....... SPEARHEAD......

US RANGERS
'Leading the Way'
Previous Pages: Company C, 2nd Ranger Battalion, prepares for a First published 2003
patrol, Ruhrberg, Germany (see page 58).
ISBN 0 7110 29784
Below: Rangers training in Scotland in August 1942. The log - as
taught by the British Commandos with whom they were training -
forced groups of trainees to learn to work as a team, as well as
building strength.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Mark Franklin of Flatt Art for the maps; TIm
Hawkins for the colour photographs; George Forty for the
Pointe du Hoc photos; all other photo research was by John
D. Gresham, ably assisted by Melinda K. Day. All mono
photographs are from U.s. sources National Archives, U.s.
Signal Corps, Fort Benning and U.s. Army with references
available on request.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Compendium Publishing 2003
Published by Ian Allan Publishing
an imprint of Ian Allan Publishing Ltd, Hersham, Surrey KT 12 4RG
Printed by Ian Allan Printing Ltd, Hersham, Surrey KT 12 4RG
Code: 0308/B
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Note: Website information provided in the Reference section was correct
when provided by the author. The publisher can accept no responsibility
for this information becoming incorrect.
CONTENTS
Origins &History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Ready for War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
In Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Insignia, Clothing & Equipment ............66
People .............................. 81
Postwar .......................... 85
Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
Reference ...............92
Index ................... 96
ORIGINS & HISTORY
Below: Major Robert Rogers (1731-95) of the British
Army unit from which today's Rangers trace their
lineage. In 1758 he was promoted to command His
Majesty's Independent Companies of American
Rangers - always known as Rogers' Rangers.
The first Rangers, lightly equipped troops who 'ranged' deep in hostile territory and
conducted what in modern terms are described as special operations, were primarily -
although not exclusively - a phenomenon that developed in colonial America and
reached their greatest expression in the wars of the mid-eighteenth century. The Seven
Years War (1756-63) was truly global in scope and one of its main theatres was North
America, where the French were steadily pushing southward from New France, their
colonies in Canada, and thereby threatening British possessions along the New England
seaboard. In attempting to stem the French tide the regular British Army was pitched into
a style of fighting for which it was largely unprepared. In a densely wooded, often
mountainous, terrain criss-crossed by numerous rivers, traditional set-piece battles
between large formed bodies of rival troops were rare. The complex drills the ordinary
soldier had learnt by rote, which also stifled any personal initiative, were far too rigid and
inflexible for the conditions encountered. The French adapted their tactics to the
conditions more readily by making extensive use of friendly Native Americans, and bands
of French frontiersmen known as coureurs du bois, to conduct fast-moving hit-and-
run raids, reconnaissance missions and ambushes. Their marksmanship,
woodland and hunting skills, self-reliance and individual initiative proved
much more suited to the terrain over which the campaign was conducted.
Evidence of Britain's weakness was first revealed in July 1755 when a
1,400-strong column of British and colonial troops under Major-
General Edward Braddock was virtually annihilated at the Battle of
Monongahela in an ambush by 900 French and Native Americans.
RANGERS IN COLONIAL AMERICA
Although the British were stung into creating units of light infantry
from their own regular units to match the French after
Monongahela, they also turned to the American colonists who had
a long tradition of irregular frontier fighting. In 1675 during King
Philip's War, a revolt by Metacomet of the Wampanoag tribe in
Rhode Island over hunting and fishing rights, Captain Benjamin
Church of Massachusetts formed a body of troops to deal with the
unrest. The unit was known as Church's Rangers as its men 'ranged'
far and wide to track down (and eventually kill) Metacomet.Typically,
recruits to Church's Rangers and its descendants were hunters and
frontiersmen, men skilled in living off the land who had often learned
their skills from the Native Americans and often used them against the
very same Native Americans in times of frontier unrest. Several more such
units were raised during later periods of unrest, including Major John
6
ORIGINS & HISTORY
STANDING ORDERS
Rogers' Rangers
1. Don't forget nothing.
2. Have your musket dean as awhistle, hatchet scoured, sixty rounds of
powder and ball, and be ready to march at aminute's notice.
3. When you're on the march, act the way you would if you was sneaking up
on adeer. See the enemy first.
4. Tell the truth about what you see and what you do.There is an army
depending on us for correct information. You can lie aU you please when you
tell other folks about the Rangers, but don't never lie to aRanger or officer.
5. Don't never take achance you don't have to.
6. When we're on the march we march single file, far enough apart so one
shot can't go through two men.
7. If we strike swamps, or soft ground, we spread out abreast, so it's hard to
track us.
8. When we march, we keep moving tm dark, so as to give the enemy the
least possible chance at us.
9. When we camp, half the party stays awake while the other half sleeps.
10. If we take prisoners, we keep 'em separate till we have had time to
examine them, so they can't cook up astory between 'em.
11. Don't ever march home the same way.Take adifferent route so you won't
be ambushed.
12. No matter whether we travel in big parties or little ones, each party has to
keep ascout 20 yards ahead, 20 yards on each flank and 20 yards in the
rear, so the main body can't be surprised and wiped out.
13. Every night you'll be told where to meet if surrounded by asuperior force.
14. Don't sit down to eat without posting sentries.
15. Don't sleep beyond dawn. Dawn's when the French and Indians attack.
16. Don't cross ariver by aregular ford.
17. If somebody's trailing you, make adrde, come back onto your own tracks,
and ambush the folks that aim to ambush you.
18. Don't stand up when the enemy's coming against you. Kneel down, lie
down, hide behind atree.
19. Let the enemy come till he's almost dose enough to touch. Then let him
have it and jump out and finish him up with your hatchet.
Gorham's Company of Rangers. This New England unit
first saw action during King George's War (1740-48), the
North American offshoot of the European War of the
Austrian Succession. Gorham's company comprised 50 or
so Mohicans and frontiersmen and was chiefly involved in
maintaining a British presence in Nova Scotia by quelling
unrest among French settlers and Native Americans. The
unit's importance was soon recognized - it doubled in
size, Gorham received a regular commission in King
George II's army and the Rangers received the same pay
as British troops. The unit continued to serve in Nova
Scotia, despite the death of John Gorham in 1751, and
then participated in the French and Indian Wars under
John's brother Joseph. Again it proved invaluable, taking
part in the capture of Louisbourg, a key French fortress at
the entrance to the St. Lawrence River, in 1758 and
serving with Brigadier-General James Wolfe during the
decisive Battle of the Plains of Abraham outside Quebec
in 1759. Subsequently Gorham's Rangers took part in the
attempt to storm Havana, Spain's chief colonial outpost in
the New World, during 1762, and the following year
participated in the quelling of the rebellion around Detroit
led by Pontiac, leader of the Ottawa.
Although Gorham's Rangers was probably the most
successful unit of the period, the founder of the most
famous Ranger unit of the mid-eighteenth century was
Robert Rogers (1731-95), a Massachusetts-born hunter,
explorer and frontiersman, who in March 1756 was
promoted to captain and given command of aunit known
as the Ranger Company of Blanchard's New Hampshire
Regiment. In 1758 he was again promoted, this time to
major, and made commander of nine such companies,
which were officially titled His Majesty's Independent
Companies of American Rangers but were invariably
known as Rogers' Rangers. The unit first saw action in an
unsuccessful expedition to take Louisbourg in 1757 but
was subsequently largely based at Fort Edward on the
Hudson River some 60 miles (96km) north of Albany. It
was from this base that Rogers conducted several
missions that typified the Rangers' role and its dangers. In March 1758, he led a 180-
strong force to reconnoitre French activity around Fort Ticonderoga, some 40 miles (65
km) north of Fort Edward. Initially moving by night, and despite appalling weather, the
Rangers made good progress until confronted by around 100 Native Americans, a
scouting party for a larger force of some 600 French-Canadians and other Native
Americans. The Rangers ambushed the scouts, killing 40 or so, but then had to conduct
afighting withdrawal that cost 50 men.
A second operation, beginning on September 13, 1759, saw Rogers lead 200
Rangers against the pro-French Abenaki, who were encamped at St. Francis near the St.
Lawrence River around 40 miles (64km) south of Montreal. The Rangers had to travel
300 miles (480km) through hostile and inhospitable terrain to reach their target. Setting
out by boat from Crown Point on the west shore of Lake Champlain, Rogers' force
Above: Rogers' Rangers Standing Orders of 1759 are
still given to today's Ranger cadets.
7
Below: Colonel John S. Mosby's Confederate 43rd
Battalion of Virginia Cavalry was the most successful
guerrilla unit of the Civil War - so much so that part
of north Virginia was dubbed 'Mosby's Confederacy'.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
travelled by night to avoid detection, resting during the day, and reached Missisquoi Bay
undetected after 10 days. However, their numbers had been depleted by around 25
percent due to the accidental explosion of a gunpowder barrel. Rogers now hid his boats
and moved towards St. Francis on foot, but two days later learned that the French had
found his transports and were in hot pursuit. He nevertheless decided to continue and 12
days later reached St. Francis. Early the next morning he attacked the village and in a
little more than an hour the Rangers killed more than 200 Abenaki, destroyed St. Francis,
and rescued five captives for the loss of just one man. The return journey proved to be an
epic of endurance. Short of supplies and harassed by the enemy, the Rangers split into
several smaller groups to avoid detection. Some headed directly for Crown Point, while
others made for apre-agreed rendezvous point on the Ammonoosuck River. When Rogers
stumbled in, there were no supplies as expected because the relief force had withdrawn
just two hours before his arrival. A single Ranger officer and a young Native American
were despatched by raft to a post known as Number Four some 100 miles (160 km) to
the south and 10 days later returned with supplies. The Rangers' ordeal was over but the
punitive expedition against the Abenaki had cost Rogers all but 93 of his men.
Following the end of the French and Indian Wars the Ranger concept went into decline
until it was revived by both sides during the American War of Independence (1775-83).
Chief among the British units to see service were the Queen's Rangers, originally a
battalion of Loyalists led for a time by Rogers until his dismissal for unreliability fuelled
by alcoholism in 1777. Rogers was replaced by aBritish officer, John Graves Simcoe, who
turned the unit, which became known as Simcoe's Rangers, into a first-rate force that
fought in several campaigns until forced into surrender at Yorktown in 1781. A second
8
ORIGINS & HISTORY
battalion of Queen's Rangers was also raised and commanded by Robert Rogers'
younger brother, James. It, too, saw extensive service in New York and around Lake
Champlain.
Opposing the British were a number of pro-independence Ranger units raised at the
instigation of the Continental Congress in June 1775.Two years later, Daniel Morgan was
placed in charge of the Corps of Rangers, detachments of which fought with distinction
at the Battles of Freeman's Farm (1777) and Cowpens (1781). At Freeman's Farm, part
of the Battle of Saratoga, the defeated British commander, General John Burgoyne,
remarked that Morgan's unit was 'the most famous corps in the Continental Army, all of
them crack shots.' Morgan's exploits were matched by forces in South Carolina led by
Francis Marion, known as the 'Swamp Fox' due to his elusiveness. Although not strictly
Rangers, they undertook guerrilla missions that were recognizable in the tradition and
proved athorn in the side of both the British and their Loyalist allies.
RANGERS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
The history of Ranger units in the nineteenth century paralleled that of the previous 100
years. Units were raised during periods of conflict and then swiftly disbanded once the
fighting had ended. At the outbreak of the War of 1812 Congress ordered the raising of
both foot and horse-mounted Rangers to protect the country's northern frontier from
incursions by the British from Canada. Seventeen companies had been raised by the end
of the war in 1815. For much of the remainder of the nineteenth century the need to
protect the US frontier from outside aggression gave way to participating in the
9
Above: Mosby's guerrillas in action. They tied down a
great number of troops by effective harassment of
Union supply lines.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
10
expansion of the United States. Rangers
fought in various campaigns against
Native Americans, such as the wars
against the Seminoles in Florida and, most
famously, protected Americans living in the
Mexican colony of Texas. Here, from 1823,
Stephen Austin ordered the raising of an
all-volunteer and unpaid mounted force
that became known as the Texas Rangers.
Aside from protecting American
homesteaders and farmers, hunting down
outlaws and maintaining the rule of law,
the Texas Rangers undertook valuable
scouting duties during the successful
struggle to break away from Mexican rule
in 1835-36 and the subsequent and
successful war initiated by the United
States against Mexico (1846-48) that led
to the annexation of much of the
southwest. Ranger units under officers
such as Ben McCulloch and Jack Hays
conducted forward reconnaissance
missions for regular US forces during
operations within Mexico.
The Texas Rangers and similar units
also took part in the American Civil War
(1861-65) and chiefly fought for the
Confederacy. One of the earliest such units
was Terry's Texas Rangers, which was
raised by Benjamin Terry and Thomas
Lubbock in 1861. Terry's men fought west
of the Mississippi but similar units
operated in the eastern theatre, most
raised after the Confederate Congress
enacted the Partisan Ranger Act in April
1862. Many of the units raised proved ill-
disciplined and havens for criminals. Most
were disbanded when the act was
repealed in 1864, but some proved of
continued value to the southern cause.
Chief among these was the 43rd Virginia
Cavalry, a unit commanded by John
Singleton Mosby that was popularly
known as Mosby's Rangers or Raiders.
Mosby's daring exploits - raids and
reconnaissance missions behind Union
lines - earned him the nickname the 'Grey
Ghost'. One of his most successful was a
night raid against Fairfax Court House in
northern Virginia during March 1863 that
led to the capture of a brigadier general,
ORIGINS & HISTORY
Edwin Stoughton, and severely embarrassed the Northern authorities. An attack on a
Union railroad the following year caused similar embarrassment when it netted Mosby
$170,000 originally destined to pay Northern troops. The Confederate raider and his
band began to operate so effectively in northern Virginia that part of that state was
christened 'Mosby's Confederacy' and, despite the best efforts of Northern forces,
he remained at large throughout the war. He undertook his last mission on the
day of the Confederate surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9,
1865, and only formally disbanded his unit on the 21st.
The end of the Civil War was followed by a sustained westward drive
that saw US citizens, many recent immigrants, settle in territories occupied
by Native Americans. Clashes were inevitable, and the small peacetime
US Army was quickly overstretched and not wholly suited to such atype
of warfare. Once again Ranger-style units were formed to conduct
scouting missions and hit-and-run raids against Native American
villages. Many legendary figures of the Wild West participated in such
campaigns, often as scouts, and among them were William Cody, better
known as 'Buffalo Bill', and 'Texas' Jack Crawford. Larger bodies were
also raised, such as the 50-strong Forsyth's Scouts raised by Major George
Forsyth in 1868, but by the late 1880s the need for such formations was
all but over due to the completion of the pacification programme directed
against the Native Americans. The end of the Native American Wars left the
Rangers and similar bodies with little to do. Some, such as the Texas Rangers
continued to undertake law enforcement duties, but they had no obvious
military role and the concept remained dormant for some 60 years until the
outbreak of World War II.
REVIVING THE RANGER CONCEPT
The origin of the modern US Rangers lay with the Commando forces raised in Britain
from 1940. President Roosevelt's enthusiasm for this type of force was communicated
to the Chief of Staff of the US Army, General George Marshall, and he sent Colonel
Lucian K. Truscott Jr. to England in early 1942 to evaluate the potential of Britain's
Commando force and investigate the raising of similar US units. Not all the branches of
the US armed forces were enthused by the idea. The Navy in general, and the Marine
Corps in particular, felt that they had little to learn from the British and argued that they
already had the training and capabilities to conduct the types of operation undertaken
by the Commandos. This to some extent was true, as the Marine Corps was somewhat
reluctantly raising specialist raider-type units to conduct such missions, but these Marine
Raider battalions were largely needed in the Pacific, where the Japanese were posing a
more immediate and ongoing threat.
Truscott, who was attached to the British Combined Operations staff under Lord Louis
Mountbatten while in England, reported back to Marshall in late May and recommended
the formation of aUS Commando-type unit.The chief of staff concurred and the relevant
orders to raise an 'American Commando' were issued on June 1. However, the chief of
the general staff's Operations Division, Major General Dwight D. Eisenhower, pointed out
that the name Commando was very much associated with the British and requested that
a more American name be used for the new unit. Truscott remembered the exploits of
Rogers and his men and suggested that Ranger would be a fitting alternative. With a
name settled on, it was now necessary to find and train the officers and men for the
reborn Rangers.The most immediate and accessible source of recruits were the US forces
already stationed in Britain.
11
Above: General Ben McCulloch (1811-62) - once of
the Texas Rangers - was killed at the Battle of Pea
Ridge, Arkansas, in March 1862, while in command of
the Confederates' west wing. His early war experiences
were as a Texas Ranger, and as the captain of a
Ranger company in the Mexican War; he would
become Chief of Scouts to General Zachary Taylor.
Known for his daring exploits, his reputation ensured
his prominence during the Civil War. He was promoted
general - the first Confederate to be elevated to this
position from civilian life - and on August 10, 1861,
he beat the forces of Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon at
Wilson's Creek in southwest Missouri. Fighting under
Van Dorn at Pea Ridge, his troops overran a battery of
Union artillery. McCulloch rode forward to get a better
view of the enemy line, was shot from his horse and
died instantly.
Left: John S. Mosby (1833-1916) after promotion to
brigadier general.
READY FOR WAR
Above: Corporal Franklin M. Koons (nicknamed
'Zip') was the first US soldier to kill a German
in World War II during the landings at Dieppe
in August 1942.
The officer designated to found the new Ranger unit was Major William O. Darby, an aide
to Major General Russell RHarte, commander of the US 34th Infantry Division and, from
January 27, 1942, the head of the US Army Northern Ireland. Darby, an Arkansas-born
West Point graduate whose chosen army career was in the artillery, was stationed at
Carrickfergus, some 20 miles (32 km) north of Belfast, but had already requested more
active assignments. On June 8 he was ordered to form aCommando-style unit but in the
early summer of 1942 the US forces in Britain were small compared to what they would
become by 1944. Nevertheless Darby set about raising suitable recruits from what was
available locally. These were the two divisions that comprised the US VCorps, the 34th
Infantry and 1st Armored, and various support units.
COMMANDO TRAINING AT ACHNACARRY
Over the following days Darby interviewed potential recruits, both officers and men, and
by the 19th, the day that the 1st Ranger Battalion was officially activated, he had apool
of some 2,000 personnel to work with. These were quickly whittled down to around 570
men - 20 percent above the official establishment figure of 26 officers and 447 other
ranks - but Darby expected many volunteers to fall by the wayside during training. The
raw materials Darby had to work with were of many backgrounds and came from across
the United States. The largest group, some 60 percent, had been serving with the 34th
Division, and were mainly from Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska. A further 30 percent
were drawn from the 1st Armored Division and the remaining 10 percent were mainly
support troops fromVCorps' medical, logistical and signal units. On the 25th Darby and
his recruits were inspected by General Robert Laycock, the commander of the British 1st
Special Service Brigade, an experienced Commando group under whose direction the
Rangers would receive their initial specialist training.
The Rangers transferred to the west coast of Scotland three days later and were based
at Achnacarry Castle, a few miles north of Fort William close to Loch Arkaig. Achnacarry
was home to the British Commando Training Depot and its commanding officer,
Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Vaughan, was tasked with directing the Rangers' training
programme. Vaughan, a long-serving officer with recent experience of the Commando
raids on the Lofoten Islands and Vaags0 in northern Norway, had created a demanding
and realistic course. The programme he had devised consisted of three parts and was
undertaken by both officers and men. First, speed marches over the area's rugged
mountains and valleys, which grew from three to 16 miles (5-25 km), coupled with
timed obstacle courses built up the Rangers' strength and stamina. Next, they were
shown how to use the weapons and equipment appropriate to lightly equipped raiding
12
forces. Finally, they were taught the tactical skills they would need to carry out their
specialist role, such as scouting and patrolling, silent killing, mountaineering, river-
crossing and street-fighting. Three-day exercises were used to evaluate the Rangers. By
the end of the first week Darby's original 20 percent surfeit of recruits had turned to a
10 percent deficit as many men fell by the wayside and were returned to their original
units.
The Achnacarry training ended in late July and on August 1 the Rangers retraced their
steps to Fort William to begin the next state of their preparations - amphibious warfare
training directed by the Royal Navy. This was conducted at HMS Dorlin, a shore
establishment near Acharacle on the coast of Argyll and ideally placed to make use of the
adjacent Western Isles. The six Ranger companies were billeted in pairs at Glenborrodale,
Glencripesdale and Roshven, while Darby set up his headquarters at Shielbridge. Early
training centred on Kentra beach close to Dorlin, where the British had established a
realistic course to test the Rangers' abilities with assault boats. Other skills developed
included navigation, cliff assault and raids on coastal batteries. Once again, three-day
exercises were used to put theory into practice.
BLOODING AT DIEPPE
It was during this period that a handful of Rangers gained first-hand experience of real
combat. Operation Jubilee, the raid on the port of Dieppe on August 18-19, was
designed to test the strength of the German defences in northern France and the
feasibility of seizing a port, which was seen as an essential prerequisite for any future
large-scale invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe. Although the bulk of the forces committed
to Jubilee were drawn from the Canadian 2nd Division, it was planned as an all-arms
operation, one involving 237 warships and some 74 squadrons of aircraft. Anumber of
13
Above: Training was a major part of the Rangers' life
throughout the war, with the emphasis on physical
exercise and realistic battle conditions. At the start the
training took place alongside their British counterparts
- the Commandos - in Britain (as here in August
1942).
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
This page: More views of training emphasising the
skills needed to become a Ranger - physical
endurance; climbing skills; unarmed and armed
combat. Most of the early photos, such as these, were
taken in Scotland as British Commando instructors
(seen far right) put the Rangers through their paces -
including jumping off the remarkable 20-foot (6m)
barrier on the Commando assault course in Argyll
(below right) with full pack, M1917Al helmet and Ml
rifle! Many of the Rangers' exercises were conducted
using live firing to ensure the most realistic possible
training environment. The preponderance of training
photos of Rangers - and all special forces - against
action shots is caused by the very nature of their
missions. They tended to take place at night or in low
light conditions, often in situations where a Press or
Service photographer would have been a hindrance.
