The celebrated achievements of the U.S. Army 2nd Ranger Battalion on the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc on D-Day stand as a testament to the superb combat leadership skills of Lt. Colonel James E. Rudder (1910 – 1970), who is the subject of the attached article. Written ten years after the Normandy Invasion, this article concerns Rudder’s return to Omaha Beach with his young son, and his recollections of the battle that was fought.
“We got our first German prisoner right here,” he said.
“He was a little freckle-faced kid who looked like an American, and we were so proud of him, because when you’re trying to get your first prisoner, it’s like diving for pearls.”
The Rangers underwent intense training in hand-to-hand combat, you can read about about it in this 1942 magazine article.
More articles about D-Day can be read here…
More about Rangers can be read here…
Click here to read a 1945 article about the first D-Day anniversary (there weren’t many GIs who wished to remember that day)
– two from Amazon:
