Pointe du Hoc

Another interesting place we stumbled upon along the Normandy Coast was Pointe du Hoc, another famous WWII battle site. Pointe du Hoc is a small peninsula surrounded by sheer cliffs overlooking the ocean, and was seen by the Germans as impossible to invade given its natural protection. However a group of American ranger troops was able to scale the cliffs with some special ladders and rock-climbing equipment and (after substantial losses) claim the spot as Allied territory.

An interesting thing about the landscape: prior to the attack, Allied aircraft bombed the hell out of the area--both to soften up the German troops before the ground assault, as well as to create some natural hiding places for the invading troops so they weren't just standing out in the open on a large plain. As a result, the landscape around Pointe du Hoc for several miles is pock-marked with old bomb craters. It looks like the perfect place to play hide-and-seek for kids...