percee to prevent the enemy from placing enfilading fire on Omaha Beach where the 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions were to also land. At 6:30 a.m. on June 6, Company C arrived on English landing crafts amidst intense fire. Almost half their men were killed crossing the beach under horrific heavy fire. Using their fighting knives and bayonets, three men scaled the 100 foot cliffs and dropped the toggle ropes to their remaining Rangers below to enable them to more easily climb the cliffs and successfully put out of action this very important and deadly German defensive position.Quote:
Originally Posted by goo
more here 2nd Rangers Unit - Welcome to the 2nd Rangers home - Joining the 2nd Ranger Unit. - News
If it's the same one I saw about two years ago IIRC the guy with the bazooka was killed on D-Day at Pointe du Hoc.
Freedom isn't free.
I visited Normandy Beach in the early 1990s; this is Pont DuHoc where our Rangers climbed up to sieze the point and find the cannons that threatened the invasion.
Under Colonel Rudder, they made it up the 100 feet in about 15 minutes. Over the next two or three days, over half of his command were casualties. He was wounded several times.
Regards
Our naval guns, Rudder's men and aerial bombing made a bit of a mess. And then the cleaning lady failed to come by and straighten up.
Louis of PA
The monument you see behind me honors our soldiers. The French gave the land it sits on to the United States; in other words, it's on American territory and is right at the very point of Pont du Hoc.
The pillbox just to its right is probably for a range finder, manned by a couple of Jerry soldiers with a radio.
Imagine being one of them on the morning of June 6th ... as the morning mist burns off, you look out and gradually see 5,000 F...K..G ENEMY SHIPS COMING STRAIGHT FOR YOU!
A Holy Shtt moment for sure.
To top if all off, our 5-25s begin their bombing runs, and for extra fun, the 11-inch guns on U.S.S. Pennsylvania, along with other ships, begin blasting all around Pont Du Hoc.
If any of those Germans are still alive today, I suspect they still get a bad case of the willies when they recall that particular morning.
Regards,
Louis of PA
Rudder's men fought off one German counter attack after another. By the third day, they were low on food, ammo, medical supplies, everything.
On that day or the next, another Ranger unit made it's way from Omaha Beach and relieved them.
Thanks for looking.
Louis of PA
Sacred ground, nourished by a lot of American and German blood.
[QUOTE=Louis of PA;39593]Rudder's men fought off one German counter attack after another. By the third day, they were low on food, ammo, medical supplies, everything.
On that day or the next, another Ranger unit made it's way from Omaha Beach and relieved them.Thanks for the images.
I read somewhere that all those craters worked for the Rangers when attacking the Germans. The German defenders had plenty of MG-42 (Google "Hitler's buzz saw" if needed) MGs to work with.
Apparently a few Rangers would distract the MG crew while others worked from hole to hole to within grenade distance.
However, the "distracting" Rangers took horrific losses (a fast-firing MG at close range -- go figure) but there was no shortage of volunteers for this very hazardous duty.
IIRC about 70 percent of Rudder's men were casualties by the time relief arrived. The remainder were still holding on, doing their duty to their buddies, their unit, and their country.
I'm not sure what the Ranger version is of "semper fi" but whatever it is the men of Pointe du Hoc earned it.
And after that climb they found no coastal defense guns had ever been installed in the bunkers. Not to be cheated, the Rangers went inland and attacked and disabled a field artillery battery.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom in N.J.
Tom - I'm happy to see that New Jersey folks are still permitted by your state to log onto gun-related web sites. I wonder how much longer THAT will last -
Regards, Louis of PA
Louis - Someone is writting a bill to ban that as we speak!..... Tom in N.J.
-- the guns that had been in the batteries (155 mm cannon -- effectively equivalent to the US Long Toms) had been cleverly pulled back by the Krauts about 1.5 mile. This way, all the naval bombardment would hammer the (empty) emplacements and the guns could still deliver indirect fire on the beaches and on any troopships that stopped (say, to lower landing craft) within some seven miles of the beach.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom in N.J.
Ranger CO Rudder had sent two Ranger sergeants on a patrol inland to find the guns. They did so, and noted that the guns were unmanned while the crews were taking cover in a bomb shelter (there were so many shells & bombs flying). The two Ranger sergeants disabled the guns with thermite grenades (apparently on the sighting mechanisms) and returned to the main force.
Hundreds of bombs and naval shells had failed to destroy the guns. Four Thermite grenades in the hands of two brave and competent men did so.
God bless all our warriors of this and every other generation.