Climbing Pointe du Hoc – 2019
Cricqueville-en-Bessin
2019 D-Day commemorations photos – 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings
On June 5, 2019, as part of the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings, 58 American soldiers belonging to the 75th Ranger Regiment (and accompanied by French mountain soldiers from the commando mountain group) climbed the cliff of Pointe du Hoc shortly after 7 am morning. With the help of rope ladders installed a few weeks earlier, members of the contemporary armed forces paid tribute to the Rangers of the 2nd Ranger Battalion, some wearing the 1944 uniform and equipment for the occasion.
Two American veterans of the 5th Ranger Battalion, Roy Huereque and John Raaen, who landed at Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944, witnessed this impressive show. Several American C-130 Hercules transport planes flew over the battery site while the military took turns climbing the 30-meter high cliff.
Photos: Markus Rauchenberger & Jeremy McGuffin
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