Leonard Lomell | Timeline

Leonard G. "Bud" Lomell (January 22, 1920 – March 1, 2011) was a highly decorated former United States Army Ranger who served in World War II. He is best known for his actions in the first hours of D-Day at Pointe du Hoc on the coast of Normandy, France. Pointe du Hoc was the site of the German Army's largest coastal weapons, five 155-millimeter German guns with a 25-kilometer range that endangered the tens of thousands of troops landing on Omaha Beach and Utah Beach, and thousands of watercraft in the English Channel supporting the Normandy invasion. Unbeknownst to the Allied intelligence, the Germans had concealed the guns in an orchard, but left them operational and ready to fire. Through skill, courage and "pure luck," Lomell found and quickly disabled all five guns. Lomell was recognized by historian Stephen Ambrose as the single individual — other than Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower — most responsible for the success of D-Day. Six months later, in the Battle of Hürtgen Forest, he would again distinguish himself, earning a Silver Star for his heroism and leadership as the 2nd Ranger Battalion captured and held Hill 400. After the war he returned to Ocean County, New Jersey, becoming an attorney in Toms River. (Intro from Wikipedia)

January 22, 1920 - Brooklyn, New York - Leonard Lommel is born

January(?) 1(?), 1937 - Point Pleasant Beach - Graduates from High School

June 1(?), 1941 - Athens, Tennessee - Graduates from Tennessee Wesleyan College

January(?) 1(?), 1942 - ? - Joins the army - 76th Infantry Division

April 1(?), 1943 - Camp Forrest, Tennessee - 2nd Ranger Battalion is formed =(START)

September 4, 1943 - Ft.Pierce, Florida - 2nd Rangers starts amphibious assault training for Operation Neptune

September 16, 1943 - Ft.Pierce - A long line of trucks arrives to take the 2nd Rangers to Fort Pierce Railhead

September 18, 1943 - Fort Dix, New Jersey - The train arrives at Fort Dix, New Jersey

November 21, 1943 - Manhattan, New York - The battalion arrives by train in Manhattan
November 23, 1943 - Pier 94, Manhattan - The "RMS Queen Elizabeth" departs to Scotland
December 1, 1943 - Greenock, Scotland - The "RMS Queen Elizabeth" Arrives in Scotland  (sources differ from 29/11 to 1/12)
December 2, 1943 - Bude - Cornwall North Coast
January 29, 1944 - Tichtfield - Training with british commandos
February 1, 1944 - Isle of Wight - Cliff exercises
February 14, 1944 - Bude
April 29, 1944 - Dorchester
June 5, 1944 - Weymouth - The Rangers leave Weymouth on board the Channel Steamer "Amsterdam"

“Vital Assault” by artist Simon Smith,
depicting Rangers climbing Pointe du Hoc.
(aviationarthangar.com)

