Smashing Hitler's Guns - The Rangers at Pointe-du-Hoc, D-Day 1944

Written by one of the world's leading experts on D-Day, Smashing Hitler's Guns is a ground-breaking new history of the legendary Rangers' attack on Pointe-du-Hoc.

The Ranger attack on the German gun batteries at Pointe-du-Hoc in the early morning hours of D-Day is the stuff of legend. The gun batteries were strategically positioned between the two American D-Day landing beaches, and were considered the main threat to the Operation Neptune landings. In spite of the confusion and chaos of the June 6, 1944 mission, the Rangers succeeded in scaling the 100-foot cliffs, but the guns were nowhere to be found. Spreading out in all directions, a Ranger team managed to find and spike the guns at their hidden location south of Pointe-du-Hoc. For two days, this small force fought off repeated German attacks, until an American relief force finally arrived on 8 June, by which time more than half the Rangers were casualties.

The heroic Ranger mission at Pointe-du-Hoc has indeed become a sacred legend, and as a result there are many unexplored controversies. This new book on this famous raid takes a fresh and comprehensive look at the attack on Pointe-du-Hoc, examining the creation of the German gun battery, the initial Allied intelligence assessments of the threat, and the early plans to assault the site. The forgotten Allied bombing attacks on Pointe-du-Hoc are detailed, as well as the subsequent Allied intelligence investigations of the results. While most accounts of Pointe-du-Hoc are based on the published US Army history, the author has tracked down the long-forgotten original, unedited report in the archives that contains a number of curious changes from the better-known and widely accepted version. Little-known interviews of the Rangers who took part in the mission also shed fresh light and a significant number of German records provide the enemy perspective of the battle for control of the guns.

Sommario

List of Illustrations
Introduction
Author's Note
Acknowledgements

Chapter 1: The Guns of Pointe-du-Hoc
Chapter 2: The Coastal Gun Threat
Chapter 3: "Hard Men for Dirty Work"
Chapter 4: Refining the Ranger Plan
Chapter 5: Spying on Pointe-du-Hoc: The Intelligence Battle
Chapter 6: Softening Pointe-du-Hoc
Chapter 7: Obliteration
Chapter 8: Assault Group O-4
Chapter 9: Carnage on Charlie Beach
Chapter 10: The Stormy Voyage to Pointe-du-Hoc
Chapter 11: Force A Strikes Pointe-du-Hoc
Chapter 12: Spiking the Guns
Chapter 13: The Germans Strike Back
Chapter 14: Night Attack
Chapter 15: Ranger Force C on Dog Green Beach
Chapter 16: The Crazy March on D+1
Chapter 17: Relief from the Sea
Chapter 18: Final Mission: The Maisy Gun Batteries
Chapter 19: Battle Analysis

Afterword: The Rangers in Cinema
Appendix A: Ranger Organization, Equipment, and Combat Awards
Appendix B: The Pointe-du-Hoc Guns: Doctrine and Technology
Appendix C: Naval Fire Support for the Rangers
Appendix D: The Guns of Maisy
Endnotes
Further Reading
Glossary
Index

Info autore

Steven J. Zaloga is a senior analyst for Teal Group Corp., an aerospace consulting firm, where he covers missile and drone technology as well as international arms transfers for clients in the aerospace industry and the government. He served for more than two decades as an adjunct staff member with the Strategy, Forces, and Resources division of the Institute for Defense Analyses, a federal think-tank, retiring in 2021. He is the author of numerous books on military technology and history, including NVG 294 Allied Tanks in Normandy 1944 and NVG 283 American Guided Missiles of World War II. He currently lives in Maryland, USA.

Riassunto

Written by one of the world's leading experts on D-Day, Smashing Hitler's Guns is a ground-breaking new history of the legendary Rangers' attack on Pointe-du-Hoc.

The Ranger attack on the German gun batteries at Pointe-du-Hoc in the early morning hours of D-Day is the stuff of legend. The gun batteries were strategically positioned between the two American D-Day landing beaches, and were considered the main threat to the Operation Neptune landings. In spite of the confusion and chaos of the June 6, 1944 mission, the Rangers succeeded in scaling the 100-foot cliffs, but the guns were nowhere to be found.

Spreading out in all directions, a Ranger team managed to find and spike the guns at their hidden location south of Pointe-du-Hoc. For two days, this small force fought off repeated German attacks, until an American relief force finally arrived on 8 June, by which time more than half the Rangers were casualties.

The heroic Ranger mission at Pointe-du-Hoc has indeed become a sacred legend, and as a result there are many unexplored controversies. This new book on this famous raid takes a fresh and comprehensive look at the attack on Pointe-du-Hoc, examining the creation of the German gun battery, the initial Allied intelligence assessments of the threat, and the early plans to assault the site. The forgotten Allied bombing attacks on Pointe-du-Hoc are detailed, as well as the subsequent Allied intelligence investigations of the results.

While most accounts of Pointe-du-Hoc are based on the published US Army history, the author has tracked down the long-forgotten original, unedited report in the archives that contains a number of curious changes from the better-known and widely accepted version. Little-known interviews of the Rangers who took part in the mission also shed fresh light and a significant number of German records provide the enemy perspective of the battle for control of the guns.

Prefazione

Written by one of the world's leading experts on D-Day, Smashing Hitler's Guns, is a ground-breaking new history of the legendary Rangers' attack on Pointe-du-Hoc.

Testo aggiuntivo

Well written and researched and essential reading for those interested in US Special Forces.

Dettagli sul prodotto

• Autori: Steven J Zaloga, Steven J. Zaloga, Zaloga Steven J.
• Editore: Osprey Publishers
• Lingue: Inglese
• Formato: Copertina rigida
• Pubblicazione: 31.05.2022
• EAN: 9781472849830
• ISBN: 978-1-4728-4983-0
• Pagine: 368
• Dimensioni: 158 mm x 236 mm x 36 mm
• Categorie: Saggistica > Storia > Altro; Scienze umane, arte, musica > Storia > XX° secolo (fino al 1945); France, HISTORY / Military / United States, HISTORY / Military / Special Forces, Normandy, c 1938 to c 1946 (World War Two period), c 1939 to c 1945 (including WW2), Special & elite forces, Special and elite forces, Battles and campaigns, Land forces and warfare, HISTORY / Military / Land Forces