Allied Intelligence and the Cover Up at Pointe Du Hoc (Hardback)
The History of the 2nd & 5th US Army Rangers, 1943 – 30th April 1944
Imprint: Pen & Sword Military
Pages: 492
Illustrations: 150
ISBN: 9781526752222
Published: 1st April 2019
As seen in...
As reviewed in The Armourer, April 2019.
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Volume 1 of this two-part work puts the reader firmly into the footsteps of the 2nd and 5th Rangers as they arrive in England in 1943. It follows them during their intensive training with the Commandos and the Royal Navy as they head towards D-Day – including cliff climbing, assault landings and the Slapton Sands ‘dress rehearsal’.
The orders given to the Rangers, along with dozens of aerial reconnaissance photographs of Omaha Beach, Pointe et Raz de la Percée, Pointe du Hoc and Maisy - as well as French Resistance reports – detail the information given to the Rangers' commander Lt. Col. Rudder. Shown in chronological order and in their original format, many of the documents are still marked TOP SECRET and were only recently released after nearly 70 years.
The author fills in the gaps that many have only guessed at concerning the Rangers’ real missions on D-Day, and in Volume 2 he explains why a battalion commander was removed whilst onboard ship prior to the landings, why the individual Rangers were not briefed on all of their D-Day objectives – as well as the extraordinary role that Lt. Col. Rudder played at Pointe du Hoc.
Described by US historians as 'one of the most detailed works about the D-Day Rangers ever written’, this work is the culmination of four years of detailed research within the US Archives and backed up by evidence uncovered in Normandy. It is a real historical game-changer that pulls no punches as it challenges conventional studies of one of the most iconic battles of WWII.
There can be no doubt that this work will change the way that historians view the Pointe du Hoc battle from now on.
"This book is a historical game-changer that pulls no punches."
Loopholes, Journal for the Pillbox Study Group - Number 88
"...a must for WW2 historians..."
Ordnance Society Newsletter - No.144, January 2024
In recent years there have hardly been any finds in Normandy more astonishing than those of UK author Gary Sterne. It all began when he found a map in a pocket of a US Army veteran´s uniform - a map that led him to the forgotten German Maisy Battery battlefield.
Lars Gyllenhaal
Read the full review here
Online article: 'Out of the Shadows: Omaha Beach Revelations at Maisy Battery' as featured by
FRANCE TODAY magazine, 29th May 2019 – words by Gillian Thornton
Interview article (covering 4 pages)with Gary Sterne `Digging up the truth`
WDYTYA?,July 2019
A revealing book that has changed the preconceived historical script on D-Day.
Miniaturas JM
Read the full Spanish review here
As featured on WW2 Today
WW2 Talk
I found this book to be very insightful, as it challenges what really happened to the Rangers on D-Day. I particularly like how the documents are set out, on page 343 there is even a plan on how the Rangers vehicles were to be loaded on to the landing craft for D-Day. Because of the age of the technology used in the 1940s to copy documents (carbon paper) some of the documents are a little faint, but this I feel does not detract from the narrative of this publication. If you are a local resident of the areas that were used during this period, then there are references to areas in Dorset and Devon where the Rangers trained. I am looking forward to reading volume 2 of this work.
Armorama
Read the full review here
As featured on Army Rumour Service
Army Rumour Service (ARRSE)
This, in my opinion, is a book that cannot be missed on the shelves of the historical enthusiast. Anyone with an interest in DDay cannot miss a book that reveals many things about an operation that is still misunderstood today.
Old Barbed Wire Blog
Read the full Italian review here
This is the stuff of legends.
Argunners, Christopher 'Moon' Mullins
Read the full review here
As featured by
La Renaissance le Bessin
An easy to understand narrative serves to complement a volume, which has to be the most comprehensive ever produced on this subject.
The Armourer, May 2019
As featured on MechTraveller
MechTraveller
This book “Allied Intelligence and the cover up at Pointe du Hoc (Volume 1)” has to be reviewed with its companion volume “D-Day Cover up at Pointe du Hoc (Volume 2)”. Both offer consuming research and evidence of what really happened at Pointe du Hoc and how that differs from the accepted history that has been promulgated for so many years. In fact the two volumes define how easy it is to allow history to become ‘lazy’ and for those of us who retell that history on the battlefields to become part of that ‘lazy’ history storytelling.
Michael McCarthy
With the advantage of recent document releases by the US authorities the author has been able trace the facts and remove the myths of the assault by the US Rangers. In no way does he belittle the undoubted bravery and heroism of the soldiers who scaled the cliffs and took the position. However he demonstrates that that much of the plan was formulated to neutralise German guns that were known to be absent, and the failure to focus on the more important objectives of interdiction of German counter attacks and dealing with the Maisy battery complex. In doing so the author looks critically at the leadership of 2nd Ranger Battalion and offers credible reasons why the whole plan was not delivered. Both volumes contain a staggering amount of detail backed by copies and transcripts of prime sources that really provide the foundation for the author’s conclusions.
In the text he criticises my profession for repeating the simplistic and undemanding storyline of Pointe du Hoc with all its post war desire for heroes. Armed with the depth of research in these two volumes I am henceforth very happy to put the record straight when I am in Normandy. In fact the real story that has been uncovered is actually much more interesting that which held sway before.
These volumes are highly recommended.
Michael McCarthy. Battlefield Guide
About Gary Sterne
Gary Sterne is a keen collector of militaria and was a co-founder of The Armourer and Skirmish Magazines. He has always been fascinated with the D-day landings and in particular was intrigued by the lack of precise information relating the mystery of the "missing guns" of Pointe du Hoc. His research led to the finding of a map which indicated the position of an "unknown" German gun position buried in the village of Maisy. After buying the land, he was able to open the huge site to the public. The re-discovery of the Maisy Battery made headline news around the world and has subsequently changed the history of the Omaha Sector forever. The site is now one of the major Normandy D-day attractions.
The Cover Up at Omaha Beach Maisy Battery and the US Rangers (Paperback)
The Rangers mission was clear. They were to lead the assault on Omaha Beach and breakout inland. Simultaneously other Ranger units would scale the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc to destroy the "huge" gun battery there and thus protect the invasion fleet from being targeted. But was the Pointe du Hoc mission actually necessary? Why did the Allies plan and execute an attack on a gun battery which they knew in advance contained no field guns? And more importantly, why did they ignore the position at Maisy that did? Using personal interviews with the surviving Rangers who fought on the beach and at Pointe…
By Gary SterneClick here to buy both titles for £53.99
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