Preparing to Invade

, Preparing to Invade , Planning Operation Overlord was a massive undertaking. , In 1943 Allied commanders began the detailed preparations needed to organize, transport, land, and support the hundreds of thousands of troops who would come ashore in Normandy. Allied assault units exhaustively practiced combat operations while logisticians stockpiled weapons, supplies, and equipment. US Army Rangers undertook particularly demanding training exercises in preparation for their crucial role in the invasion., Lt Col Thomas H. Trevor | Royal Commandos , Lieutenant Colonel Trevor provided invaluable advice to the Rangers preparing for the attack on Point du Hoc. , A decorated veteran of the Allied landings in North Africa, Trevor was particularly renown for his cliff-climbing expertise. He took part in the Rangers' training exercises on the Isle of Wight, where they practiced scaling the kinds of sea cliffs they would find at Pointe du Hoc. Trevor later accompanied the 2nd Ranger Battalion during the assault and was wounded in the fighting., "I think they had scouts out trying to find the highest and most difficult cliffs they could find." , Lt George Kerchner, 2nd Ranger Battalion, The Rangers that trained with Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Trevor developed an enormous respect for his skills, experience, and bravery., A British Royal Commando leads a US Ranger in bayonet drill. The Rangers trained in concert with the Commandos after arriving in the British Isles, and the two forces forged a lasting wartime partnership., Ranger Training and Tools , For more than a year, the 2nd and 5th ranger battalions participated in grueling training that emphasized physical strength, combat skills, and weapons proficiency. The Ranger training program stressed problem solving, independent action, and improvisation. Rangers also learned to use specialized tools such as rocket-propelled ropes to scale the cliffs and thermite grenades to disable the German guns. These skills would prove vital when the Rangers faced the challenges of D-Day and beyond., Lt Col James Earl Rudder | 2nd Ranger Battalion , Lieutenant Colonel Rudder personally led his men in the assault on Pointe du Hoc. , An Army Reserve officer, Rudder took command of the 2nd Ranger Battalion in June 1943. On D-Day he landed in the first LCA to hit the beach at Pointe du Hoc and was wounded during the battle. His courage and inspiring leadership helped his small force withstand numerous German counterattacks. Highly decorated for his wartime service, Rudder is still considered the model Ranger., "He talked to you softly but firmly, like a big brother. He inspired you to do your best. You just wanted to die for him." , 1st Sgt Leonard Lomell, 2nd Banger Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel James Rudder at his command post on Pointe du Hoc. He insisted on landing with the men of the initial assault force., The Germans armed Pointe du Hoc with French-built K418 155mm guns like the one shown here. Many German coastal defenses used guns captured from France in 1940., German Guns , The battery of 155mm guns and the observation post at Pointe du Hoc made it a formidable threat to American landing forces. , The heavy guns had the range to reach Utah and Omaha Beaches, as well as the invasion fleet offshore. Allied planners feared the battery would devastate the invasion forces. Pointe du Hoc became a primary target for pre-invasion air and naval bombardment, but only a ground assault could ensure that the guns would be neutralized on D-Day., Guillaume Mercader | French Resistance , Former professional cyclist Guillaume Mercader joined the French resistance movement in 1941. , Working out of his Bayeux bicycle shop, Mercader established a network of civilian informants along the Normandy coast. In April 1944 one of Mercader's informants noticed changes in German gun emplacements at Pointe du Hoc. Mercader relayed this information to London. Following D-Day, he joined the Office of Strategic Services and became an early witness to German atrocities at the Buchenwald concentration camp., "Throughout France, the Free French had been of inestimable value in the campaign..." , General Dwight D. Eisenhower, US Army, The French Resistance movement grew during the German occupation and played a key role in the Allied victory. Members gathered critical intelligence on troop movements, scouted enemy defenses, and sabotaged German communications. , Final Plans , In the last months before D-Day, the Allies accelerated their preparations. , Allied planners gathered information on enemy deployments. American and British bombers worked in concert with the French Resistance to isolate Normandy, targeting transportation links throughout northern France. While hundreds of thousands of American, British, Canadian, French, and other Allied soldiers intensified their training for the difficult task that lay ahead, intelligence agencies launched a massive deception plan to draw German attention away from Normandy., Sub-Lt Islwyn Vaughan | Royal Navy , During the Dieppe raid in 1942, Royal Navy Sub-lieutenant "Taffy" Vaughan landed Canadian troops ashore under heavy fire. , Vaughan's experience helped him on D-Day when he commanded three LCAs carrying Rangers to Pointe du Hoc. Delayed by bad weather, strong currents, and navigation equipment failure, the approaching flotillas were soon noticed by the enemy. Although the alerted German gunners opened fire, all three LCAs landed safely ashore., "Let no one underestimate the magnitude of this task.” , Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, Royal Navy, Sub-Lieutenant Islwyn Vaughan, Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve, in April 1942., American soldiers invade German-occupied Europe., The Challenges of Amphibious Landings , Amphibious invasions pose enormous challenges, and the invasion through normandy would be the largest ever attempted. , Soldiers had to come ashore under enemy fire, fight their way through formidable defenses, defeat expected German counterattacks, and create a secure beachhead in order to launch further operations. Paratroopers would jump in darkness to seize key terrain. Success depended upon precise planning, sound intelligence, superior training, and absolute secrecy before the invasion, and upon seamless cooperation among naval, land, and air forces once it began. , . ,