When Germany was building its Atlantic Wall defences against Allied invasion in and , they chose Pointe du Hoc, with its rock-strewn slopes, tiny shingle beach and views of the adjacent coastline, to build a defensive strongpoint. According to Allied intelligence reports and data supplied by the local French Resistance one of whom was a blind pianotuner who was allowed to walk the cliffs unhindered and paced the gaps between defensive elements such as barbed wire six mm guns reputed to be French long-range Puteaux guns , artillery which could hit positions several miles away, were encased in thick concrete casemates and connected by underground bunkers.
Therefore, with the capability to cause untold damage to invading forces, the guns had to be neutralized as soon as possible. Unfortunately, the thick concrete infrastructure prevented Allied bombers from achieving a guaranteed success.
Although the RAF and USAF, in combination with US navy warships, dropped explosives equivalent to the Hiroshima bomb approximately five megatons upon the fortifications and surrounding countryside of the Pointe du Hoc; Allied infantry would still have to attack the strongpoint on D-Day β but at least one thing was in their favour.
The Germans had placed the majority of their defences and men, estimated around in total, to guard against an attack from inland, believing the ft cliffs formed an impregnable barrier from the beaches below. Pointe du Hoc showing the amount of attention given this battery position by the Allied air forces prior to the assault on it by the US Rangers.
The mission to neutralise Pointe du Hoc was assigned to the 2nd and 5th battalions US Rangers, the American version of the more established British commando units. Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder, D, E and F companies of the 2nd Battalion would form the first wave, beaching at the cliff base and attacking the sheer rock face with grappling hooks and ladders at first light approximately 6. Company D would move in from the west, E and F from the east.
