European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 6, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Jolted through the tense darkness seasick rangers filled their bags with vomit. Salomon said he was one of the Lucky ones who did no to need to use his bag. Head passed on the powdered egg breakfast. Instead the chief Engineer Back aboard the has Prince Charles had broken out a bottle of scotch and poured Salomon a stiff drink to Brace him for the hours to come. Something was terribly wrong. Tragedy had already struck the flotilla bound for the Cliffs of Pointe do hoc. Rough water in. The English Channel swamped the decks of two of the Landing Craft sending them and Many of the heavily equipped rangers to the Bottom. The remaining nine Landing Craft and four amphibious vessels called Dukes pushed South to the coast with rudder the battalion commander in the Lead boat. Everyone bailed water with helmets. Now in the Dawn Light the rangers aboard the dog easy and Fox company boats realized they a made a navigation mistake. Instead of Pointe do hoc ahead of them Lay the lower Cliffs of Pointe it Raz de la peruse. It was almost 6 30 a.m., and they were still three Miles from their target. Rudder ordered the boats to turn hard right. Running along Westward along the coast a few Hundred Yards from the Cliffs. With the entire invasion governed by strict timetables the aircraft and Shore bombardments eased up As the first wave of troops were scheduled to come ashore. German patrols venturing out of their Foxholes spotted the Ranger Convoy and began firing Down on them. It was like running a Gauntlet of fire said 1st it. Ted Lapres of easy company. A so we were being shot at All the time a til we got up the  the delay meant that they did no to reach Pointe do hoc until about 7 10 a.m., fully 10 minutes after they were supposed to signal their Success to the reinforcement battalion waiting off Shore. Plan b went into effect and the follow on forces headed toward Omaha unaware of the disastrous Slaughter going on there. A in retrospect it probably was a Good thing a Lapres said of the change in plans. A the rest of the 2nd and 5th rangers were very important troops in bringing about the final breakthrough off the  nearing the target Point 20 my fire from the Cliff tops Sank one of the Dukes that carried firefighter ladders intended to help them scale the Heights. Charlie company was the outfit that was supposed to invade Pointe it Raz do la Percee at 6 30 a.m., and As the boats approached the Landing zone about half a mile East of the Point Sid Salomon thought the assault was going to be a Pushover. Haifa mile East of Pointe it Raz de la Percee is the extreme flank of Omaha Beach. A suddenly he heard the pinging of bullets bouncing off the Metal Landing ramp. He crouched behind it for cover As germans shot Down at them from the 90-foot Cliffs. The ramp went Down and As they had rehearsed countless times Salomon jumped out to his right. The next Man sgt. Oliver Reed jumped left and so on until All the rangers were out of the boat. A a i went up to my Waist in water Quot Lapres said. Quot sgt. Reed who jumped off to the left got hit by Small  fire and collapsed. A i got my feet squarely planted in the water and pulled sgt. Reed out from underneath the ramp. I yanked him along As i made my Way to the Waters Edge then Laid a wok you re on your own because we have a fission to  it was 20 Yards from Ike Waters Edge to the 90-foot Cliff. 4 Salomon made a dash for it. A German Shell landed directly behind him wiping out All the members of his mortar Section. A spent shrapnel knocked me face Down on the Sand Quot Salomon said. A machine gun fire was kicking Sand in my face. I figured this was no place to be and got up and ran toward the  machine guns mortars and artillery turned the 20-Yard dash into a Bloodbath. Many were killed or wounded before they even left their boats. First sgt. Henry Gola was hit by machine gun continued on Page 54 it  members of the . 2nd Ranger in set up a command Post and Clear German prisoners from the area of Pointe do hoc on a Day june 6, 1994 a stars and stripes commemorative edition 53