Normandy+Beach+-+Second+Rangers+Battalion

On April 1st 1943, the Second Army Battalion was formed in Camp Forest in Tennessee along with many other battalions. In September of 1943, they were shipped to the United Kingdom for a special mission code named "Operation Overlord." There they were assigned to multipurpose vehicles called ducks. From the United Kingdom they moved to France through the English Channel (body of water between United Kingdom and France).

On D-Day, an unexpended storm ravaged the ocean causing many army rangers to fall over board and drown due to the heavy metal equipment they were wearing when they fell overboard. The plan was they would land at the Cliffside at 0600 hours (6:00 a.m.) to have the element of surprise, and then move to a artillery battery the Germans took from the French. They landed an hour late, losing the element of surprise and causing an increase in casualties in the conflict with the Germans. After a long struggle they reached their goal and the remaining Rangers successfully disabled the artillery preventing dozens of casualties back on the attack on Normandy Beach.