June 6, 1944 - Pointe-du-Hoc, Normandy - The rangers are transfered to the LCI HMS Ben Machree for the last 10-miles to Pointe du Hoc. Lomell leads a platoon of Rangers, climbing hand-over-over hand by rope up the Point-du-Hoc cliffs. One km inland, he and sergeant Jack Kuhn destroy 5 german 155mm batteries
June 8, 1944 - Pointe-du-Hoc - Held 2 days against german counterattacks until relieved
June 9, 1944 - Osmanville
June 16, 1944 - Colombières
July 3, 1944 - Beaumont-Hague - Training and Resting
August 12, 1944 - Buais
August 13, 1944 - East Mayenne - Guarding bridges across the Mayenne River
August 19, 1944 - Le Folgoët - Moves out
September 7, 1944 - Brest - Le Conquet Road
September 10, 1944 - Kerlogue - Town captured
September 18, 1944 - Brest - German garrison surrendered -  Herman Ramcke
September 20, 1944 - Kerbilbren
September 26, 1944 - Landerneau
September 28, 1944 - Landerneau - Starts moving to Belgium on Boxcars
October 3, 1944 - Arlon - Arrives in Belgium
October 20, 1944 - Esch, Luxembourg
November 3, 1944 - Raeren, Belgium
November 14, 1944 - Vossenack, Germany - Holds the defensive line
November 19, 1944 - Hürtzgen Forest
December 6, 1944 - Brandenburg Area - The 2nd Ranger Battalion moves to the assembly aea near Brandenburg in the Hürtgen Forest
December 7, 1944 - Hill 400 - 1 km east of Bergstein - Battle of Hürtgen Forest
December 9, 1944 - Hill 400 - The Rangers are relieved by the 8th Infantry Division
December 16, 1944 - Simmerath - The Rangers are put on the line with the 78th Infantry Division
January 8, 1945 - Schmidthof
February 10, 1945 - Schwammenauel Dam - Schwammenauel Dam taken - impossible to flood the forest
February 23, 1945 - Bereborn - Training with the Cavalry
March 1, 1945 - Ruhrberg Area - across Roer River - Called for the Ruhrberg Area
March 2, 1945 - Rurberg Area - Moves out
March 3, 1945 - Wolfgarten - Moves out
March 5, 1945 - Rissdorf - Moves out
March 7, 1945 - Vischel - Moves out
March 8, 1945 - Mayschoss - Moves out
March 9, 1945 - Ahrweiler - Moves out
March 26, 1945 - Wallendar - Moves out
March 28, 1945 - Dietz - Moves out
March 29, 1945 - Wolfenhausen - Moves out
April 1, 1945 - Fritzlar Airfield - Moves out - secures airfield
April 30, 1945 - Grafenwöhr - Moves out
May 1, 1945 - Pilsen (Plzen), Czechoslovakia - Moves out
May 8, 1945 - Pilsen (Plzen), czechoslovakia - At Pilsen when VE Day is declared
October 5, 1945 - Pilsen (Plzen) - The Battalion receives orders to move to the vicinity of Reims, France
October 8, 1945 - Vicinity of Reims, France - Arrival at the vicinity of Reims after a 3-day trip on french boxcars
October 12, 1945 - Le Havre - After 4 days, the battalion is taken on trucks to Camp Lucky Strike, near the port of Le Havre
October 16, 1945 - Le Havre - The 2nd Ranger Battalion boards the "USS West Point" (formerly the luxury ocean liner "SS America") as an organic unit
October 20, 1945 - Newport News, Virginia - The "USS West Point" arrives in the US in only 4 days in gale-force winds and high seas
October 23, 1945 - Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia (Newport News) - The 2nd Ranger Battalion is ordered to deactivate. The soldiers begin heading home
December 9, 1945 - New Jersey(?) - Honorably discharged
June 6, 1946 - New Jersey(?) - Marries Charlotte Ewart
January(?) 1(?), 1951 - Philadelphia | New Jersey - Finishes courses in La Salle and Rutgers Universities
January(?) 1(?), 1957 - Toms River, New Jersey - Lomell starts an attorney company Lomell, Muccifori, Adler, Ravaschiere & Amabile
June 6, 1984 - Pointe du Hoc, Normandy - Reagan delivers a speech at a ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Normandy landings
January(?) 1(?), 1989 - Hill 400 - 1 km east of Bergstein - Returns to Hürtgen Forest. Meets a group of young german officers
July 13, 1998 - ? - Interviewed by Newsweek Magazine
December 4, 1999 - Point Pleasant Beach - Inauguration of a monument to Lomell in Veterans Park
January(?) 1(?), 2005 - West Point, River Hudson, New York - Lomell is awarded the Order of St.Maurice at the West Point Infantry Ball
January(?) 1(?), 2007 - Long Branch - Lomell is awarded an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Monmouth University
December 7, 2007 - Toms River - Lomell is awarded the Silver Star, 63 years after destroying the german guns
March 1, 2011 - Toms River - Leonard Lomell dies, aged 91 =(END)

Bibliography
BLACK, Robert W. - "The Battalion:  The Dramatic Story of the 2nd Ranger Battalion in WWII"