The heavy U.S. and British warships poised in the English Channel had eighteen targets on their bombardment list for D-Day morning. The 100-foot promontory known as Pointe du Hoc--where six big German guns were ensconced--was number one. General Omar Bradley called knocking out the Nazi defenses at the Pointe the toughest of any task assigned on June 6, 1944. Under the bulldoggish command of Colonel James E. Rudder of Texas, profiled here, these elite forces, "Rudder's Rangers," took control of the fortified cliff. The liberation of Europe was under way. Based upon recently released documents, the first in-depth, anecdotal remembrance of these fearless Army Rangers, is told in tandem with the making of Reagan's two uplifting 1984 speeches, considered by many to be among the best orations he ever gave.-- From the publisher description.

Introduction : Setting the stage -- Darby's Rangers -- Rudder's Rangers -- Climbing the cliffs, destroying the guns -- Reagan's Hollywood war -- Peggy Noonan prepares for Pointe du Hoc -- Reagan's Normandy Day -- After the speeches -- Epilogue -- Appendix -- Notes and sources -- Acknowledgments -- Index.