The Ranger Force: Darby's Rangers in World War II

Black, Robert W.

ISBN 10: 0811705218 / ISBN 13: 9780811705219

Published by Stackpole Books, 2009

About this Item

Alongside the Flying Tigers and the Devil's Brigade, the U.S. 6615th Ranger Force -- better known as Darby's Rangers after the unit's legendary commander, William O. Darby -- ranks among the most famous fighting formations of World War II. Like their counterparts who scaled the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc on D-Day, Darby's Rangers led the way, from the dust of Tunisia to the mountain passes of Italy. Formed into the 1st Ranger Battalion in the spring of 1942, the initial crop of Rangers -- hardy volunteers toughened by the Great Depression -- trained in Scotland under hard-bitten British Commandos who taught them how to fight and kill. Fifty Rangers put these skills to use during the Dieppe raid in August 1942 and became the first Americans to see active combat in the European theater. Three months later, the entire battalion landed in North Africa, where the Rangers laid vital groundwork for Allied success in Algeria. In March 1943, Darby's men won a Presidential Unit Citation for their battle at El Guettar in Tunisia, after which the 1st Ranger Battalion was split into thirds and reinforced to create two additional battalions, the 3rd and 4th. Now officially known as the 6615th Ranger Force, Darby's three battalions battled across Sicily during the summer of 1943 and then fought their way ashore at Salerno, Italy, earning another Presidential Unit Citation. In January 1944, the Rangers landed at Anzio and were soon decimated at the Battle of Cisterna in one of the war's most tragic episodes. In this action-packed account, Robert W. Black -- whom bestselling author Douglas Brinkley has called "the dean of Ranger history" -- draws on years of original research to reconstruct the bloody combat history of Darby's Rangers whil also capturing the colorful personalities that gave the Ranger Force its fighting spirit: gritty, battle-hardened, and uniquely American. This is a rousing story of men at war. STACKPOLE BOOKS, HARDCOVER, 1ST EDITION, 1ST PRINTING, 2009 THIS IS A BRAND NEW BOOK.

Seller Inventory # 001233

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Ranger Force: Darby's Rangers in World War II
• Publisher: Stackpole Books
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0811705218
• ISBN 13: 9780811705219
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: New
• Dust Jacket Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

One of the most famous units of World War II and all of military history

First Americans to see active combat in the European theater

Expands on events described in Rick Atkinson's An Army at Dawn and The Day of Battle
In this gripping companion to his acclaimed The Battalion (978-0-8117-0184-6), which told the story of the 2nd Ranger Battalion in World War II, Robert W. Black turns his attention to the 1st, 3rd, and 4th Ranger Battalions, otherwise known as Darby's Rangers. These elite soldiers accompanied British commandos on the failed Dieppe Raid in August 1942, participated in Operation Torch in North Africa three months later, battled across Sicily the following summer, and ended the war in Italy, where they landed at Salerno in September 1943 and Anzio in January 1944 and were decimated at the Battle of Cisterna.

About the Author

Col. Robert W. Black, a highly decorated Ranger veteran of Korea and Vietnam, is a member of the Ranger Hall of Fame. He lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and Port Charlotte, Florida.