Digital Repository

James Earl Rudder

The German army considered Pointe du Hoc a perfect spot for defending the coast of France from Allied forces during WWII. The Germans placed six cannons on the point and thought the position secure. And it was—until June 1944, when Texan James Earl Rudder was ordered to take the point with his 2nd Ranger Battalion.

Image: James Earl Rudder, n.d. Image courtesy of the Cushing Memorial Library at Texas A&M University.

Audio: Houston Public Media

Photograph of James Earl Rudder