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Secret Operations – Pointe du Hoc
by Peter Howard
Secret Operations – Pointe du Hoc
by Peter Howard
Reviewed by Adam O’Brien
Summary
Publisher and Title
Secret Operations – Pointe du Hoc
by Peter Howard
ISBN:
0 7110 3099 5
Media and Contents:
Soft cover, A4 format, 96 pages colour &
b/w
Price:
Review Type:
First Read
Advantages:
Well written, easy to follow with nice
photography and illustrations
Disadvantages:
Recommendation:
Recommended
FirstRead
Pointe du Hoc was situated between the beaches of Omaha and Utah on
the D-Day landings of 6 June 1944. This 30 acre battleground was
home to six German 155mm cannons which had a commanding view of both
beaches and had the potential to wreak havoc amongst the invading
Allied force.
The battleground was pounded for
some time prior to D-Day by Allied bombers. Warships supported the
infantry assault with naval gunfire. Because of the point’s position
near impregnable cliffs, the Germans concentrated their defences
anticipating an assault from inland.
Lt.
Col. James Rudder’s 2nd Ranger Battalion was assigned to scaling the
cliffs, securing the point, and destroying the guns – no easy task.
So begins the enthralling story with its twists and turns,
intelligence mistakes and unanswered questions of the assault on
Ponte du Hoc.
I found the book very easy to
follow and enjoyable to read, in fact, almost like a TV documentary
in book form. The introduction is a good summary of the operation
itself and primes the reader for the detailed back-story and assault
that follows.
Chapters one and two introduce us to the Rangers, how they were
formed (and named), their training routines in England prior to
D-Day, and of course, the Ranger Creed, proudly printed out in full.
The next chapter entitled “the Attackers” primarily looks at the
weaponry and equipment carried by the Rangers on D-Day and beyond.
Here we are treated to some excellent contemporary photographs in
full colour mixed with some period black and white. Of special
interest here are a series of photos depicting DUKW vehicles fitted
with 25m long ladders that enabled the Rangers to scale the cliffs
of Pointe du Hoc. Due to site conditions on the actual day of the
assault, only one vehicle was used.
Chapter 4 takes a look at “the Defenders”. Structured in the same
way as the previous chapter, we see again a series of beautiful
contemporary photos of the weaponry and equipment used by the German
forces. Here we also have a series of quite precise and well drawn
plans and elevations of the German gun casements, munitions bunkers
and flak shelters that littered the battleground. A series of
coloured maps illustrate the positioning of the gun emplacements,
bunkers etc, and to finish the chapter, there are a couple of nice
aerial photos of the battleground taken by Allied bomber crews.
The next chapter describes the battle in detail, illustrated by a
nice series of candid shots of the Rangers on board the LCA’s
preparing for the assault (some in colour), along with shots of the
fleet and the imposing cliffs of Point du Hoc. I found this chapter
enthralling, and from someone who knew very little about this
operation previously, I felt well educated after I had finished this
chapter.
Lastly, there is a brief chapter on the aftermath of the assault. It
details the fate of some of the officers involved and their life
after the war.
Conclusion
I found “Secret Operations – Pointe
du Hoc” an excellent introduction to the events at this site leading
up to and including the D-Day landings and their aftermath. The book
is well bound with a sturdy cover and is illustrated quite well with
a combination of period photos (all sharp and clear), some excellent
contemporary colour photos and a series of well drawn plans and
maps.