Point Du Hoc: Somewhere along this point up the one-hundred foot cliffs was the German Guns that could devestate bot Ohmaha and Utah beaches. These guns were a threat to american lives and had to be deystroyed at all costs. Thus the Army Rangers planned along with D-Day a demolition misson to take out these guns. The Following Account is taken from Wikipedia:

The Longest Day

The Ranger battalion was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James Earl Rudder. The plan called for the three companies of Rangers to be landed by sea at the foot of the cliffs, scale them using ropes, ladders, and grapples under enemy fire, and engage the enemy at the top of the cliff. This was to be carried out before the main landings. The Rangers trained for the cliff assault on the Isle of Wight, under the direction of British Commandos. Despite initial setbacks due to weather and navigational problems, resulting in a 40-minute delay and loss of surprise, the cliffs were scaled and the strongpoint was assaulted successfully, with relatively light casualties. Fire support was provided during the attack by several nearby Allied destroyers. However it was discovered that the main objective of the assault, the artillery battery, had been moved out of position, possibly as a result of air attacks during the buildup to the invasion. It is said that German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel himself gave the order to move the battery as he had recently been placed in charge of the coastal defenses of Normandy. Removal of the guns had actually been completed on June 4, 1944, and poor weather conditions prior to the invasion limited a final reconnaissance effort which would have revealed the guns removal. The Rangers regrouped at the top of the cliffs, and a few went off in search of the guns, tracking them down far inland and destroying them. This new battery location inland was sighted solely for Utah beach.