Patrick K. O'Donnell describes how in early 1944, Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder and Major Max F. Schneider arrived at Paddington Station in London for a top-secret briefing regarding the most dangerous mission of D-Day. Their objective was to neutr

Patrick K. O'Donnell describes how in early 1944, Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder and Major Max F. Schneider arrived at Paddington Station in London for a top-secret briefing regarding the most dangerous mission of D-Day. Their objective was to neutralize six large German guns at Pointe du Hoc that threatened the Allied landings at both Omaha and Utah beaches. The mission was considered nearly impossible, requiring the Rangers to scale a sheer 90-foot cliff while under direct machine gun, artillery, and mortar fire. To prepare, the Second Ranger Battalionunderwent grueling training beginning in 1943, climbing high cliffs at speed without safety harnesses. Officers used live fire, shooting M1 Garands near the climbing men to simulate the sensation of actual combat. The Ranger concept was relatively new to the U.S. Army, which lacked special operations units until 1941. Influenced by British commandos but drawing on American traditions like Rogers' Rangers, the units were designed for irregular warfare. Major Schneider, a veteran of Darby's Rangers with significant combat experience and potential PTSD from the Italian campaign, was kept on the mission through the personal intervention of General Eisenhower. The Rangers eventually crossed the North Atlantic on the Queen Elizabeth, which relied on its speed to evade German U-boat wolfpacks. By June 1944, despite the daunting prospects, the men were physically and mentally prepared for the assault on the Atlantic Wall. (1)
1944