European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 6, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse The 2nd rangers removed the Keystone in hitlers Wally Vince Crawley staff writer. C c t pm no hero. In a no Patriot. In a the Man i who goes for the Money every it is a philosophy Len Lomeli developed As a teen Ager in new Jersey freezing his Tail off while working the barges in the Hudson River during the great depression. He was with the 76th div when he volunteered for Ranger training. Afterwards the rangers offered him a promotion to first sergeant if he joined the elite outfit. Lomelis parents were in their 70s, and when he entered the head bought them a House in Jersey. A through the War he kept Only �?o$10 a month and not a cent Over for himself sending the rest Home to them. The rangers offer meant a pay raise and he was desperate for More Money. He accepted. A a in a not a hero in a not a Patriot a he still insists then adds not quite seriously a a in a a he is also the Man who earned a distinguished service Cross for destroying the guns on Pointe do hoc. Gen. Omar n. Bradley said it was the toughest Job of a Day and he assigned the Mission to it. Col James e. Rudders 2nd Ranger in. Pointe do hoc is an imposing natural fortress an Arrow shaped Promontory atop 100-foot overhanging Cliffs jutting from the Normandy coastline Halfway Between Omaha and Utah beaches. The far end of either Landing zone was eight Miles from the Point and the German guns on top of it had a Range of 10 Miles. If they. Weren to taken out they would be an imposing Force to be reckoned with capable of traumatizing infantry on either Beach. Plan a was simple and daring. At 6 30 a.m., h-minus-30, three companies of rangers a dog easy and Fox would land at the foot of the Cliffs scale them with ropes and ladders overrun the Point and Knock out the guns. Able and Baker companies along with the entire 5th Ranger in would wait half an hour off Shore until a hour. If the first wave signalled Success from the Cliff tops by 7 a.m., the second wave would storm ashore to reinforce them. If no signal came if plan a failed then plan b would kick in. Its an old military adage that you never reinforce failure so the rangers still in the English Channel would sail toward Omaha Beach land there and work their Way five Miles Overland to Knock out the guns. Either Way the invasion plan called for the main infantry Landing Force to reach the Point and relieve the rangers by noon. Under both plans 2nd a no Scharlie company had the solitary Mission of Landing at Pointe it Raz de la per Ede three Miles East of Pointe do hoc to destroy the fortifications there. This second smaller Point stood atop 90 foot Cliffs and overlooked the extreme Western Edge of Omaha Beach. A. A. A. A for 1st it. Sid Salomon of Charlie company boarding the Landing Craft at sea was like walking the Plank. In the pre Dawn darkness the British sailors had placed wide boards spanning the distance Between the ship railing and the boats. The rangers were weighed Down with As much combat equipment As they could carry and As each Man stepped up to the boards a British Sailor on each Side took him by the Elbow steadying him. Salomon As the platoon Leader was the last to Board the assault Craft. It reminded him he said a of pirate the sailors also warned him about the height of the ship above the water. A of course when they told me done to look Down i automatically looked Down a he said. A the phosphorescence of the water slapping against the steel Hull was just a Beautiful with nearly 37 boat passengers All loaded Down by combat equipment there Wasny to any room for Salomon to sit. He stood at the front ramp for the 10-mile journey through rough Waters. And he noted one of the invasion planners had enough foresight to equip each Mart with a Brown paper bag. As the Landing Craft what happened Apointe do hoc by Vince Crawley staff writer Pointe do hoc Pointe do hoc is about 50 Miles from Caen. To get there from Caen take route n13 e46 to Bayeux. Either take d6 to the Beach and follow d514 along the top of the Cliffs West or follow n13 e46 to intersection with d517 to Wierville sur mers amps. Susan Harris scaling 100-foot Cliffs while heavy enemy gunfire rained Down on their decimated disorganized Force was the easy part. The hard part for the survivors of the 2nd . Ranger in was finding the six artillery guns atop Pointe do hoc a Promontory that juts like an Arrowhead into the English Channel Halfway Between Omaha and Utah beaches. Both Normandy Landing Sites were Well inside the Range of the Pointe do hoc artillery so knocking out the guns was considered vital to the Success of the a Day landings. The Mission went to the rangers. Seventy percent of them were killed or wounded in More than two Days of fighting. Although erring on Many of the details a stars and stripes reporter who accompanied the rangers correctly reported the outcome of their Mission. Still most of the history books written since then have got the Ranger Story wrong. The myth is that 2nd Ranger in undertook a valiant but unnecessary Mission. That after climbing the Cliffs of Pointe do hoc in an Effort to destroy the 155 my howitzers they reached the top to find that the guns were mysteriously gone. The truth is that the guns were More than a mile Inland poised to fire and any artillerymen knows that a Cannon with a seven mile Range does no to need to be atop a Cliff or Bluff in order to be effective. A your Mission was accomplished a said Ted Lapres then a 23-year-old first Lieut Contant. A at a powerful Cost but it was two weeks after a Day the gave 1st sgt. Len Lomill the distinguished service Cross an award that ranks next in line to the medal of Honor for finding and disabling the guns at Pointe do hoc. Yet the a official history of the Normandy landings makes no mention of the rangers succeeding in their Mission. The oversight was repeated in author Cornelius Ryan a Book the longest Day which has become an unofficial Bible of a Day. Numerous other histories retell the tale As a needless tragedy. Even the name of the Point is wrong in Many of the retelling. Because of an Allied mapmakers mistake Long before the invasion Many of the a official documents and orders misspelled the artillery position As Pointe do Hoe an error that has created confusion for 50 years