READY FOR WAR
15
DIEPPE
The first American ground forces to see action
against the Gennans, three Rangers were killed (;I:)
and several captured. Those of the 1st Ranger
Battalion who took part were: l-Lt. Leonard E
Dirks, l-Lt. Robert Flanagan, 2-Lt. M.
Shunstrom, 2-Lt. Edwin V. Loustalot*, 2-Lt. Joseph
H. Randall*, Capt. Roy AMurray, S/Sgt. Gino
Mercuriali, S/Sgt. Kenneth D. Stempson, S/Sgt.
Lester E. Kness, S/Sgt. Merritt M. Bertholf, Sgt.
Albert TJacobsen, Sgt. Alex Szima, Sgt. Dick
Sellers, Sgt. Edwin C. Thompson, Sgt. Harold R.
Adams, Sgt. JohnJ. Knapp, Sgt. Kenneth GKenyon,
Sgt. lloydN. Church, Sgt. Marcell GSwank, Sgt.
Marvin L. Kavanaugh, Sgt. Mervin THeacock, Sgt.
Theodore Q. Butts, Sgt. Tom Sorby, T/4 Howard W
Henry*, TIS Joe C. Phillips, TIS John H. Smith, TIS
Michael Kerecman, TIS William S. Brinkley; Cpl.
Franklin M. Koons, Cpl. William R. Brady, Pfc.
Charles EGrant, pfc. Charles R. Coy, Pfc.
Reilly; Pfc. Clare P. Beitel, Pte. Donald GJohnson,
pfc. Donald L. Pfc. Edwin R. Furm, pfc.
ErwinJ. Moger, Pte. Howard r Hedenstad, Pfc.
Howard WAndre, pfc. James C. Mosely, Pfc.
James O. Edwards, pfc. Owen E. Sweazey, pfc.
Pete M. Preston, pfc. Stanley Bush, pfc. Walter
A. Bresnahan, pfc. William E. Lienhas, pfc.
William S. Girdley, Pvt. Don A. EalWood, Pvt.
Jacque M. Nixon.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
Commando units were also deployed as was a small detachment of Rangers - 44 men
and five officers under Captain Roy Murray. Also on hand was Truscott, who acted as an
observer.
The bulk of the Rangers were attached to the two British Commandos that were
earmarked to neutralize the German coastal batteries to the east and west of Dieppe.
Forty Rangers including Murray were assigned to No.3 Commando under Lieutenant-
Colonel J.E Durnford-Slater and this force sailed from Newhaven on the south coast of
England late on the 18th. Their mission was to come ashore at two beaches codenamed
Yellow 1 and Yellow 2 some five miles (8 km) to the east of Dieppe and then silence the
cliff-top battery at Bruneval, which had been designated 'Goebbels'. The Commandos
and Rangers crossed the English Channel in 27 slow-moving wooden landing craft
known as Eurekas as part of a flotilla that included Steam Gun Boat No.5, with
Durnford-Slater and Murray on board, Motor Launch 348 and an anti-aircraft vessel.
The plan was soon in disarray. Four of the Eurekas turned back because of engine
failure and the remainder then ran into a small German convoy some 8 miles (13 km)
from their target at around 0347 hours on the 19th. In the subsequent firefight many of
the Eurekas suffered heavy damage, were sunk or dispersed, and the steam gun boat
was virtually wrecked. Durnford-Slater and Murray were therefore unable to play any
further part in Jubilee. Only one Eureka reached the target area on schedule but its men
could do little more than direct harassing fire against Goebbels battery before
withdrawing after some 90 minutes. Six other Eurekas did make a landing but they were
25 minutes late and the troops came ashore in daylight. Some 50 men, including a
handful of Rangers, were soon pinned down by heavy fire and were unable to make any
progress inland. One of the Rangers, Lieutenant Edwin Loustalot, was mortally wounded,
becoming the first US soldier to be killed in European land fighting during World War II.
The remainder of the party were eventually taken prisoner.
The attack on the coastal battery codenamed 'Hess' some six miles (10 km) to the
west of Dieppe was led by Lord Lovat's No.4 Commando, which included six Rangers
(four sergeants and two corporals), and proved much more successful. Their crossing in
16
READY FOR WAR
HMS Prince Albert, a converted ferry, was uneventful and two assault parties, known as
Group One and Group Two, were successfully landed around Varengeville-sur-Mer. Lord
Lovat led Group Two ashore at a beach codenamed Orange 2, which lay some 2 miles
(3 km) from Group One's target, Orange I.This pincer attack against Hess was conducted
with surprise and great speed and the defenders were quickly overwhelmed and the
battery neutralized. One of the Rangers, Corporal Franklin Koons, became the first US
soldier to kill a German in combat and his sniping skills during the action earned him a
Military Medal, which was presented by Lord Louis Mountbatten, head of Britain's
Combined Operations. By 0730 the action was over and Lovat's men were withdrawn
without difficulty.
The action against Hess was the only clear-cut success of the whole controversial
operation.The main landing by the Canadians stalled on the beaches and ended in heavy
losses - some 3,400 men or close to 70 percent of those engaged - but Jubilee did
highlight shortcomings in equipment and tactics for amphibious warfare. The Rangers
also suffered in this learning process. Darby recorded seven officers and men missing in
action - either killed or taken prisoner - and seven injured. Consequently four officers
and 39 men returned from the Dieppe raid and their experiences were used to improve
the battalion's amphibious training. Despite Jubilee's failure, the Rangers' role in the
operation made front-page news in the United States. The New York Post led with the
banner headline 'We Land in France' while the New York World Telegram somewhat
optimistically proclaimed that 'USTroops Smash the French Coast'.
PREPARING FOR OPERATION TORCH
The Rangers' time at HMS Dorfin came to an end shortly after the Dieppe raid and they
moved from the west to east coast of Scotland. At Dundee, they were partnered with the
British No. 1 Commando to undertake joint training that emphasized techniques for
neutralizing all manner of coastal defences, such as batteries and pill boxes. The
programme lasted until September 24, when the 1st Battalion boarded atrain that took
it to Glasgow. The Rangers were assigned to
the US II Corps and attached to the US 1st
Infantry Division. Both the division and
Darby's men had been earmarked to play a
leading role in the forthcoming invasion of
North Africa, Operation Torch, which was
scheduled to open in early November.
Between September 29 and October 25, the
Rangers honed the skills they had been
taught over the previous months and were
given some final lessons on the best way of
loading both themselves and their equipment
into assault craft of various types. On the
26th the months of preparation came to an
end. After travelling to Gourock, a few miles
west of Glasgow, the battalion boarded three
former Glasgow-Belfast ferries, the Royal
Scotsman, Royal Ulsterman and Ulster
Monarch, which had been commandeered by
the Royal Navy as amphibious assault
transports and were preparing to take them
to North Africa.
17
Above: Another view of 'Zip' Koons, who gained fame
for his fighting at Dieppe; note the 1st Rangers
shoulder flash.
Left: 1st Ranger Battalion exercise on a wet autumn
day in Scotland, October 31, 1942 - one of a series of
photographs taken on this exercise (see also pages 18,
19 and 68).
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
18
READY FOR WAR
,... Above and Opposite: Landing craft training, Scotland
October 31, 1942.
Left: Well it started fine! Preparing kit for their next
exercise, men of 1st Rangers, October 9, 1942.
19
IN ACTION
OPERATION TORCH - THE INVASION OF NORTH AFRICA
Below: Lieutenant Colonel William O. Darby on a
speed march with his men, December 5, 1942, North
Africa (see biography page 81).
The 1st Ranger Battalion was assigned to Major General Lloyd Fredendall's CentreTask
Force for Operation Torch. Fredendall's overall role was to seize the port of Oran in
Algeria in a widely dispersed three-pronged assault and, aside from the Rangers, his
command included the US 1st Armored and 1st Infantry Divisions. Darby's men were
assigned to spearhead the easternmost of Fredendall's three landings by combat teams
drawn from the 1st Infantry Division on beaches near the small port of Arzew some 25
miles (40 km) east of Oran. Darby's chief task was to neutralize two Vichy French
coastal batteries that could potentially devastate the assault craft carrying the two of
the 1st Division's regimental combat teams that were scheduled to land at three
beaches codenamed Z Green, Z White and Z Red in Arzew Bay to the immediate
southeast of Arzew itself. One battery, known as Fort de la Pointe, was sited at the
harbour's northern edge and contain.ed three coastal guns surrounded by barbed wire
and behind which lay a small French fort with walls about 20 feet (6 m) high. The
second and potentially more threatening target, the Batterie du Nord, containing four
105 mm guns, was on high ground north of the fort and overlooked both the harbour
and Arzew Bay. Darby formulated a plan of attack after studying air photographs of
his objectives and the area surrounding Arzew. He opted to split his command into two
groups and assault the batteries simultaneously, thereby capitalizing on the element
of surprise. Asmaller group under Major Herman Dammer was ordered to sail directly
into Arzew harbour to tackle the Fort de la Pointe while the larger party under Darby
himself was to come ashore some four miles (6 km) north of the Batterie du Nord and
attack it from the rear.
Late on November 7, as the Centre Task Force's ships sailed eastward some 15
miles (24 km) offshore toward Arzew Bay and rounded Cap Carbon, Ulster Monarch
and Royal Ulsterman with Darby's four Ranger companies - C, D, Eand F- on board
dropped out of the convoy and followed the coastline due south to the small landing
beach north of the Batterie du Nord that had previously been identified from the air
photographs. Nearing their target under cover of darkness and a sea fog, the Rangers
embarked in 10 Landing Craft, Assault, which were backed by a pair of Landing Craft,
Support. One of the assault craft became stuck in its davits, pitching its occupants into
the waters below. All were quickly rescued and the remaining craft headed for shore,
although they had to be guided in by the captain of the Ulster Monarch, who had
spotted that they were initially heading in the wrong direction.This last-minute course
correction allowed the Rangers to reach their allocated beach, land undetected save
for a surprised and easily captured French sentry, and then quickly scale the cliff that
20
IN ACTION
MILES
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
I
o KILOMETRES 5
Pointe de l'Aguille
BatterieSup.",",
Fort de fa Pointe \

Fort du Nord
No. 1

/'

Damesme
barred their exit from the beach. Darby's assault group moved towards its objective by
following the coast road to within two miles (3 km) of the battery and then followed a
wadi that led to the ridge line on top of which lay the Batterie du Nord and a smaller
supporting defensive work called the Fort du Nord.
As Darby made his way toward his target, the two Ranger companies that had
remained with the main invasion force sailing toward Arzew disembarked into five
assault craft from the Royal Scotsman at 0100 hours on the 8th. Christened Dammer
Force, the men of Companies Aand Bheaded for shore in silence. Finding the boom that
might have delayed their attack open rather than closed as expected, they sailed
undetected and on schedule into the harbour - but on the wrong course. A swift
realignment brought them back on track and they made their way between the outer
jetty and main pier as planned. Moments later the assault craft reached a low but
slanting seawall and their ramps came down, leaving the Rangers to scramble noisily
over the slippery sea defences with some difficulty and then make their way to the
battery. Surprise was total despite the noise. ThreeVichy French soldiers were captured at
gunpoint as the Rangers made their approach and the barbed wire surrounding the Fort
de la Pointe was swiftly cut. The attackers bounded over a low wall, fired a few shots to
make their presence known, and within 15 minutes had captured the guns and around
60 prisoners.
Darby now commenced his assault against the Batterie du Nord. Company D with
four 81 mm mortars was deployed in a convenient ditch some 500 yards (500 m) from
the battery to provide covering fire while Companies C, Fand Eapproached its northern
perimeter and began cutting paths through the 14-foot (4 m) wide barbed wire
entanglements that skirted the position. As this task was being completed the Vichy
French opened fire with several machine guns that threatened the momentum of the
attack. Darby called down mortar fire and, after just eight highly accurate rounds, the
French fire died away and the Rangers stormed into the compound. Some headed for the
battery's control tower, others thrust bangalore torpedoes into the barrels of the coastal
21
Above: The Rangers' landings at Arzew, orth Africa,
November 8, 1942. It wasn't the largest operation the
Rangers would take part in during the war, but it was
handled effiCiently and the objectives were taken.
Right and Opposite: Operation Torch - the assault
craft, ovember 8, 1942. The photo on page 23 is on
either Ulster Monarch or Royal Ulsterman and shows
81mm mortar rounds being loaded into an assault
craft preparatory to the attack. Note the US flag and
white armbands (see also photos on page 24). These
were worn to identify friendly forces during the attack.
Opposite, Below: Physical exercise on board the
transport during the journey to North Africa,
ovember 5, 1942.
Below: Training continued, even in Africa; this shows
Rangers preparing to assault a gun position,
December 12, 1942. Most of the Rangers spent the end
of 1942 and the beginning of 1943 attached to 5th
Army Invasion Training Center at Arzew where they
took part in exercises as demonstration troops. This is
part of the area assaulted in earnest on November 8.
Note the fixed bayonets: the Rangers often used the M1
rifle and M1905 bayonet.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
Above: The official caption identifies this as forcing
the doors on a building captured during the fighting
on November 8. The general lack of interest exhibited
by the troops shows that the action was over by this
time. Note the white identification armbands in this
and the photograph below.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
guns, while others stormed though the position's main entrance. The bulk of
the garrison had taken shelter in an underground powder store and, after
being threatened by grenades and bangalore torpedoes thrown down its
ventilator shafts, they surrendered.The battery was securely in Darby's hands
by 0400 hours at a cost of two Rangers killed and eight wounded and he
was able to signal his success to the invasion fleet lying offshore.
As the main landings got underway around Arzew the Rangers conducted
. various mopping-up operations around the batteries and harbour. At dawn
Darby turned his attentions to the Fort du Nord. Vichy machine guns opened
fire as he was attempting to persuade the garrison to surrender by telephone
but Darby was able to secure the fort commander's agreement as Ranger
mortar fire struck the position and silenced the fire. Darby and asmall party
of his men moved towards their objective but once again machine guns
opened up on them and a Ranger company decided to force the issue by
assaulting the fort. Some men were halted by its moat but others stormed
across the drawbridge and broke through the main gateway. The garrison
surrendered immediately and the Rangers marched them away to the Batterie du Nord.
Meanwhile, after neutralizing the Batterie de la Pointe, Dammer Force fanned out to
occupy key points, such as the small oil refinery north of the harbour, and dealt with
Vichy snipers who were harassing the Rangers. Ahillside cemetery between the two forts
was cleared before dawn and then the Rangers dealt with similar resistance in the
harbour area, chiefly around the piers and warehouses, and silenced abattery of 75 mm
field guns firing on Allied shipping.
Most of the Ranger companies remained in Arzew over the next three days to
complete its pacification and maintain order, but two were detached to aid units from
the 1st Infantry Division as its regimental combat teams pushed southeast and
southwest from their landing beaches. Lieutenant Max Schneider's Company Emoved
out on the afternoon of the 8th to support the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment's
push along the coast road running southeast from Arzew. The rendezvous took place at
0700 on the 9th and Schneider was ordered to move down the road towards the town
of La Macta. Some 800 yards (700 m) east of Port-aux-Poules the company was hit by
light fire from concealed positions on a low ridge. This was brushed aside and, after a
successful enveloping attack just a mile from La Macta, Schneider's men captured their
objective. Company C was first tasked with defending the headquarters of the 1st
Division at the village of Tourville on the 8th but then aided the 1st Battalion, 18th
Infantry Regiment, in its assault on S1. Cloud some 12 miles (20 km) southwest of Arzew.
The Rangers established blocking positions south of the town under cover of darkness
but at dawn on the 9th were hit by intense enemy fire at close range. The company
commander, Lieutenant Klefman, was killed but the S1. Cloud garrison surrendered
during the afternoon. Both detached companies returned to Arzew on the 10th.
The Rangers' role in Operation Torch, which had cost them a mere four killed and 11
wounded and led to the capture of several hundred prisoners, ended with the actions at
La Macta and S1. Cloud, and Darby's men were not initially involved in the subsequent,
somewhat badly handled Allied drive eastward toward German-heldTunisia. For the next
three months they were attached to the Fifth Army Invasion Training Center at Arzew,
honing their own skills particularly in night fighting and teaching seaborne assault
techniques to other units. At the end of January 1943 the battalion underwent some
reorganization: Company D gave up its mortars and regained its purely assault role,
while an entirely new Company Gwas formed from more than 100 fresh volunteers. The
spell at the training centre ended at the beginning of February. On the 1st the battalion
boarded 32 Douglas C-47 transports at Oran and was flown to Youks-Ies-Bains airfield
nearTebessa close to the Algerian-Tunisian border.
25
Above: Full marching order for 1st Rangers as they
march past agaves on December 5, 1942.
Below left: This is aphotograph closer to the action.
It shows Rangers in position on the Batterie du Nord
on November 8following the brief battle for Arzew.
Note the M1919A4 Browning .30 machine gun, the
standard support weapon for the Rangers.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
THE BATTLE FOR TUNISIA
Below: The advance towards Kasserine, Tunisia 1943.
LIBYA
Golfe de Gabes
Route of
Rommel's
German forces
After landing, the Rangers moved to the headquarters of General Lloyd Fredendall,
commander of the US II Corps, which lay a little to the east ofTebessa, and Darby was
briefed on his next operations. The proposed missions had two aspects. First, to conduct
a reconnaissance in strength to identify the Axis divisions, both Italian and German, that
were retreating into centralTunisia from neighbouringTripolitania along the coast by way
of Gabes. Second, they were to mask the redeployment of Allied units away from
southern and centralTunisia, to meet athrust by Colonel-General JOrgen von Arnim's Fifth
Panzer Army from Tunis and Bizerte in the north of the country, by conducting hit-and-
run raids and aggressive patrols to mislead the enemy as to the real strength of the
opposition they faced. Three raids were planned - against Italian positions some five
miles (8 km) from Station de Sened, against the Djebel el Ank, and Medilla. Observation
of the enemy at Sened revealed that the Rangers faced troops from two of the Italian
Army's better formations - the Centauro Division and the Bersaglieri.
Darby began the first raid on February 11, setting out towards Sened, which lay some
32 miles (56 km) from the Rangers' encampment at Gafsa, at the head of half of the 1st
Battalion - Companies A, Eand EThe first 20 miles (32 km) were by truck and jeep but
then the raiders dismounted at a front-line Free French outpost and conducted the final
approach on foot. By dawn on the 12th they had covered some 8 miles (13 km) more
and lay just four miles from their target. Darby
ordered his men to hide up during daylight to
avoid detection from enemy ground observers and
reconnaissance aircraft, and laid plans for the
attack. The final approach to Sened began at
around midnight, and at 600 yards (550 m)
distance Darby ordered his men into a skirmish
line for the assault. The Rangers had so far been
undetected but some 200 yards (200 m) from the
target, the Italians opened fire with machine guns.
Nevertheless, the attack caught most of Sened's
garrison by surprise as Darby's men swept into the
positions. Aided by mortar fire, the Rangers
quickly overcame any opposition. Many of the
Italians fled, but around 50 were killed and many
more wounded. The Rangers, who had one man
killed and 18 wounded, also captured 10
prisoners from the 10th Bersaglieri Regiment.
With dawn on the 12th less than three hours
away, Darby now ordered a rapid withdrawal. His
command was divided into two columns, one of
which included the wounded, and both set off on
the 12-mile (20 km) trudge back to friendly lines.
Both groups returned without further loss - the
faster column arrived at dawn on the 12th and the
slower with the wounded during the following day.
Sened was an operation of the type that had
brought Robert Rogers' fame in the eighteenth
century and its success was recognized by the
awards given to the 1st Battalion. Darby, four of
his fellow officers and nine enlisted men received
the Silver Star; the Italians who had faced the
TUNISIA
.....
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"'
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"'
.,
\

.... q
'C q
.'.
40 MILES
I
I
50 KILOMETRES o
o
I
"""'/ ,)
-- Gafsa
;' EI Guettar
Djebel el Ank

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ALGERIA "'
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26
Rangers took to calling them the 'Black Death'.
However, the Rangers were unable to capitalize on their success at Sened as the other
planned raids were cancelled due to a major two-pronged German attack that was
launched against the Kasserine Pass in central Tunisia. Devised by Field Marshal Erwin
Rommel, who had recently returned to North Africa after an illness, the intention was for
armoured units to strike through the pass that ran through the Western Dorsale range,
capture the Allied base at Tebessa and then turn northwards to encircle the Allied forces
battling in northern Tunisia. The Rangers, who were acting as a rearguard, pulled out of
Gafsa on the 14th and three days later they moved into position to cover the eastern
entrance to Dernaia Pass, asecond route south of Kasserine that also led toTebessa. The
Rangers were strung out over two miles (3 km) of front in hill-top positions some four
miles (6 km) from the vital Gafsa-Kasserine road at Feriana from where a route
branched westwards through the Dernaia Pass towards Tebessa. Axis troops were
advancing along the Gafsa-Kasserine road and the Rangers were ideally placed to report
on these troops' movements. The Germans did not assault Dernaia directly but kept it
under periodic artillery fire and launched various probes and reconnaissance operations.
The Rangers also conducted patrols and had firefights with the enemy but there were no
major attacks to deal with, although one company was flung into the battle for Kasserine
on the 22nd.
The Rangers remained at Dernaia Pass until March 1, when they were withdrawn
from the front line and went into camp at Djebel Kouif. On the 13th they set out for
Gafsa, some 50 miles (80 km) southeast of Dernaia, once again and reached the town
three days later. Gafsa was the juncture of two important roads that led northeast and
southeast through passes to the coast of central Tunisia and was to be the springboard
for attacks by Patton's US II Corps after the end of the fighting at Kasserine. The northern
advance towards Sfax by way of Sened and Maknassy was led by the US 1st Armored
Division, while the US 1st Infantry Division and the 1st Rangers were tasked with
capturing Axis-held EI Guettar, from where roads lead northeast to Sfax and southeast to
Gabes. The Rangers were ordered to probe EI Guettar to discover the strength of the
defences and on March 18 they moved against their objective under cover of darkness
only to find that the oasis had been abandoned.
