by Mehlo, Noel
Coming to understand the geology here, I began to invest time in understanding the scientific work of Ian West, M.Sc. Ph.D. F.G.S., Southhampton University. Dr. West is an expert on the geology of this region of England. He has written numerous books concerning the subject, and through Southhampton University has developed a wonderful series of websites dedicated to the documentation of his work. I took a chance and introduced myself to Dr. West to ask for permission to draw from his work to help explain the geology and its importance to the Rangers. He was happy to assist me, and even made introductions to another geologist and photographer he collaborates with for the use of photos in this book named Alan Holiday.
The work of identifying the areas used by the Rangers for climbing took some work. The Rangers trained on various cliffs in the area to practice on cliffs similar to those in Normandy. They also practiced on different types of cliffs to hone the various skills needed for the assault and to test new equipment. I began by looking for any crossreference to the time at Swanage in books and websites about the Rangers. I gathered together any place references, however small and began to piece the puzzle together. Unfortunately, General Raaen, one of my best resources for information, had been injured and was at an Army hospital while the Rangers were training there in 1944. Ranger Victor Miller had also previously been injured and sent through the medical system and 10th Replacement Depot. He had mostly missed out on the cliff training at Swanage as reflected in his biography. Ranger JR Copeland was able to help me as I took a series of printed photos from the work of Dr. West with me in late September to our face-to-face meeting. Mr. Copeland looked through the photos and remembered one of the cliffs in particular which was very helpful. This will be further described later in the chapter. A thorough investigation revealed the following locations used by the Rangers along the Dorset coast in and around Swanage from west to east:
Burton Cliff at Burton Bradstock located west of Weymouth Chalk cliffs near Bats Head located northeast of Weymouth Durdle Door located midway between Weymouth and Swanage Boulder Ruckle, part of the Ragged Rocks located south of Swanage Cliffs around the city of Swanage
Old Harry Rocks located northeast of Swanage
Isle of Wight, Alum Bay located east of Swanage
Figure 186: Map showing cliff area at Burton Bradstock. Burton Cliff is shaded in the red square. (Ordinance Survey of Scotland Popular Edition) The Ranger climbing area known as Burton Cliff is at Burton Bradstock, England (Figure 186). Burton Bradstock is a small English village on a part of the coastline known as West Bay, northwest of Weymouth and west of Dorchester. The village dates back to at least the Saxon days. At that time the village went by the name of either Brideton or Bridetone. This meant the village of the river Bride. The name Bradstock was derived from Bradenstoke after the Bradenstoke Priory in Wiltshire that the village had once belonged to. The current name is a derivation of these past names. The village lies three miles east of Bridport. At the center of the village lies the church St. Mary the Virgin. There are thatched cottages dating back to the 16th and 17th century in and around the village. The village lies on the Jurassic Coast of England with cliffs up to 148 feet in height separating it from the English Channel.3 The cliff the Rangers practiced on known as Burton Cliff is structurally similar to East Cliff at West Bay.4 The cliffs have a geologically interesting layer called Oolite near the upper reaches that contain some remarkable examples of ancient fossils. From the bottom to top, the cliffs here are made up of various lias, marles, ammonite, clays, sands, Oolite and a thin marble layer. The River Bride separates the two cliffs as it exits to the sea.5 These cliffs are structurally very similar to those found at Point du Hoc geologically, as they are both comprised of the same stone.4 This made these cliffs very suitable as a practice area for the Rangers. The area is seen in Figures 187-188.
Figure 187: R.A.F. reconnaissance photo of Burton Bradstock and Freshwater Bay taken on 7th. June, 19425
Figure 188: Taken from work by Dr. Ian West; The western part of the Chesil Beach at Burton Cliff, Dorset, is gradually diminishing in width and losing its fine shingle. The cliff of Bridport Sands, with Inferior Oolite at the top, is being underdercut as waves more frequently abrade the foot of the cliff. Within a decade or so the last 3 kilometres of the Chesil Beach. (at Burton Cliff and East Cliff, Bridport) might be mostly lost, and its new western limit might be at Burton Hive. Photo - 3rd March 2008. Ian West &. Tanya West (c) 2008.6
The next area reportedly utilized by the Rangers were two cliffs known as Bat’s Head and Durdle Door. These cliffs lie approximately midway between Weymouth and Swanage near the small English town of West Lulworth (Figure 189).
