Pointe du Hoc

Once you arrive in the Calvados county in Normandy, you will stop at “The Pointe du Hoc”, 100 feet high cliffs between Omaha and Utah beaches. In mid 1943 the German TODD organization set up 6 long range artillery guns (155mm caliber) housed in concrete bunkers and facing the English channel above the cliff. In fact, "Pointe du Hoc" was one of the thousand German stronghold positions of Hitler' project to build a wall of defense along the coast in Europe. Known as “The Atlantic Wall” and which consisted of building bunkers, guns battery and beach obstacles network along the coastline, from the Spanish border to Norway in order to prevent any allied invasion. In June 6, 1944 at 07:10 am 225 US Rangers aboard barges landed just below from the cliffs and began to scale them using ropes in order to storm the guns location and then destroy them all. Blown up concrete bunkers, bomb craters and traces of the battle are still visible today.

The National Guard Monument

The National Guard Monument sits on the spot (WN72) where the 29th National Guard Division broke through German defenses on D-Day, June 6, 1944. The monument and the original bunker which it sits atop are maintained by NGEF to preserve the legacy and pay honor to all National Guardsmen who have fought in the European theater.