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Battle Of Ramelle | olspan=2| | | olspan=2 bgcolor=#cccccc|Battle of Ramelle | | onflict | World War II | | ate | June 13, 1944 | | lace | Ramelle, France | | esult | Allied pyrrhic victory | | olspan=2| {| border=1 width=300 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 | | olspan=2 bgcolor=#cccccc|Combatants | | width=50%|United States | width=50%|Germany | | olspan=2|Commanders | | a href="/encyclopedia/Captain-John-Miller" title="Captain John Miller">Captain John Miller | Unknown | | olspan=2|Strength | | 5-25 men; exact number unknown, 17 grenades, 11 mines, eight Bazooka rounds, two .30 caliber machine guns, individual 60mm mortar rounds, "sticky bombs" | 50+ men, 2 Tiger I tanks, 2 Panzer IV tanks, 2 Marder III tank destroyers | | olspan=2|Casualties | | 2 confirmed dead | 40 confirmed dead, 2 Tiger I tanks lost, 1 Marder III tank destroyer lost | } | The Battle of Ramelle was a climatic, fictional battle fought at the conclusion of the movie Saving Private Ryan, which was set during World War II. The battle occurred soon after the Battle of Normandy, with Allied troops sweeping across France, moving through towns and cities previously under German control. After the Battle of Normandy, the planes of the 82nd Airborne Division destroyed all of the bridges along the Merderet River except for two, one at Valognes and the other at Ramelle. After landing behind enemy lines on June 6, 1944 it was the task of the 101st Airborne Division to hold the bridge at Ramelle until reinforcements arrived, and at all costs prevent the Germans from crossing the bridge. However, the vast majority of drops within the 101st and 82nd left the men badly scattered, and as a result those assigned to guard the bridge at Ramelle were severely undermanned, to the point where the highest ranking personnel amongst the men was a corporal. It was the decision by Captain John Miller to deviate from his original mission and assist the 101st that ultimately resulted in the mission's success. Miller's leadership and insight(not to mention extra men) surely increased the effectiveness of the Allied troops defense to a level that surely would not have been possible without him. Despite this, the Battle of Ramelle can be at best be considered a pyrrhic victory for the Allied forces. Miller and his men sustained a large number of casualties for their relatively small force, and Miller himself, along with 3 of the 5 men who came to Ramelle with him as part of the mission to "Save Private Ryan" perished in the battle. A "Public Relations" Mission After the Normandy invasion, a group of US Army Rangers and a translator, led by Capt. John Miller, were given the task of finding Pvt. James Francis Ryan of the 101st Airborne Division and bringing him back so he could be sent home. All of Ryan's brothers had been killed in combat and bringing Ryan home was seen as a good public relations move. Ryan happened to be apart of the group of paratroopers charged with protecting the bridge at Ramelle, and after finding Ryan, Miller realized how desperate the situation really was. Ryan's reluctance to leave "the only brothers he had left", and a hope that the defense of Ramelle along with the successful completion of the mission (the safe return of Ryan), would earn him and the men the right to go home, were reason enough in Miller's mind to deviate from the Rangers' original mission and assist the 101st in the defense of Ramelle until reinforcements arrived. Defensive Preparations
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