| Original Caption: “An American command post on the cliffs of northern France bustles with activity as prisoners are hurried down the cliff side to waiting ships in the harbor, near Saint Honorine, France. The American flag is protection against these troops being shelled by their own men.” United States Army 2nd Ranger Battalion command post (CP) atop Pointe du Hoc on June 8, 1944, 48 hours after the start of the Normandy invasion in a former Luftwaffe (“Nazi German Air Force”) L409 type bunker for 20 millimeter antiaircraft guns with thick steel reinforced concrete. United States Army Lieutenant Colonel James E. Rudder (May 6, 1910 – March 23, 1970) observes Nazi German prisoners of war escorted away center top. He was repeatedly wounded but continued to direct the fighting. The CP is also a medical casualty station. The censor has removed the blue diamond insignia from the Rangers’ M1 helmets. An American 48-star flag signals to tanks landing on Utah and Omaha Beaches that the Rangers hold the heights, as they lost their radios in the landings and were communicating with World War I-era signal lamps. 2nd Ranger Battalion suffered 50 percent casualties and held out without reinforcements for days. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0493.jpg |
| Image Size | 1.08 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 3500 x 2767 |
| Photographer | Worden F. Lovell |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | June 8, 1944 |
| Location | |
| City | Pointe du Hoc |
| State or Province | Normandy |
| Country | France |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | 111-SC-190240 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
Author of the World War II Multimedia Database