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NEWS: [See all News]
Raymond S. HOBACK - 29th Division.
Bedford Boys Fallen - Raymond Samuel HOBACK never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrified his life for our freedom... Raymond may have made it out of his landing craft, but he never made it to shore. Others recall seeing his body in the water. Bedford also failed to make in on the beach. He was killed by an exploding 88mm shell. Their time in the battle could be measured in minutes... [American D-Day facebookRead more...
[Posted: 2020-01-21 22:40:05]
RIP - Robert GIGUERE - Navy.
It is with heavy heart we learn the passing of Mr. Robert GIGUERE, a veteran of D-Day (Normandy)... He was 93... Four days earlier, Giguere rode across the choppy English Channel toward the Normandy coast with the Sixth Naval Beach Battalion. When his carrier grounded on the beach, a Teller mine detonated from beneath and tore through the ship's hull, Killing several soldiers below deck... [American D-Day facebookRead more...
[Posted: 2020-01-21 22:58:23]
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WALL - IN MEMORY OF: [See all Messages]
LAHAYE EDWARD J
8TH AIR FORCE
I had the great honor of visiting the Normandy American Cemetery in June, 2023. I walked the grounds until I found a Texas soldier. It was that of Edward J Lahaye. It was truly a moving experience. I hoped to reach out to his family with a photo of his cross, but see it is already posted on this
Honored by Lil Metzger
[Posted: 2023-07-23 04:48:28]
COPENHAVER JAMES E
90TH INFANTRY DIVISION
Today our family remembers our brave husband, father and grandfather who left a wife and daughter to serve and fight for the freedom we enjoy today. Thank you James!!! And, thank you citizens of the Normandy region for your appreciation and gratitude shown during our visits.
Honored by Jim Shafer
[Posted: 2023-06-11 01:08:37]
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2nd Ranger Battalion, Headquarters
Narrative History - Force A
The following narratives of the D-Day actions of the three Forces were compiled from memory-histories written by eyewitnesses one month following the action. The actions of Force A on Pointe du Hoe and Forces B and C on Omaha Beach, being composed of a multiple of individual and small unit actions, cannot be completely portrayed in these narratives which are necessarily based on eyewitness accounts of but a portion of the men taking part in the action. To cover this need and to provide a thorough, factual history of the D-Day actions on Pointe du Hoe and Omaha Dog Green Beach, Lt Col Taylor of the War Department Historical Section conducted a series of personal interviews with the D-Day veterans during October, 1944; the sum of which is at present in the process of publication. The following narrative-histories have been checked with the draft copy of this report and were found to be correct.

The Plan of Attack:
Force "A", comprising Companies D/E/F and the Bn Hq Det with attached Naval Shore Fire Party and Photographic Party, accompanied by two British Official Observers, commanded by Lt Col James E. Rudder, was to land at H-Hour on Beach Charlie (Pointe du Hoe) with the mission of destroying the six gun coastal battery located there on and establishing a perimeter 1000 yards inland so as to protect the landing of the Force "C". in support were the battleship "Texas", a number of destroyers, and several flights of attack-bombers available on call as long as the Ranger Force remained within the limiting range.

The Beach Assault:
Companies D/E/F plus attached parties lowered away at 0445. Heavy seas imperiled the heavily-laden craft, each of which carried a large amount of cliff-scaling apparatus in addition to the normal complement of men. The LCA's shipped water so badly that the pumps could not cope with the amount received and the men, some of whom were sea-sick, assisted in keeping the craft afloat by bailing water with their helmets.
About 0530, the LCA containing Captain Harold K. Slater and twenty men, including the Company Commander, of Company D, radioed that it was sinking. These men were picked up by a British Gun-boat after several hours in the water and were evacuated to England, suffering from exposure. Another Supply craft never reached shire and its' two Ranger occupants have been reported as KIA.
Radio contact was gained with the "ladder-DUKW's" at 0545; they reported that all was well. Later, as the DUKW's neared the shore, they were subjected to intense long-range MG and artillery fire which wounded several men seriously and sank one of these craft. Altho every effort was made, the DUKW's could not gain a footing on the beach due to the large craters caused by the preliminary bombardment and were all lost thru enemy action. The surviving personnel assisted in action on the Pointe.
"Touch-down" was at 0705, thirty-five minutes late due to an error in direction by the guide-craft. The flotilla of LCA's came in almost at Pointe El Raz de la Percee and, in moving parallel to the cliff-line to Pointe du Hoe, had to run a gauntlet of plunging MG and rifle fire which caused a number of casualties. It was during this parallel movement that the first DUKW was knocked out.
The preparatory fire from the 14-inch guns of the Texas ceased as planned at H-5. The plans of Force "A" called for 60-mm mortar fire from the LCA's during the five minutes before H-Hour. The lapse in landing time caused by the error in navigation allowed the enemy forty minutes in which to recover from the effects of the bombardment and man their positions in readiness to repel the assault.
As the LCA's neared the beach, they were met by a hail of MF and rifle fire. The climbing-ropes were so water-soaked that the rockets could not carry the extra weight to the desired height. Only one craft succeeded in placing all six of its ropes on top of the 100-foot cliffs. Others fired their rocket-mortars from the beach, some assembled steel ladders, while those first up scaled the cliff free-hand, aided by the rubble which the softening-up bombardment caused on the beach. The enemy shifted his fire to the men on the ropes and added a constant rain of grenades. Lt Col Trevor, one of the British Observers, proved invaluable in calming the men in their initial action. His extreme coolness and showmanship tactics caused the men to forget themselves and within one half-hour after landing, all the men, including the walking wounded, were on top of the cliff. The Force CP and Aid Station were set up in a cave on the beach directly under the enemy CP. Pre-arranged messages were sent to group headquarters and were "Rogered" for. The Medics, destined to receive no evacuation until H+36-hours, cared for the wounded under cover of the over-hanging cliffs...