Location no.1 – Normandy Landings of Captain John H. Miller and the Rangers
Captain John H. Miller and the Rangers - Omaha Beach Dog Green Sector, Dog-1 Exit
Captain John H. Miller and the Rangers land on Omaha Beach, Dog Green Sector. Their objective as the first waves was to secure the exit point of Omaha Beach that was code named Dog Exit 1.
Although Charlie sector of Omaha Beach was the furthest east of Omaha Beach and Dog Green Sector was adjacent to Charlie sector, Dog-1 Exit was the most heavily guarded as the Vierville-sur-mer was important strategic point of linking the transportations of vehicles and armored vehicles to the main roads.
Securing Dog-1 Exit was thus important to link the units that landed on Omaha Beach with the units that landed at Utah Beach which was further east.
*Vierville-sur-mer is different from the Vierville mentioned by the 101st Division trooper.
Location no.2 – Private Ryan’s initial pradrop
Private Ryan – 20 miles north from south of Vierville, Airdrop Zone “D” behind Utah Beach(Unlikely to be actual 20 miles)
The first and second Battalion of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division including private Ryan was supposed to land south of Vierville.
Vierville address is 50480 Carentan les Marais in current France. However, the trooper who had a grenade detonated next to his ear told captain Miller he and private Ryan missed the drop zone about 20 miles.
It is most sure that private Ryan was north from Drop zone D which was south of Vierville. He could have possibly been in Neuville-au-plain and the high command didn’t confuse him with James Frederick Ryan from Minnesota.
However, it is only known that private James Francis Ryan was dropped 20 miles north from Dropzone D and was headed to Ramelle near the Merderet River. (Ramellie is factionary) Also per the historic records, private Ryan wouldn’t be 20 miles off from the landzone as it would be too much off the grid.
Location no 3. – German sniper encounter and the 101st Airborne with Captain Hamil
Captain John H. Miller and the Rangers – Neuville.
There are two possibilities
Possibility 1 – Neuville-au-Plain – By the name this is the only Neuville but considering the location, it is unlikely.
Nueville-au-Plain is very further north-east from the Omaha Beach; however it is the only location in reality where ‘Neuville’ is mentioned. Neuville-au-palin was north of Saitn-Mere-Eglise and much closer to Dropzone O that was a landzone for the 82nd Airborne Division.
However, 101st Airborne Division troopers that missed Drop Zone A could have been temporarily holding the line. However considering the route from Omaha Beach, the fact that 101st Airborne Division were stationed, Neuville-au-Plain is highly unlikely to be the Neuville that private Ryan was supposedly located.
Location no 3. – German sniper encounter and the 101st Airborne with Captain Hamill
Captain John H. Miller and the Rangers – Neuville
Possibility 2 – Imaginary location between Carentan and Sainte-Marie-Du-Mont
More highly likely, Neuville was just an imaginary location and possibly Captain John H. Miller and the crew encountered the 101st Airborne division and the German sniper in a town between Carentan and Sainte-Marie-Du-Mont.
Also, private James Francis Ryan’s unit the 2nd Battalion of the 506th Regiment 101st Airborne Division was supposed to airdrop and rally around Hiesville.
Thus, the Neuville mentioned in Saving Private Ryan is highly likely to be an imaginary location just north of Carentan and between Sainte-Marie-Du-Mont. This was also much closer to private Ryan’s original dropzone.
Location no.4 – General Amend’s death and glider – the trooper with a wounded ear tells private Ryan’s whereabouts.
Captain John H. Miller and the Rangers – Dropzone C / Landing Zone E around Hiesville
The historic death location of brigadier general Don Forester Pratt who inspired the death of the general Amend in Saving Private Ryan was near Hiesville. T
hus, considering that 101st paratroopers were in battle and Captain Miller’s rangers were heading north, the route would be more logical if Neuville was an imaginary location between Carentan and Sainte-Marie-Du-Mont. Here the 101st paratroopers were heading south and rallied up as they were to assault the town Carentan.
Location no.5 – Radar station and Steamboat Wille, death of medic Wade
Captain John H. Miller and the Rangers – Between Hiesville and Beuzevill-la-Bastille / Possibly landzone W
Captain Miller mentions the location of Ramelle is southwest of their position which is supposedly around Hiesville and close to the Merderet River. Captain Miller and the men notices dead bodies from the 82nd Airborne Division, around a radar station.
Thus a route heading to a location that is south west from Hiesville and close to the Merdert River would be between Hiesville and Beuzevill-la-Bastille and possibly it could be within landzone W as the rangers would have wanted to take a route with lower resistance occupied by the airborne divisions.
Possibly this is why they were not so much alerted until they witnessed the corpses of the 82nd Airborne Division troopers. It would be odd if the rangers were not alert if they were in enemy occupied territory.
Location no.6 – Meeting Private Ryan and the Defense of the bridges of the Merdert River at Ramelle
Bridges of the Merdert River and Ramelle
Although in historic terms, it is unlikely that the 2nd SS division Das Reich hit the Allied Forces trying to cut them off from the Contentin peninsula, as the 2nd SS division Das Reich was stationed south of France, it is most logical that the imaginary location Ramelle is located at the very basin of the Merdert River. It is already confirmed that Ramelle is a factionary place.
As mentioned in the movie Saving Private Ryan, it would be most logical for Ramelle to be at the basis of the Mederet River as it is the start point of the German forces to make a counterattack as the Allied Forces were aiming for Saint Lo, Valognes and Cherbourg.