Figure 189: Map showing cliff area at Bat’s Head and Durdle Door shaded in the red rectangles. (Ordinance Survey of Scotland Popular Edition) The cliff known as Bat’s Head is comprised of vertical Chalk. The beach in the area ends at Bat’s Head where the Chalk is oriented horizontally. This Chalk belongs to the planus Zone as part of the Lewes Nodular Chalk Formation. It is characterized by being flinty, hard and nodular, and is part of the White Chalk Subgroup of the Chalk Group. The cliff face is almost vertical due to geologic actions resulting in vertical bedding within a fold of the rock strata. The cliffs are not protected from wind and water erosion forces from the sea to the southwest. The resulting erosion forces cause bed-over-bed slipping in a vertical direction with the surface of the cliff having well developed slickensides. While Swyre Head rises to 90 meters, cliffs to the west rise to 150-200 meters. In this area Swyre Head is the highest vertical Chalk cliff in Dorset. It somewhat resembles the White Cliffs of Dover in southeast England located opposite Callais, France. Swyre Head, Bat’s Head and Durdle Door have been occasionally used in films. There are two dry valleys between Bat’s Head and Durdle Door. These valleys might have ended in a coastal embayment like Linworth Cove at one time. Due to erosion, there is a relatively straight open water stretch between Bat’s Head and Durdle Door. Dr. West believes these cliffs to have been used by the military for D-Day practice during World War II.7
Durdle Door lies between Bat’s Head to the west and Man O’War Rocks and Dungy Head to the east. The outer wall of Durdle Door consists of “vertical, Jurassic, Portland Stone (marine oolite) and basal Purbeck Caps (thrombolitic and pelloidal limestones). The western support for the arch of Durdle Door consists both of Portland Freestone, an oolite and some basal Purbeck strata, beneath the Broken Beds, which have been eroded away just here.” The natural arch of Durdle Door is one of the physical features of the area which has retained a name given to it probably more than a 1000 years ago (Arkell, 1947), showing that the coast does not change very rapidly. The name " Durdle " is derived from an Old English word "thirl", meaning to pierce (as in "nostril"). A similar arched rock in south Devon is known as the Thurlestone. At Durlston Bay, Swanage, there was probably an arched rock of which a stack at Durlston Head (of Purbeck Broken Beds with celestite) is most likely to be the relic. A geologist named Damon (1884) also mentioned another name: "The most singular feature of this is the natural arch, known as the "Barn-door", formed in the Purbeck Limestone and sufficiently high for a good-sized sailing boat to pass through it."8 Dr. West reported that the Rangers trained on these cliffs. Durdle Door is shown in Figures 190-191.
Figure 190: View of coast west of Durdle Door looking toward Bat’s Head (2013 photo courtesy of Alan Holiday)
Figure 191: Rock Formation known as Durdle Door. (Courtesy Dr. Ian West) To the south of Swanage lies Anvil Point where there is a lighthouse. The coast turns to the west after passing this promontory. The portion of coast from the lighthouse to the west along the English coast is referred to as Ragged Rocks or Boulder Ruckle. According to the Climbers Club of the United Kingdom, this area known for hard climbing was practiced on by the Rangers. It is said that the Rangers were the first to attempt climbing Boulder Ruckle. The Climbers Club wrote: “They were the first to venture into the Boulder Ruckle with any serious thoughts of ascending, and,
loaded down as they were with rifles and equipment, their experience must have been a memorable one. The manner of their ascent is unknown but was undoubtedly dangerous; a sobering thought for any present-day climber feeling ‘gripped’ at the bottom of the Ruckle yet ‘armed’ with a full rack of protection devices.9 A map of this area is shown in Figure 192.
