The Pointe du Hoc is one of the few places along these Normandy beaches which still ressembles the battlefield of 1944. Very little has changed since that fateful day in 1944 and it is easy to imagine how difficult and brutal that assault must have been. To reduce the effectiveness of the German battery located here, the American commander ordered a naval bombardment from the American warship Texas. After 600 salvoes of 14-inch shells the 2nd Rangers Battalion climbed the cliffs with rope ladders and took position by assault at dawn of June 6, 1944, only to find that the German guns had been removed already. (more images by Shawn Clark)