Pointe du Hoc is a cliff located between Omaha and Utah beaches. From above, its surface looks like the Moon filled with craters. After almost 80 years, the earth is still unable to recover from the effects of the war. This piece of land, its 30-meter cliffs, and a narrow beach of the English Channel became the combat zone of not the most important but some of the most dramatic battles of the Second World War.

The day of the Normandy landings of the Allied forces in France was designated by the joint command for September 6, 1944. It was planned to simultaneously attack a plot of land several tens of kilometers long from water and air by the troops of the Grand Alliance. The most difficult area was taken by the Rangers, the American paratroopers. The Nazis built a powerful fortified area on the cliff. They created a system of specially dug underground passages with powerful guns that could shoot for up to 20 km. The earth and timber bunkers were filled with machine-gun detachments. And the infantry mostly consisted of the elite units, the grenadiers. The most difficult task of the Rangers was to use hooks and ropes to climb up the sharp cliffs and gain a foothold, being under fire all the time. They had to cut the highway so that the Nazis could not transfer the backup to other beaches. But as we all know, things don't always go according to plan. There were two circumstances: one was beneficial for the Americans, the other was against them. The good thing for the Rangers was that the Nazis had moved their largest pieces of artillery inland, fearing an attack from the rear. But the disastrously bad fact was that the battleship could not come up in time and support the Rangers with fire from the sea because of the storm. So, the soldiers went to their doom. But there was no other choice: the landing had to start simultaneously. The Rangers spent two days fighting with the Nazis, who exceeded them in numbers and weapons. Although about 50 of the 255 people who had started the operation survived, the assigned combat mission was completed.

Today, Pointe du Hoc houses a museum and memorial, as well as the cemetery of American soldiers. By the way, Steven Spielberg's film "Saving Private Ryan" begins with scenes depicting these events.