Figure 192: Map showing cliff area at Ragged Point (Boulder Ruckle) shaded in the red rectangles. (Ordinance Survey of Scotland Popular Edition) Figure 193: Boulder Ruckle ledge place names (Courtesy Dr. Ian West) Regarding the geology of the Ragged Rocks site between Seacombe Cliff and Anvil Point, Dr. West wrote: “This is a superb rugged coast of considerable natural beauty. Particularly notable are the vertical Portland Stone cliffs with their natural caves, their quarry ledges with artificial galleries. Above is the interesting bevel or slope, based mainly but not entirely on Lower and Middle Purbeck strata”. The Ragged Rocks are described as a grouping of large angular boulders at the foot of the vertical cliffs to the west of Anvil Point. This area is comprised of joint-bounded, Portland Stone debris. The large angular rocks are particularly developed where the foot of the cliff is composed of uppermost Portland Sand. The name "Boulder Ruckle" was provided by rock climbers of these cliffs. This has since become a challenging and important climbing destination in the United Kingdom.10 A photo of these cliffs follows.
Figure 194: Geologic view of Ragged Rocks (Boulder Ruckle). (Dr. Ian West) The next cliff area attributed to have been climbed by the Rangers was that of Old Harry’s Rocks located northeast of Swanage at the southern end of Studland Bay on Ballard Point. The beautiful area around Old Harry’s Rocks contains high Chalk cliffs, promontories, sea stacks and natural arches. The major Ballard Down Fault transects the area and is one of the most widely known faults in England. Ballard Point contains Chalk that is both vertical and horizontal. This area has been scientifically studied and described in detail since at least Victorian Times. The tops of the cliffs are hazardous and prone to sloughing. The cliffs contain flints which are a fine-grained variety of chert. They also contain some opal and silica. Harry Rocks are not comparable to the Needles on the Isle of Wright. Again Dr. West educated me about these features. Mapping of the area is in Figure 195 and a photo is shown in Figure 196. An iconic landward view of Harry’s Rocks is shown in figure 197.
Figure 195: Map showing cliff area at Old Harry’s Rocks shaded in the red rectangle. (Ordinance Survey of Scotland Popular Edition)
Figure 196: Wide Rock platform leading to Old Harry’s Rocks on Ballard Point. Area recognized by Ranger Copeland (photo courtesy Ian West) Figure 197: Photo showing Old Harry’s Rocks on Ballard Point (photo courtesy Alan Holiday) The final cliff areas that I found evidence as having been used by Rangers were the cliffs at Alum Bay on the Isle of Wight. Information regarding this area in regard to the Rangers is Spartan, but mentioned none-the-less (Figures 198-199).11
Figure 198: Area used by Rangers for cliff climbing on Isle of Wight. (Ordinance Survey of Scotland Popular Edition) Figure 199: Alum Bay Cliff area on Isle of Wight used by Rangers (Dr. Ian West) Robert W. Black wrote that the Rangers who would lead the primary assault on Point du Hoc began to undergo extra cliff training at Swanage beginning in April 1944. These men included Companies D, E and F of the 2nd Ranger Infantry Battalion. This extra training would enable these men to train for the tasks of being the leading forces to assault the objective. Swanage was used to hone their cliff climbing techniques on steep cliffs. The cliffs described above provided ample opportunity to practice in all types of ascending techniques. This included free rope climbing, toggle ropes, and various types of ladders. They used steel ladders that came in four foot tubular sections that could be erected on the ascent. They used rope ladders and smooth ropes. They began to use the specially designed mortars that fired grapnels and ropes up 200 feet of cliff.12, 13
The Rangers, both the 2nd Ranger Infantry and 5th Ranger Infantry Battalions, moved to Swanage by rail and arrived on May 6, 1944. They billeted in separate locations. The 2nd Ranger Infantry Battalion billeted at a school building on a hilltop with a great view (Hatfield) 14, while the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion was billeted at the then historic Grand Hotel Swanage overlooking Swanage Bay in the northern part of town. The 5th Rangers took the billeting location over from the 1st Engineer Combat Battalion of the 1st Infantry Division. The Grand Hotel Swanage sits atop an eighty foot cliff and is still a hotel to this day. Hathaway wrote that when the men arrived, they marveled at the beautiful wide front steps. Major Schneider told the men they would only be using those stairs one time. From then on, they would be using ropes to rappel from or climb up to their rooms, the ropes being attached to pipes in the rooms. Once they egressed the building, they would run across the yard of the hotel, and then rappel to the beach below each morning for formation. They would ascend up the ropes after formation to report for mess on the first floor of the hotel. A modern panoramic view of Swanage is seen in Figure 200 and close up in Figure 201.
Figure 200: Swanage England. Arrow denotes Grand Hotel Swanage (Courtesy of Jamie S. at en.wikipedia) Figure 201: Grand Hotel Swanage and surrounding area (Courtesy of Jamie S. at en.wikipedia)15 Hathaway spoke of the arrival of the Rangers in town being an arrival that was not receiving the warm welcome from the locals. He wrote that the previous unit from the 1st Infantry Division who had stayed in the hotel had told all the townsfolk that the Rangers who would follow them a story. The townsfolk were told the Rangers were similar to the British Commandos, but they would all be criminals. The villagers had seen the men rappelling out of the building and up and down the cliff and concluded that they were crazy and were receiving some sort of punishment.16 In reading the Hathaway account, I found similarities to the movie the Dirty Dozen in the explanation of where the men were said to have come from. As soon as the Rangers began to explore the town after hours, they found that the English would often leave from wherever it was the men had paid a visit to. Residents would cross over to the opposite side of the street to avoid the men. It took some corrective action by Ranger Chaplain, Father Lacy to set the townsfolk straight. At the edge of town was a British post exchange, and after the misunderstanding was settled about the Rangers origins, the men found that the WAAFs and other ladies in town and the nightlife were entertaining.17
Ranger Dick Hubbard of the 2nd Ranger Infantry Battalion wrote of a funny food story while at Swanage. He wrote: “Somehow the meat ration was changed to mutton instead of beef. Rudder had a rebellion on his hands that was rather serious. More than half the battalion threatened to volunteer out if we got any more sheep meat. Rudder called a meeting of all personnel to discuss alternatives for our diet. Chicken was offered as an alternative and roundly accepted. (How naïve we were.) So we got chicken three times a day for several months and to this day chicken is repulsive to men of the 2nd Battalion”.18
Both Ranger battalions were assigned the task to destroy the guns on Point du Hoc. In alignment with the plans drawn up for the assault by command, it was decided to combine both units as a unified command. This allowed for both battalions to conduct operations in unison, while retaining operational independence. The resulting designation was the Provisional Ranger Group (PRG). The PRG officially activated on May 9, and the field order for Omaha Beach landing was issued on May 11 with the assault details per according Rudder’s plan. The May 11 order for landing on Omaha Beach was ended with the phrase “Good luck, God bless you, and shoot to kill.”14 The PRG was subsequently attached to the 29th Infantry Division, 116th Regimental Combat Team (RCT) under the command of Colonel Charles D.W. Canham. As an aside for later in the story, the chain of command established and explains why on D-Day, Lt. Gregory of the 5th Ranger Infantry Battalion, B Company, 2nd Platoon kept his men in place in Vierville when asked to do so by Colonel Canham in defense of flank of 29th Infantry Division. Lieutenant Colonel Rudder was in command of the PRG, with Major Sullivan as Executive Officer (XO). The PRG drew remaining staff from both
battalions. Black stated that the “months of preparation, the emphasis on amphibious assault, cliff climbing, and violent action was now coming to fruition.”13
Colonel Rudder, knowing the cliffs of Point du Hoc from his briefing with command and based upon his planning, undoubtedly knew that the Rangers had to train in conditions as close as possible to Normandy. The German forces had a considerable view of the English Channel and their artillery could wreak havoc on both Omaha and Utah Beaches. General Omar Bradley would later say that this mission was the “most difficult assignment he had ever given a soldier in his military career.” The intelligence gathering for the assault was intense. The Allies collected millions of photographs of the coast from any available source. By the spring of 1944, if the Germans made any changes at all along the coast, the Allies were aware of the changes through aerial reconnaissance and through the French Resistance and other sources. The plan had set up the PRG into three task forces, each with a specific primary and with secondary objectives. Each group knew what to do under various contingencies.
Task Force A; half of 2nd RN INF BN, Companies D,E,F and part of HQ (250 men) under command of new XO Major Cleveland Lytle