Rangers In World War Ii

From the deadly shores of North Africa to the invasion of Sicily to the fierce jungle hell of the Pacific, the contribution of the World War II Ranger Battalions far outweighed their numbers. They were ordinary men on an extraordinary mission, experiencing the full measure of the fear, exhaustion, and heroism of combat in nearly every major invasion of the war. Whether spearheading a landing force or scouting deep behind enemy lines, these highly motivated, highly trained volunteers led the way for other soldiers -- they were Rangers. With first-person interviews, in-depth research, and a complete appendix naming every Ranger known to have served, author Robert Black, a Ranger himself, has made the battles of WWII come to life through the struggles of the men who fought to win the greatest war the world has ever seen.

This Leavenworth Paper is a critical reconstruction of World War II Ranger operations conducted at or near Djebel el Ank, Tunisia; Porto Empedocle, Sicily; Cisterna, Italy; Zerf, Germany; and Cabanatuan in the Philippines. It is not intended to be a comprehensive account of World War II Ranger operations, for such a study would have to include numerous minor actions that are too poorly documented to be studied to advantage. It is, however, representative for it examines several types of operations conducted against the troops of three enemy nations in a variety of physical and tactical environments. As such, it draws a wide range of lessons useful to combat leaders who may have to conduct such operations or be on guard against them in the future. Many factors determined the outcomes of the operations featured in this Leavenworth Paper, and of these there are four that are important enough to merit special emphasis. These are surprise, the quality of opposing forces, the success of friendly forces with which the Rangers were cooperating, and popular support.

Special Styrker; Special Forces; Landing Crafts; Special Service Brigade(UK); Special Service Group(UK); Commando(UK); Royal Marine Commando(UK); Middle East Commando(UK); Chindits; Marine Raider Regiment(US); Marine Raider Battalion(US); Ranger Battalion(US); Darby's Rangers(US); Special Service Force(US); American Air Commando(US); Merrill's Marauders; Guerillakrigsførelse; Irregulær Krigsførelse; Ukonventionel Krigsførelse; Commando Fiji Guerillas; Landing Crafts Obstruction Clearance Units; Special Boat Section; Combined Operations Assault Pilotage Parties; COPPs; Sea Reconnaissance Unit; RM Boom Patrol Detachment; Small Scale Raiding Force; Special Raiding Squadron; Raiding Force Middle East; RM Detachment 385; Small Operation Group; RN Beach Commandos; Combined Operations Scout Units; RAF Servicing Commandos; Anzio; Arzew; Air Support; Dieppe Raid; Demolitions; Churchill; Clogstoun-Willmott; Bruneval; Camuflage; Darby; Dives River; Lauenburg; Komrower; Keyes, R.; Jellicoe; Hardy; Guadalcanal; Gustav Line; Durnford-Salter, J.; El Alamein; Garigliano River; Rhinen; Norge; Ouistreham; Parachute Troops; Phuket; Normandy; Naval Support; Myebon; Murray; Mountbatten; Manners, J.C.; Mills-Roberts; Montgomery; Maas River; Lovat; Laycock; Jugoslavien; Wingate; Weasel LVT; Weatherall; Tobruk; Sicilien; Schweningen; St. Honorine; St. Nazaire; Salerno; Singapore

This Leavenworth Paper is a critical reconstruction of World War II Ranger operations conducted at or near Djebel el Ank, Tunisia; Porto Empedocle, Sicily; Cisterna, Italy; Zerf, Germany; and Cabanatuan in the Philippines. It is not intended to be a comprehensive account of World War II Ranger operations, for such a study would have to include numerous minor actions that are too poorly documented to be studied to advantage. It is, however, representative for it examines several types of operations conducted against the troops of three enemy nations in a variety of physical and tactical environments. As such, it draws a wide range of lessons useful to combat leaders who may have to conduct such operations or be on guard against them in the future. Many factors determined the outcomes of the operations featured in this Leavenworth Paper, and of these there are four that are important enough to merit special emphasis. These are surprise, the quality of opposing forces, the success of friendly forces with which the Rangers were cooperating, and popular support.

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.

"Originating as a 19th century militia, the New Brunswick Rangers were placed on active service for the first time during the Second World War, serving first in the Maritimes and Newfoundland. In 1943, the Rangers were sent to Britain, where they were converted to a heavy weapons support unit, armed with machine guns and mortars in preparation for the invasion of Normandy. In this illuminating account, Matthew Douglass uncovers their participation in the war: their arrival in Normandy and their contributions to the battles in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Present at many of the critical moments of the campaign, the Rangers participated in the Battle of the Falaise Gap, which cleared the way for the advance on Paris and the German border; the Battle of the Scheldt, which secured the vital supply lines of the port of Antwerp; and the Battle of the Reichswald, when German resistance on the west bank of the Rhine was finally broken. Drawing on archival photographs and original source documents, Douglass's account of the Rangers' wartime experiences is a crucial piece in understanding the role of heavy weapons support units on the Western Front. The New Brunswick Rangers in the Second World War is volume 27 of the New Brunswick Military Heritage Series. Matthew Douglass holds degrees in history from the University of New Brunswick where he carried out fieldwork in France and Belgium. His publications, including articles in Canadian Military History, feature studies of the Royal Canadian Regiment's role in garrisoning Bermuda in the First World War and the Canadian campaigns in Sicily and the Netherlands in the Second World War. "--