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June 6, 1944 was arguably the most pivotal day of World War II. Operation Overlord was set to be launched and if successful, was to open a second front in Europe so as to attack Germany from all sides. Stalin’s Soviet Army had been battling the German Army since late 1942 in Stalingrad, Leningrad, and Moscow. Germany was unable to force the Soviets into surrender and Stalin’s troops slowly pushed the Germans back from Russia. The Soviet soldiers defended their motherland honorably; however, they needed a reprieve from the German armor and killing squads sent east to execute and imprison Russian Jews and political prisoners. The Western front Stalin had been insisting upon was finally coming into the realm of reality.

== Pointe du Hoc ==

[[File:Rangers-pointe-du-hoc.jpg|thumbnail|250px|left|U.S. Army Rangers climbing Pointe du Hoc.]]The first stage of the attack was carried out at a high bluff called Pointe du Hoc, located between Utah beach to the west and Omaha beach to the east. Three U.S. Army Ranger companies were tasked with capturing the battery of 155mm guns housed in a casement at the top of the cliff. This mission was ordered as a first step to the invasion so as to prevent the Germans from opening fire on the soldiers who were to land on Omaha and Utah. Unfortunately, due to choppy seas and German defenses, the landings suffered a crucial forty minute delay. German artillery sunk one of the ten Allied transport vessels, which resulted in the drowning deaths of all but one man. The Rangers finally reached the base of the cliff of Pointe du Hoc at 0710 hours.<ref>Michael J. Lyons, ''World War II: A Short History,'' 5th ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2010), 250.</ref>

The landing craft were equipped with rocket launchers that propelled grapnels and ropes up the sheer cliff in order for the men to ascend to the top. Under German fire, these soldiers suffered heavy casualties and fought their way to the top. Once reaching the plateau they found that their objective, the guns, had been moved. Patrols were deployed and five of the projected six guns were found and their firing mechanisms destroyed. Of the nearly three hundred Rangers deployed in the first assault group, 150-200 were either wounded or killed in action. The second wave of Rangers, an additional 500 men, was awaiting the signal flare to join the attack.<ref>Tothe, Lecture.</ref>Due to the initial forty minute delay, the flare was fired too late and the additional Rangers had joined the invasion at Omaha Beach.

== Conclusion ==

The delay by Germany afforded the Allied troops ample time to secure the beaches of Normandy on the first day of the invasion. By the end of the day, the Americans were able to get off of Omaha Beach, although the cost was great. When the fighting on June 6 was done for the night on Omaha, the U.S. suffered more than 2,000 casualties. In the entirety of the first day of attack, across all of the beaches, including the Airborne divisions, Navy, and landing troops, the Allies employed more than 150,000 men.<ref>Toth, Lecture.</ref>The Americans on Utah beach were also successful with far fewer casualties, yet the movement was equally slow. The British and Canadian forces held Gold, Juno, and Sword but went no further on the first day. The next goal for the Allies was to build-up forces on the ground and to take strategically important towns that would eventually lead to the breakout and ensuing march to Berlin.

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==Related DailyHistory.org Articles==

*[[Why did Operation Market Garden in 1944 fail?]]

*[[D-Day: What Factors Were Considered When Planning Operation Overlord?]]

*[[Why was France defeated in 1940?]]

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