Looming large over the cliffs of D-Day but also in the minds of Allied planners was the German gun battery of Pointe-du-Hoc. Could these guns derail the American amphibious operation on D-Day? It was decided that a new kind of American military unit was required to scale a sheer cliff and take out the guns before the main beach landings.

Controversial from its very inception, this new Ranger force would defy its critics with Ranger Force A succeeding in scaling the cliffs under enemy fire.

In his new book, acclaimed D-Day historian Steven J. Zaloga analyzes why such a risky operation was required at all, detailing both the perceived and real threat posed by coastal guns. Drawing on first-hand accounts, he also provides a comprehensive account of all three of the Ranger missions on D-Day including the often forgotten mission to destroy the guns at Pointe-et-Raz-de-la-Percée and the vital role the Rangers played in redeeming the stalled American assault on Omaha Beach.

Based on new evidence, including the original, unedited US Army report, long buried in the deepest recesses of the historical archives, Smashing Hitler’s Guns provides a fresh and thought-provoking history of an event we thought we fully understood.