With EI Guettar as a forward base, II Corps' attack towards the coast could develop
and the Rangers were ordered to seize the commanding heights of Djebel el Ank, which
overlooked the routes to Sfax and Gabes. These enemy positions were only five miles (8
km) from EI Guettar, but were too strong to attack frontally, so Darby pulled his men back
to Gafsa and launched them on a 12-mile (20 km) flanking march late on the evening
27
Above: The white armbands have gone as the Rangers
march back from an exercise on December 5, 1942.
Above: Troop movement during the Battle of Sened.
An extremely successful use of the Rangers saw the
Italian troops at the Station de Sened in a surprise
attack. Darby and thirteen other Rangers received
Silver Stars for the action.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
of the 20th. The lightly equipped Rangers made good progress, although the
accompanying combat engineers with their heavy mortars found the going more difficult.
By 0600 on the 13th Darby was ready to assault the enemy positions. The attack
commenced, with the Rangers neutralizing enemy strongpoints one by one, often at
bayonet point, despite facing heavy machine-gun and artillery fire. Two hours later the
combat engineers began dropping mortar rounds on the remaining Axis emplacements.
The main battle ended successfully in the early afternoon, when the US 1st Infantry
Division's 26th RCT arrived to occupy the djebel, but the Rangers continued mopping-
up operations until 1400 hours, when Darby was able to report the capture of both the
heights and 200 prisoners.
The swift loss of Djebel el Ank brought about a series of counterattacks from the
Germans, who immediately attacked the high ground stretching in a curve from the
Djebel el Ank in the north to Djebel Berda, some five miles (8 km) south of the EI
Guettar-Gabes road, that was now occupied by the 1st Infantry Division. On the 24th
the Rangers were moved to aid two battalions of the division's 18th Infantry Regiment
which were struggling to beat off German counterattacks against their positions on the
Djebel Berda. Darby's men initially settled down on the djebel's Hill 772 but all of the
battalion bar Company Dwere flung into action against a German attack on the isolated
battalions. For three days the Rangers fought on, often surrounded, but their action
allowed the two battalions to withdraw in good order. The Rangers were relieved by units
of the US 9th Infantry Division and withdrawn from the fighting around EI Guettar on
March 27, although the battle continued for several days. The 1st Battalion received a
Presidential Unit Citation for this action some 12 months later.
Darby now found his battalion divided to undertake patrolling duties as the campaign
inTunisia entered its final phase.Two companies were stationed at Gafsa, two at Madjene
el Fedj, some 25 miles (40 km) north, and two at Sidi bou Sid, a further 35 miles (56
km) to the north.
The last Axis forces in North Africa finally surrendered on May 13 but the Rangers had
already departed to prepare for their next operation. On April 17 they had moved by road
and rail to Nemours, close to Oran in Algeria, where the battalion established a base and
training facilities. Two days later Darby, who had requested the expansion of the Rangers,
was informed that he was to oversee the creation of two new battalions and that they
had to be ready for action in six weeks. Darby decided to split his existing battalion into
three two-company groups and use these experienced men as the core of the new units.
As a2nd Battalion had been activated in the United States on April 1, Companies Aand
B consequently formed the basis for the 3rd Rangers under Major Herman Dammer,
Companies Eand Fwent to the 4th Rangers under Major Roy Murray, while Companies
Cand Dwere used to rebuild the 1st Battalion under Darby. With time pressing, Darby
scoured North Africa for potential recruits and candidates were despatched to Nemours
to undergo training with Dammer. The two new units were formerly activated on May 21
but were given the title Provisional until June 21. The whole command, which was
reinforced by the 83rd Chemical Mortar Battalion (equipped with 4.2-inch mortars), was
designated the Ranger Force (Provisional) but was more commonly known as Darby's
Rangers.
THE INVASION OF SICILY
Darby's Rangers had been detailed for a leading role in Operation Husky, the Anglo-US
invasion of Sicily. The Rangers were earmarked to spearhead landings by the US Seventh
Army under General George Patton at two points on the island's west coast - the towns
of Licata and Gela. As the invasion drew near, Darby moved with the the 1st and 4th
28
IN ACTION
29
While the Rangers were preparing for the invasion of
Sicily, in the United States and United Kingdom other
cadres were preparing. These photographs were taken
on awet February 26,1943, at the Commando Depot
(later the Commando Basic Training Centre), which
had been established at Achnacarry Castle, near Fort
William, in the Highlands of Scotland in March 1942.
The depot was commanded by the formidable Lt-Col
Charles Vaughan (see Spearhead 10 Commandos)
who is in both photographs.
Above: Top brass at the Commando Depot watching
29th Rangers parade: from left to right in the front -
Capt Joy, depot adjutant; ].M. Pate, Minister of War
Transport; Maj Gen. Gerow; Brig. Robert Laycock, chief
of the Special Service Brigade; and Lt-Col. Vaughan.
Left: Major-General Gerow talks to Sgt John O'Brien of
the 29th Rangers. Nearest the camera is Lt-Col.
aughan. (See also pages 44-45 for further
information on 29th Ranger Battalion.)
Below: Gela was a significant target on the east of
Seventh Army's landings on Sicily. The Rangers
secured their objective, threw aperimeter around the
city and held it against counter-attacks. This is the
cathedral on]uly 11, 1943, the day after the landings.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
Battalions to the vicinity of Algiers to link up with the 1st Infantry Division once again,
while Dammer moved his command to camps around Bizerte in northern Tunisia to
support Major General Lucian Truscott's US 3rd Infantry Division.
The 1st and 4th Rangers boarded the landing ships USS Dickman, HMS Albert and
HMS Charles.They were to act as aspearhead force to tackle Axis defences at Gela before
the main landing by the 1st Infantry Division began. Estimates suggested that the target
and its environs were defended by three fixed shore batteries, a battery of 77 mm field
guns, two mortar companies and more than a score of machine-gun positions. Darby
planned for his two battalions to land directly opposite Gela, to the left and right of a
2,000-yard (1,800 m) pier that jutted out into the harbour from the dead centre of the
coastal town. The 1st Rangers were to land to the north of the pier and then swing
westward to neutralize afort, while the 4th Rangers swung eastward to deal with other
coastal defences. Half an hour after the initial assault the 1st Battalion, 39th Engineers,
was scheduled to land on the 1st Rangers' beach to be followed at 30-minute intervals
by the 83rd Chemical Mortar Battalion and asecond battalion of engineers respectively.
The 1st Battalion engineers, fighting as infantry, were ordered to fill the vacuum left by
the flanking attacks of the two Ranger battalions.
At around 0130 hours on July 10, the Rangers clambered into their 48 assault craft
from their landing ships, a task made difficult because of 40 mph (64 km/h) winds and
rough waters, and headed for their forming up point some five miles (8 km) from their
dropping-off point. The final run in, which took some 30 minutes, began at 0245. The
enemy were alert to imminent attack but their fire, although heavy and directed by
searchlights, was largely inaccurate and the Rangers made directly for shore with little
difficulty. As expected the pier was primed for demolition and its central section was
demolished just as the the attackers passed, but few casualties were caused and the
assault waves made for shore, some arriving five minutes early. Many boats reached their
allotted target without difficulty but others beached on sandbars and the Rangers had to
wade ashore. Some made it easily but others, particularly in the 4th Battalion, became
casualties when they ran into barbed wire and a minefield. The two battalions next
moved through the edges of Gela, meeting only light resistance from occasional snipers,
and then began the task of
neutralizing the flanking
defences. Aided by salvoes from
the cruiser USS Savannah, the 1st
Battalion quickly overcame the
defenders of the fort, while
similar successes were achieved
by the 4th Rangers.
These missions complete,
Darby reassembled his forces on
the beaches and led them into
Gela to form a perimeter to
protect the ongoing unloading of
troops and supplies. At around
0700 hours the Italians pushed
tanks of their Gruppo Mobile E
into the town and these were
beaten off thanks to a single
37 mm anti-tank gun managed
by Darby and Captain Charles
Shunstrom, bazookas and satchel
30
IN ACTION
Porto Empedocle
- SYRACUSE

_ Campobello
-
Niscemi
, -Butera

XX
US 18l
/
' RANG;,
SEVENTH
ARMY
60 KILOMETRES
Mediterranean Sea
o 40 MILES
t-I-------1.....
o
charges. A greater threat developed around midday, when 18 German tanks rumbled Above: The Rangers' Sicilian campaign, which started
toward the town supported by elements of the Italian Livorno Division. Once again the at Gela and Licata and ended on the coast opposite the
attack was repulsed by the Rangers, who bolstered their own meagre fire power with toe of Italy.
rounds from the mortars, a number of captured 77 mm field guns, and offshore naval
support. A third attack by a battalion of enemy infantry stalled some 2,000 yards
(1,800 m) from the town thanks to the massed firepower of the 83rd Chemical Mortar
Battalion. By early afternoon Gela was firmly held by the Allies and the Axis troops were
withdrawing into the high ground around the town.
On the 12th Darby was ordered to advance towards San Nicola and Monte Delta
Lapa, mountains that rise precipitously out of the coastal plain and guard the entrance
to a pass some four miles (6 km) northwest of Gela that leads to Licata and its invasion
beaches. As the 1st Infantry Division battled inland for the town of Niscemi, Darby moved
against the enemy holding the peaks with a command reinforced by the engineer and
mortar units that had landed with the Rangers two days previously and anewly attached
armoured infantry detachment. The armoured infantry and engineers assaulted San
Nicola while the two Ranger battalions struck against Monte Delta Lapa. Under cover of
darkness the Rangers climbed the steep-sided peak but ran into a hail of artillery fire
from concealed batteries.The attack stalled and only regained its momentum when Darby
called down fire support from the Savannah that proved highly accurate. The Rangers
took some 600 prisoners during the battle and linked up with the 3rd Division, which had
been pushing southwards from Licata, the following day.
Darby's next task was to assault the inland town of Butera, some 4,000 feet
(1,200 m) above sea level and eight miles (12 km) inland due north of Gela. Fire support
31
Below: S/Sgt Francis P Padrucco of 1st Rangers was
awarded the Silver Star for his actions during the
assault on Gela, Sicily. His left arm carries the 1st
Ranger Battalion's shoulder flash; next the white 5
and Adisplayed on a blue field against a red
background denoting Fifth Army; finally his staff
sergeant's stripes.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
was provided by 18 self-propelled 75 mm howitzers and the Savannah. The advance, a
two-pronged attack, commenced under cover of darkness shortly after midnight. Some
of the troops moving directly on Butera pushed forward at a rapid rate, forcing Darby to
halt the imminent artillery bombardment. Although German officers attempted to force
the Italians to fight, they had little success and the small party of Rangers occupied the
town with unexpected ease.
While Darby was securing Gela and battling for Butera, Major Herman Dammer's 3rd
Rangers had landed on beaches some three miles (5 km) west of Licata to the north of
Gela, paving the way for the arrival of the US 3rd Infantry Division's 7th Regimental
Combat Team. The first waves came ashore unhindered at 0400 on the 10th but quickly
ran into sporadically heavy machine-gun and artillery fire from enemy positions on high
ground. These were soon overcome and the battalion turned eastwards, moving along a
ridge that ran directly into Licata itself. The town was quickly occupied and the battalion
remained there until the morning of the 12th, when it advanced inland to Campobello
to the north. Dammer's Rangers next moved via truck and on foot to first Naro and then
Favara in the van of a northwards sweep to clear the coast of the enemy. From Favara
the troops moved westwards towards the town of Agrigento, which was held by asizeable
Italian garrison.
The plan to capture Agrigento involved aregiment of the 3rd Division moving directly
on the target while the Rangers tackled a high peak known as Montaperto, from where
Axis artillery could fire down on any force moving on the town, as the first stage of aflank
march around Agrigento. Some three miles (5 km) out of Favara the Rangers, who were
attempting to clear a roadblock barring their way forwards, were struck by intense
artillery fire, but they were able to break through the Italian defences and capture some
165 prisoners within the hour. The main attack on Montaperto opened on the morning of
July 16 and, despite enemy artillery fire, the Rangers scrambled up the peak's steep
slopes supported by their mortars. This fire forced the Italian gunners to abandon their
artillery pieces and a fortuitous round also hit the battery's ammunition dump.
Montaperto was quickly occupied and Dammer's men then swept over an adjoining piece
of high ground, where the enemy had command and observation posts. Here, the
Italians surrendered without afight.
After the capture of Montaperto the Rangers again moved southward in the
direction of Porto Empedocle, a coastal town lying just north of Agrigento. From
positions in an almond grove some 2,000 yards (1,800 m) from the town, the
battalion, minus one company left to guard the left flank and rear, launched a
pincer attack from east and west at around 1430 on the 16th. While the the two
companies under Dammer attacking from the east quickly overcame pockets of
resistance, three companies under Major Alvah Miller had to fight hard to crush
German troops holding a walled cemetery and coastal defence positions. Porto
Empedocle was declared secure by 1600. On the 17th the 3rd Battalion
established a camp near Montaperto but during the following day moved to
Raffadalio north of Agrigento, where it remained for aweek and then rejoined the
rest of Darby's command, which was now based at Ribera, a few miles farther
north.
Some seven days after the landings and initial exploitation phase of Husky, the
Allies had control of several linked and expanding beachheads and were poised to
drive through Sicily toward their ultimate objective - Messina. Patton's US
Seventh Army in the western half of island was detailed to support the main drive
by General Bernard Montgomery's British Eighth Army in the east. However,
Montgomery encountered stubborn resistance that slowed his advance to a crawl
and Patton, facing lesser opposition, decided to strike out for Palermo on the
32
IN ACTION
island's northwest coast rather than relieve
some of the pressure faced by the British.
Several units, part of a newly activated
Provisional Corps under Major General
Geoffrey Keyes, were committed to the
drive on Palermo. Darby was given
command of Force X, which comprised the
three Ranger battalions, the 39th
Regimental CombatTeam, and a battalion
of 155 mm guns, and ordered to follow the
coast road that looped round the northeast
of the island.
Darby initially left his Ranger battalions
close to Ribera and late on July 20 set off
to locate the 39th RCT. After passing
through Sciacca, he located the unit at
Menfi at 0300 hours the following day and
the advance along the coast began two
hours later. The objective was to capture
Castelvetrano and then march on Marsala
on the island's west tip before swinging due east to reach Palermo. The RCT successfully Above: By July 21, 1943, the Rangers had reached the
overcame Axis forces defending the line of the Belice River and Castelvetrano fell on the capital of Sicily - Palermo.
22nd, the day that other US troops entered Palermo. With Palermo secured, the RCT,
reinforced by the 1st and 4th Rangers, swept though northwest Sicily, taking Marsala and
then liberatingTrapani on the north coast some 40 miles (64 km) west of Palermo. Within
a few days, Force X and the accompanying 82nd Airborne Division were in position
around San Guiseppe to the south of Palermo, marking the end of the liberation of
western Sicily. Force Xwas immediately disbanded.
While the 1st and 4th Battalions were placed in reserve and established a camp at
Corleone to the south of Palermo, the 3rd Battalion, which had been held back at Menfi
during the drive to clear western Sicily, moved up to the front and was attached toTruscott's
3rd Infantry Division for a second time. The division was pushing towards Messina on the
northeast tip of the island and had reached Sant'Agata di Militello on the sole coastal road,
Highway 113, between Palermo and Messina and some 50 miles (80 km) short of its
objective.The 3rd Battalion, soon joined by Darby and a1st Battalion company, served with
the division's 7th Regimental Combat Team and was pitched into battle against German
rearguards in the Caronie Mountains who were attempting to protect the ongoing
withdrawal of forces from Messina to the Italian mainland by way of the Straits of Messina.
On August 12 the Rangers first stormed the high ground of Popo di Marco, four miles (6
km) southwest of Capo d'Orlando, and then aided the drive of the 7th RCT towards Naso
on Highway 113.The next target was Patti, some 35 miles (56 km) from Messina. For this
operation the Rangers fought alongside the division's 15th Regiment. While the regiment
pushed on the objective by launching an amphibious assault, the Rangers moved inland by
truck to San Angelo di Brolo and launched asimilarly successful attack from the mountains.
The Rangers' next target was Monteforte, which was taken with the aid of adetachment of
pack howitzers transported by mules. By dawn on the 16th Darby was holding high ground
above the town of Sanbruca, just four miles (6 km) west of Messina, and poised to move
against the final Allied objective. The following day, once the Germans had completed their
largely successful evacuation to mainland Italy, the Rangers marched into the coastal city,
marking the end of the 38-day campaign.
Several Allied units were withdrawn from the Mediterranean theatre after the capture
33
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
of Sicily to prepare for the D-Day landings in June 1944. Although Rangers were
destined to playa key role during Operation Overlord, these were not part of Darby's
command as both he and his men were earmarked for the forthcoming invasion and
occupation of the Italian mainland. On August 18 Darby and his three battalions were
gathered together and moved back across the island to Palermo to rest, receive
replacements and prepare for their next task - the forthcoming assault on the Italian
mainland. During their time at Palermo Darby's command was expanded to include a
Ranger Cannon Company consisting of four half-track-mounted 75 mm guns under
Shunstrom.
OPERATION AVALANCHE - THE SALERNO LANDINGS
Below: Operation Avalanche - the landings at Salerno
on September 9, 1943 - saw the Rangers used as a
flank guard for General Mark Clark's Fifth Army. The
landings at Salerno were the largest amphibious
operation of the war up to that date and were strongly
resisted by the Germans. The counter-attacks of
September 12-14 came close to pushing the Allies into
the sea. It was only the weight of fire from offshore
and the Allied air bombardment that enabled the
beach-head to remain secure.
On September 3 Montgomery's British Eighth Army launched Operation Baytown,
crossing the Straits of Messina from Sicily and making unopposed landings at Reggio di
Calabria on the very tip of the Italian mainland. Six days later, just hours before Italy
announced an armistice, the Allies launched the two other prongs of their invasion of
southern Italy. Operation Slapstick saw the British 1st Airborne Division put ashore from
warships at the port of Taranto in the southeast, while General Mark Clark's US Fifth
Army began Operation Avalanche, alarger assault against beaches in the Gulf of Salerno,
some 45 miles (72 km) south of Naples on the west coast. Salerno was chosen in
preference to a large-scale landing on the more distant Adriatic coast as Allied aircraft
on Sicily could only guarantee cover over the former area, the nearby extensive port
facilities at Naples were seen as a potentially valuable prize and it placed the Allies on
the most direct route northwards to Rome.
The Rangers' role in Avalanche was to act as a flank guard to the main amphibious
Pigoletti
S. Mango

10
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Battapaglia
MILES
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Gulf of Salerno
Sarno
S. Mauro

RANGERS
9th September 1944
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
34
IN ACTION
assaults of Clark's British X Corps and US VI Corps by securing the 25-mile (40 km)
length of the Sorrento Peninsula and the Lattari Mountains, which divide the Gulfs of
Naples and Salerno. Darby's command, which was temporarily attached to XCorps, was
to land at a point some 10 miles (16 km) northwest of the more northerly of the two
main landing sites and around seven miles (10 km) west of Salerno itself. Once ashore
the various battalions were to push inland and establish blocking positions in the
3-4,000-foot (1,000 m) mountains to control the various passes through which any
German reinforcements from the Naples area would have to travel to reach the main
invasion beaches. The target area had three main passes .- Cava-Nocera at the eastern,
inland extremity of the peninsula, which was the most direct route from Naples to
Salerno and though which Highway 18 snaked; the Chiunzi Pass some 5 miles (8 km)
west of Cava-Nocera; and the Pimonte Pass, a tunnelled route that ran north-south to
Castellammare on the southern shores of the Gulf of Naples. Afourth route, the Amalfi
Drive, also circled around the peninsula's coastline by way of Sorrento and
Castellammare and was another potential, if more circuitous, path for German troops
heading for Salerno. The capture of the high ground would allow the Rangers to spot
enemy troop movements in the surrounding lowlands and call down naval gunfire from
Allied warships in the Gulf of Salerno on any potential targets by radio.
The Rangers were transported to a 1,000-yard-long (900 m) narrow stretch of beach
around Maiori on the peninsula's southern coast in three Landing Ships Infantry (LSI)
and five Landing Craft Infantry (LCI), guided to their objective by a British destroyer.
Because of a shortage of landing craft - sufficient to land just one battalion at atime -
the first assault wave was placed in the LCls, while the follow-on units were shuttled to
shore in the Landing Craft Assault carried by the LSls. The 4th Rangers led the way,
landing in the dead centre of the beach at around 0320 hours on September 9. Complete
surprise had been achieved and the battalion quickly established blocking positions on
either side of the beachhead and neutralized coastal defences in the vicinity of Capo
d'Orso near Maiori, while the next waves, comprising the 1st and 3rd Rangers, were
brought ashore in quick succession and then pushed rapidly inland towards the Chiunzi
Pass.
Within three hours of landing the Rangers had accomplished their primary mission.
Speed and surprise had enabled them quickly to overpower what limited opposition they
encountered. By 0800 hours the 1st and 3rd Rangers were digging in on Monte St.
Angelo di Cava and Monte di Chiunzi, 2,500-3,000-foot (900 m) heights on the eastern
edge of the pass, while the accompanying 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion took up
position on 4,000-foot (1,200 m) Monte Ceretto on the western edge of the pass.
Daylight revealed that the Rangers indeed had panoramic views of the surrounding low
ground, particularly the towns of Pagani and Nocera, and could easily bring down naval
and artillery fire on any German forces heading for Salerno along Highway 18 or by rail
through Nocera. As these units consolidated their positions, the 4th Battalion pushed
westward along the Amalfi Drive and then moved northward through the Pimonte Pass
to take Castellammare. The peninsula and its passes were effectively barred to the
Germans by the 12th.
The German response to the Rangers' landing was swift. The 4th Battalion was soon
pushed out of Castellammare and withdrew westward to Vico Equensa by way of the
coastal Amalfi Drive. As they retreated the troops destroyed bridges and sections of raised
roadway to slow their pursuers. The battalion held on to its positions around Vico Equensa
for the next two weeks in the face of frequent German attacks but then withdrew along
the coast road to the peninsula's south coast. New positions were established around
Pimonte and the nearby route that ran directly northwards through the Pimonte Pass to
Castellammare. The battalion faced German pressure on two fronts - from west to east
35
Above and next page: After Salerno, the Rangers
fought effectively on the Italian Front - so much so
that the 1st and 3rd Battalions received a Presidential
Unit Citation (see box page 37). This sequence of
photographs taken on November 10, 1943, shows
Company D, 3rd Ranger Battalion, on patrol.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
along the Amalfi Drive and from north to south through the Pimonte
Pass - but the local terrain greatly aided its defence. The road in the
pass ran through an 800-feet-long (250 m) tunnel and the Rangers
dug in at its southern entrance and on the high ground either side. A
75 mm gun mounted on a half-track was sited on the tunnel's
entrance and this, coupled with various other strongpoints, ensured
that the Germans could not force their way through the pass. The
Amalfi Drive, with the sea on one side and mountains on the other also
provided ideal defensive terrain and, once again, the Germans were
denied an alternative route to Salerno as the Rangers took up strong
positions some two miles west of Amalfi.
Darby had expected his mission to last perhaps just a few days,
certainly no more than a week, yet his Rangers had to remain in the
hills for 21 days.The rapid breakout from Salerno by Clark's Fifth Army
never materialized as the Germans fought stubbornly to throw the
Allies back into the Mediterranean. As the pressure at Salerno
mounted, it became even more imperative that the Rangers slow the
flow of enemy reinforcements moving south from Naples. Thanks to
excellent observation on the high ground overlooking Highway 18 and
first-rate ship-to-shore communications, accurate gunfire from a
British battleship, two cruisers and a shallow-draught monitor
significantly reduced the flow of German reinforcements to the Salerno
beaches. However, the Rangers had to contend with sometimes acute
shortages of supplies, particularly food and ammunition, during their
stay in the mountains and had to beat off numerous localized German
counterattacks, while enduring frequent artillery and mortar
bombardments.
The Allied breakout from Salerno finally began on the 20th. Clark's
VI Corps first drove eastward in a looping attack toward Naples and,
three days later, was joined by X Corps, which pushed directly
northwards along Highway 18 towards the port. Able to observe this
latter push, Darby ordered his men to strike for Pagani, close to Nocera
at the northern end of the Chiunzi Pass, and also reoccupy
Castellammare. With the Germans abandoning their positions in a
staged withdrawal to the line of the Volturno River north of the port,
the Rangers made steady progress by way of Pompeii and Mount
Vesuvius in support of the US 82nd Airborne Division. Naples was
liberated on October 1 and the Rangers moved in. Darby's casualties
in the passes and subsequent advance totalled 13 killed and 21
seriously wounded in the 1st Battalion, seven killed, one missing and
14 wounded in the 3rd Battalion, and eight killed, eight missing and
21 wounded in the 4th Battalion. The 1st and 3rd Rangers received
Presidential Unit Citations for their staunch defence of the Chiunzi
Pass.
WINTER FIGHTING IN THE APPENNINES
The occupation of Naples proved to be no more than abrief respite for
the Rangers. On October 3they ended their attachment to XCorps and
came under the direct command of the US Fifth Army. Just three days
later Darby was ordered to prepare two of his battalions for renewed
36
IN ACTION
PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION
1ST AND 3RDRANGER BATTALIONS
The 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions, with the following
attached units:
319th Glider ReId Artillery Battery;
Headquarters Battery, 80th Airborne Antiaircraft
Battalion;
Battery D, 80th Airborne Antiaircraft Battalion;
Battery E, 80th Airborne Antiaircraft Battalion;
Battery ~ 80th Airborne Antiaircraft Battalion;
Medical Detachment, 80th Airborne Antiaircraft
Battalion;
Company H, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment;
2nd Platoon, Company A, 307th Airborne Engineer
Battalion,
are cited for outstanding performance of duty in action
during the period 10th to 18th September 1943.
These units, comprising asingle Rang:er force, landed
at Maiori, Italy, with the mission of seizing high ground
controlling Chiunzi Pass and securing the left flank of the
Fifth Army in its push northward i n t ~ the plain of
Naples. The position held by this force was vital not only
for flank security, but'also forooservation of the plain
and of the German supply routes and communications
lines to the Salerno battlefront
During this period, the Ranger force was subjected to
almost continuous mortar -and artillery fire and was
repeatedly attacked by a determined enemy. Hostile
forces were estimated to outnumber the Rangers and
- attached units by approximately eight to one, but
despite superior enemy numbers, the Ranger force
heroically fought off every attempt to dislodge it.
Because of its limited strength and the large area
assigned to it for defense, the force held the line thinly,
marked with strongpoints with gaps covered by fire.
Several major counterattacks were repelled during the
period and numerous enemy patrols were stopped, often
in bitter, dose-in fighting, w-ith the Ranger force using its
mortars, artillery, automatic weapons, and grenades with
devastating effect.
The officers and men of these units fought without
rest or relief and with limited food and water supplies.
The continuous nature of the enemy fire and activity was
such as to try the men to the limits of their endurance.
Although overwhelming enemy forces drove almost
constantly at the sparsely held positions, the
determination and courage of the 1st and 3rd Ranger
Battalions and their attached units offset the enemy
superiority in numbers and made possible the successful
accomplishment of a vital mission.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Chief of Staff
Offidal:
Edward EWitsel
Major-General
The Adjutant General
combat by the end of the month. By the 12th the Allied advance towards
Rome had faltered along the Volturno River in an area some 40 miles (64
km) north of Naples that Kesselring had ordered defended to the utmost in
order that he could prepare even stronger defences - the Gustav or Winter
Line - along the Garigliano and Rapido Rivers. The Ranger battalions moved
back south to the Sorrento Peninsula and established acamp at San Lauaro,
where they spent some two weeks resting, training and receiving
replacements.
By the end of October the Allies had reached the Bernhard or Reinhard
Line, an outer defensive zone covering the approaches to the Gustav Line
that ran almost directly north-south across the central Italian mainland some
10 miles (16 km) east of Monte Cassino. It was here that the Rangers
returned to combat. The 4th Battalion was the first to leave San Lazzaro and
on November 1 joined the Fifth Army's US 3rd Division on the Volturno,
where they helped secure a crossing over the river; the 1st Battalion left its
base late on the 8th and completed the 30-mile (48 km) journey by truck to
link up with the US 45th Division around Venafro at 0130 hours the
following day. It was later joined by the 3rd Battalion, which was initially held
back at San Lauaro to integrate its larger body of replacements, and then
both took part in fighting southwest of Venafro, serving successively with the
US 45th and 36th Infantry Divisions.
The 1st Battalion immediately moved into position. Venafro, some 12
miles (20 km) due east of Cassino, was surrounded by commanding heights
that provided excellent positions for spotting enemy troop movements. The
Rangers occupied Monte Corno, supported by the 83rd Chemical Mortar
Battalion and the Ranger Cannon Company, while the 509th Parachute
Infantry Battalion took charge of the adjacent Monte' San Croce. On the 11th
the mortars and cannon company supported a successful attack by the
paratroopers on the ridge that ran between the two peaks and gave them an
uninterrupted view of the German-occupied village of Concacasalle. The 1st
Rangers, joined by the 4th Battalion from the middle of the month, spent
several weeks in the mountains.There were no major battles, but the Rangers
conducted patrols and reconnaissance missions, and used their mortars to
harass the Germans around Concacasalle. The weather was bitterly cold and
the conditions, allied to frequent enemy shelling, ensured that the two
Ranger units suffered a steady stream of casualties. The 3rd Battalion had
also suffered during the fighting. It was tasked with leading the assault to
take Monte Rotondo and the village of San Pietro on high ground along the
eastern edge of the plain that leads to Cassino, but was stopped some 800
yards (700 m) outside the village. When this advance stalled, the battalion
was transferred to Ceppagna close to Darby's other two units.
The Rangers' time around Venafro came to an end in mid-December. The
1st and 4th Battalions departed for Lucrino Station on Pouuoli Bay to the
west of Naples on the 14th, and the 3rd followed six days later. The various
units were badly depleted, having suffered casualty rates of around 40 per
cent during their time in the mountains due to the prolonged combat and the
adverse weather. During the Christmas period they were allowed to relax and
reorganize. Darby had recently been promoted to full colonel during avisit to
Clark's headquarters at Caserta north of Naples and his various units were
redesignated the 6615th Ranger Force (Provisional) on January 16, 1944.
Aside from the 1st, 3rd and 4th Rangers, this formation included the 509th
37
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
Above: Italy, January 1, 1944 - 80 men of 1st Ranger
Battalion line up to receive decorations from
Brigadier-General Theodore Roosevelt.
The Anzio landings, part of a plan to force the Gustav
Line, took place on January 22, 1944. Training for
them involved three weeks of amphibious practices
and physical exercise.
Right: January 14, 1944. Men of 2nd Platoon,
Company A, 1st Rangers do their usual log exercises.
Above right: January 16, 1944. Soldiers of 3rd Ranger
Battalion photographed at Baia in front of the landing
craft that will take them to the Anzio landings. By the
29th all but six of the 767 men from the 1st and 3rd
Battalions were either dead or prisoners.
Far right: January 14, 1944. 1st Rangers load into
British LCAs for beach-landing manoeuvres near
Naples.
38
IN ACTION
39
Above: November 10, 1943: a medic treats a leg
wound sustained during a skirmish by Pfc John Brady
of the 3rd Ranger Battalion.
Above right: Operation Shingle - the landings at
Anzio by US and British forces under the command of
General Lucas. This map shows the Rangers' part in
the battle.
Below right: 1st Ranger Battalion troops board
vessels at Baia.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
Parachute Infantry Battalion, the 83rd Chemical Mortar Battalion, Company H, 36th
Engineer Regiment, and the half-track-mounted Ranger Cannon Company. The
regrouping was a prelude to what was to be Darby's fourth and final amphibious assault
- Operation Shingle, the landings by the Anglo-US VI Corps under Major General John
Lucas at Anzio some 40 miles (64 km) south of Rome, which were supposed to break
the stalemate at Cassino by establishing a threatening beachhead behind the German
, lines and forcing them to retreat northwards.
ANZIO - THE RANGERS' NEMESIS
After some three weeks of vital amphibious training for the new recruits arriving at
Pozzuoli, the Rangers boarded their assault vessels anchored off Baia on January 20 in
preparation for the 120-mile (190 km) voyage northwards to Anzio. The transports
comprised Princess Beatrix, Winchester Castle, a pair of landing craft, tank, a single
landing ship, tank, and HMS Royal Ulsterman, which had seen service with the Rangers
during the Arzew landings and whose presence was seen as a favourable omen. The
Anzio operation opened early on January 22, with the Rangers undertaking the
spearhead role by landing on beaches at Anzio itself. The 1st and 4th Rangers came
ashore first, beginning at 0200 hours, and quickly fanned out through Anzio with some
making for Nettuno to the east. Opposition was extremely light and the engineers
accompanying Darby's command set about clearing beach obstacles and mines, while
landing craft returned with the 3rd Battalion. The port was secured by 0800 hours and
throughout the day the Rangers extended their perimeter by linking up with the British
1st Infantry Division at Peter Beach to the north of Anzio and the US 3rd Infantry
Division at X-Ray Beach around Nettuno.
For the next two days, the beachhead expanded slowly as more and more Allied
troops poured ashore. The Rangers held the central sector of the perimeter, a flat area
bisected by drainage ditches and dotted with woodland between one road running due
north from Anzio to Carroceto and another from Nettuno to Padiglione. It quickly became
apparent that the Germans, who were rushing reinforcements into the area while Lucas
failed to capitalize on the element of surprise, held the high ground overlooking the
Allied positions and could rain down artillery fire on the Anzio plain at will. The Rangers
initially engaged in patrol work but for the most part kept to their foxholes. However, on
the 25th Darby was ordered to support an advance by the British 1st Division towards
Carroceto.The 4th Battalion led the way, having to negotiate numerous drainage ditches,
while the remaining two battalions initially remained in reserve. Support was provided
by a US paratrooper battalion and a detachment of tank destroyers. While the British
faced stubborn resistance at Carroceto, the Rangers had to deal with snipers, enemy
mortar fire, and frequent firefights. However, the subsidiary role at Carroceto was only a
prelude to a much more ambitious operation to break out of the beachhead.
By late January Lucas, who was under increasing pressure from his superiors to act
decisively, felt compelled to launch a major breakout from Anzio. This called for a
simultaneous two-pronged effort on the night of the 28th, one by British forces in the
direction of Campoleone from Carroceto and the second to the east by the US 3rd
Division. The Rangers, supported by the US 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, were
tasked with leading the 3rd Division's attack, which was directed towards the town of
Cisterna. The plan was for the Rangers to advance under cover of darkness some four
miles (6 km) beyond the northeast sector of the existing Allied perimeter, capture
Cisterna and then hold it for afew hours until larger forces arrived on the scene. Cisterna
was of considerable importance to the ongoing Italian campaign as it was a hub of
communications running southeast from Rome to Monte Cassino. In German hands
40
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22 Jan
IN ACTION
_____________. DEFENCE LINE
28th FEB-24th MAY 1944
Above: AGerman casualty lies next to his
Kiibelwagen, Anzio.
Right and Below right: As a footnote to Anzio, these
two photographs, taken]une 21, 1944, show a
guerrilla band formed of escapees from a German
prison train. Anumber of these men were Rangers
who had been captured during the attack on Cisterna.
They escaped and operated behind enemy lines
disrupting enemy communications before reaching
their own forces.
Below: Burying the dead during the Italian
campaign.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
Highway 7 and the railway that ran through
Cisterna were used to ferry troops to the Gustav
Line; if the town was in Allied hands then the
severing of these two arteries might lead to a
German withdrawal from Cassino and facilitate a
rapid drive on the Italian capital.
The plan was for the Rangers to crawl forward
from the existing front line in virtual single file
along a ditch, the Fossa di Pantano, which was an
offshoot of the western branch of the Mussolini
Canal and ended just two miles (3 km) short of
Cisterna. They would then debouch onto the open
land outside the town and follow the line of the
road running between it and Nettuno by way of
the village of Isola Bella to their objective. It was
a tricky plan, but one that the Rangers were
trained for and experienced enough to accomplish,
and intelligence indicated that the local opposition
was expected to be light. However, events
conspired against the Rangers even before they
opened their attack. Returning from a planning
meeting shortly before commencing their unit's
spearhead attack against Campoleone, several
British officers took a wrong turning and were killed in a German ambush. Consequently
a new unit had to be assigned the task and its officers briefed on what was expected of
them. This inevitably caused a delay and the twin-pronged offensive did not open until
the night of the 29th - some 24 hours later than intended. In the interim the Germans
had moved forces into the area of Cisterna in preparation for launching a major
counterattack on the Anzio beachhead. Rather than facing just elements of the Hermann
Goring Division, the Rangers were now also confronted by units from the 26th
Panzergrenadier and 715th Infantry Divisions.
Unaware of these developments, the Rangers opened the advance on Cisterna late on
the 29th. The advance was led by the 1st and 3rd Battalions, which had infiltrated
between the opposing front lines, seemingly without being spotted, by 0100 hours on the
30th. The 4th Battalion and the Ranger Cannon Company, tasked with clearing the
Anzio-Cisterna road for follow-on forces, moved off at 0200 hours but had advanced just
800 yards (700 m) before being hit by heavy enemy fire. As dawn broke the difficulty of
the situation became evident - the leading two battalions were well short of Cisterna
and were fighting in isolated companies and platoons against a much stronger enemy
force. Worse, the 4th Rangers was first delayed by heavy fighting at Isola Bella and then
brought to a complete halt at Femina Morta well short of the other battalions. News also
reached Darby that the commander of the 3rd Battalion, Major Alvah Miller, had been
killed by a shell fired by a tank.
The Rangers' predicament became clearer at around 0830 hours. The 1st Battalion's
commander, Major Jack Dobson, radioed that he was surrounded some 800 yards short
of Cisterna and that German fire was causing heavy losses among his troops in their
open positions. The 3rd Battalion was in a similar situation. The 4th Battalion and units
of the US 3rd Infantry Division struggled to relieve the trapped Rangers but were unable
to break. through. By early afternoon, the 1st and 3rd Battalions - what remained of
them - were at the end of their tether. Some Rangers fought on until killed, others, many
of them wounded, surrendered, and a handful withdrew to friendly lines. The 4th
42
IN ACTION
43
Below: It wasn't only in Britain that Rangers were
being selected and trained. This photograph (and that
opposite) are of Fort Jackson, South Carolina, on April
22, 1943, as Ranger recruits undergoe live fire
training. Established on June 2, 1917, the new Army
Training Center was named in honour of Major
General AndrewJackson, the seventh president of the
United States. The first military unit to be organized
here was the 81st 'Wildcat' Division. In 1939 Fort
Jackson was organized as an infantry training centre.
Four firing ranges were constructed, and more than
500,000 men received some phase of their training
here. Today the camp is the largest and most active
Initial Entry Training Center in the United States Army,
providing training to almost 50 percent of the men
and women who enter the service each year.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
Battalion itself was effectively surrounded but held on until relieved on the morning of
the 31st. Supported by other troops it finally captured Femina Morta, but this was atrifle
compared to the virtual annihilation of the 1st and 3rd Battalions.
The crushing reverse at Cisterna effectively wiped the three Ranger battalions from
the US order of battle in Europe. Only six of 767 men from the 1st and 3rd Battalions
managed to escape from the killing fields outside the town; the remainder were either
dead or prisoners. Some 500 captured Rangers were paraded through central Rome by
the Germans, an event recorded on film for propaganda purposes. After the battle the 4th
Battalion was in little better shape but still saw further action at Anzio, chiefly in helping
to blunt a counterattack against the beachhead perimeter in early February, and then,
following the breakout and liberation of Rome in late May and early June, it operated at
the Fifth Army's patrolling school at Civitavecchia to the north of the Italian capital. The
remnants of the 1st and 3rd Battalions, the handful who had survived Cisterna and
support personnel who had not taken part in the fighting - about 150 in total - had
already been withdrawn and sent to Camp Butner, North Carolina, in early May. Some
became instructors at infantry training schools, while others were reassigned to the U5-
Canadian 1st Special Service Force's 1st Regiment. The 1st and 3rd Battalions were
officially deactivated on August 15 and the 4th followed on October 26.
RAIDING OCCUPIED EUROPE
While Darby's battalion was fighting in North Africa, a short-lived Ranger unit was
activated back in England to conduct pinprick raids along the coast of occupied Europe.
In September 1942, with the departure of Darby's unit for North Africa imminent, plans
were laid for the creation of a new Ranger battalion from US personnel stationed in
Britain. On December 20 the 29th Provisional Ranger Battalion came into existence at
Tidworth Barracks in Wiltshire and was commanded by Major Randolph Millholland.
44
IN ACTION
Officers and men were volunteers drawn from the US 29th Infantry Division and 18 Above: The 'German Village' at Fort Jackson, sees
members of the 1st Battalion were detached to train the new recruits. As with previous another Ranger course undergoing live fire training,
Ranger units, the 29th moved to Achnacarry for Commando training and then on to April 22, 1943.
Spean Bridge to learn amphibious assault techniques.The programme was completed by
February 1943 and the Rangers moved to Dartmouth where they were attached to
No. 14 Commando for the following six weeks.
Unlike other Ranger units, the 29th Battalion conducted hazardous small-scale raids,
usually involving one or two men accompanied by British Commandos. These were
nuisance missions against Occupied Europe, chiefly along the coast of Norway and
northern France, and were not always successful. One of three such raids against Norway
involving the 29th Battalion, code named Roundabout, took place on March 23, when
five Rangers, three British and five Norwegian Commandos came ashore at Landet with
the intention of attacking enemy shipping. However, the mission ended prematurely
when the raiders were discovered by German sentries. In May the battalion moved to
Bude, Cornwall, and then to HMS Dar/in during July. The 29th Rangers' last operation
was code named Pound. Aparty of 18 men from No. 12 Commando and two Rangers
landed on the island of Ushant off the west coast of Brittany during the night of
September 3-4 to attack a German radar station. A German sentry (possibly two) was
killed and then the raiders returned home unscathed. Pound was the unit's last action
due to the imminent arrival of the 2nd and 5th Rangers from the United States and the
scaling down of British Commando raids across the Channel. After the Ushant raid the
battalion spent time at Dover but was deactivated while based at Okehampton, Devon,
on October 15 and its personnel returned to the 29th Division.
45
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
The Rangers practised opposed landings from the sea from the earliest days in Scotland in August 1942 - as
these photos show. Still wearing their British-style M1917A1 helmets, the men of 1st Rangers practise on a cold
Scottish loch the skills that were to prove so effective in Normandy less than two years later. By the time of the
ormandy landings, the Allies in general and their special forces - Rangers, Commandos, etc - in particular
had a great deal of practical experience in amphibious warfare and landing on defended coasts. On top of this,
they had specialist equipment - especially all forms of landing craft - that gave them the technological edge.
46
IN ACTION
47
Main photograph: Live fire opposed landing
exercise in Scotland, August 1942.
Inset, Left and Right: Wire was a major obstacle on
defended beaches. Bangalore torpedoes were the ,
chief anti-wire weapon. Photos are of 29th
B a t t a l i o ~ .
PREPARING FOR OPERATION OVERLORD
The brief service of the 29th Provisional Battalion in 1942 and the deactivation of the
1st, 3rd and 4th Battalions in 1944 did not signal the end of the Rangers'involvement
in World War II. On March 11,1943, while Darby's 1st Battalion was fighting inTunisia,
a directive had been issued to form a 2nd Battalion, which was activated at Camp
Forrest, Tennessee, under the command of Lieutenant Cqlonel William Saffarans on
April 1. Some 2,000 volunteers were evaluated and about 500 accepted for training
under the watchful eyes of ex-1st Battalion officers and non-commissioned officers.
Saffarans and three other commanders came and went, but in June Major James Rudder
took command; and the battalion commenced specialist training. In September, its men
went through the Scouts' and Raiders' School at Fort Pierce, Florida, where they learned
to work with small assault craft and boats. Next the battalion moved to Fort Dix, New
Jersey, to practise advanced tactical techniques. Deemed ready for active service, the
battalion sailed for England on the liner Queen Elizabeth on November 21.-
The 2nd Rangers was soon joined by afurther battalion as US planners felt that two
such specialist units would be needed for the invasion of Occupied Europe. The 5th
Battalion was activated at Camp Forrest on September 1 and in November followed the
2nd Battalion through Fort Pierce and then, from the 20th, trained at Fort Dix. It sailed
for England "in January 1944.
Meanwhile, once in England, the 2nd Battalion was initially stationed north
Cornwall, and continued to on training, although individual Rangers served
with British Commando parties during several sm"all cross-Channel raids. Many of these
were designed to gain intelligence or as nuisance raids to mislead the Germans as to
where the Allied invasion take place. On the night of December 26-27, 1943, for
example; two Rangers tqok 'part in Operation Hardtack 4, which was designed to assess
the beach defences at south of the Somme Estuary and some distance from the
Normandy area. On the 28th the battalion moved to litchfield Barracks and
subsequently underwent cliff-assault training in the Isle of Wight: It returned to Bude in
February 1944 and in April spent some weeks at the Centre at
Woolacombe in north Devon before moving tp Dorchester in. D rft. the"27th.
The 5th Battalion Major Max Schneider arrived at- " on January 18 and
was initially based at' " ioster before mandoTraining Depot
at Achnacarry in. M the As ... her periods of
training followed, 5 the '
later Rudder was Pl
By the end of the m
Swanage for
Left: Practice night landing, January 1944.
Right and Below: It could almost be ormandy -
the pill boxes and gullies of Omaha, and the cliffs of
Pointe du Hoc. In fact the photos are taken on the
north coast of Devon, England, around Bude. The
wide expanse of sand, with dunes and some cliffs
provided the Rangers and other Allied forces with the
perfect place to hone their landing techniques ...
and, of course, maintain their physical fitness thanks
to the ubiquitous pole routine.
Right: The attack on Pointe du Hoc - a brave and
brilliantly executed special force attack in no way
belittled by the fact that the Germans had not
positioned their guns in the casemates.
LEONARD LOMELL
Lomeli was afirst sergeant with Company
D, 2nd Rangers, and, although wounded in
the initial landings at the base of the
Pointe du Hoc on D-Day, he scaled the
cliffs and played a key role in the mission,
winning the Distinguished Service Cross for
the destruction of three 155 mm guns:
' ... Jack Kuhn (also to win the DSCj and
I went down this sunken road not knowing
where the hell it was going, but it was
going inland. We came upon this vale or
little draw with camouflage all over it, and
10 and behold, we peeked over this
hedgerow, and there were the guns. It was
pure luck. They were all sitting in proper
firing condition, with ammunition piled' up
neatly, everything at the ready, but they.
were pointed at Utah Beach, not Omaha.
There was nobody at the emplacement. We
looked round cautiously, and over about
100 yards away in a corner of afield was a
vehicle with what looked like an officer
talking to his men.
We decided that nobody was here so
let's take a chance. I said; "Jack, you cover
me and I'm going in there and destroy
them." So all I had was two thermite
grenades - his and mine. I went in and put
the thermite grenades in the traversing
mechanism, and that knocked out two of
them because that melted their gears in a
moment. And then I broke their sights, and
we ran back to the road, which was 100
yards or so back, and got all the other
thermites from the remainder of my guys
manning the roadblock, and rushed back
and put the grenades in traversing
mechanisms, elevation mechanisms, and
banged the sights. There was no noise to
that. There is no noise to athermite, so no
one saw us... '
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
ASSAULTING THE POINTE DU HOC
The Ranger Group was attached to the US 29th Infantry Division's 116th Regiment for
Operation Overlord and was detailed to undertake one of the the most hazardous
missions conducted on D-Day. Omaha Beach was overlooked by the commanding cliffs
of the Pointe du Hoc to the west and intelligence had identified asix-gun German coastal
battery being installed on the cliff-top that could sweep the beach and target any
invasion fleet. The garrison was estimated at 200 men from the 716th Coastal Defence
Division.
The Pointe du Hoc assault opened at 0540 hours on June 6, 1944, with a
bombardment of the cliff-top from the battleship USS Texas, which was followed by an
attack from 19 A-20 Boston medium bombers from the US Ninth Air Force. Those
Rangers earmarked to lead the attack, 225 men from Companies D, E, F of the 2nd
Battalion under the direct command of Lieutenant Colonel Rudder, had a difficult
approach. They boarded their Landing Craft, Assault (LCAs) from two transports,
Amsterdam and Ben-my-Chree, amid rough seas. It was expected that the journey to
shore would take around three hours but the LCAs were buffeted by high waves and the
troops and crews were quickly drenched or convulsed by seasickness. Two of the three
accompanying heavily laden supply craft sank. Worse, one of the landing craft, LCA.860,
with 20 Rangers from Company Daboard was also lost, although the men were rescued
by amotor launch and returned to England. Finally, anavigation error by the commander
of the leading LCA, that with Rudder on board, led the flotilla towards another
promontory, Pointe de la Percee, three miles (5 km) to the east of the objective. Rudder
spotted the error but the course correction delayed the attack for some 40 minutes. This
had far-reaching repercussions. First the slow-moving LCAs had to sail westwards
parallel to the coast and only 100 yards (100 m) or so offshore to reach the Pointe du
Hoc, and in doing so came under close-range enemy fire. Second, the naval
bombardment by the Texas ended exactly on schedule as it was believed that the
Rangers had landed successfully and on time. The loss of fire support allowed the
defenders to emerge from their bunkers and man their positions. Two destroyers, the USS
Satterlee and HMS Talybont, used their main armament to rectify the situation but their
weight of shell was obviously much less than that of the battleship. Finally, the remainder
of the 2nd Battalion and the whole of Schneider's 5th Rangers were supposed to land in
direct support of Rudder when the latter fired flares to signals to signify a successful
landing. Because of the delay no flares were seen at the expected time and at 0700
Schneider adopted the pre-agreed alternative plan. The codewordTilt was issued and the
LCAs carrying abattalion and ahalf of Rangers swung away from the Pointe du Hoc and
made for the western end of Omaha Beach.
Rudder's three companies, which had lost 40 men during the approach, landed on the
narrow beach below the cliff and quickly discovered that their problems were far from
over. Aside from the alert defenders, much of their specialist climbing equipment was
unusable. The DUKWs with turntable ladders were unable to cross the crater-pocked
landing site, and many of the rocket-propelled grapnels for their climbing ropes were
useless as the saturated ropes were far too heavy to be fired to the top of the cliff.
Nevertheless the attack continued; some grapnels were still operable and the Rangers
had their sectional ladders to hand. Others simply resorted to climbing the cliff by hand,
seeking out footholds in the cliff face. Despite intense German fire and the severing of
several ropes that pitched Rangers to their deaths, Rudder's men inched their way
upwards. At 0730 the commander received aradio message, 'Praise the Lord,' indicating
that some of his men had reached the summit and were fighting inland towards the
coastal road running between Grandcamp-Ies-Bains to the west and Vierville-sur-Mer to
52
IN ACTION
--
:-:..
Pointe
du Hoc
860 ()
H+30 MINS
861 BEACHED
MENON
CLIFF TOP
H+70 MINS
I
" 4000 yards
I
I
I
I
" DUKWs LAUNCHED
" H+ 5 MINS
I
oLCT415
H+40 MINS
H+40 MINS
"TILT"
[) ML 163
501 ~ ~
....J
509 ~ !
....J
507 ~
SECOND SUPPLY LCA SUNK
FIRST SUPPLY LCA SUNK
LCA 860 SUMK
oML 194
oLCT415
510 ~ ~ 522
LCA FLOTILLAS CARRYING
2nd RANGERS COYS
BEGIN RUN-IN
H-120 MINS
~
N
CLIFFS
NARROW BEACH WITH SHINGLE
ML (MOTOR LAUNCH)
LCT
LCA
LCA FLOTI LLA
DUKW WITH LADDER
DUKW IN SUPPORT
GUN EMPLACEMENT
)OOOOOOOOE BELT 50 YARDS+ MINEFIELDS AND WIRE
A-A GUNS AND MACHINE GUN POITIONS NOT SHOWN.
A-A GUNS EAST,WEST AND SOUTH OF BATTERY
AND 4 MACHINE GUN SITES
53
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
54
Above: It would be only on D+2 that relief came and
prisoners could be taken away. ote the Stars and
Stripes prominently displayed. This was to stop friendly
fire problems - some Rangers were lost to Allied tank
fire on D+1.
Left: Aerial view of Pointe du Hoc. Heavily bombarded
by Allied aircraft in the days preceding D-Day, and by
the battleship Texas, nevertheless the position was
difficult to assault, thanks to the 100 ft (30 m) cliffs
and a tenacious defence. It was even more difficult to
hold: short of men (Rudder was down to 70 effectives)
the Rangers performed heroics in the face of German
counter-attacks.
Far left: The way up the Pointe - photograph taken
D+2when the way up was being used for supplies.
ote the joined toggle rope. Compare this photograph
with those of the re-enactment on pages 66 onwards.
Above: US troops land on Omaha Beach: the scene of
the worst casualties on D-Day - over 2,000. The 5th
Rangers and three companies of the 3rd (the other
three were attacking Pointe du Hoc) landed on the
west of Omaha.
the east. Reports also indicated that resistance was less than expected, chiefly because
the naval and air bombardments had not only turned the Pointe du Hoc into a shell-
cratered wasteland but had also dazed and demoralized many of the defenders. The
Rangers now sought out the coastal guns but only discovered their emplacements. The
mystery was solved at around 0900 when the guns were discovered about 880 yards
inland, hidden under camouflage and waiting to be installed in their final positions. While
these guns were destroyed, Rudder sent a message to his superiors shortly after midday:
'Located Pointe du Hoe [sic]. Mission accomplished. Need ammunition and
reinforcements. Many casualties.' It was no more than the truth; his command, split into
small groups with an estimated effective strength of 100 men, was facing severe German
counterattacks, and the supply situation was critical as much-needed ammunition had
been lost on the sunk supply craft.
If Rudder's men were not to be overwhelmed, it was essential that the 5th Rangers
fight their way off Omaha Beach and head westwards for the Pointe du Hoc, but
Schneider's men, like all the US forces committed to Omaha, were facing adifficult task.
Their landing was well executed and there were few casualties but the men had to seek
shelter behind a low sea wall to avoid murderous enemy fire. With the landings on
Omaha in clear jeopardy, the assistant commander of the 29th Division, General Norman
Cota, turned to Schneider's men at around 1000. Fearing his troops would never get off
the beach, he issued a terse order: 'Lead the way, Rangers.' Individual platoons now
began to move forward and seek a way inland between minefields and various other
obstacles and were eventually able to reach a road running parallel to the coast some
1,000 yards (900 m) inland and leading to Vierville, which lay on the western edge of
Omaha and blocked the direct route to the Pointe du Hoc. By nightfall, the bulk of the
5th Battalion was holding the western fringe ofVierville but was still short of its objective,
although a platoon from Company A was able to swing south of the town and reach
Rudder. During the 7th Rudder's men beat off several counterattacks, partly aided by
naval support, received some much-needed supplies and had their strength boosted by
asecond platoon from the 5th Rangers. At 1700 hours that afternoon he was ordered to
strike out towards Vierville to link up with a relief column comprising Companies A, B,
56
IN ACTION
and Cof the 2nd Rangers, the whole of the remaining 5th Rangers and 150 men from
the 116th RCT. Despite having tanks in support, this force was halted by artillery fire near
S1. Pierre-de-Mont, forcing Rudder to hold out for asecond night. Asecond relief attempt
was mounted on the morning of the 8th. The 5th Rangers and two battalions from the
116th Infantry pushed forward from around St. Pierre-de-Mont and finally reached
Rudder's perimeter, thereby ending the battle for the Pointe du Hoc. Both battalions
subsequently moved into Grandcamp. The action had cost Rudder 135 casualties but
earned his unit a Presidential Unit Citation, an honour also granted to the 5th Battalion.
Over the following days both battalions helped in the capture of Grandcamp and dealt
with pockets of German resistance around Grandcamp and Isigny.
FROM NORMANDY TO VICTORY
After aspell integrating replacements and providing security details during June and July,
the 2nd and 5th Battalions' next major role was to exploit the Allied breakout of the
Normandy bridgehead that followed the success of Operation Cobra in late July. Once
Patton'sThird Army had successfully funnelled through the bottlenecks at Avranches and
Pontaubault that led from southwest Normandy into northeast Brittany, it then spread out
on a wide front, with two corps detailed to seize Brittany and the numerous ports
defended by the German XXV Corps. Moving on a narrow front Major General Troy
Middleton's US VIII Corps struck westwards towards Brest along the peninsula's north
coast and southwest towards Rennes, while Major General Walton Walker's US XX Corps
headed due south to St. Nazaire to seal off Brittany from the rest of France.
The US forces pushed forward quickly, with the US 6th Armored Division making rapid
progress towards Brest. The division, which had moved through Pontaubault on August
2, reached the port four days later but failed to force the garrison, 30,000 troops of the
German II Parachute Corps under General Hermann Ramcke, to surrender. The heavily
defended port had to be taken by aformal siege, carried out by the US 2nd; 8th and 29th
Infantry Divisions, Allied aircraft and warships, French Resistance units and the two
Ranger battalions. Operations only commenced on August 25, being delayed because of
the need to capture St. Malo. Brest was ringed by around 75 major concrete
emplacements and these had to be taken one by one often using flamethrowers, satchel
charges and shaped charges to pierce their armour.The Rangers were flung into the battle
to neutralize several key defences. It took Rudder's 2nd Battalion several days of hard
fighting between September 5 and 9 to seize the Lochrist battery but the Rangers
eventually captured some 1,800 prisoners. The 5th Battalion helped capture Le Conquet
after atwo-hour fight and stormed La Mon Blanche with less difficulty, but its attack on
Fort de Portzic, which opened on the 17th, lasted for two days, though its fall signalled
the end of German resistance. Brest, the town and its harbour facilities in ruins,
surrendered on the 18th.
After Brittany both battalions moved eastwards, participating in the Allied drive
towards the German border and performing a number of functions. The 5th Battalion
acted as aheadquarters security force for General Omar Bradley'sTwelfth Army Group in
Belgium during October and November. In December it linked up with the US 6th Cavalry
Group of Patton'sThird Army and conducted various small-scale actions against enemy-
held towns. After a spell attached to the US 95th Infantry Division in January 1945, the
battalion joined the 94th Infantry Division on February 9, taking over a large section of
the front near Wehingen.
It was during this period that the 5th Rangers undertook an operation more suited to
its skills. On February 23, the unit pushed out from the bridgehead over the Saar River
and fought its way to a point three miles (5 km) behind German lines to seize high
57
THE RANGER CREED
Recognizing that I volunteered as a
Ranger, fullyknowlng the hazards of my
chosen profession, I will always endeavor
to uphold the prestige, honor, and esprit
de corps of my Ranger Regiment.
Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a
more elite soldier who arrives at the
cutting edge of battle by land, sea, or air,
I accept the fact that as a Ranger my
country expects me to move farther,
faster and fight harder than any other
soldier.
Never shall I fail my comrades. I will
always keep myself mentally alert,
physically strong and morally straight
and I will shoulder more than my fair
share of the task whatever it may be.
One hundred percent and then some.
Gallantly will I show the world that I am a
specially selected and well-trained
soldier. My courtesy to superior officers,
neatness of dress and care of equipment
shall set an example for others to follow.
Energetically will I meet the enemies of my
country. I shall defeat them on the field
of battle for I am better trained and will
fight with all my might. Surrender is not
aRanger word. r will never leave afallen
comrade to fall into the hands of the
enemy and under no circumstances will r
ever embarrass my country.
Readily wiH I display the intestinal fortitude
required to fight on to the Ranger
objective and complete the mission
though I be the lone survivor.
Right: Company C, 2nd Ranger Battalion, prepares for
a patrol. Note the variety of equipment - all wear the
M1941 field jacket but with various bits of webbing
and different footwear. The man in the centre rests his
BAR on the ground.
Below right: 6th Rangers in the first wave attacking
Dinagat, October 17, 1944.
Below: The patrol goes out near Heimbach, Gennany,
March 3, 1945.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
ground overlooking the supply road linking Irsch and Zerf two days later. Isolated and
outnumbered, the battalion fought on alone until relieved by elements of the US 10th
Armored Division on the afternoon of the 27th. Holding the roadblock cost the battalion
around 90 casualties but it killed an estimated 300 German troops, wounded 500 and
took another 300 prisoner, earning a Presidential Unit Citation for the action.The fighting
aided the drive of armour towards Trier, allowing elements of the US XX Corps to reach
the River Rhine.
The 5th Rangers spent March in Luxembourg integrating replacements for the losses
suffered during the Irsch-Zerf action but then conducted security roles, such as guarding
prisoners and overseeing affairs in liberated towns. In May, in one of the battalion's last
actions, it served with the US 3rd Cavalry Group in the drive on Austria through southern
Germany and secured largely undefended bridges over the Danube River.
The 2nd Battalion also moved eastwards after the fall of Brest, advancing through
Belgium and then undertaking a period of training in Luxembourg during October.
Returning to combat, the Rangers were attached to the US 28th Infantry Division and
took part in the battle to clear the HUrtgen Forest. In December Rudder was promoted
and transferred to take command of the US 109th Infantry Regiment, part of the US 28th
Infantry Division, and Major George Williams took charge of the 2nd Battalion, which
operated in a defensive role during the German Ardennes offensive. In January 1945 the
weakened battalion was pulled out of the line and set up camp at Schnidthof in Germany,
where replacements were integrated into the unit. In February the battalion served with
the US 102nd Cavalry Group and participated in the crossing of the Roer River during
March. April saw the battalion performing security details.
Germany's surrender heralded the demise of the two battalions. In May, following the
completion of various internal security duties, the 2nd Rangers established a base at
Dolreuth in Czechoslovakia, where it was reduced to zero strength in June and formally
deactivated at Camp Patrick Henry, Virginia, on October 23. The same fate befell the 5th
Battalion. Based at Ried, Austria, in May and June, it was reduced to zero strength and
formally deactivated on October 22 at Camp Miles Standish, Massachusetts. The end of
the two battalions did not, however, signal the end of Ranger participation in World
War II.
RANGERS IN THE PACIFIC
Although the bulk of the Ranger battalions served in the European theatre, the need for
a similar force to operate against the Japanese in the Pacific was recognized by the
commander of the US Sixth Army, Lieutenant General Walter Krueger, in the penultimate
year of the war. In spring 1944, with the invasion and liberation of the Philippines
becoming areal possibility, a lieutenant colonel and former provost marshal of Honolulu,
Henry A. Mucci, took charge of the 98th Field Artillery Battalion, which had seen action
on New Georgia and was earmarked for conversion. The unit soon lost its 75 mm
howitzers, while those men not wishing to convert to Rangers were transferred out and
replacements integrated into the new structure. As the necessary intensive training
programme continued near Port Moresby, the 6th Ranger Battalion was officially
activated at Hollandia, Dutch East Indies, on September 24, 1944.
The 6th Rangers went into action afew weeks later as part of the preliminary stages
of the invasion of Leyte and thereby become the first US troops to return to the
Philippines since the Japanese occupation in 1942. The battalion's mission was to
neutralize radio and radar stations on three islands that covered the main route to the
landing beaches on Leyte. They were also to set up navigation lights to guide the main
invasion fleet to its ultimate target. On October 17, 1944, three days before the main
58
59
Above: Company E, 6th Rangers, board assault craft
October 17, 1944.
Opposite, above: Men of Companies Band E, 6th
Rangers, going ashore behind an armoured bulldozer,
Santiago Island, Luzon, January 20, 1945.
Opposite, below left: Guerrillas meet up with
Rangers on Dinagat Island, October 18, 1944.
Opposite, below right: Raising the Stars and Stripes
on Dinagat.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
assault, part of the battalion's headquarters company and its Company Dcame ashore
on Suluan Island, while most of the remainder of the unit landed on the larger island of
Dinagat. At Dinagat, the Rangers disembarked from their five Auxiliary Personnel
Destroyers into landing craft and began their run to shore at around 0930. Despite
problems caused by reefs, all of the assault companies were ashore on the island's
northwest coast by 1230 and patrols were searching for the small enemy garrison. While
the sweeps of Suluan and Dinagat continued, the rest of the headquarters company and
Company B assaulted Homonhon Island during the following day. The detachments on
Suluan and Homonhon quickly achieved their objectives and then headed to Dinagat, the
largest of the three islands, to link up with the main party. For the next few weeks the
battalion conducted patrols out of the coastal village of Loreto, observing Japanese ship
movements and air attacks, and mopping up isolated pockets of resistance, but on
November 14 the Rangers sailed for Leyte.
The 6th Battalion fought on Leyte for several weeks and fulfilled several roles. In the
second half of November and December, the Rangers acted as guards for the Sixth Army
headquarters atTanuan andTolosa and also protected aSeebee construction unit building
an airfield at the former location. They next participated in the invasion of Luzon, the
main island of the Philippines. Landings at Lingayen Gulf by Krueger's Sixth Army began
on January 9, 1945, but the Rangers did not spearhead the assault and came ashore
during the 10th and 11th. For the next few weeks the battalion acted as guards for the
Sixth Army's headquarters but also undertook more aggressive operations - two
companies landed on Santiago Island at the northwest entrance to Lingayen Gulf to
establish a radar station, while other detachments launched reconnaissance patrols into
Luzon's mountainous and jungle-covered interior.
However, the most renowned Ranger operation of the campaign took place at the end
of January after Mucci attended a meeting at Dagupan, the Sixth Army's headquarters,
on the 27th and was ordered to free an estimated 500 US captives from a Japanese
prison camp some 10 miles (16 km) east of Cabanatuan in the island's central plains.
Many of the prisoners were survivors of the Japanese capture of the Philippines in 1942
and it was feared that they would either be moved or executed before they could be
liberated by the forces committed to the ongoing ground offensive. Mucci felt that the
infiltration of the whole battalion some 30 miles (48 km) behind enemy lines would be
far too risky so selected his Company Cunder Captain Robert Prince and the 2nd Platoon
of FCompany for the raid - just 121 men. Filipino guerrillas were available to guide the
Rangers to their target, while members of the Alamo Scouts, a specialist reconnaissance
formation created by Krueger and named after the famed mission in his home town, San
Antonio, Texas, kept the compound under observation.
The raid opened at 0500 hours on the 28th, when trucks transported the Rangers
from their base at Calasio by way of Dagupan to Guimba, where they disembarked from
their transporters. They next marched afew miles eastwards to Lobong, where they were
met by 80 local guerrillas under Captain Eduardo Jonson. As darkness fell the raiders set
off for their objective, negotiating the jungle paths leading eastwards three miles (5 km)
south of Baloc. After crossing the Cabanatuan-San Jose road they plunged farther
eastwards, crossing the Talavera River around midnight and then reached the
Cabanatuan-Rizal road at 0400 hours on the 29th. Two hours later Mucci and his men
halted at Balincarin, five miles (8 km) north of the camp, where they ate and rested -
they had covered 25 miles in 24 hours. Mucci was joined by Captain Juan Pajota, who
added 90 armed guerrillas and 160 porters to the raid. Pajota was also able to provide
the carts that would be needed to move the sick and weakened prisoners back to friendly
lines. At 1600 hours Mucci led his men due south towards Plateros, where he met two
Alamo Scouts. They informed him that Cabanatuan was guarded by 500 Japanese troops
60
61
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
-------.. RETURN ROUTE
c : = = = ~ ~ GENERAL DIRECTION OF
V JAPANESE MOVEMENT
15
I
I
20
ROUTE OF ADVANCE
PRISON CAMP
ROAD BLOCK BY GUERRILLAS
COMBAT PATROL SCREEN
GENERALLY OUTLINING U.S.
FORWARD POSITIONS 28th JAN
LIMIT OF RECON
PATROLS 28th JAN
MILES
KILOMETRES
/I
II
o
"""""",
o
I
o
... MtAmorong
JAPANESE PATROLS
THROUGHOUT
MtBangay ...
Above: The mission to rescue the prisoners from
Cabanatuan.
and that an enemy division was falling back along a second road between Cabanatuan
town and Rizal that ran close to the compound near Cabu. Mucci gained permission from
Sixth Army headquarters to delay his attack until the next day to allow the enemy
division to depart.
The raid devised by Mucci was complex, involving several distinct forces. Jonson's
guerrillas and asix-man Ranger bazooka team established a blocking position at apoint
on the road some BOO yards (700 m) southwest of the camp to stop any Japanese
advancing from Cabanatuan town. Similarly, Pajota's guerrillas set up positions on the
same road but at Cabu bridge a mile (1.6 km) northeast of the compound to prevent the
arrival of any of the BOO-strong enemy garrison based at the latter town. Other guerrillas
were detached to sever the camp's telephone lines to isolate it from outside help.
Company F's 2nd Platoon under Lieutenant John Murphy infiltrated into positions close
to the compound's eastern perimeter; its job was to neutralize two emplacements and a
pair of observation towers at the moment when Company Cbegan its attack through the
main gate on the northern perimeter, which was also close to the huts holding the US
prisoners. Speed was essential as any delay might have allowed the Japanese to execute
their captives.
After leaving Platero during the afternoon of the 30th, the Rangers and guerrillas
crossed the Pampanga River. The guerrillas then took up their blocking positions and the
Rangers pushed on to the camp without being detected. The attack opened at around
1945 and was heralded by the cutting of the telephone lines and Murphy's diversionary
assault on the eastern perimeter. Company C, in positions just 20 yards from the main
gate, then attacked, rapidly killing sentries and men resting in nearby barracks. The
62
IN ACTION
company's various assault sections now split up to carry out various tasks and fanned out Above: Escorting PaWs released from Cabanatuan
through the complex: four tanks and two trucks were destroyed; radios were smashed; prison on Luzon, Philippines, January 1945.
the prisoners released and helped out of the compound. The raid was completed in a
mere 30 minutes; Prince fired asingle red flare to start the withdrawal. Ranger casualties
had been remarkably light with just a few men wounded but a medical officer, Captain
James Fisher, was mortally wounded by a mortar fragment and a second man, Roy
Sweezy, fell victim to friendly rifle fire. Amile outside the now-burning camp, the captain
fired a second flare, which was the signal for the two blocking parties to abandon their
positions. Jonson had no difficulties and fell in behind the withdrawing Rangers and
liberated prisoners, but Pejota took around an hour to extricate his men from a bitter
firefight with an unexpectedly large Japanese force of 2,000 men from Cebu.
The withdrawing column first renegotiated the Pampanga River, where carts were Below: January 30, 1945. Donald A. Adams of 6th
waiting for the sick and wounded, and then reached Plateros, where Fisher succumbed to Rangers and Abe Abraham, ex-PoW.
his wounds the next day in the temporary field hospital he himself had previously
established.The column began the next stage of journey back to friendly lines at 2130, and,
as more and more carts were made available, passed through Balincarin. Flank and rear
guards were deployed to slow the pursuit of the Japanese and, although the column moved
slowly on a course that paralleled but was south of that used to reach the prison camp,
Mucci was fortunate in that he would not have as far to go as expected because, on the
morning of the 31st, he learned that the front line had been pushed beyond Guimba and
Lobong since he had left for the operation. The Rangers' first contact with Sixth Army units
occurred atTalavera town, where ambulances and other transports were gathered to move
the sick and wounded to nearby hospitals at Guimba. Some 513 prisoners had been
brought out of captivity while two Rangers had been killed and 10 wounded. The
Cabanatuan raid was a classic Ranger operation and earned the gratitude of MacArthur
who remarked that: 'no incident of this war has given me greater satisfaction than the
Ranger rescue of these Americans.' Aside from the acclaim of the popular press back home,
those involved received other awards. CCompany and FCompany's 2nd Platoon earned
Presidential Unit Citations. Mucci and Prince received the Distinguished Service Cross, every
63
MERRILL'S MARAUDERS
An American Ranger-style force, the 5307th
Composite Provisional Unit was formed in
India in 1943 and trained under the direction
of Orde Wingate, the Chindit leader.
Nicknamed 'Merrill's Marauders', after their
leader, Brigadier-General Frank Merrill, they
campaigned b r i l l i a n t l ~ earning a Presidential
Unit Citation. Outnumbered, without heavy
weapons, they defeated the veterans of the
Japanese 18th Division who had conquered
Singapore and Malaya in 1941. They
disrupted enemy supply and communication
lines, and finally captured Myitkina Airfield,
the only all-weather airfield in Burma. While
in Bunna they trained Gurkhas and Kachins,
such as those illustrated here.
Below right: US-trained Gurkha Ranger on guard at
Myitkina, January 18, 1945.
Below: Gurkha and Kachin training session underway
at Myitkina.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
other officer the Silver Star, and every enlisted man the Bronze Star.
The Cabanatuan mission was also the high point of the 6th Battalion's participation
in the Pacific campaign, but the unit continued to operate in the Philippines until the
end of the war. A variety of operations were conducted, chiefly hit-and-run raids,
reconnaissance, and clearing Luzon's highland interior. Such operations were
conducted by individual companies. In April, for example, one was used to block a
Japanese withdrawal from the eastern sector of Luzon, while beginning in May another
was sent on a long-range mission into the north of the island. This involved the
battalion's Company B infiltrating some 200 miles (320 km) behind enemy lines to
reach Appari on the island's north coast and then aid an assault landing by the US
11th Airborne Division. After the landings the Rangers operated with the paratroopers
as they pushed southwards from Appari down the valley of the Cagayan River to link
up with the US 37th Infantry Division in what was one of the last major attacks of the
campaign.
Following the Japanese surrender in August 1945 the battalion was earmarked for
occupation duties, although 139 men had already been demobilized on August 20. The
remainder left Luzon for Japan on September 15 and landed at Honshu's Wakayama
Beach 10 days later. The battalion established a base that was christened Camp Fisher,
after the doctor killed in the withdrawal from Cabanatuan, but its occupation duties were
neither onerous nor prolonged. At the end of November the battalion paraded for afinal
time before Krueger and it was formally deactivated on December 20, thereby ending
the story of the Rangers in World War II.
64
IN ACTION
AWARDS
DARBY'S FAREWELL
Notes
1 Participated in six campaigns, including four amphibious assaults.
2 Participated in five campaigns, including one amphibious assault.
3 Participated in four campaigns, including three amphibious assaults.
4 Participated in four campaigns, including three amphibious assaults.
5 Participated in five campaigns, including one amphibious assault.
6 Participated in three campaigns, including one amphibious assault.
7 Awarded to Company Cand 2nd Platoon, Company F.
Unit Award
1st Rangers (1) Presidential Unit Citation
Presidential Unit Citation
2nd Rangers (2) Presidential Unit Citation
Croix de Guerre
3rd Rangers (3) Presidential Unit Citation
4th Rangers (4)
5th Rangers (5) Presidential Unit Citation
Croix de Guerre
Presidential Unit Citation
6th Rangers (6) Presidential Unit Citation
Presidential Unit Citation
Location Date
EIGuettar 1943
Salerno 1943
Pointe du Hoc 1944
Pointe du Hoc 1944
Salerno 1943
Pointe du Hoc 1944
Pointe du Hoc 1944
Irsch-Zerl 1945
Cabanatuan (7) 1945
Philippines 1944-45
The 1st, 3rd and 4th Rangers were officially
deactivated in late 1944 following their
return to the United States and in April
1945 Darby penned a heart-felt letter (in
the event shortly before his own death) to
those who had survived the battles in
Europe:
,... As your commanding officer, I am
justly proud to have led such an
outstanding group of American fighting
men. Never was I more sad than on the day
of our parting. Never was I more content
than being with you on our many exciting
operations. You trained hard, you fought
hard, and always you gave your best
regardless of discomfort or danger. From
the great Allied raid at Dieppe through the
exacting, bitter campaigns culminating with
the Anzio beachhead battles, the 1st, 3rd,
and 4th Ranger Battalions have perlormed
in a capacity unsurpassed by the highest
traditions of the American Army. Your
record speaks for itself.
We - the living Rangers - will never
forget our fallen comrades. They and the
ideals for which they fought will remain
ever present among us, for we fully
understand the extent of their heroic
sacrifices. We will carry their spirit with us
into all walks of life, into all corners of
America. Our hearts join together in sorrow
for their loss; but also our hearts swell with
pride to have fought alongside such valiant
men. They will never be considered dead,
for they live with us in spirit ...
No better way can I sum up my feelings
of pride for your splendid achievements
than to state this: Commanding the
Rangers was like driving ateam of very
high-spirited horses. No effort was needed
to get them to go forward. The problem was
to hold them in check. Good luck, Rangers,
and may your futures be crowned with
deserving success.'
65
INSIGNIA, CLOTHING
& EQUIPMENT
Above right: Rangers' shoulder flashes. The first
(left)was designed by Sgt. Anthony Fleet in 1942. Each
of the six battalions wore an unofficial scroll like this
one - made official in 1987. The lozenge shape
(middle) was only worn by members of 2nd and 5th
Rangers. The third (right) was used by 29th Rangers.
Underneath is the unofficial flash of 'Merrill's
Marauders' .
Right: Re-enactment view of Operation Torch
uniforms - M1942 herringbone twill suits, M1
helmets, M1928 haversacks, and gasmasks carried
slung across their chests. The man on the right carries
an M1 .30 cal rifle; the one on the left an M1928A1
Thompson submachine gun. Note US identification
armbands.
Below: Corporal 'Zip' Koons displays his 1st Ranger
Battalion shoulder flash.
The Rangers who saw service in World War " generally wore uniforms and carried
weapons that were standard throughout the US Army. However, as the text below reveals
there were exceptions to this that grew out of their specialist role and, with regard to
uniform, because of their initial attachment to British units. Members of the various
battalions also wore standard rank insignia and the like but did adopt a range of unit
cloth badges that marked them out as Rangers.
INSIGNIA
The insignia most used to identify members of the six main Ranger Battalions during
World War " was the scroll worn singly on the wearer's upper left shoulder. This was
originally an unofficial design created for the 1st Battalion in late 1942 by Sergeant
Anthony Fleet but it was later copied by the other battalions and gained acceptance with
the US military authorities. Fleet's badge comprised avery dark blue/black scroll-shaped
background with white lettering enclosed in a edging in the form of athin red line. The
title 'Ranger' appeared in the centre with the unit's number to the viewer's left and the
abbreviation 'BN' for battalion on the right. The cloth patches were generally
manufactured locally and were not always readily available so it is not uncommon to see
photos of Rangers without the device.
During Operation Torch in North Africa in November 1942, the 1st Battalion wore
special badges to indicate their nationality to the opposing Vichy French, as it was
thought that they were less likely to fire on US troops. Adetachable US flag was worn
on the left shoulder and a plain white band was worn about midway between the elbow
and shoulder of one, or sometimes both, arms.
In contrast to the more common scroll device, the short-lived 29th Provisional Ranger
Battalion wore an entirely different scroll comprising a small red shoulder tab with the
words '29th Ranger' in mid-blue lettering. This was sometimes worn above the emblem
of the US 29th Infantry Division, a green-edged circle divided into blue and grey halves
by an S-shaped curve, from the ranks of which the battalion's recruits were drawn.
A second cloth shoulder insignia was officially approved for all of the Ranger
battalions in July 1943, although it appears only to have been worn by the 2nd and 5th
Battalions, and began to appear the following September. It consisted of a lozenge-
shaped piece of light blue cloth with gold-yellow edging and the title 'Rangers' in the
centre rendered in the same colour. An unofficial version of the design with two gold-
yellow edges was worn by members of the 5th Battalion from September 1943 but was
replaced by the prescribed version after a couple of months. Both symbols were
nicknamed the Blue Sunoco as they bore a close similarity to the corporate logo of the
66
INSIGNIA, CLOTHING & EQUIPMENT
67
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
Above: Wet weather gear in Scotland, October 31,
1942. Note the 'new' Ml helmet rather than the
British-style M1917AI. The original rubberised cotton
ponchos soon gave way to resin-coated nylon fabric.
They didn't have hoods - just a drawstring - or
sleeves - snap fasteners allowed them to be gathered
around the arms. All had metal grommets to allow
them to be used as tent shelters.
US Sunoco Oil Company and, unlike the scroll, sometimes appeared on both shoulders.
The 2nd and 5th Battalions abandoned their Blue Sunoco designs during the summer of
1945, only after the war in Europe had ended, when they adopted the standard scroll.
During the assault on the Pointe du Hoc the Rangers of both battalions had field
identification symbols painted onto the back of their helmets. These consisted of a gold-
yellow lozenge with the battalion number in black in the centre. Officers were further
identified by a short, broad vertical white band running behind the lozenge, while non-
commissioned officers had a similar device but running horizontally.
CLOTHING
For the most part the Rangers wore standard US military dress throughout the war. When
training in Scotland, they were mostly seen in the one-piece herring-bone work suit in
olive drab. The British-style M1917Al helmet was used during this period but was
replaced by the ubiquitous Ml during the latter part of 1942. For operations in North
Africa, Rangers wore serge olive drab trousers, wool shirts of a similar colour, the Ml
helmet and web gaiters and in warm weather they generally fought in this shirt-sleeve
order. However, as desert nights can be cold, they were often seen dressed in the M1941
68
INSIGNIA, CLOTHING & EQUIPMENT
jacket, a waist-length single-breasted design, that proved only moderately
successful in combating the night-time temperatures. It was not uncommon for
Rangers to wear extra items of clothing - pullovers, scarves and the olive knit
cap or beanie - for additional warmth. The jacket issued to members of
armoured units, a waist-length design with knitted collar and cuff, was also
highly prized as it had awarmer lining and offered greater protection from the
weather. However, for the most part, the Rangers soldiered on with the M1941
through Sicily, Italy and D-Day, but many adopted the M1943 woollen field
jacket when it became available as this design offered better protection against
the winter weather encountered during the final stages of the campaign in
Europe.
For its operations in the Pacific the 6th Rangers mostly wore the lightweight
M1943 herring-bone fatigues and for the Cabanatuan raid its headgear
comprised the M1941 field cap.
Probably almost uniquely, some Rangers also wore British battledress for a
time. The party of men who fought at Dieppe in 1942 had much the same
uniform as the Commando units to which they were attached and the same "
was true of members of the 29th Ranger Battalion when they participated in
raids against Occupied Europe.
WEAPONS
The Rangers were essentially fast-moving light infantry and generally lacked
support weapons that were more powerful than lighVmedium machine guns,
mortars and bazookas. Their small arms were generally standard issue and
comparable to those carried by other US infantry units. If their firepower
needed to be boosted, they were supported by units or detachments that could
provide the necessary weapons.
Pistols, Rifles and Sub-machine Guns
When the 1st Battalion arrived in Scotland for training, the men were equipped
with the M1903Al bolt-action Springfield rifle but this was quickly replaced by
the .30-calibre Garand Ml semi-automatic from the autumn of 1942 and this
became the mainstay of the individual Ranger's firepower for the remainder of the war, Above: T/Sgt. John S. Rembecki does some paperwork
although some hung on to the Springfield for atime. Among these men were snipers, one in camp in England, October 1942. Note the early war
of whom was attached to the headquarters of each platoon, who continued to use a equipment - British-style M1917A1 helmet.
modified version of the M1903 Springfield, the A, fitted with a telescope sight such as
the M73B. When it became available, the Rangers also adopted the shorter Ml carbine.
The most popular sub-machine gun was the excellent .45 calibre Ml Thompson, which
was originally held at battalion level and issued to individual Rangers when necessary.
The Rangers used the 50-round drum magazine in their early days but it proved
cumbersome and was replaced by the 20- or 30-round box magazine. The most popular
pistol was M1911Al automatic.
Machine Guns
The first Ranger battalions were issued with 23 .30-calibre tripod-mounted Browning
M1919A4 light machine guns. These were wholly satisfactory weapons, capable of firing
around 500 rounds per minute from 250-round belts, but not entirely suited to Ranger-
style operations as they were comparatively heavy and not easy to move around the
battlefield at speed. More practical for giving direct close support during an attack was
the M1918A2 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). This was operated by a single Ranger
69
Right: This close-up shows a detail of the front of the
M1926 us avy lifebelt, worn under an assault vest.
Below: Rear view of the two soldiers seen on page 67.
ote the five-magazine pouch for the Thompson and
the waterbottle of the man on the right, and the M1923
cartridge belt of man at the left..
Far right: Are-enactment of the Pointe du Hoc
mission. Note the extremely light combat gear carried
- he has little more than awater bottle and a
Thompson. ote the Airborne jump boots that were
often used by Rangers.
INSIGNIA, CLOTHING & EQUIPMENT
71
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
Above: January 20, 1943 - a Ranger exercise in North
Africa.
Right: Going over the rail of the transport to the assault
craft, November 8, 1942.
Opposite: Speed march training, 1st Rangers North Africa,
December 5, 1942. At right, Corporal Chester Fisches of
Clinton, Idaho, carries his rifle over his shoulder. He is
bareheaded in the heat, and wears the shirt sleeve order so
often seen in North Africa, wool shirt, trousers, boots, M1938
webbing gaiters. He has an M1923 rifleman's, sweb cartridge
belt and an M1 rifle. At left, is similarly clad Private Edward
T. Calhoun of Campbelleville, Kentucky.
72
INSIGNIA, CLOTHING &. EQUIPMENT
73
SCALING THE POINTE DU HOC
The three companies of the 2nd Ranger Battalion under Lieutenant
Colonel James Rudder tasked with scaling the 100-foot (30 m)
cliffs of the Pointe du Hoc faced one of the most difficult tasks of
D-Day. Aware that speed was essential to their success, they were
issued with various ingenious devices that were designed to lessen
the difficulties of reaching the summit of their target as quickly as
possible.
The Rangers came ashore in several LCAs (Landing Craft,
Assault) that had each been fitted with three pairs of rockets. One
pair was capable of throwing a3/4-inch (7 mm) diameter rope
attached to a grapnel to heights of around 200 feet (70 m); the
second deployed similar rope lines but these were fitted with 2-
inch wooden toggles every foot or so; and the third pair launched
light rope ladders that had rungs every two feet. However, many of
the ropes became thoroughly sodden during the final approach to
the beach and proved far too heavy to be lifted to the cliff-top
when fired. When these devices failed, the Rangers resorted to
smaller hand-held versions with a range of around 100 feet (30
m) and some of these did reach the summit. The LCAs also carried
self-assembfyladders ashore. These consisted of 4-foot (1.2 m)
tubular sections that could be fitted together to complete a 112-
foot (34 m) ladder. For the Pointe du Hoc assault the Rangers pre-
assembled 16-foot (5 m) sections to hasten the process of
completing the ladders once they were at the base of the cliffs.
The most extraordinary items of equipment available to the
Rangers were specially customized DUKW amphibians. Although
these were normally deployed to carry troops or supplies, on D-
Day the Rangers were accompanied by two DUKWs fitted with
turntable-mounted extendable ladders capable of reaching heights
of around 100 feet (30 m) that had been acquired from the
London Rre Brigade.The top of each ladder was fitted with a pair
of Lewis guns designed to give the climbers a measure of fire
support. Although the converted DUKWs had performed to
expectation on exercises before June 6, on the actual day they
failed at the first hurdle. They were unable to reach the foot of the
cliffs due to their inability to cross the narrow shell-blasted beach
that was littered with large sections of the cliff that had been
detached by the pre-landing naval bombardment.
Since much of the specialist climbing equipment was
unsatisfactory for the intended task, the Rangers resorted to other
methods. Some were able to use ordinary climbing ropes or put
together sections of toggle ropes, several of which were cut by the
Germans as the Rangers scaled the heights, while others resorted
to gouging out hand and foot holds in the face using their hands
and combat knives. In the event many Rangers were killed or
wounded in the climb and a good number needed several attempts
to reach the summit.
Right: Three more re-enactment views of Rudder's 2nd Rangers assaulting Pointe
du Hoc. Note in particular the '2' in an orange diamond on the back of the
helmet identifying the unit. This was seen with the 2nd and 5th Rangers. While
the ladder looks effiCient, in fact the Rangers found the specialist climbing
equipment did not work as planned (as described in the box above). Note also the
rear of the US avy lifebelt on man at left, and the US assault vest worn by the
two lower men (in two different colours).
