In 1944, Pointe du Hoc was part of Operation Overlord, which was the biggest sea invasion in history. During World War II, the Allied military commanders planned how to attack France, which had been captured by the German Wehrmacht. The Germans had put very large guns at Pointe du Hoc. There were six 155mm cannons in concrete forts that could shoot at Allied ships and troops that wanted to come on land at Utah Beach and Omaha Beach. 