INSIGNIA, CLOTHING &. EQUIPMENT
75
Right: Radio report being prepared by a 5th Rangers'
team 'somewhere in France', August 17, 1944.
Below right: Ranger mortar section, December 2,
1942, North Africa.
Overleaf: Another re-enactment view of 2nd Rangers
at Pointe du Hoc.
Below: AKorean War photograph, but it shows off the
Browning Automatic Rifle which was the main
support weapon for Ranger units in World War II. Here
it is used with its bipod; this was often discarded in
action because of its weight. BAR gunners wore the
M1937 automatic rifleman's belt which had six web
pockets, each holding two 20-round magazines.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
who might carry up to 12 20-round magazines on the specially designed M1937 belt.
Although the BAR was fitted with a bipod, it was not uncommon for Rangers to remove
the stabilizing device to reduce the weapon's weight and make it easier to wield.
Mortars
The Rangers relied on two main types of mortar. Typically, abattalion was issued with six
of the larger calibre 81 mm Ml types and three times as many of the smaller 60 mm
M2 version of the weapon.
Anti-tank Weapons
For tank-killing the earliest Ranger battalions relied on the generally unsatisfactory
British-designed .55-calibre Boys anti-tank rifle fitted with a five-round magazine. The
official establishment called for a battalion to have 20 of these weapons but their
obsolescence was evident even in the early stages of the war and the Rangers came to
rely on the 2.36-inch Ml rocket-launcher, the famed bazooka, which packed a much
better punch, not only for attacking tanks but also for neutralizing fixed defences.
Grenades and Demolitions
As with other equipment, the Rangers were issued with standard anti-personnel
grenades. Among these were the M6 fragmentation grenade and the more unusual
M6 eN-OM devices filled with tear or vomiting gas. Rifle grenades were also
available. For example the M1919 Springfield could be fitted with the Ml launcher to
fire the M9 anti-tank grenade. Rangers were trained in the use of bangalore
torpedoes, which were primarily used for clearing paths through minefields or cutting
barbed wire entanglements. They consisted of 1
1
/2-inch or 2-inch diameter 8-foot
tubes filled with 10 or 12 Ib of
explosives. Depending on the
width of the obstruction, several
sections could be fitted together
in much the same way as a
socket bayonet is fixed to a rifle
and an igniter fitted to the end
nearest the user. A nose plug
was fitted to the front portion to
allow the whole device to be
pushed more easily through any
obstruction. The Rangers also
employed the pole charge on
occasion. This close-quarters
device was used for pushing
through the observation slits
and fire ports of pill-boxes and
consisted of a pair of Mk IIIAI
percussion grenades fixed to a
length of tent pole.
76
INSIGNIA, CLOTHING & EQUIPMENT
77
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
78
INSIGNIA, CLOTHING & EQUIPMENT
79
PEOPLE
WILLIAM O. DARBY (1911-45)
Darby had a conventional upbringing in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and secured a place at
West Point in part thanks to the intervention of a local member of Congress, Otis Wingo.
A member of the class of 1933, he had an exemplary record as a student and on his
graduation was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 1st Battalion, 82nd Field
Artillery Regiment, which was part of the 1st Cavalry Division and based at Fort Bliss,
Texas. Over the following years Darby attended various training courses and gained
sufficient leadership skills to be promoted to captain on October 1, 1940. In 1941 he
gained his first experiences of amphibious assault techniques when he attended exercises
in Puerto Rico and at the New River training facility in North Carolina. During November
Darby was ordered to Hawaii but had not arrived by the time of the Japanese surprise
attack on December 7 and, following the US declaration of war, he was ordered to report
to Major General Russell Hartle's 34th Infantry Division, which sailed for Northern Ireland
on January 15, 1942.
Hartle was made commander of the US Army Northern Ireland on the 27th with
Darby as his aide, but the young officer was looking for a more active role and on
Left: FortJackson, April 24, 1943, sees more PE. The
men are wearing the distinctive field hat so popular
with Merrill's Marauders.
Below left: October 8, 1944. 6th Rangers march to its
embarkation point in New Guinea preparatory to
assault Dinagat Island. This photograph gives a good
idea of the tropical clothing - herringbone fatigues
and camouflaged helmet covers.
Below: Lt-Col. W. O. Darby in the field, North Africa,
December 12, 1942.
Below: Darby epitomised the Rangers of the early war
years and it was his drive that ensured they were
prepared to a high standard and performed as
expected. An exceptional leader, Derby was decorated a
number of times - here he wears the the ribbon the
British Distinguished Service Order presented to him
for heroism above and beyond the call of duty. He is
seen after Anzio, when his command was wiped out, as
CO of 179th Infantry Regiment, part of 45th Infantry
Division, before he took on a staff role.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
WORLD WAR IJ RANGER COMMANDERS
1st Battalion
Major William O. Darby (1)
Major John Dobson (2)
2nd Battalion
Lieutenant Colonel William C. Saffarans
Major L. E. McDonald
lieutenant Colonel James E. Rudder
Major George S. Williams
3Td Battalion
Major Herman Dammer
Major Alvah Miller (3)
4th Battalion
Major Roy Murray
5th Battalion
Major Owen H. Carter
lieutenant Colonel Max Schneider
lieutenant-Colonel Richard Sullivan
6th Battalion
Lieutenant Colonel Henry A. Mucci
Major Robert Garrett
29th Provisional Ranger Battalion
Major Randolph Millholland
(1) died of wounds, posthumously promoted brigadier-general
(2) badly wounded at Anzio
(3) killed at Anzio
June 8 he was appointed to lead a new unit, which was to become the 1st Ranger
Battalion. Between the summer of 1942 and early 1944 Darby was the dominant figure
in the Rangers. He took part in several major operations - Operation Torch, the Tunisian
campaign, Sicily, Salerno, and Anzio, and oversaw the expansion of his command from
one to three battalions. Darby received numerous awards, including aSilver Star for the
Sened night attack, a Distinguished Service Medal for the action at EI Guettar, and a
Distinguished Service Cross for the landings at Gela in Sicily. In the autumn of 1944 he
received several other awards, among them the Legion of Merit, the Croix de Guerre, the
Soviet Union's Order of Kutuzov, Third Class, and the Oak Leaf Cluster to the Purple
Heart. However, Anzio marked his last action with the Rangers. Following the virtual
destruction of all three battalions in late January 1944, he was left without a command
and on February 16 was assigned to the US 45th Infantry Division's severely
understrength 179th Infantry Regiment, leading it for the next two months. Thanks to
the intervention of General Mark Clark, Darby was assigned to the Operations Division
of the War Department General Staff and left Anzio forWashington during April. Over the
following several months he undertook staff duties that were not particularly to his liking
but his requests for a return to a more active role were initially turned down.
Darby nevertheless continued to request a transfer and finally gained permission to
return overseas on March 29, 1945. He had a roving commission to study the
effectiveness of air support during ground operations and decided to return to Italy to
82
PEOPLE
join the 10th Mountain Division under Major General George RHayes, formerly
Darby's commander when he had served with the 99th Field Artillery Regiment
during 1940-41. Shortly after Darby's arrival the division's assistant
commander was wounded and Darby, with Hayes' support, was able to take his
place. In late April, the division was attacking up the east side of Lake Garda in
the north of Italy and on the late afternoon of the 30th after the defeat of a
German counterattack, Darby decided to go forward to inspect one of the
numerous tunnels through which ran the lakeside road and where the enemy
advance had been blocked. All seemed quiet as he left a command post at a
hotel in Torbole, but as Darby was preparing to board a waiting jeep a shell
landed within 10 yards. Darby's heart was hit by asmall fragment and he died
of his wounds within a few minutes without regaining consciousness. On the
same day he died, Darby's name appeared in a list of officers who had been
recommended for promotion. Secretary of War Stimson broke with existing
practice and Darby's name remained on the list. He was posthumously
promoted to the rank of brigadier general. Darby's undoubted leadership skills
were perhaps best summed up by General Lucian Truscott, who was moved to
write shortly after his death that he had 'Never in this war... known a more
gallant, heroic officer.'
HENRY MUCCI (1911-97)
Henry Andrew Mucci, a graduate of the West Point Class of 1936, had been present at
the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, when he was the provost marshal in
Honolulu. When in 1944 he took charge of the newly formed 6th Ranger Battalion at the
age of 33, he quickly gained two nicknames: 'Little MacArthur', because he smoked a
pipe similar to that used by the commanding general in the theatre, and 'Ham', an
affectionate play on his initials that reflected his sometimes theatrical style of leadership.
However, Mucci was a strict disciplinarian, supremely fit, and ambitious for his new
battalion. He led it with distinction during the Philippines campaign, most notably during
the rescue mission at Cabanatuan in early 1945. After the war, Mucci returned to his
hometown, Bridgeport, Connecticut, and received a rapturous hero's welcome from
50,000 local citizens for his leadership of the Cabanatuan operation. Following a failed
attempt to be elected to Congress, he later became a representative for an oil company
from Canada and worked in the Far East, although there were rumours, which he
strenuously denied, that he was actually an undercover operative for the Central
Intelligence Agency. He died aged 86 after suffering complications from a hip fracture
that occurred while swimming in rough seas near his final home in Melbourne, Florida.
JAMES E. RUDDER (1910-70)
Texas-born Rudder attended the JohnTarleton Agricultural College in 1928 and 1929 but
then studied atTexas A&M University, graduating with a degree in industrial education.
He was subsequently commissioned second lieutenant in the US Army Reserve, while
working as ateacher and football coach at Tarleton. He was called up in 1941 and two
years later, as alieutenant colonel, was assigned to command the 2nd Ranger Battalion.
On D-Day he led the crucial and difficult assault on the Pointe du Hoc, a successful
operation but one that saw Rudder wounded twice. He led the battalion over the
following six months during operations to liberate northwest Europe and was then
transferred to command the 109th Infantry Regiment, which saw action during that
winter's Battle of the Bulge. By the war's end Rudder was a full colonel and had been
83
Above: Aconference aboard the Winchester Castle,
January 1944. From left to right: ship's captain S. F
Newdigate; Lt-Col. William PYarborough, CO of 509th
Parachute Infantry Battalion; and Lt-Col. Roy A.
Murray, CO of 4th Ranger Battalion.
Above: Brigadier General Truscott on July 2, 1943,
when in command of US 3rd Infantry Division.
Right: 1st Sgt Warren E. Evans - the official caption
notes him as 6ft 4in in height, 24 years old, native of
Aberdeen, South Dakota, ex-football player - being
congratulated by Brigadier-General 1. K. Truscott,
August 1942.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
awarded numerous medals, including the Distinguished Service Cross, Legion of Merit,
Silver Star, and the French Legion of Honour with Croix de Guerre and Palm. Rudder was
the mayor of Brady, Texas, between 1946 and 1952, and for a year was vice-president
of the Brady Aviation Company. In early 1955, he became a commissioner overseeing
the Veterans' Land Program and held the post for the next three years, before becoming
vice-president of Texas A&M. In 1959 he became the university's president and in 1965
became president of the entire A&M system, aposition he held until his death. In his later
years Rudder was successively promoted to brigadier general and major general in the
US Army Reserve and in 1967 his distinguished career was crowned by President Lyndon
Johnson awarding him the Distinguished Service Medal.
LUCIAN K. TRUSCOTT JR. (1895-1965)
Texas-born Truscott was a leading figure in the creation of the Rangers and had a
distinguished career as a senior field commander during World War II. He joined the US
Army in 1917 and spent his early years as a cavalry officer before being attached to the
13th Armored Regiment in 1940. In May 1942 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier
general and assigned to the Allied Combined Operations staff under Britain's Lord Louis
Mountbatten. During this period he analysed the Commandos and recommended that
the United States raise a similar force, a decision that led directly to the creation of the
Rangers. Truscott oversaw their first operation - the raid in force on Dieppe in August -
but was then transferred to other assignments. As commander of the 3rd Infantry
Division, which fought alongside the Rangers on occasion, he took part in the invasions
of Sicily, Salerno and Anzio in 1943. In February 1944 he took command of theVI Corps
at Anzio and subsequently led it during the invasion of southern France. In December
1944 he returned to Italy to take charge of the Fifth Army during the final stages of the
campaign. After aspell as commander of the USThird Army in Bavaria he returned to the
United States in 1946 and retired the following year.
84
POSTWAR
KOREA - RANGER HOPES DASHED
The swift disbandment of the six Ranger battalions at the end of World War II reflected the
general scaling down of US armed forces and agrowing emphasis on nuclear deterrence in
the era of the Cold War at the expense of conventional forces. However, the value of
specialist ground troops became apparent with the outbreak of the Korean War in June
1950. The US Army's Chief of Staff, General J. Lawton Collins, visited South Korea and on
his return to the United States recommended the formation of so-called Marauder
Companies. Aformal request was issued on August 29, on the basis that each company
should comprise five officers and 107 men skilled in reconnaissance and behind-the-Iines
missions and be attached to individual divisions. Following asuggestion that the new units
would be better named Airborne Ranger Companies, volunteers from the 11th and 82nd
Airborne Divisions assembled at Fort Benning, Georgia, where Colonel John Van Houten had
been placed in charge of the newly activated RangerTraining Center (Airborne).The first four
companies completed their six-week training course on November 11. In total 15 Airborne Below: March 6,1951- a Ranger patrol briefing.
Ranger Companies were activated from late
October 1950 to late February 1951 but
only six served in Korea; the remainder
stayed in the United States or were stationed
elsewhere overseas, chiefly West Germany
and Japan.
The companies that fought in Korea from
December 1950 undertook a range of
missions, such as intelligence-gathering,
raids and ambushes to collect prisoners, and
as spearhead infantry. Mostly these were
small-scale and hazardous affairs - one
recruit remarked that, 'for the Rangers in
Korea, fighting outnumbered and
surrounded was routine' - but the Rangers .
were occasionally involved in larger
operations. The largest occurred on March
23, 1951, when the 2nd and 4th Airborne
Ranger Companies parachuted alongside
the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat
Team in the vicinity of Munsan-ni to block
the retreat of North Korean and Chinese
troops from Seoul, the South Korean capital,
85
Above: M16 rifle at the ready, a camouflaged 75th
Ranger walks point on an operation in Tuyen Duc
province, March 4, 1970.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
which had just been liberated by UN forces for the second time. The action, the only such
airborne mission of the war, was not wholly successful and many of the enemy forces
escaped the attempted encirclement.
By mid-1951 the seesaw war of movement in Korea had ended and both sides
established fixed positions along what the UN forces christened the Main Line of
Resistance. It was not a happy time for the Rangers; there were undoubted problems with
logistical support as they relied on the divisions they served with for supplies, and doubts
were expressed on the worth of such units in astatic war. In July 1951 orders were issued
to deactivate the various companies. Those in Korea were disbanded on August 1, while
~ those serving elsewhere followed between September and December. The Ranger Training
Command was inactivated on October 17 but hopes that the Rangers might rise again
came with the creation of the Ranger Department the same month. Its role was to train
officers and non-commissioned officers who could pass on Ranger skills to others when they
were returned to their parent formation.
THE COLD WAR AND VIETNAM
From the late 1950s the leading members of NATO began programmes to develop special
forces capable of operations deep behind enemy - Warsaw Pact - lines. Capable of acting
wholly independently, they were composed of very small units that were known as Long
Range Reconnaissance Patrols (LRRPs) or, in the case of the United States, Long Range
Patrols (LRPs), and their chief function was reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering. The
first LRPs were raised to test the concept, appearing in around 1958, and two companies
were formally activated in West Germany on July 15, 1961. They had a checkered career,
being deactivated four years later, re-attached to a new unit, and then transferred back to
the United States in 1968.
Renewed impetus to develop the LRP idea came with the commitment of US ground
forces toVietnam, where the need for specialist units to conduct awhole range of behind-
the-lines operations became apparent. Individual divisions and corps began to activate
LRP-style patrols and platoons. Official recognition of their value came in late 1967,
when the US military authorities formally ordered the creation of LRPs.These were either
of company strength, 118 men, when attached to a division or larger formation, or of
reinforced platoon strength, around 61 men, if serving with a brigade. The new LRPs did
not have a parent regiment or links with any previous force and so they were assigned
to the 75th Infantry Regiment, which had a lineage associated with Merrill's Marauders,
on February 1, 1969, and all LRPs were redesignated as 'Ranger'. The LRPs could not
be given the honours or lineage of the Rangers of World War II as the traditions had been
passed to the US Special Forces (Green Berets) in April 1960. The Ranger companies in
Vietnam suffered the same fate as their predecessors - they were inactivated between
1969 and 1972.
PEACEKEEPING AND THE MIDDLE EAST
The completion of the withdrawal of US ground forces fromVietnam in 1973 was preceded
by a reduction in Ranger strength, with just two companies, A and B, remaining in the
United States. However, interest in the concept was renewed by the outbreak of the Yom
Kippur War between Israel and Egypt, which threatened to destabilize the Middle East and
involve the superpowers in direct confrontation.The US military acknowledged that it lacked
lightly equipped forces mobile enough to be quickly sent to any trouble spot and the
following year, General Creighton Abrams, the US Army's Chief of Staff, ordered the
formation of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, 75th Infantry (Rangers) based around men from
86
POSTWAR
the surviving Ranger companies. the 1st Battalion was activated at Fort
Benning, Georgia, on January 31, 1974, and the 2nd Battalion followed at
Fort Lewis, Washington, on October 1.
The revitalized Rangers undertook their first combat assignment on April
28-29, 1980, during Operation Eagle Claw, the abortive attempt to rescue
US hostages held inTeheran by the fundamentalist Islamic regime of Iran.The
complex night-time operation involved awide range of US special forces but
only Company Cof the Rangers' 1st Battalion was involved in the mission. Its
role was to seize a desert airfield at Manzariyeh, some 35 miles (55 km)
southwest of the Iranian capital, from where the hostages would be flown to
safety in C-141 Starlifters after being rescued from the US embassy
compound in the capital. Eagle Claw ended disastrously, when two of the
helicopters detailed to move the hostage rescuers to their target failed to
reach arendezvous point known as Desert One due to mechanical problems
and then one of the six that reached the position suffered similar difficulties.
The lack of functioning helicopters made it impossible to move the rescue
teams to Teheran and a withdrawal was ordered. During its execution a
collision destroyed a C-130 and a Sea Stallion, forcing the remaining US
forces present to abandon the surviving helicopters and withdraw in C-130
transports.
The failure of Eagle Claw was an international embarrassment, but the
Rangers' next mission in October 1983 was much more successful. Apalace
coup ousted the populist, moderately left-wing leader of the Caribbean island
of Grenada, Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, and his subsequent execution led
the US authorities to use the unrest as a pretext to occupy Grenada. There
were worries about the fate of US students attending various campuses on
the island but, more importantly, its ongoing and strengthening ties with
Cuba were of serious geopolitical concern. President Ronald Reagan, with
support from other Caribbean leaders, ordered the deployment of troops to
overthrow the new revolutionary regime and rescue the students.
Some 500 Rangers drawn from both battalions took part in the operation,
which was code-named Urgent Fury and opened on the 25th. The Rangers'
role was to secure the airfield nearing completion at Point Salinas on the
island's southeast tip so that 750 men of the 82nd Airborne Division could land. The Above: The Rangers became airborne after World
Rangers' parachute assault at around 0530 hours was met by heavy ground fire from local War II. This photograph is of trainees dropping at
defence forces and hastily armed Cuban construction workers, but the area was quickly Fort Benning in 1950.
secured for the loss of five Rangers killed and six wounded. The assault teams next moved
on the nearby True Blue Campus close to the eastern end of the airfield and within two
hours had rescued 138 US medical students.The same feat was accomplished the next day,
when 224 students were freed from Grand Anse campus, afew miles south of S1. George,
Grenada's capital.The Rangers' final operation on Grenada took place on the 27th,when an
airmobile assault was launched against Calivigny Barracks outside S1. George. Despite
losing three men killed and five wounded when three of their four Black Hawk helicopters
collided on landing, the surviving Rangers secured the objective.
Grenada and the possibility of similar operations in the future gave further impetus to
the development of the Rangers. On October 3, 1984, the existing two units were
strengthened by the activation of the 3rd Battalion and a regimental headquarters at Fort
Benning, Georgia, with the whole force being named the 75th Infantry Regiment (Ranger).
Two years later, on April 17, the three battalions were renamed the 75th Ranger Regiment,
receiving all of the honours and the lineage of Ranger units that had served in World War
II and Korea but sharing them with the Special Forces.
87
Above: The training is as arduous as ever. Here SFC
William S. Brown demonstrates the use of the M60
machine gune while executing the Australian rappel
at Fort Benning.
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
The Rangers' next major mission was Operation Just Cause on
December 20, 1989, a multi-pronged US operation to overthrow the
Panamanian dictator General Manuel Noriega, bring him to trial on charges
of involvement in the illegal drugs trade, and maintain the free flow of
shipping though the Panama Canal. They provided the bulk of Task Force
Red, which was to seize various positions around Panama City at the Pacific
entrance to the canal as aspearhead for the follow-on Task Force Pacific.
The 1st Battalion, along with the 3rd Battalion's Company C and
headquarters detachment Team Gold, was code-named Task Force Red
Tango and undertook asuccessful early-morning parachute assault against
OmarTorrijos international airport and Tocumen military airfield to the east
of Panama City, thereby permitting the landing of the 82nd Airborne
Division, for the loss of one killed, five wounded and 19 jump injuries.
Known asTask Force Red Romeo, the 2nd Battalion and bulk of the 3rd,
along with headquarters detachment Team Black, conducted a low-level
jump on the airfield at Rio Hato 55 miles (88 km) west of Panama City at
0003 hours and had secured the target within two hours for the loss of four
killed, 27 wounded, and 35 parachute injuries. The Rangers then moved
out to capture Noriega's nearby beach house.
The various battalions remained in Panama for the next few weeks.They
conducted various security missions, hunted down remnants of Panama's
regular and paramilitary forces, and secured key positions. By the time of
their withdrawal in the second week of January, they had captured over
1,000 enemy personnel and confiscated around 18,000 arms of all types.
The Rangers were next deployed on active service to the Middle East
after Saddam Hussein launched Iraqi forces into neighbouring Kuwait in
1990. However, the Ranger presence was small, with only Company Band
Company A's 1st Platoon of the 1st Battalion being involved in Operation
Desert Storm. The Rangers were deployed in Saudi Arabia from February 12 to April 15,
1991, and undertook hit-and-run raids, reconnaissance patrols, and served as a rapid-
reaction force. The liberation of Kuwait was swift and achieved with few casualties among
the Coalition forces; the Rangers themselves recorded no losses.
If Desert Storm had been relatively bloodless, the Rangers' next mission was a much
bloodier affair. Between August 26 and October 21, 1993, the 3rd Battalion's Company B
and a command detachment was despatched to Somalia in the Horn of Africa as part of
Operation Restore Hope, a US-led but multinational peace-keeping and humanitarian
mission to bring order to acountry torn apart by fighting between rival warlords. Task Force
Ranger was ordered to capture the most powerful warlord, General Mohammed Farah
Aidid, and conducted several sweeps through Mogadishu, the country's capital, in search of
its quarry. On October 3 the Rangers raided Mogadishu's Olympic Hotel and then went to
the assistance of a Black Hawk helicopter that had been brought down by the warlord's
militia. The Rangers were quickly surrounded by thousands of Somalis and, as these were
being kept at bay, some of the Rangers attempted to reach the crew of a second Black
Hawk that had crashed. All of the Rangers that went to the aid of the second helicopter
were killed and two, Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant First Class Randall
Shughart, were subsequently awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The surviving
men were eventually evacuated the following day, thanks to the work of other Rangers and
a battalion of the US 10th Mountain Division supported by Malayan and Pakistani forces.
The intense fighting cost the Rangers 16 killed and 57 wounded.
88
POSTWAR
THE WAR ON TERROR
The terrorist attack on NewYork'sTwi nTowers on September 11,2001, led President George
Bush Jr to authorize Operation Enduring Freedom - aworldwide campaign against Osama
bin Laden and members of his AI-Qaeda network that had been identified as the
perpetrators. AI-Qaeda's chief supporter was the fundamentalist MuslimTaliban regime in
Afghanistan and the Rangers were deployed to the country to seek out the terrorists and,
along with other Special Forces, aid the anti-government Northern Alliance in toppling the
Taliban.The first Ranger action began late on October 19, when 100 Rangers air assaulted
asuspected AI-Qaeda compound outside Kandahar and asmall airfield in the south of the
country. The Rangers successfully seized valuable documents and destroyed several
weapons' caches, but two, Specialist Jonn Edmunds and Private First Class Kristofer
Stonesifer, died when their helicopter crashed in neighbouring Pakistan.
Over the following months, as theTaliban regime collapsed, the Rangers began to sweep
Afghanistan's extensive highlands in search of Bin Laden and AI-Qaeda suspects.
Numerous caves were searched and weapons and intelligence on the organization
uncovered but the terrorist leader remained at large. In one such operation during May
2002 the Rangers were called upon to respond to an AI-Qaeda group that had ambushed
US Navy Seals being helicoptered to a mountain known as Takur Ghar. A23-man Ranger
quick-reaction force based at Gardez went to the Seals' aid but one of their two helicopters
was shot down on the upper slopes. The men in the second landed lower down and then
climbed the mountain to reach their comrades who were faced by a numerous enemy that
was being held off by their fire and close-air support.The two groups were eventually
reunited and evacuated under cover of darkness after killing several
AI-Qaeda fighters.
The eventual removal of the Taliban and disruption of the
terrorist network did not end the war on terror. Osama bin Laden
escaped and the worldwide hunt for him continues at the
time of writing as does the United States' intention to
crush regimes that sponsor terrorism. It seems likely that
the Rangers will again be called into action, thereby
fulfilling their creed.
Below: In Iraq and Afghanistan, Rangers were
involved in a variety of missions, the details of which
are still sketchy. The modern Ranger unit is the 75th
Regiment, whose shoulder flash mirrors that of the
wartime battalions.
ASSESSMENT
BAITLE HONOURS FLAG
To celebrate the outstanding contribution of
the Ranger battalions during World War 11,
%C:"the US Army Heraldic Branch designed a
commemorative flag to reflect their history
and combat record. It consists of a
rectangular flag divided in two diagonafJy
from top left to bottom right. The upper,
darker half symbolizes the United States,
while the lower scarlet portion represents
Great Britain, where many of the units were
trained and based. In the centre awhite
circle is used to represent Central Europe,
chiefly Germany, while a superimposed
black fleur-de-Iys represents service in
France and the low Countries. Similarly red
seed pods allude to service in Italy, while a
double crescent indicates the campaigns in
Algeria andTunisia. Three sun rays indicate
the role O-f the 6th Battalion in the
Philippines, while crossed knives, based on
the British Fairbairn-Sykes design for the
Commandos, indicate the types of operation
undertaken by the Rangers.
The variety of roles undertaken by the Rangers during World War II in part reflected an
age-old problem with special forces - what are they for? Most commanders of the time
were trained to operate with conventionally organized and equipped brigades, divisions
and corps-sized units, not with battalions of specialist infantry numbering afew hundred
men. This problem led directly to the diverse multitude of front-line combat missions that
the Rangers undertook between 1942 and 1945, and sometimes left them being
deployed as nothing more than headquarters security details - a somewhat bizarre job
for specialist infantry.This was temporarily the case in northwest Europe in late 1944 and
on Luzon in 1945. Although the battalions underwent amphibious assault training and
all took part in such operations, the Rangers were deployed on numerous other tasks,
only a few of which involved the type of 'ranging' familiar to their eighteenth century
counterparts. This very flexibility made the Rangers a prized asset for many senior
commanders but for the Rangers themselves it sometimes meant learning on the job.
Darby, for example, insisted that his 1st Battalion conduct night-time training during the
North African campaign, a decision that was of immense and immediate value.
The Rangers' greatest successes in World War II were chiefly as spearhead assault
troops during the opening phase of an amphibious landing. In North Africa, Sicily, at
Salerno, Anzio, on D-Day and at Leyte Gulf they conducted operations, most involving
neutralizing coastal defences, designed to ease the way for the main assault forces.
Despite the dangers associated with such missions, most were quickly completed and,
with the exception of the Pointe du Hoc assault on D-Day, achieved at little cost due to
the speed of the Rangers' attacks and the often low-grade opposition they faced. Pointe
du Hoc was an altogether tougher proposition as all of the other landings were conducted
across nothing more than gently shelving beaches or low sea-walls and, by attacking
under cover of darkness or at early dawn, the Rangers enjoyed an element of surprise.
On D-Day, the Rangers had none of these factors in their favour yet they persevered and
successfully stormed the cliff-top position. Despite their heavy losses the assault was
undoubtedly one of the finest moments of June 6 and its inherent dangers were
recognized by General Omar Bradley. In his autobiography, he remarked in reference to
Lieutenant Colonel James Rudder, commander of the assault companies: 'No soldier in
my command has ever been wished a more difficult task than that which befell the 34-
year-old commander of this Provisional Ranger Force.'
Yet the Rangers were also called upon to conduct other missions and here the results
were more mixed. There was mountain fighting in Tunisia, Sicily and Italy, attacks against
fixed defences in northwest Europe after D-Day, and in an echo of the past, patrols and
reconnaissance missions similar to those pioneered by the Ranger companies of colonial
America. The results of the mountain fighting were generally favourable if occasionally
costly. The Rangers were successful in Tunisia, Sicily, at Salerno and around Cassino,
90
ASSESSMENT
although the perils involved in fighting at
altitude in winter were reflected in the high
casualty suffered by the battalions in the
last case. Attacking fixed defences is not
usually considered the role of specialist
light infantry, yet the Rangers were
undoubtedly a valuable asset in capturing
Brest during the late summer of 1944.
With regard to patrols, raids and larger
operations involving movement through
and behind enemy lines, during World War
II the Rangers achieved some of their
greatest successes - and one of their
greatest defeats - in this way. Sened in
Tunisia was an early indication of their
capabilities and was followed by two
highly regarded operations, at Irsch-Zerf
in February 1945 and the Cabanatuan raid
in January 1945. Both earned the units
involved a Presidential Unit Citation, and
the latter, which was the subject of a photo
essay in Life by renowned war
photographer Carl Mydans, brought the
6th Battalion immense fame in the United
States. So intense was the media interest,
the battalion's after-action report
concluded that, 'If it lasted one more day, more buttons would have to be sewn on and
larger hat sizes secured. The men were walking on air.'Yet lrsch-Zerf and Cabanatuan
have to be balanced by the disaster at Anzio. Operation Shingle was badly managed for
the most part but the the effective loss of three battalions outside Cisterna in January
1944 was one of its lowest points and an acute embarrassment to the Allies. Little blame
can be attached to the battalions involved and the defeat did not end the Rangers'
contribution to the Allied victory as afurther three battalions took their place.
The Rangers chief weakness was that they were essentially light infantry trained for
swift and short-lived operations, not prolonged fighting. For the most part the standard
battalions were equipped with nothing more powerful than IighVmedium mortars and
machine guns. Such weapons were suitable for fast-moving operations against light
opposition that were expected to last only a few hours but proved inadequate against
stronger opposition. Action reports also frequently speak of shortages of ammunition -
a situation that reflected the Rangers' lack of integral logistical support. Indeed, it was
not uncommon for Rangers to seek out other units for such supplies and they constantly
had to rely on external mechanized transport. There were attempts to beef up their
firepower by adding, for example, the Cannon Company, or seconding units with heavier
weapons to them, but the battalions continued to rely on outside support, whether from
warships or other independent ground units. During the final stages of the war in Europe,
the situation was largely reversed. The Rangers were starved of opportunities to act
independently and units were no longer being attached to them, rather it was the
Rangers themselves that were being attached. Nevertheless the Rangers had an
outstanding combat record and few units of a comparable size matched the range and
number of hazardous mission they successfully completed before their temporary demise
at the end of the conflict.
91
Above: Rangers saw action in both European and
Pacific theatres. This is Company Fof 6th Rangers
patrolling on Dinagat Island.
REFERENCE
INTERNET SITES
http://www.ranger.org
A site produced by the US Army Ranger Association containing pages on operations,
honours, unit histories and related links. It also offers Ranger-related material for sale.
http://www.ranger.org/usaraisS/assoc/darby/darbys.htm
Home of the Darby Foundation, which is based at Fort Smith, Arizona, and is dedicated
to preserving the memory of the founder of the World War II Rangers.
http://www.rangermemorial.org
The home page of the Ranger Memorial Foundation, an organization that created
and maintains the Ranger memorial at Fort Benning, Georgia; the site also includes
details of Ranger-related events.
http://www.ranger.org/usarals3/0ps/wwii/wwii.htm
The site run by the Ranger Battalions Association of World War II recounts the
history of the Rangers from colonial America to the present but concentrates
on their exploits in World War II. It also provides information on the modern
Ranger Training Brigade, unit honours and Congressional Medal of Honor
winners.
http://www.ricakw.org
The Association of Ranger Infantry Companies of the Korean War, abody dedicated
to recounting the story of those who served during the conflict.
http://www.7Sthrra.org/
An association for members of the 75th Ranger Regiment and associated units,
mostly from theVietnam War, with pages detailing forthcoming events.
http://www.grunts.neVarmy/rangers.html
The history of the Rangers from colonial America to the present, which also
contains some Medal of Honor citations and links to other sites.
http://www2.gdLneVagengreb
The Brotherhood of Rangers home page that includes pages on the Ranger Creed
and links to additional sites.
http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/King/King.asp#B1
Part of the Command & General Staff College's Combined Arms Research Library
92
REFERENCE
resources, this consists of Leavenworth Papers No. 11 by Dr. Michael 1 King, which is an
exhaustive account of several Ranger operations in World War II including those at
Djebel el Ank, Porto Empedocle, Cisterna, Zerf and Cabanatuan. Also includes useful
bibliography.
http://www.goarmy.com/job/branch/sorc/75th/Rangers.htm
Asite from the US Army providing information for prospective Ranger candidates. It
also has pages on their modern role, training and background history.
http://www.specialoperations.com/Army/Rangers/default2.html
Provides information on the Ranger School and training course as well as aprofile of the
modern unit and its antecedents.
http://suasponte.com/index/.html
Details of the Rangers' history, their creed and aquiz.
http:www.2ndRangers.org/
AS1. Louis, Missouri, group of World War II re-enactors.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Altieri, James 1: Darby's Rangers: An Illustrated Portrayal of the Original Rangers. The
Seeman Printery, 1945.
A history of the 1st, 3rd and 4th Rangers by one who served with them. The book is
illustrated and written by apast president of the Ranger Association.
Bahmanyar, Mir, and Welply, Michael: US Army Ranger, 1983-2001 - Sua Sponte: Of
Their Own Accord. Osprey, 2003
Ahighly illustrated account of the modern Rangers, their campaigns, battles, equipment
and training.
Breuer, William B.: The Great Raid on Cabanatuan - Rescuing the Doomed Ghosts of
Bataan and Corregidor. John Wiley and Sons, 1994.
Ahistory of the famed rescue of US prisoners on Luzon during World War II and the basis
for aforthcoming film.
Darby, William 0., and Baumer, William H.: Darby's Rangers - We Led the Way. Presidio
Press, 1990.
Based on conversations between Darby and Baumer in 1944, this recounts the formation
of the Rangers, their training and operations from Dieppe to Italy involving the 1st, 3rd
and 4th Battalions. It also includes brief summaries of missions conducted by the 2nd and
5th Battalions in northwest Europe and the 6th Battalion in the Philippines.
Drez, Ronald 1: Voices of D-Day - The StOI}' of the Allied Invasion Told by Those Who Were
There. Louisiana State University Press, 1994.
Contains achapter that has first-hand accounts from survivors of the 2nd and 5th Ranger
Battalions who assaulted the Pointe du Hoc cliffs and landed on Omaha Beach on June 6,
1944.
Eshel, David: Daring to Win - Special Forces at War. Arms and Armour Press, 1992.
Recounts action by various special forces on land, at sea and in the air from World War I to
93
SPEARHEAD: RANGERS
Operation Desert Storm. One chapter deals with the Rangers' assault on the Pointe du Hoc
on D-Day and another is on their role during the 1983 invasion of Grenada.
Field, Ron: Ranger - Behind Enemy Lines in Vietnam. Publishing News, 2000.
The core of the book concentrates on Ranger-style units of the Vietnam War, but also
includes sections on the early history of such units from colonial America to the Indian Wars
of the second half of the nineteenth century. A final section looks at modern Ranger
campaigns from Operation Eagle Claw in 1980 to Operation Restore Hope in the early
1990s.
Garrett, Richard: The Raiders. David &Charles, 1980.
A study of special forces' operations through the ages that contains a chapter on the
capture of the Pointe du Hoc on D-Day.
Johnson, Forrest Bryant: Hour of Redemption: The Ranger Raid on Cabanatuan.
Manor Books, 1978.
The story of the daring behind-the-lines mission spearheaded by elements of the 6th
Rangers to rescue US prisoners of war in 1945.
Krueger, Walter: From Down Under to Nippon - The Story of the Sixth Army in World War
II. Combat Forces Press, 1953.
The commander of the US Sixth Army and the driving force behind the creation of the 6th
Rangers recounts his part in the Pacific campaign.
King, Michael 1: William Orlando Darby - AMilitary Biography. Archon Books, 1981.
Areview of the life and military career of the founder of the Rangers during World War"
by an officer who attended the US Army Airborne and Ranger Schools.
Lane, Ronald L.: Rudder's Rangers: The True Story of the 2nd Ranger Battalion D-Day
Combat Action. Ranger Association, 1995.
Ahistory of the 2nd Ranger Battalion and its operation to storm the Pointe du Hoc on D-
Day.
Lanning, Michael Lee, Inside the LRRPs: Rangers in Vietnam. Ivy Books, 1988.
The story of the revival of the Ranger concept and their role during the Southeast Asia
conflict.
Lucas, James: Commandos and Rangers of World War II. Macdonald and Jane's, 1978.
Areview of British and US Commando-type units that covers Ranger operations during the
war and has useful information on weapons and equipment.
McDonald, Joanna M.: The Liberation of the Pointe du Hoc: the 2d Rangers at Normandy,
June 6-8, 1944. Rank and File Publications, 2000.
An account of one of the epic actions of the Normandy landings, including the origins of
the battalion and afacsimile of the Presidential Unit Citation it was awarded.
Macksey, Kenneth: Commando Strike - The Story ofAmphibious Raiding in World War /I.
Leo Cooper and Secker &Warburg, 1985.
Although concentrating on British operations, this overview provides a useful introduction
to the development of US special forces, including Rangers, during the conflict and covers
_ ~ _ ~ __~ _ ~ ~ ~ ~ - : ' some of their actions.
94
REFERENCE
O'Donnell, Patrick K.: Beyond Valor- World War II's Ranger andAirborne Veterans Reveal
the Heat of Combat. Touchstone Books, 2002.
Hundreds of first-hand accounts of Rangers and airborne personnel detailing their
experiences from North Africa to the final battles in Europe.
Prince, Morris: The Story of the Elite WWll2nd Battalion Rangers. Meadowlark Publishing,
2001.
Afirst-hand account by a private in the battalion's Company Afollowing the unit's actions
from D-Day to VE-Day.
Rottman, Gordon L., andVolstad, Ron: US Anny Rangers & LRRP Units, 1942-87. Osprey,
1987
An outline history of the Rangers and associated units from World War II to the invasion of
Grenada.
Rottman, Gordon, andVolstad, Ron: Panama, 1989-90. Osprey Publishing, 1991
An overview of the US invasion and occupation of the Central American dictatorship
including details of the participation of the Rangers.
Sides, Hampton: Ghost Soldiers - The Astonishing Story of One of Wartime's Greatest
Escapes. Time Warner, 2002.
An exhaustive but highly readable account of the mission by the 6th Ranger Battalion to
release Japanese-held prisoners at Cabanatuan on Luzon during early 1945.
Truscott, Lucian K., Jr., Command Missions: APersonal Story. NewYork, 1954.
The excellent autobiographical account of one of the US Army's most skilled battlefield
commanders and the officer most responsible for the formation of the Rangers in
World War II.
MEMORIALS
The most evocative and moving memorial to the exploits of the Rangers in World War II is
situated atop the Pointe du Hoc in Normandy. Lying some 8 miles (13 km) west of the US
cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach, it consists of a single granite pylon positioned on the
remains of a German concrete bunker and at its feet are tablets inscribed in English and
French. Originally erected by the French to honour the operation, it was formally transferred
to the care of the American Battle Monuments Commission in January 1979.
Asecond site associated with the Rangers is also cared for by the commission. This is
the Cabanatuan American Memorial on Luzon, which lies on the site of the former
prisoner of war camp and honours those Americans and Filipinos who died during their
captivity. It was erected by survivors of the Bataan Death March and former prisoners of
Cabanatuan.
In the United States, there is a monument at Fort Benning, Georgia, located in front
of the Infantry School outside Building 4. It was erected by the Ranger Memorial
Foundation in 1994 and was mostly funded by ex-Rangers and their families. Its chief
features are the memorial stones that record the names and units of former Rangers, but
not their ranks.
In Northern Ireland there is an exhibition based around the early history of the
Rangers during World War II. Located in the grounds of the Andrew Jackson Centre at
Boneybefore, Carrickfergus, is the US Rangers Centre. There is also a memorial stone at
nearby Sunnylands Camp where the first recruits were billeted.
95
FILMS
The exploits of the Rangers have been a
popular source of 'material for
Hollywood over the years. One of the
earliest movies to be released on the
subject starred Spencer Tracy as Robert
Rogers. Directed by King Vidor and
released in 1940, Northwest Passage is
Ibased on a 1937 novel by Kenneth
- Roberts and recounts the 1759 raid on
the Abenaki at St. Francis. The running
time is 126 minutes and the supporting
cast included Robert Young and Walter
%?ffiBrennan. William Wellman directed
Darby's Rangers in 1958 and this 122-
minute movie stars James Garner as
Darby and covers the raising of the unit
and its combat service. More recently
Ridley Scott was inspired by the Ranger
operation in Somalia to film Blackhawk
Down, which was released in 2002.
With a running time of 144 minutes, it
was inspired by a book by Mark
Bowden and stars Josh Hartnett and
Ewan McGregor. Finally, there is a
projected film of the 6th Battalion's
Cabanatuan mission in the pipeline.
Directed by John Dahl, The Great Raid
stars Benjamin Bratt and Joseph
Fiennes and fitming began in
Queensland, Australia, in early July
2002. A2003 release date is expected.
About the author
Ian Westwell has worked in publishing for
more than fifteen years and has been a full-
time freelance author since 1997. He has
contributed to several military books and
periodicals and has most recently written or
co-authored World War One Day By Day,
The Encyclopedia of World War I, In the
Path of the Third Reich and Spearhead 6
1st Infantry Division.
ISBN 0-7110-2978-4
9 780711 029781
Printed in England 12.99
US RANGERS
'Leading the Way'
The 1st Ranger Battalion was officially activated at
Carrickfergus, Ireland, on 19 June 1942, and its first
action was at Dieppe. The first major use of Rangers
was as a spearhead to the North African invasion.
Rangers took part in the invasions of Sicily and Italy,
spearheaded the night landings at Anzio, and during
the invasion of Normandy the 2nd Ranger Battalion
assaulted, captured and held German positions atop
the cliffs of Pointe Du Hoc. Later, Rangers distin-
guished themselves in the battles of Brest, the Bulge,
Hurtgen Forest and throughout central Europe. The
6th Ranger Battalion was the first American force to
return to the Philippines, landing in advance of the
main force. It took part in the landings on Luzon, and
on 30 January 1945, a daring raid behind enemy lines
to rescue POW survivors of the Bataan Death March.
i

Spearhead looks at the cutting edge of war, units capable
of operating completely independently in the forefront of
battle. The series exami nes the units':
Origins and history
Organisation, order of battle and how this changed
Battle history, theatre by theatre
Insignia and Markings
Top people - biographies of commanders and
personal ities
Each book ends with an assessment of unit effectiveness
- as seen by itself, its opponents and the wider viewpoint
of history - and a full reference section including:
Critical bibl iography
Relevant museums or exhibits
Website links
Re-enactment groups
Memorials